If you’re into Halloween, dressing up in a spooky or sultry costume, and riding your boo-cycle, you’ll want to check out a monstrously fun event on Saturday, October 28, 2023. Join other ghouls and guys for an awesome bike-based evening!
By Peg Cameron Gill
The Monster Bike Bash is a Halloween-inspired bicycle party on the Katy Trail that starts at Flat Branch Park in Columbia and ends at Cooper’s Landing,16 miles away.
This costumed cruise takes riders through the most social and scenic sections of the Katy Trail State Park. It includes many trail-side stops filled with fiendish fun, including music, parties, and surprises. (You can park in the Columbia city parking garages on Cherry St. and Walnut St.–parking is free all weekend.)
Here’s the rough schedule of events:
Check in begins at 8:45 AM at Columbia’s Flat Branch Park. Riders depart between 9–9:30 AM. The organizers suggest group departures take place at 9:20 AM.
After 2.1 miles, from 9:30–10:15 AM, the bike brigade can enjoy a party at Triangle Circle. Then, from 10:30–11:30 AM, reveling riders can hit the bridge party.
Next stop on the Bike Bash is at Hindman Junction, (Named in honor of late former Columbia mayor and biking enthusiast Darwin Hindman) from 11 AM to noon. The Junction marks the 9.1 mile mark.
If you’re still among the living at that point, McBaine Madness follows from noon to 1 PM.
After a little more than four miles more, from 1–2 PM, raucous riders will reach Providence access.
Cooper’s Landing will be the next landing spot, where bikers can enjoy food and music from 2–3 PM.
A costume contest at Cooper’s will follow at 3 PM. After that, bikers are free to return to Columbia at their own speed to whatever surprises await.
It’s 32 miles round trip. But if you’re a monster who can’t muster the mileage, and need help to head back to CoMo, consider taking a shuttle. There are a limited number of rides back from Cooper’s Landing available for $15 per person (available on the site’s checkout page).
Registration is requested, and you can get tickets here. Your $35 Rider Pass helps cover the trail fees, insurance, and all expenses behind the scenes. Registration also includes a Monster Bike Bash bandana, a transfer sticker pack, and mystery trailside surprises.
Get your tickets soon or you won’t have a ghost of a chance at going!
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For hundreds more events, visit Missouri Life’s Event Calendar.
