Katy Trail Forum

Does anyone know or ever heard of a person hiking the entire trail? Can it even be done? How long would it take? Just curious. Thanks!

Here's a website you might want to look at: http://gregwalk2006.blogspot.com/ Greg walked half the trail earlier in the year. Some great info!! I'm leaving Machens on June 4, 2007 and hiking thru to Clinton. I'm going to do it in about 3 weeks, give or take. I've hiked seperate parts of the trail but never the whole thing at once. Let me know if you're going to hike the trail, I'll share all my resources. Again, check out Greg's site!!!

Rachel,

This is Greg, of the aforementioned Gregwalk2006. It most certainly can be done. As Doug wrote, I walked 163 miles of the 225 total miles in 8 days. My plan was to finish it off in about 12 days. I had to stop due to excessive blistering on my feet.

The main thing, as I have written here before, is planning the logistics for the trip. (ie food, water, shelter). I tried to stay as self-contained as I could, but probably carried too much weight in my backpack.

I plan on finishing off the last 60-odd miles this coming Spring. As Doug wrote, feel free to ask me any questions you might have about hiking the trail. I will tell you what I know

I know of a man named Ed Belik. He is in his 70's and has walked the trail several times. He has also rode the trail several times and volunteers each year with the state sponsered KATY Ride. He actually walked the entire trail right after the state acquired the property, but before it was developed. I have seen his photo albums of when he bushwhacked the enitire trail.

Thanks for all the help everbody! I'm not exactly in the best of shape, so it might take me longer to walk the trail than most people. Although I have been walking 6 miles a day (it's not much at all) just for a little practice, and soon I'll be stepping that up to more miles a day with a backpack too. So is it possible to make it to a campgroud everynight? What's the average number of miles a person can walk in a day? I live on the KC side of the trail, so I'll start in Clinton. If I do it at all, I'll probably start out in Mid-May 2007.

Rachel,



I also started in Clinton. Two references will help you more than any others. This website is one of them(props to Ray), and the other is the Katy Trail Guidebook by Brett Dufur. I just about lived on this site while planning the trip and the book was always in my backpack.



As for the getting in shape part of the trail, just keep plugging away. A little over three years ago, I weighed about 120 pounds more than I do now and could barely walk a mile. After dieting and walking, that has definitely changed. I averaged about 15-20 miles a day while I was on my walk.



As for campgrounds, that is a little dicey. There are some, but a lot of them are primitive. Camping in the city parks, with permission, is a good option. I live in Central Mo, so I slept at home four nights I was out. I also stayed at the Bothwell in Sedalia and Birk's Gasthaus in Hermann. Both were great!



Are you planning a solo trip or going in a group? Also, are you going to have anyone driving support? If so, you can get shuttled to and from campgrounds/hotels/B&Bs and have the added benefit of being able to travel fairly light.



Greg

Rachel,

You can camp in the Hermann City park real cheap. The park is about 1.5 miles from the McKittrick trailhead. They're building a new bridge with a walkway that should be completed this summer. I tried to cross the current bridge but chickened out and hitch hiked across. Ditto on the Trail Guide, it will be the best investment you'll ever make toward your trek.

Yes, I would NOT walk the Hermann bridge in in current form. I don't think it would even be legal to do so.

Hint to the Machens trailhead:

Suppose you drove to Machens. Suppose you turned right on Salle street (2nd right in Machens). Suppose you drove to the end where it was blocked by a wire cable that said "No Trespassing" from the BN railroad. Suppose you crossed the track and went oh, about 30 feet to relieve yourself. Suppose you ended up right at the Machens trailhead. Crossing the railroad to the trailhead would be illegal, but I was just supposing.

Suppose I understood what a "Hint" to a trailhead even was. I suppose it would be similar to standing next to a tree and whispering something in its ear.....a tree "hint" whisperer I suppose. I don't understand though, and am having a hard time with all of the supposition and finding a relationship between "Walked the whole trail?" and a "Hint to the Machens trailhead:." Reading deep the only thing I can glean from this is.....if you are in Machens, don't "relieve yourself" before starting to walk the whole trail although it does sound like a good idea. But, that's just me I suppose.

I guess it was the idea of being picked up at the end of the trail versus walking back to Black Walnut or even St. Charles. It was a hint to other hikers that they may also try this at the end of the long walk from Clinton or points east. Sorry for the confusion.

