The Missouri River runs directly below Jefferson City's downtown bluffs, and the waterfront offers some of the best views of the Capitol building from below — the dome rising against the sky above the limestone cliffs is the defining image of the city. A riverside trail connects the downtown area to the Katy Trail trailhead, passing under the highway bridges and along the water.
The river here is wide, brown, and muscular — very different from the manicured riverfronts of larger cities. There's a working quality to it: barges still move grain and aggregate along this stretch of the Missouri. The Jefferson Landing historic district sits at the foot of the bluff where the city's 19th-century commercial life once concentrated along the waterfront. Early mornings and late afternoons are the best times to walk the trail, when the light hits the Capitol dome from a low angle and the river traffic adds movement to the scene.