Katy Trail Forum

I just finished cycling the Katy this past week, and it was a cold one! Camping in 0 degrees and riding all day in the teens was exhausting and I wanted to put out a special thank you to all who helped me along the way. For filling up water bottles, letting me get warm for a few minutes or putting me up for the night. Thanks Missouri River Relief riverrelief.org and Jeff Barrow for the warm stay Tuesday night.

Casey's General Stores in Windsor and especially Pilot Grove, you guys really helped me out with letting me change clothes in a nice warm building. And to the Towns of Pilot Grove and Marthasville for allowing me to camp in your town parks.

Thanks to Doug Rendleman, rendlemanhome.com for letting me camp and build a fire in the yard and for the great company and sound advice. And thanks to Randy and Phillips 66 in Sedalia. And Darren and Larry for clearing all the downed trees between Clinton and Booneville.

It was a great trip, really enjoyed getting to meet all of you!

Oh yeah, Rocheport. Really glad you guys had the restrooms open, that was incredibly helpful.

Eddie, that is some accomplishment! Talk about testing ones mettle, "it was a cold one" is a tremendous understatement. It's an impressive feat.

You must know a bit about cold weather camping. I have to ask, what was your motivation to ride the trail in late January and in such cold weather?

That's a question I wondered about too Darrell.

I would have guessed Eddie was on the lam. But that doesn't add up beings he let everyone know where he'd been the past week.

Eddie, I bet a dollar that EVERYONE that met you last week feels like the blessing was theirs. Folks, he had a smile on his face and a positive attitude about life and the trip that was a real pleasure to see. Katy in a day? That's nice. Katy in JANUARY?! WOW!

Awesome! Congratulations on your ride. Well done.

Eddie,
Congratulations on an epic ride!

Winter camping alone presents challenges. That, with getting up and riding the trail in our January weather would only complicate the issue for many of us.

Reading both of your posts here is quite refreshing. To do what you've done and then come here with such a positive attitude to thank those that you encountered along the way for the help is also congratulatory. It was nice to read about all the things that made your ride enjoyable, in January no less. The only problem you had was your water freezing.....to be expected!

Again, Congratulations!

Eddie,
Congrats on your Very Cold Ride on the Katy! Thats a feat that I will never challenge, thats for sure! I try to stay in when its below 20 degrees out. I've read a lot of post on here and I dont think I have read of anyone else riding the whole 237 in the dead of winter and sub zero weather? But I have only been reading these comments for a year or so.

I rode the 237 in October and I thought the 40's was cold! LoL And its nice to read about others who have had good experiences on their ride and where, like you mentioned the Casey's in Windsor, those were the nicest ladies in that store and I will always remember that and if I have a group of riders going that way I will be sure to stop there everytime! Just because they were nice and smiled and were friendly! Funny how that works! I wish all businesses could understand that!

And also, I plan on riding other trails in the USA soon, because I like riding and traveling... but from reading your post and all of the others and my experience of the ride, I think this is the BEST TRAIL in the USA!

Thanks for sharing your Cold Ride and to all who have helped us bikers along on our journeys on the Katy!

REALISTICALLY, when is the earliest you could expect to make the trip from Clinton to Machens?

When are all the water stations turned on? Is there a "season" for the vendors/restaurants/B&B's along the way? I did the trail in October and would like to try it in the Spring this year.

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

David,
The water at the trailheads is normally turned on April 1 and off November 1. Our weather of course can vary greatly which makes for good riding well ahead of April 1 some years. And, later than Nov 1 too.

Some trail specific businesses may roughly follow April 1 to November 1, but to my knowledge most restaurants and B&B's are open year round. It's usually best to contact specific places for lodging, transportation, etc. to find their specific open/close dates and hours.

Thanks - I was mostly interested in the water stations for the long areas, i.e. Sedalia to Pilot Grove.

As Ray has posted there are "winter facilities available" to March 31. So you can go year round.

I just finished doing the whole trail this last week. The only problem I had was my water freezing. Plenty of nice folks along the way to let me fill up bottles at the convenience store (gas stations) and such.

just wondering...are there any accommodations that are ADA compliant along the trail?

If you are asking about the bathrooms, they are roomy with handrails. Getting off the 100' wide trail is discouraged (because that would be trespassing) so going into the woods is not something they like anyone to do. Otherwise, I imagine that a wheelchair would roll down the trail just fine.

If you are looking for someone to file a lawsuit against because they are not ADA compliant, look somewhere else.

Lucy, assuming you were asking about the sleeping accomodations, in general, you will only find ADA compliant facilities in the newer hotels (since ADA didn't go into effect until the 90's). Most of the B&B's are large, older homes in which it would be economically impossible to bring them up to compliance -- a wheelchair ramp to the front door is easy, but bathroom modifications are not. The Comfort Inns, the Holiday Inns, etc. are all compliant and have special ADA rooms with the roll-in showers. But they might have limited availability, so call way ahead of time.

