Katy Trail Forum

Can anyone recommend a good place for lunch in N. Jefferson or Wainwright? Is it safe or very far to go into Jeff City? Thanks.

It's about 3 miles into Jefferson City from the North Jefferson trailhead. Ari's pizza, Madisons as well as a few others are close to the capital.

Yes it's safe.

You might try Canterbury Hill in N. Jefferson right off the trail. I haven't been there but I heard it's good. There's a bike lane from the Katy just east of the 54 bridge. You have to climb a hill and ride a short road but I've heard it's well worth the effort. http://canterburyhill.com/contact/

Thanks so much!!

Across from the Capitol offers Cafe Roma. On the 100 block of E. High you'll find Jefferson City Cork and Provisions and Coffee Zone. On Madison there's Madison's, off Commercial Way (an alley) is Bones (I think they are open for lunch). Someone else mentioned Arris Pizza. There's several other choices in the 100-200 blocks of E. High. On the 900 block of E. High is Donohues, and on Ash St. is Pizza Brews. There is not any place to eat in Wainwright. Oh, and the first place you'll pass in Jeff City is Paddy Malones, an Irish pub at the corner of W. High and Bolivar. He has pretty good food.

Oops! That should have been O'Donohues in the 900 block of E.High, and Paddy Malones is at the corner of W. Main and Bolivar

....and Pizza Brews is really Prison Brews.

In Nick's Family Restaurant still open, north of the MO-river bridge at the airport terminal?
Hear its buffet is very good.

Beautiful B&B--the entire mansion is amazing and for the price well worth the experience. Easy ride from the trail and into town--I highly recommend staying here if you want a truly wonderful experience.

Very Safe and fun place to drop in. Great food and very fun place to meet some of the locals. Well worth the stop.

A little expensive for what it is. But the rooms were large and clean--so it is just fine.

Does anyone know the mile marker of where "MKT" is written on the bluffs near Rocheport. I looked for it this past weekend but could not locate it.

177.9 just east of Rocheport.

I was wanting to get a group of friends together for a week long trip on the Katy Trail we go to the University of Missouri in Columbia so I'm placed in the middle of the Katy Trail. Any opinion on which way is more adventurous. Id like a few towns where we can pull over and shop just to be tourist but still have a lot of great views. Im leaning towards McBaine to St.Charles. Opinions?

How many days can you devote to the trip?

about a week.

Alex or AD, Many St. Charles and St. Louis residents use the trail from Hermann to St. Charles. Not many shops but watering holes and wineries until St. Charles. Sounds like you are a "city folk" going to school at Mizzou?

Alex, if you have the week to spend, I would shoot for the whole trail. Then you get to see so many different natural and cultural sites. Plus, you get to tell everyone that you rode the whole trail, which is impressive on its own.

Hey everyone! Im a local student at Mizzou. This weekend was my first weekend riding Katy Trail. I loved it. Everyone was so friendly! Im a business student so my mind started rolling with ideas on how I can I invest in the trail. PLEASE But first I wanna asses if there is a need, so fill out my survey and leave a comment. I dont want to start a process threw state laws if there isnt a need.
Here is the link for the survey or feel free to just leave a comment.
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/6FWKHLD

I did the survey. You would get a lot more traffic though if you asked should horses be allowed on the whole trail.

It looked like the interest was in a food stand not a stable for horses.

Yeah. I didnt say I was interested in a horse stable. I have no interest in anything of the sort.

AD, There was a survey done last year that has a pretty good assessment of demographics, types of services used, businesses and how much is spent, that would be good for your portable hydration business possibility.
Let me know and I could possibly be an investor.

Great park! Park grounds well maintained and facilities clean. And the "Kitchen Room" was totally unexpected. Great place to overnight when touring Katy Trail. Headsup if ya access the park from west entrance ... there's a steep (albeit short) hill to climb to get up to park.

We enjoyed the South Dormitory room very much. very nice, clean and comfortable accommodations. Would definitely stay there again. It was wonderful to be able to walk to Abigails for dinner also.