Hmmmmm, I would NEVER do that, Doug. But you never know when the need for relief might strike. :-)

Thanks

When I rode the trail in October I finished up at EOT in Machens and the site was accessible by road. The cable gate was down and there were no signs saying you couldn't access the site. The RR grade crossing is rough but manageable. The only real problem is that it is difficult to find the turnoff to the dirt road leading to the TH.

I'm planning on hiking the Katy in late Apr - early May 2007. Have spent a lot of time on this site and reading Greg's log.



My planning includes using some shuttle services to close up "gaps" between camping/hotel locations. I will still have a couple of long days. I'm in my second stage of "training", now doing about 45 miles per week and slowing increasing. Although the trail services are primarily directed toward cyclist a hike seems doable.



Hope to see other hikers on the Trail!



Ed

Ed, it is absolutely doable. I am still trying to figure out when I will finish off the trail this Spring. I have the McKittrick to St. Charles/Machens stretch to do. You should have a blast!

I usually bike on the Katy, but am now interested in hiking it. Truthfully, I never really considered this until I read Greg’s blog a few months ago. I have noticed a few hikers on the trail from time to time, but very rare to see someone appear to be carrying enough gear for an overnight stay, let alone someone that was going to hike the whole thing.



The longest I have ever walked in a single day was 30 miles on the Katy, and I had another day where I walked 17 miles. These were both after major bike breakdowns, which before I began my unscheduled walk I had biked 30 miles(for my 30 mile walk), and had biked 60 miles(for my 17 mile walk). I was in major pain after both of these events, but it helps knowing your limits. I am going to do some additional training, but my plan requires that I be able to do 20-25 miles on back to back days.



If I do it this year, it will be in early June. I have a plan, but still undecided on if I will go east to west or west to east. Hopefully, I will see some other hikers out there, but lets not let it get to crowded!!

30 Miles? Yikes!

The most I did on my hike was about 23, which was enough for me. I usually averaged around 17-19 miles. You probably have to have a screw or two loose to want to hike the whole trail, that's why I don't think you will see too many of us out there trudging along. :-)

Hey, maybe I'll see you on the trail. I'm leaving on June 4th, staying at campgrounds/city parks most of the way. I'm going to take a cab from Pilot Grove to the Sedalia fairgrounds, camp, and return to Pilot Grove the next day. I hike to Sedalia, camp, and hike to Green Ridge the next day. I'll be cabbed back to Sedalia, camp, and cab back to Green Ridge. I also plan to canoe from Rocheport to Hartsburg (fingers crossed). Those are the only times I'll venture from the trail. I made arrangements with some churches to let me pitch a tent on thier property overnight. I only use my alcohol stove to cook with but no other fires. My real dilema is which end to start at. Machens would satisfy the history buff in me by following the Lewis and Clark route. Clinton would satisfy the psychological side since every step is a step toward home.

Doug,

Have you checked about camping in the city park at Pilot Grove? It's a pretty nice location with a pool and right on the trail.

Greg

Greg,

I'm trying to refresh my memory which has become a major endeavor. Is that the small park that's behind the senior citizens apartments?

Sure is. They have flush toilets, water, the aforementioned pool and picnic shelters. And it is about two blocks from the business district, so it is a pretty good location.

I'm glad I got into reading this forum! It's just what I was looking for. I had walked sections of the trail before & wondered if anyone had ever walked the entire trail. After doing some WEB searching, I found this site & Greg's. I read his blog and decided walking the trail probably wasn't the best for an out of shape 40+ female with three teenagers! I had it figured it would take at least 15 days from Clinton to St Charles, & I wasn't sure what kind of condition we would end up in. We have decided to take this summer training and bike the entire trail early next summer (2008). If anyone would be interested in comparing notes let me know: gyfd1918@aol.com

Stacy,

I, too, am over 40. It certainly takes some training, and I am also harboring the idea of riding the whole trail sometime in the future. Right now, I have to figure out when I am going to finish off the trail on foot. I am thinking sometime in early summer. I am sure you will reach your goal. Keep at that training!

Greg

Just received "The Complete Katy Trail Guidbook" today and have been re-planning my days. I was originaly going to get some shuttles from Sedalia and Buffton to shorten up two of the long stretches but have now decided to hold off. The plan now is to drive most of the trail route from west to east as I go to St. Charles and make camping arrangements as I go. Then shuttle/Amtrak/shuttle to Clinton and use my arranged camp/hotel/B&Bs as I hike back to St. Charles.