If you were asking about restroom accomodations along the trail, in my recollection, most of the facilities seem to be ADA compliant. But that would be a good question for Dawn Frederickson at MO State Parks.

The trail itself is finely crushed limestone, so it can be slightly bumpy and dusty, but I have seen scores of wheelchairs on the trail, especially around Frontier Park in St. Charles.

Thanks for all the comments, and no I am not looking to file a complaint/lawsuit! I am looking to open a b&b/guesthouse that would be ada compliant and am just wondering if there is a need for it. Ideas/suggestions are welcome!

Greetings, First let me apologize if this has been covered already. I'm not sure how to search these forums.
I'm wondering what folks might recommend as the safest route from the Katy trail to the Arch in St. Louis?
Thanks in advance!

About 1/3 the way down on the home page:

How to get to Downtown St Louis and Mississippi River from the Katy Trail by bike

Winter rates are still available at Joey's Birdhouse in McKittrick until March 1st. Two nights for $100 or one night for $60 including breakfast. The trail is beautiful all year round.

I am planning on biking the entire Katy Trail at the end of March beginning of May. Not sure exact dates yet. I plan on completing the trek in about 4 days. I also would like for my family to meet up with me at camp spots in an RV. I would take any tips on making this trip work for me and if you know of good spots to meet my family. By the way I am starting in Clinton. Thanks for any info you can provide me.

The campgrounds that I can think of with RV access along the trail would be:

State Fairgrounds in Sedalia
Katy Roundhouse in New Franklin
Katfish Katy's in Huntsdale
Cooper's Landing in Easley
River's Edge in Portland

Steamboat Junction in Bluffton, Hermann City park, Klondike Park near Augusta, Sundermiers in St.Charles are some more.

Has anyone made the trip to the Kansas state line from Clinton? I'm thinking about having a true Bike Across Missouri using the KATY trail. Riding from Clinton to Kansas and return, then start the KATY trail from Clinton to Machens then drip my wheel in the Mississippi River at Portage de Sioux.

Here is a journal of a couple of guys that have done it. Looks like they took HWY 18 all the way from Clinton to the KS state line.
http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/page/?o=1&page_id=304928&v=4R

Two summers ago, my wife dropped off my son, me, and our bikes at the Kansas State line at 315th Street & State Line Road (a tiny gravel road at that point – you can Google-map W 315th St & State Line Rd Drexel, MO 64742). We then rode about 30 miles pretty much due east along little country roads to Garden City MO. The next day, we resumed our ride from Garden City to Clinton, riding about 30 miles on the shoulder of Highway 7, and then on to the Katy Trail. A few days later, we did exactly what you said: dipped our tires in the Mississippi River right by Portage Des Sioux's "Our Lady of the River" statue.

We used Google maps to select the Kansas-to-Garden City route, having never actually seen the roads in person until riding them. We chose this particular starting location because there is a clearly defined State Line Road at that point, and we could mostly ride directly east without a whole lot of having to turn north or south. If you look on Google Maps, you’ll see that State Line Road comes and goes in that area, and other roads crossing the border are sparse.

Garden City is at 307th street, so our route took us a little bit north. A nice easy 30 mile start fit our plan for day 1 (which was good because temperatures were over 100). We only encountered about 8 or 10 cars between Kansas and Garden City.

The 27 miles along the highway 7 shoulder from Garden City to Clinton was what you'd expect from a 4-lane major highway, but a couple hours and it's over. Lots of traffic, noisy trucks, and junk on the shoulder. This was before I had tire liners; we had a couple of flats. :-(

This route worked for our goals, but you could probably just as easily select a point on the border directly west of Clinton, which I think would give you about 45 miles of country roads between the state line and Clinton.

Google Maps is a fantastic tool for this sort of thing, and it's amazing how many little country roads are

continued....

Google Maps is a fantastic tool for this sort of thing, and it's amazing how many little country roads are on their "Street View" feature.

The usual caveats and warnings go along with this: any street-based route involves riding with car traffic, which is inherently more dangerous and requires a high level of alertness and safety vigilance. You accept a higher level of risk in doing so.

Good luck and happy trails!

Or you could join 10,000 crazies and do it in Iowa on the RAGBRAI on July 20-26 this year. It's a party every mile and your not on Google maps figuring out where to turn.

My wife and I rode from Columbia to Weldon Springs last July and really want to finish the trail this year. We want to finish the trail from Columbia ti Clinton this year. We had heard that the trail will continue to Kansas city, is this true? We would like to know if the trail has been constructed to ride any farther than Clinton at this time? We would love to ride as far as possible on this beautiful trail. We are planning our ride in the fall of 2014. If anyone could let us know we would appreciate it. Thanks for this wonderful place to ride@

The Rock Island Trail state park will connect Windsor and Pleasant Hill. According to the Missouri Bike Federation last fall, completion is estimated at 2-3 years out.

My wife had a bad accident on the Katy near Rocheport in October 2010 and I would like to find the people who helped me care for her and wait for the ambulance.