The Schoolhouse Dormitory was very clean, comfortable and nicely decorated. There was a good selection of food in the fridge for breakfast, too. The self check-in system worked just fine and we liked the security of the key code entry on all the doors and bike shed. Last but not least, it was affordably priced! We would definitely stay again!

Riding boonsville to either hartsburg or jeff City. Staying in Boonsville and rocheport overnight. What places would you recommend staying also include hartsburg and jef city. School house and yates in rocheport are not available the time we are going to be there. Also recommend any places to eat as well! this will be first time riding on the trail.

We've stayed at Cliff Manor B&B and Capital Plaza hotel in Jefferson City. Both are close to the capital with good views of the river. Madisons, Ari's Pizza, among others are close for something to eat.

The bistro at Les Bourgeois is a decent place to eat in Rocheport as well as either the General Store and Abigails downtown. The Schoolhouse is okay, but really not all that for the price. We'd rather stay at the Hotel Frederick in Boonville. It's close to the trail, casino, downtown and has a restaurant inside. Some think its overpriced too, but we seem to migrate back there.

I want to spend night in Boonsville so I will look at Frederick. I was hoping to spend the day/night in Rocheporte. It looks like a town that has alot to do? But can't find a place to stay. I have heard the ride from Boonsville to Hartsburg is a popular ride.

I love the Hotel Fredrick. A bit pricy but worth it. I love Rocheport to visit but have never stayed there. They seem to appeal to a higher priced demographic.

One thing you might consider is running up to Columbia. Nine miles off the Katy, 18 miles round trip, but a plethora of lodging, food etc. You can spend a long afternoon in Rocheport (eat lunch in town, then ride up to Les Bourgios for an aperitif) then back on the bike for a 20-some mile cruise to Columbia. No problem.

thanks I will check out Columbia area. I now need a place to stay in Jefferson City that is close to trail...ideas? Places to eat and stop from rocheporte to jefferson city?

Jeff City is really not that close to the trail.
Lot of great stuff to see if you have the time and a place to leave your bike (the state Capitol). If time is not on your side, recommend you look at Hartsburg. Lodging and food 30 seconds off the trail. About 10 miles from Jefferson City.

Google maps shows that its more like 2.9 from the North Jefferson trailhead to the capital complex. Cliff Manor and Capital Plaza are both between the bridge and the capital, so they are actually closer than the 2.9.

But you are correct in that food and lodging in Hartsburg are closer to the trail.

The Trip Planner above may be worth your time checking it out, Vicki.

ok I will stay in Hartsburg.Suggestions on places to stay and eat? Thanks everyone for responses..much appreciated.

We are staying at the Globe B and B in Hartsburg, which I hear is good - nice owner. Grand Hotel seems to be the place to eat dinner.

Dotty's Cafe has been a favorite of Katy riders for many years. It is comfort food with a great atmosphere and service.

The Hartsburg Grand is a bit more upscale. It is in the building that used to be the bike shop.

We've been to each place and would recommend either depending on what you're looking for.

I thought I read somewhere that the bridge to Washington was improved, but the page does not reflect that. Is that bridge still difficult to cross or not?

The bridge will be replaced 2017-18 I believe, with new bike lane. Until then the bridge is narrow two lanes, no bike lane, and NOT recommended for bike travel. I have done it and MIGHT do it again but I would not recommend it.

I've found the best way is to hitch a ride across the bridge to Washington. The locals are pretty good at helping out.

Once I rode over with my wife and we rode side by side and just took up the lane and didn't budge. Whoever was behind us was fine with it. The second time I did it by myself and rode in the middle of the lane until there was enough room to pass, then let the vehicle pass, then got back out in the middle of the lane. This worked okay until a long slew of cars passed and another vehicle was coming in the other direction. That was a tight squeeze which I wouldn't recommend. I called for a ride on the return trip.

If you are on the south side (Washington side) of the bridge I agree, it would be fairly easy to hitch a ride. If you are on the north there is no good place for a vehicle to pull over. A better bet may be to try to get a ride in Dutzow, rather than going all the way to the bridge.

