Katy Trail Forum

I do not see any listing for bike services/

1. Click the Trip Planner link under the map at the top of this web page.
2. Click the checkboxes for Bike Rental and Bike Parts/Repairs.
3. Click the Build my List button.

This gives you a list of all bike services along the trail (at least those that I know of).

Happy trails!

Thanks to Dotty for the hose! We missed the open hours for your cafe, but thank you so much for the use of your hose to clean the thick mud off of our bikes after riding through a section of the trail that we shouldn't have...

My friends and I stayed at Briggs Pond bb on Saturday. We loved it! Very clean and relaxing. Daria made a fantastic breakfast!I highly recommend Briggs!

Hubby and I ate there on Friday afternoon. Very good! The food was excellent, portions just right and good value for the money. Owner was very nice and made sure we had everything we needed. As an aside...in the past I have eaten BBQ on long rides and it sat like a rock in my stomach...glad we decided to give this a try. We did 55 miles and it fueled us quite well with no problems! Definitely will be back.

If you're talking about the BBQ place behind the bike rental shop, my girlfriend and I ate there last month... I was wonderful... Great food at a great price. Didn't leave there hungry.

Yep, that's where we were talking about, Rocheport Bike and BBQ. sorry for any confusion.

It can't get any better than this folks! Beautiful accomodations and stocked with everything one would need. My partner and I stayed in the attic room. The place is delightful and stocked with lots of breakfast food and drinks. Oh, and clean as a whistle! It is steps off the trail. Do yourselves a favor after a long ride and stay here. Abigail's for dinner too. Awesome!

Pondering the slim choices for lunch and drinks during a Katy Trail ride through Boonville, we stumbled upon the newly-opened Phoenix Public House & Eatery. Great building; great atmosphere; great location; great menu; great food! Definitely a Boonville destination for Katy Trail riders.

Good to know!

What would riding along the road through Rocheport look like? For those of you more familiar with the area would this be an option?

Hwy 94 is the road option. We have done it a few times due to flooding. Not much of a shoulder, fast trucks, and not flat.

Hwy 94 has it's western end at Jefferson City. If you are thinking of riding From Booneville the old U.S. 40 route passes just north of Rocheport and you can then take BB into Rocheport to get back on the Katy. If the trail is open it would be my choice. Traffic on 40 can be fast and there is not a lot of extra room. It can be ridden but......

Thanks, we are just hoping the trail is open by Monday.

Thanks Doug, yes it is Hwy 40 not 94 at Rocheport.

As of today, Thursday, June 6th, the trail WEST of the Rocheport Tunnel is open again. Trail between Rocheport and McBaine is open (did not flood) and MKT spur trail into Columbia is also open.

Good news. Thanks for the update.

Thanks for all the info everyone. I'm riding Columbia to Boonville today June 8th and will report back.

I was wondering how many days it takes to bike the Katy trail round trip from Machens to Clinton and back. I need to know how much time to take off work. New to this, so hopefully I don't die!

Only you can answer that question. What is the longest you have ridden on the Katy in one day so far? Take 476 miles and divide that by how many miles you can ride in a day. There are a few that can do it in 2 days, but most will take closer to 2 weeks.

I have never rode the Katy trail before and am very new to cycling... I am wanting to work towards riding the entire Katy trail in the fall.

My friend and I did it last summer (out and back from Machens to Clinton) and did it in 9 days. She was not used to riding many miles and did fine. We averaged about 11mph overall.

Go out and ride the trail for a few miles. See how you feel afterwards. Go farther next time until you know how far you are comfortable going.

It's all pretty flat, except for some parts out west, so you'll be pedaling all day. Do you want to do 30 miles? 50? 70 miles a day? You get to decide, as MidSouth suggested.

When my wife and I started out we tried a couple overnight trips before we decided to bite off the whole trail. Our first trip on the Katy was from Hartsburg to Rocheport, spent the night and returned the next day, 25 miles each way. Easy enough, but decided on about 40 miles per day for our first complete crossing. We were in our late fifties when we started.

I have been riding quite a while and overall put in about 5000 miles a year.

With that background...7 days RT.
Clinton-Boonville
Boonville-Rhineland
Rhineland-St. Charles
St.Charles-Machens and back (kind of a rest/recovery day)
St. Charles-Rhineland
Rhineland-Boonville
Boonville-Clinton
Not counting the St. Charles-Machens day...63-90/day. Doesn't leave lots of time for taking pictures and smelling flowers.

If you want to do that...I think the recommendation above of about 40 (maybe 50) a day makes a lot more sense.

However you do it - ENJOY!

I'd suggest you allow 7-8 days. I rode from Clinton to Machens in 3 days. You may want to plan to do 60-65 miles/day.

