Katy Trail Forum

read with interest the comments re: parking lot safety (or lack there of). I will be in that neck of the woods in a few weeks and had planned on riding bike on the trail and parking in No jefferson of jefferson city. Wondering about the saftey or if someone could reccomend another trail head with in 10 miles east or west of No Jefferson that would be safer. I'll have lots of camping and golf gear in the vehicle. Is this a scenic section? I also see lots about horse bike conflcits. i try to get along with both. Please send recomendations for saftey and scenic.

Bill, if you are not parking overnight, I don't think you would have a problem at any of the trail heads. I have parked overnight at Hartsburg many times without issue.

Anything else of value you plan on leaving in the car? I'd like to be able to know for sure its yours, Bill.

Dear anonymous, You'll know it's my car by the empty holster for the 9mm handgun. don't be alarmed by the burning, searing sxploding feeling in yur brain, it will only last an instant

You'd shoot someone in the head over a golf club and a camping stove? Yet you come here asking about a safe place to park your car. Go figure.

Bill, you probably figured out that people who post as anonymous on this forum are more concerned about being annoying than helpful.

The trailheads are fine during the day, but the N. Jefferson trailhead is secluded and I would not want to leave my car there overnight. I think others have posted that they believe the trailhead at Hartsburg is a safe place to leave your car overnight. It's in the heart of the town. Granted there's only about 100 residents if that many, but there's houses right by the trailhead in Hartsburg, which should discourage thiefs. Hartsburg is 10 miles west of Jefferson City (on the trail).

The only place I have left a vehicle is Rocheport. It was plenty safe there, well lit. I have heard/read of the safety issues with N. Jefferson, but have no experiance leaving cars in that area.

I don't leave an empty holster in view... but I share your philosophy of self preservation..and preservation of what's hard earned.

Pretty annoying when someone points out the lack of wisdom in going to an open forum and posting that their vehicle will have lots of stuff in it while asking where to park it. No help in that at all. I get your point Cathy.

Thanks to all of those sharing useful information, much appreciated. @ Anonymous you come online and offer no useful information and then threaten to steal somebody's stuff. So I would have to say a golf club and a camp stove are far more valuable to society than you are. One way I avoid getting shot is I don't steal other peoples stuff nor do I go on line to brag about it. What particular stuff is in my car is irrelevant, wether it is golf clubs or my favorite teddy bear it's mine not yours. When I list a vehicle description, plate number and the day, date, time and where I'll be parking then that will be ridiculous. Thanks again to the useful people. peace out

Quite amazing. Never said anything about me stealing your stuff. Paraphrased; Do you normally just go off and leave valuables in your car and let others know? If I see a vehicle loaded with valuables, I'd probably steer clear so as not to be implicated in their pending loss.

Great assumptions though. A golf club and a camp stove probably are more valuable than most human beings to people like you.

Geez, I normally steer clear of websites with so much bickering and drama. Hell, I love bicycle and motorcycle riding because there's no drama!! Anonymous-get a grip.

Bill, I think if you avoid the one parking lot in question and use what appears to be sound judgement and some common sense when leaving your car, you should have have a great and memorable ride on KT!

Thanks Figs for useful info. Looking forward to riding the KT. Enjoy your bike season whether it is motorized or non. Over and out!

We parked in Hartsburg last May and left our car there for 2 nights and had no problems. I think that is where we are going to park again this year. Jeff City did look secluded, so I don't know if I would want to leave my car there overnight, but that is just me. I am paranoid. :)

Planning on doing a portion of the Katy Trail on May 23-26,2013. Question is where is the best place to stay in Hermann? My wife and I will be in Hermann on a Sunday night and just looking for suggestions. Of people that have stayed at some of the B&B's. Thanks for any help. Planning our trip out now but this town I am confused.

I live just down the road so have never stayed at the B-Bs. Here's what the folks on tripadvisor.com have to say. http://www.tripadvisor.com/HACSearch?geo=44481#02,1361661483191,cat:S2,rad:S25mi,sponsors:A

Hermann Hill is the best by which all other B & B's should be judged.

Thanks for responding, Hermann Hill is very nice just very expensive anyone else have any suggestions. Hannk, went to trip advisor and it just pulls up two hotels.

The link I posted takes you directly to the B & B reviews.

Perhaps you should define what "best" is for you. Best as in amenities, service, cleanliness, location, cost? It's difficult to make a recommendation when you have requirements that you don't specify.

Where is the best place to eat in Hermann? Who makes the best wine in Hermann?

I've stayed at the Vinchester Inn right downtown a couple times. It's very basic, but I found it to be clean and reasonably priced by Hermann standards. I'm not a big B&B person (especially when I am riding on the trail). I kind of like to do my own thing, ride, get a shower, find something to eat and be left alone. Vinchester has worked well for me for these purposes.

Note: I have never used it on a festival weekend of any kind. That changes the rules and the PRICES!!

That's my 2 cents. Hope its useful.

Enjoy!