I'm quite a bit over 40 and the training is progressing, but time is slipping by also. I'm up to 50+ miles a week now but that is only half what I have myself scheduled for on the Trail. Will just keep slowly increasing and hope I'm ready by late April!

The Complete Katy Trail Guidebook will be a resource you'll never regret buying. It's pretty durable, even when dropped in the mud. I know this from experience.

Has anyone done a night at the park in Marthasville? I started to camp there Friday but just felt too uneasy. It was freezing cold so there wasn't much traffic at the bar, but was still uneasy because I was so exposed. I'm open to any advice.

Doug, camping on Friday, Jan. 26? Yikes! That would have been cold! The temps right now are really messing with me getting out and doing any road work at all. Hats off to you!

Greg

Has anyone done a night at the park in Marthasville? I started to camp there Friday but just felt too uneasy.

- posted 1/28/2007 10:59:56 AM by DougK , Troy



I camped there one night a couple years ago, but it was a warm evening in September. I had to wait out a "Mud Bog" fundraiser, and after that the place was empty. I felt a little isolated, but nothing happened. The showers were warm and there was no noise after the fundraiser.

i rode the katy last year i met a couple that was hiking acrsoss americia. they where hiking all the katy trail. they have a website they keep updated they have e-mail there so they will let you know how long it took. www.treckusa.com good luck

I couldn't open the treckusa site but this couple was hiking the Discover America Trail across the USA.

The Katy Trail is part of that x-country trail as well as part of the Lewis & Clark Trail and many hikers do part of the Katy but few/none do ALL of it. Almost all the hikers are going from east to west and they will turn off the Katy at Boonville to Arrow Rock.

I walked the trail in 14 days, i spent 17 days, rained out 3 times. Stayed in hotels 4 times when it rained, tented the rest of the time. Oct 28 - 13 Nov 2015, started at St. Charles and ended at Clinton, 226 miles. Average 16 miles each day, drank around 3 liters of water each day. I walked to raise money for disabled veterans, and enjoyed the fall colors, and the history of it all.

Congratulations Mark. That's awesome!

I am 65 and walked the whole trail. You can do it!!!

Can one park near the Machen's Trailhead, or is this private property/illegal? I'm wanting to start hiking it from the Machen's trailhead, but I'm unclear on the legality of leaving my vehicle there while I hike a short piece of it and back.

Thanks.

Ted, there is absolutely no place to park at Machens. It's difficult to even drop someone off there, because if you go a little too far on Machens Road, it becomes a dirt road and is tough to turn around. My suggestion is to have someone drop you off on Machens Road near the trail and have them turn around right at the railroad tracks.

Does anyone have any information regarding traveling from St. Louis to St. Charles to start our ride on the Katy Trail? How far of a ride is it from St. Louis to the trail head at St. Charles? Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. Scott

Are you wanting to start in Downtown St. Louis at the Arch or do you have a different starting point in mind? Would you rather bike along the Mississippi River for most of that distance out to St. Charles or do you want to ride through the heart of St. Louis where you can see some of the nice neighborhoods?

The Mississippi Riverfront Greenway Trail runs about 12 miles north from Downtown St. Louis if you are starting near the Arch. Your best be then is to enjoy the longer route across the Mississippi River and utilize the nice trails in Illinois in order to get to Machens. This Illinois route is about 28 miles versus 18 miles, but the shorter Missouri route would require you to ride on major highways with small shoulders. The Illinois route takes you across the Old Chain of Rocks pedestrian/bike bridge into Illinois where you jump on the Madison County Confluence Trail.
Here is the route that I posted several weeks ago along the Mississippi River up to Machens:

Take that trail to the northwest past Wood River and into Alton where you can cross back into Missouri using the striped bike lane on the cable-stayed Clark Bridge Hwy. 67). Once you cross back into Missouri, take rough West Alton Trail to get close to St. Charles Street. Then take St. Charles Street to 94 Hwy. to Saale Road to Dwiggins Road to 94 Hwy. to Machens Road...the idea is to use county sidestreets to stay off of 94 Hwy. as much as possible. Machens Road takes you to the Katy trailhead just across the live railroad tracks.