What is the condition right now of the trail between these 2 points? I wouold like to ride it tomorrow.

Hey all,
I've been looking for an adventure for my week of layoff (June 7- 14) from work and this caught my attention right away.
Now, I have some concerns... I'm not an experienced biker, I'm not a fit athlete, and I'd be doing this alone. On the plus side... I'm ready for an adventure, I'm young (25 male), I've been backpacking (the real kind), I have the time, and I'm stubborn enough to do it!
Either way, I'm inexperienced and that could bring up problems. So, I'm looking for any and all help! I'd like to bike the entire Katy Trail. Can you help me?
Can you point me to resources on how to pack for a trip like this? What to pack? What to expect? Bike advice... I'd have to buy one this week (under 1k in price preferred, mountain bike) Where to drop off my vehicle and how to get back to it (shuttles sound like the way to go for this?)
I know this may sound naive but I have to start somewhere... Thank you for helping me figure out this adventure!

Too much to reply to here, but you can call me at The Rendleman Home (click Bluffton above) and I'll be glad to answer questions and offer some more resources for help setting up your ride and finding a good bike.

1. Don't buy a mountain bike, buy a light hybrid or a road bike that can run wider tires and has braze-ons for a rack.
2. Get a rack and panniers to put your stuff in. Pack what you need.
3. If you're camping, pack light. Don't camp on the trail.
4. Then just do it.

If you're going to do the Katy next week, you might want to pack a big inner tube -- for flotation purposes! Just kidding, I hope the flooding subsides. I agree that a mountain bike is a lot of extra work for the Katy; but you should buy for whatever purpose you are going to use it long-term, not just for one particular trail.

Thanks for all the advice guys/gals. I'd like to use the bike in the long term as a trail bike but you're right... a mountain bike isn't a good fit for the Katy Trail, maybe a compromise on hybrid to fit my other interests. I'm going to the local bike shop after I leave work to get some advice on that front.
Doug, thanks for offering to let me call. I'll take you up on that hopefully later this evening if I get back at a decent time.
I found the post on flooding and that's unfortunate. Maybe my trip being a week out will allow enough time for flooding to subside and I'll just have to worry about debris. My eyes will be open for more information on that!
Thanks to everyone that helps out on this site!

Sorry I didn't get a chance to call you yet Doug, busy bike/equipment hunt day.
Possibly found a bike. Test drove 3 of them
1) 2013 Giant Revel 0 29er
2) 2013 Rockhopper Specialized 17 29er
3) 2013 Cannondale Trail SL 4 29er
All seem to be nice bikes (many things I have yet to learn about) but the Rockhopper seemed to feel the best to me. I'm leaning towards that one when I go tomorrow to pay and pick out. I'll do some more researching tonight and let you guys influence my decision if you'd like :)
Do you guys have any suggestions on other equipment? I'll post what I find online after I look in a little while.

Do any of you have suggestions on places that I really should stop at?

Are you camping or staying in hotels / B-Bs?

I'm hoping to do half and half. The camping gear is coming along but I really want the experiences of a B&B... never been to one! Plus, since I'm doing the trip alone it'll be nice to see people.

To Dennis Weber






You'll get lots of advice but it seems to me if someone will take time to find out more about what you want to do would be the best one to listen to.

If your around the 100.8 marker; Mckittrick Mo.
you may want to take a peek at the town of Hermann. Filled with great architecture and character. Try to stay away from the grease fried food. They also having camping. I would rather camp in Blufton if it is available at Doug Rendletons place or nearby. Check out the Merck in Mckittrick and see the effort of the town to be a better place to live or visit.

Rich Lauer

It is 6/4/13, you are planning to start, 6/7/13, and the river is high. Read Dawn's comments about flooding, then plan around that. Hopefully the water will be down by then. But maybe not. In Rocheport I've stayed at the SchoolHouse B & B, and the Katy Trail B & B Bikefest. I recommend both. In Hartsburg I've stayed at the Globe, great place. The other B & B in Hartsburg also gets good reviews. I think they also have some camping in Hartsburg. For Jeff City, I live here. The Cliff Manor has just re-opened, and will be a great place to stay. The Briar Rose B & B has also gotten lots of good feedback on this forum. The bike/pedestrian bridge is not accessible now due to flooding. But if you could get close to Jefferson City both of those B & Bs and some of the motels may be willing to provide shuttle service. The Baymount Hotel, and Truman Hotel also have provided shuttle service in the past (before bike bridge was built) and the Doubletree. If you can get to Jefferson City, and due to flooding had to stay here an extra day or so, there's neat stuff to do. The capitol is incredible, there's tours of the old MSP (Missouri State Penitentiary), our downtown has interesting places to eat, it's very walkable and enjoyable, if you are ok with biking on hills, you could investigate the older part of town on your bike. And most importantly go to Central Dairy for ice cream. Call our CVB for info. Now, further down the trail, I've stayed at Rendleman's B & B, Doug is outstanding, cooks you dinner and breakfast. And he can give you a lot of information about biking the trail, as he cooks. Now, if water is high, he may have his hands full dealing with that. Water may not get in his house, but he helps his neighbors who do have water issues. I've stayed at the Little House B & B in Marthasville, it's great, but you get the whole house, which you may not need. I've stayed at Country Inn in St. Charles, it's a hotel right on the trail, I like it a lot. My best advise is call asap