The bridge is still very narrow. Crossing from the North is the hardest. The bridge is uphill from that direction, and there is constant traffic. Returning is easier via the last cross street has a stop light. You can wait at the shoulder of the bridge, wait for red behind you, and go. It's still not ideal.

Call Revolution Cycles in Washington, they typically provide pick up and drop off, at a reasonable price. Call ahead for best results.

The shoulder a little ways north of the bridge is plenty wide for a vehichle to pull over, just give them plenty of room to stop before the shoulder deadends.

I am planning a trip across the state with my family, hopefully heading out as soon as school gets out late May, but I am wondering about good places to camp along the way, I have seen some reviews on a few places and they weren't good. So would like some opinions on places. Thanks!

I just finished a great KT day trip on Sept. 28th. I started early morning in Dutzow heading west with 59 degrees, heavy fog, and a light breeze...
I've always wanted to put in some serious miles on the Katy, so with agreement from my wife to meet me in Rocheport for dinner, I rode into the wind for nearly 9 hours. (7 hours of actual peddle time.)
Riding an old aluminum road bike converted to a gravel/cyclocross style bike, with knobby 700x32 tires, a 1x10 gear set up (42t up front), and a back-pack full of nutrition and tubes...I succeeded in pulling off a solo gravel century ride.
I had planned on breaking down the ride into sections to insure food and water intake, along with ample rest time, would be provided. The first 25 miles were relatively easy. Perfect weather, and the excitement of starting such an epic ride, led me into McKittrick in less than an hour and a half, with an 18.2 average speed. Stopping only once for a quick off-bike stretch at 13 miles in. I consumed a bit of road nutrition on the way, and constantly drank from my 100oz. Camelbak.
After heading west again,I planned the same rest stages for the next leg. Another 13 miles, a quick stretch near Bluffton, and a food stop in Mokane. I still managed a 16.8 average into Mokane, where I replenished food supplies at the little store just off the trail to the north. Not the friendliest atmosphere, but plenty of food/drink options.
Jefferson City was my next target, 20 miles away. I split the distance with another quick rest/stretch ten miles in, and another full break when I reached North Jefferson. 34 miles to go at this point. 70 miles in the books.
After another round of nutrition and supplements, I was peddling West again. Jeff to Hartsburg was one of the hardest sections of the day. Trail conditions were some of the roughest I had seen, the day was warming up, and fatigue was setting in. 10 miles, and I was off the bike resting, finally pulling into Hartsburg with a

(Part 2)
... pulling into Hartsburg with a 16.2 average.
From Hartsburg to Huntsdale the headwind picked up, and it seemed the mile markers were very few and far between. I took a fair amount of time at the Columbia trail branch, 96 miles in, to rest and gather some motivation...as well as lay on the cool shady concrete without my heavy pack strapped to me.
From this point West was some of the best trail, and best scenery. The river rolls right next to the trail on the left, and large bluffs line the right. The last 8 miles seemed to pick up, fueled by nearing completion of my days journey. I rolled into Rocheport with perfect timing, my wife with camera in-hand at the depot to greet me. Managed a 15.2mph moving average, which could be improved with better gearing. (A 50 or 53 tooth up front would have been great!) The tunnel at Rocheport is worth the few hundred feet walk to the West, it gave me some recovery time off the bike before dinner.
Abigail's is THE BEST food we have eaten in a long time. Highly recommend it. Plan on reservations for dinner. It's a small place. We narrowly made it in at 5:15, before the dinner menu started. Cost was what you expect from a nice cozy place.
Overall nearly 106 mile day of perfect riding. I wouldn't recommend this kind of trip unless you ride regularly, and you can put in the continual peddling needed to survive on the KT. These miles are different than 'road' miles. There aren't any downhills, there is no coasting. A Rigorous, yet spiritual trip.

Until next time.... ;)
-l.c.m.

Great report, thanks for posting.

I smiled at your experience at Mr. Grumpy's in Mokane. Love Abigails.

15.2 mph average is pretty sweet.