I lived in Jeff City for 2 yrs.I remember going there and shooting at targets with a friend.Can you still shoot targets?

That depends. You can if you are talking about going to a shooting range. Not in someones back yard though.

I am curious to know how this is related to biking or the Katy Trail? Guess its a blog about towns on the KT? Just wondering.

The United Sportsman's Club is located near Jefferson City. It is a very nice facility.

DSD, do you not see any hypocrisy between this comment and your "love it my way or leave it comment"?

I’ve got to admit I was also a little confused about how shooting targets related to the Katy unless it had to do with those with C&C’s permits mentioned in a previous post or perhaps the poster was having a Christopher Walken moment. :-)

I lived in Jeffersoncity for two years I think I,ts a beautiful state I am looking forward to moving back soon and makiing it my permanent home.I have done alot of hiking MO and lived near the runge were I walked alot.About the shooting range when I lived in JC My husband who is a native of MO took my son and I to shoot at the range i thought it was fun. Sandra Morrison

Where are the two comments DSD made about hypocrisy? i didnt get the connection and I see just the one DSD comment Doug?

Any annual events along the trail Memorial Day weekend-- May 23-26

Pedaler's Jamboree. I'll be there. Looks like they are still getting the details together because the website said they will be posting information in early Feb. It is a VERY good time. http://pedalersjamboree.com/

Pedaler's Jamboree will be Memorial Day weekend. From Columbia to Boonville, stay overnight and return to Columbia the next day. Plenty of food, drink, and music along the way both days. You can get more information here:

http://www.pedalersjamboree.com/

I guess you have to go in just one direction based on the wave of pedlers from Columbia? I got on in Boonville and hit the crowd of baby carriers going west, east of Rocheport. Rules of the trail, give me at least a third of the trail. Midsouth can you pass along that side by side double wide baby carriers is a little uncool?

I've rode the last three years and never see any congestion other that at the food/drink/music stops. There are hundreds of riders but they leave Columbia over a couple hours time and everyone is pretty well stretched out...

My nephew and I will be backpacking section 2 of the ADT and I am concerned that there appears to be limited camping in a couple spots along the route. There are a few spots that will have either short days or verrry long days. Since we have 10 days to finish the trip, we hope to average 15-20 miles a day. What is accepted practice for overnight stops, such as distance off trail, etc?

TIA!!

Where is the ADT? Doesn't sound like the Katy Trail.

Click on the Trip Planner link above and select Camping. That should give you most of the camping options. You are not allowed to camp on the trail, only at designated camping areas. Any distance off the trail is most likely private property.

Stealth camping on The Katy is a "No-no." Print off the guide section of this website with camping, food, and water info from this website (or better yet, just use a smart phone and bookmark this site for reference), then use that to help you get started.

If that doesn't work, don't be shy about asking permission to set up camp on a remote part of someone's yard, and be sure to slip them $10 in the process. But make sure to ask and receive permission before you camp.

I prefer using a lightweight Eno hammock with a rainfly for that situation. I've slept under trees, pavilions, in barns, etc. As often as not, I've been given hot coffee the next morning. The conversation with the landowner usually starts like this after a knock on the door: "Do you know anywhere my son and I can camp, or up up a tent........" If that doesn't work, go to the next place. I've been told "No" once, but never twice. I think landowners generally like to help trail users as long as they don't think you are going to burn down their barn, etc.

The ADT is the American Discovery Trail, coast to coast. It follows the Katy Trail throughout Missouri.

Thanks, ArkyKenny. I will be using a hammock (a Hennessy), but I'm not sure if my nephew will be using one, though he has access to one. I figure the least footprint the better.

Thanks for the landowner tip--I was hoping for something along those lines. Happy trails!

My property borders the trail about 7 miles west of Jefferson City. You are welcome to camp there if it is one of the areas you are looking at. No charge either. If so, let me know. Thanks.

I ate there last fall, and while it wasn't 5 star dining (because it's very casual) the food was very good, the veiw looking out over the katy trail was beautiful and the service was good.

Have stayed here on two occasions. What a great service to the trail! Hot water. Bunks. A place to heat up food. A bike repair shop. And surprising new friends. If you are out to enjoy nature and the other folks in it, you will love this place. It's $5 folks so it isn't the "no surprise; best surprise" place. i suggest you might want to leave a little extra to help out. We need more of these!

I suppose you have to bring your own food, right? Is there a stove or microwave available?

There is a microwave and a refrigerator. There is no stove but usually has a coffee maker. Yes, you will need to bring some type of food to heat up.

We spotted two eagles this morning on our Katy Trail walk and a few bikers out on the trail. Looking forward to reopening this spring! The Katy Trail Bed & Breakfast (in Rocheport) is offering a 10% off special if you "Like" us on Facebook and book a 2-night stay during the 2014 season before Feb. 1 (your reservations can be for March - Nov.). We are opening earlier as well (as requested) starting March 1, 2014! www.katytrailbb.com.