Weldon Spring to Downtown St. Louis (Part 1):

I really enjoyed the route that I took this October from the Katy Trail to Downtown St. Louis. I really enjoyed rolling into downtown one hour before the Cubs/Cardinals game...here is the route:
Take the Route 364 (Page Avenue Bridge) across the Missouri River from the Katy Trail.
Follow the signs to follow the Creve Coeur Connector Trail.
When you dive down the hill away from the highway into Creve Coeur Park, continue straight through the bike roundabout and go past the Lakehouse (a great place to stop if you want to eat a whole meal or to just grab a Gatorade).
Continue straight on the trail until it parallels Creve Coeur Mill Road and turns into a sidewalk.
Continue straight on the sidewalk for about 500' past the apartment complex where the sidewalk turns into a crushed gravel path that turns left along a creek and utility easement.
The gravel path connects to the Old Farm Estates pool parking lot and playground where you can then connect to Bookbinder Drive.
Turn right onto Bookbinder Drive and enjoy a couple of big hills with fairly light traffic (especially compared to Creve Coeur Mill Road).
Bookbinder eventually runs into Creve Coeur Mill Road, but you only have to ride about 100' on it until you link up with Olive Boulevard.
Olive Boulevard is a road with heavy traffic, but it has a mix of wide bike shoulders, striped bike lanes, and sidewalk areas. Along Olive, the single point interchange at I-270 and the cloverleaf interchange at Lindbergh (Hwy. 67) are the only difficult parts.
Once you get past Lindbergh, continue straight on Olive for about 1/2 mile past Warson and Old Bonhomme, then turn right at the next street Newcastle.
Go down the hill on Newcastle for about 1/4 mile and you will see an asphalt bike trail begin along the left side of the roadway (this is an awesome paved trail through Olivette).

Part 2:

The 1/2 mile trail connects to Dielman Road where there is a signed bike route from Dielman to Hill/Dale to Elkington to Villa Avenue.
From Villa Avenue, turn right onto Price Road, go up the hill and turn left onto Old Bonhomme Road.
Take Old Bonhomme Road for 1/4 mile over the I-170 bridge where you will immediately turn left and go down the hill onto the Centennial Greenway Trail system.
Take the Centennial Greenway Trail for 2 miles straight south until it dead-ends at Shaw Park.
Work your way through Shaw Park past the tennis courts and past the swimming pool.
Cross Brentwood Boulevard at Carondolet Avenue and stay straight on Carondolet for 1/2 mile (you ride on a nice wide street and cut through the County Courthouse area that has wide walkways).
Carondolet Avenue dead-ends at Carondolet Plaza, but go right around the plaza roundabout and you will see a bike/ped bridge over Forest Park Parkway.
Once you cross the ped bridge, stay to the left and ride down Edgewood Drive where you will turn left onto Wydown Boulevard.
Wydown Boulevard has great bike lanes and nice tree lined streets as it leads you eastward towards Forest Park.
Once at Forest Park, I recommend taking their bike trails to the left clockwise around the park.
Once around the park, I recommend taking Pine Street through several nice neighborhoods where eventually you will run right into the St. Louis University campus.
Go through the SLU campus for about 1 mile until you reach the baseball and softball fields, then turn left and join the bike lanes along Olive Boulevard (again).
Take the Olive bike lanes eastward for about 2 miles until you reach 20th Street where you will turn right.
Go two short blocks to Chestnut Street and turn left. Enjoy the new parking protected bike lanes along Chestnut past Union Station all the way to 4th Street where you will see the Old Courthouse and the Arch.

If you want to follow the Weldon Spring to Downtown St. Louis directions, then you will have to trace it out in the opposite direction because you are starting at the Arch. My directions are from 2015, but I still think that they are the best option out there if you are starting from the Arch and not the Kirkwood train station. You can go to Google Maps, turn on the cycling layer, and see that most of my route is highly recommended. If you don't like biking on busy four lane streets, then there are a few options that eliminate the one busy stretch of Olive by Lindbergh and I-270. I can also share my Garmin map link of this route if you want to see it.

How far of a trip can we expect to St. Charles if we start at the Arch? Thank you. Also if anyone has any relevant information, please share either here or email me. Thnak you..

The route that I described first along the Mississippi Riverfront Greenway Trail is 12 miles, plus 28 miles to cross into Illinois (taking the Illinois greenway up to Alton and then back across the river to Machens), and then 13 more miles to get from Machens to St. Charles (53 miles total). The second route through the city is 26 miles to go through the city and cross the Missouri River at the Page Avenue Bridge bike crossing where you join the Katy Trail, and then you just have to ride 3 miles back east in order to reach St. Charles (about 29 miles total).