Cathy,Jeff City
If your ever passing 100.8 Mckittrick stop by the Merck and see the renovation the got us on the National Register of Historical Places.
It would be nice to meet yet another informative rider.

Rich Lauer

My comments are based on several trips across the KATY from Clinton to St. Charles... Hope they're useful.

If you want a 29er for other uses...that's great. You can certainly ride a 29er on the KATY but those big nobby tires are total overkill on the KATY. You'll work harder than you need to in my opinion.

I've had nice stays and good service at:

Lococo House in St. Charles
Dollhouse B&B in Rhineland on more than one occasssion
Vinchester Inn in Hermann - more than one stay. Very basic, but clean and unless there is some festival going on...pretty cheap by Hermann standards
Globe in Hartsburg. Marvelous lady who owns it. Very, very gracious person. Stay was fine, but you should only stay there if you like cats. I don't, so won't return.
Casino in Boonville - probably going to smell like smoke even if you ask for non-smoking. Depending on the day you can sometimes get a decent rate. Can't beat the convenience.
Comfort Inn in Boonville. Long ride from the trail. Pretty rough condition compared to most Comfort Inn's that I've stayed in.
USA Motel in Clinton. Used it several times. Basic and a bit dated, but clean and I don't think you can beat the price. Also close to the trailhead.

Lots of great places to eat along the way. The only place I really don't like is the Trailside Cafe in Rocheport. I have been there several times and have had mediocre food and bad (even RUDE) service every time. After several attempts, I'm done stopping there even though it is right on the trail. There are just too many options to put up with bad/rude service in my opinion.

I don't camp at all on the KATY so I travel light. A change of clothes for the evening/restaurant that gets worn every night since I only have it on a couple hours. I wash out the bike clothes when I check in and they're fresh and clean and ready to go the next morning. A tooth brush/toothpaste. A jacket. A tire

Thanks Cathy. Water is down here and just a few muddy spots on the trail. 94 still under a few feet about 100 yards west of me. I haven't done much to help neighbors this time other than a parking lot and place for us all to visit. And have a fish fry. Just wade over and pick up the one you want to eat.

IL central, you're a young kid just wing it... but seriously Anon and Cathy's B&Bs are the best advice. Go light, no 29 unless you want to float off into a creek or the MO and hit the hotels and B&Bs and I guarantee, you will be KT hooked and back this summer again.

I think the 29er is a very versatile bike. Mine is full rigid and will take just about any tire made, you don't have to use wide nobby tires. I use 32c touring tires on mine for the Katy.

I agree with MidSouth. My touring bike has 29er wheels: I have 700c x 28, 37, 40's, and 1.9" knobbies that I can put on it for whatever suits my ride of the day. There REALLY isn't a lot of difference between a rigid 29er and a hybrid bike--not even weight if you buy a quality 29er. If it's comfortable, and allows you to bring what you want to bring, and do what you want to do, go for it.

Also, the bike style of choice for people who do things like The Tour Divide is a hardtail rigid 29er mountain bike with a straight bar and an aero bar bolted on. I prefer drop bars for all day riding, but many people who go a lot further/spend more time in the saddle than me prefer flat bars with/without aero bars.

Anyway, the point of this little blog is that you can put different tires on any bike and make it, in many ways, a totally different beast that fits your needs.

Come and try out the new historic Haysler House Bed and Breakfast Inn. We have had several Katy Trail bikers recently, and they have all enjoyed the experience. Check us out under the B and Bs on the Trail, or under the Towns and Services.

Three questions. Any problems from the flooding going from Boonville to Jefferson City? Is the pedestrian bridge to Jefferson City open or under water? Can you get across with a trailer?

Latest trail condition here: http://mostateparks.com/advisory/60601/flood-and-storm-damage-closures-katy-trail-state-park

Last weekend there was flooding at many points between Boonville and Jeff City, hopefully it has subsided

I have been trying to find out the exact same thing as it appears that the river is down and it has been a week since the flooding but still appears that the trails are closed in these areas. We are coming on Friday and really wanted to do this section but as backup will do the Boonville to Sedalia as it appears this may be clear. If anyone has confirmation that the section between Rocheport and Jeff City are open I would greatly appreciate the info.