After floodwaters receded Friday on trails around Columbia following two mornings of heavy rain in central Missouri, the Parks and Recreation Department is cleaning up.
Department crews spent Friday clearing trees and removing accumulated silt and mud. The department plans to repair areas with significant problems Monday, a department planner said.
Janet Godon of the department said she appreciated the public’s patience over the past two days, as there is little Parks and Recreation can do about standing water.
“We know we have a lot of trail users in Columbia, and we know we have a lot of support, so it’s our priority to get out as quickly as possible and clean up our parks and our trails,” Godon said.
Godon said it’s impossible to remove all the mud and debris from paved trails, so any time it rains, it’s best to go slowly and be careful.
She advised trail users to never walk through standing water on the trail and to turn around if you encounter water covering the road or path in a vehicle.
Godon said parks and recreation barricaded trails Wednesday after heavy rains left areas underwater.
The Parks and Recreation Department posted an update on social media with the trail openings:
MKT Trail
The MKT Trail is safe from flooding from downtown Columbia to the Perche Creek Bridge at mile 2.25. There are deep ruts and difficult trail conditions, especially west of the Scott Boulevard and Jay Dix Station trailheads. Florea Loop is still subject to flooding.
County House Branch Trail
The trail is clear of flooding and debris. There is a maintenance vehicle parked at the edge of the trail north of Stadium Boulevard.
Bear Creek Trail
There is significant trail washout with fallen trees in the section west of the Creasy Springs trailhead to the Garth Natural Area. There are deep ruts and difficult trail conditions where the trail passes near Bear Creek.
Grindstone Creek Trail
This trail and the low water bridges are passable with some debris along the trail.
Hinkson Creek Trail
There are ruts and rough trails west of the Grindstone Natural Area. There is flooding at the low water bridge of the MU Recreation Trail south of the University of Missouri campus.
Hominy Creek Trail
There is standing water under the Interstate 70 underpass. The remainder of the trail is flood-free with areas of mud and debris near low-water bridges.
Scott Branch Trail
The trail is clear of flooding with mud and debris at the Scott Boulevard underpass.
This story has been updated with additional details.