We feel like we have stumbled upon one of Missouri’s best kept secrets! Just off the Katy Trail, Boone Monument Village is one of the most unique experiences you will ever find in a “B&B.” From heated and air conditioned teepees and covered wagons to authentic 1700-1800’s log cabins, you will not find a more unique and fun place to rest your head than this. History has not only been preserved here, but shared with all who will take the time to visit. On our five day Katy Trail ride this was the highlight of our trip! An extremely comfortable place to stay in a setting that would be hard to match. If you are riding the trail or looking for a fun place to create memories this location is a must! This deserves more than five stars for sure!

The cabin was nice and very clean. The antiques were great decorations and talking pieces. Not far from Katy Trail if bike riding. Bring bike lock as they charge to keep bike inside ($100). Also, don't plan on cooking; no kitchen or sink. A microwave and toaster oven only available. Cool fire pit to make hot dogs or smores. Town was very quaint. Very few places to eat and most close by 5:30 pm so plan accordingly.

We are planning a stop in Jefferson City and camping in Binder Park to ride the MTB trails there. We were interested in checking out the prison tour but are a little apprehensive about leaving our bikes and gear unattended for a 2 hour tour.

Has anyone done the tour and what did you do with your bikes and gear (assuming you didn't stay in a hotel)?

Thanks!

Haven't done the prison tour. But, at other places we always take the handlebar bags/Garmin from the handlebars and lock the bike/bikes. More power to them if someone wants to rummage through a pannier for a pair of socks or a tee shirt. No great loss there, but I'd just as soon keep my cell phone/Garmin/wallet/etc.

You might call Red Wheel Bike Shop or the CVB (which is who you will schedule your MSP Tour with) and ask for suggestions. The guys at that bike shop are major fans of mountain biking in Jeff City and could hopefully give you some good advice.

I used to live in Jeff City and I am so glad to hear someone is doing what you plan to do, biking and camping at Binder Park and doing an MSP tour. If you find a way to get your bikes to MSP be sure and bike around that neighborhood, State St., Capitol Ave. and High St. You'll see amazing blight, but there is a very interesting story behind it and possibly progress towards getting the old mansions on Capitol Ave restored.

And check out The Mission if you enjoy live music. They have a facebook page. It's a great bar that focuses on local muscical talent.

Thanks for the suggestions Cathy (formerly of Jefferson City). :-) If you haven't had a chance, ride the GAP-C&O. We did that last year and it was amazing.

I contacted MSP and Sheila Sanford, tour director at MSP, advised that we could bring our bikes inside the prison. Part of the charm of bike touring is stopping to see places like this.

We plan on stopping in at Red Wheel, 3 Story and Prison Brews.

Just read the post about the prison tour. My buddy and I are getting ready to ride the trail starting on the 17th. How do we schedule the tour? We both work in the prison system in Ohio. Would be interesting to say the least. Thanks. Scott

https://www.missouripentours.com/tours

Definitely go to the Treloar garage bar and grill - it’s straight up the road that ends at the trailhead - can’t miss it.
They have really good food, (I had the homemade pizza and it hit the stop) great drinks and the locals were some of the nicest people I met while riding the trail (and I met a lot of great people). This place needs to be listed as an available dining establishment on the towns and services list.

Gene and Jaqui were fun to talk with. Their place is very nice and comfortable. Gene drove us into town for dinner and made our reservations at The Silly Goose. It was a great meal. We enjoyed our stay and hope to come back again. Breakfast was delicious and plentiful.

Katie was a great host. She was a great communicator and went out of her way to meet our needs. Shining Hope is so beautiful and comfortable. The king size bed and linens were the best ever. The history and her mission is commendable. You just can’t beat this anywhere, especially for the price! We loved our stay.

Sarah and Carl are awesome hosts. They went out of their way making sure all our needs were met, and believe me, we had needs. They insisted on feeding us a delicious pork chop dinner with wine, despite the fact that we couldn’t commit to a timeframe due to the rain that day. Their place is clean and private. You can’t beat this place!

What a wonderful, cozy, clean and quiet place for 2 to rest, shower and recharge the batteries! Thank you Dormitory for the hospitality and cold refreshing "Missouri" wine!

Great Times on the Katy Trail!