That's gonna be a busy weekend on the the central part of the trail: Pedaler's Jamboree is Saturday-Sunday-Monday in the area of Boonville to Hartsburg... Don't know how that might impact the area of Hermann

We have stayed at the Wine Valley Inn in Hermann while biking the Katy Trail. Really nice Inn that functions like a B&B. Great Breakfast! Wasn't cheap, but reasonable for the amenities. It is downtown and within walking distance of several restaurants.

Hello Mikat, perhaps you are confused because Hermann is not right on the trail. It is 2.1 miles from the trail. There are two fine reasonably priced B&Bs (both with excellent breakfast) closer to the trail head in McKittrick, my place Joey's Birdhouse and Meyer's Hilltop. You can find us both on line. Both offer rides into Hermann for our tired guests.

With the new bridge and wide shoulders, Hermann is now an easy and safe ride from the KATY.

Stay wherever fits your style and your wallet, but there's no need to worry about Hermann being "off the trail." Its 2 miles!

We like to stay at the Myers Hill Farm in McKittrick. They are a hoot of a couple and have soft water! After a 60 mile day on they trail, it feels great. Great breakfast, too!

Is there a safe way to ride into Jefferson City? I only see highway 54 on Google maps - doesn't look bike friendly (or legal?).

there's a bike lane on the bridge, no problem

And isn't there a trail out towards that bridge? I guess the Holts Summit trail (I have a trail marked on my recent map that starts from the Katy and loops around the 54/63 interchange and ends in the suburb of Cedar City - it looks like the streets will take you onto the bridge) they were talking about a year or so ago?

The directions I have here off of my map:
1. South on Katy Rd. from Katy Trail to the Holts Summit Spur or whatever that's called.
2. Follow it southwest to 4th street.
3. 4th street west to Sandstone.
4. South on Sandstone and then you run into the bike bridge over the MO.

Don't know whether it's 100% accurate or not since it wasn't there the last time I was there, but that's what it looks like by my map here.

And another tip for Google maps for kxjohnson or others. Look for the setting under "Traffic" and tick "Bicycling". It will show this spur, the bike bridges, and the Katy Trail. Hope it helps.

Coming from the North Jefferson trailhead, there's a combination of signs and markings on the road that direct you to the bridge. Not an actual trail, but a road route along very lightly travelled streets and through a park. The bridge bike lane is a great river crossing - totally separated from the car traffic, with superb views of the capitol building and the river. Even for someone not planning to stay in Jeff City, I'd still recommend riding across the bridge as a nice side-trip.

From the trailhead, you'll see the KATY Spur off the parking lot, going past the concrete plant. Follow the spur, take a right when it ends, keep going until you turn left to go to the Noren Access. The ramp is easy to ride up (it's wheelchair ready).
It's much simpler than it sounds.

Thanks so much for all the info.

How's the cell phone coverage? Will be riding from Sedalia to St. Charles.

I'm also interested in the answer to this question. I know that the Boonville-Rocheport area is near the Interstate, so it has decent reception. But I will be riding other parts of the trail this year and I have purchased a cell phone / mp3 charger for my bicycle so that I can run GPS and Pandora and still have phone battery if needed.

I have Verizon. Checked signal frequently during my end-to-end ride last summer. I had a phone signal almost the whole time. But I could not get a data signal for almost the entire trail, other than when in the bigger cities (Clinton, Sedalia, Boonville, Jeff City, & St Charles)

Oh oh, sounds like its a good thing that I am riding in Pedalers Jamboree and there will be music provided!! I can only charge one piece of equipment at a time, so the phone has priority over the mp3... but thanks for the info!

I have Tmobile and very spotty coverage most of the trail except in larger cities.

Have Verizon. Covered Clinton to St. Charles in two different trips last year. Had cell phone coverage along with email just about entire time both trips. Wife has AT&T and her coverage was spotty so it varies with carrier.

I have been using the trail a lot these past few days and conditions are perfect. Trail is dry, relatively rut-free. In my opinion, this is one of the best times to be using the Katy. No people, no insects, all the foliage is gone so you get to see the ancient bluffs that lie back from the trail that you ordinarily do not get to see. Also, wildlife viewing opportunities are numerous. Deer are plentiful and the bottoms Northwest of the tunnel in Rocheport are partially flooded and are packed with waterfowl. Lots and lots of ducks of all kinds, and geese, of course. There are several red-tail hawks hanging around and even a couple bald eagles. If you go to the bluffs downstream of Rocheport you will notice that the geese are actually in the bluffs. Doing what you may ask. The Canadas nest in the same spots every year in the little ledges and have been doing so forever I assume (or at least since 1993 when we moved here.) When it starts to warm up, you will see snakes. DO NOT KILL THE SNAKES! They were there, first. You are in their home. Occasionally you will see a copperhead but if you leave them alone, they will leave you alone. Don't poke them with a stick because they will try to bite you. The other snakes will head the other way, but a copperhead will defend itself. Have fun on the Katy!

Uhhhhhhh.........scratch that. What a difference a day makes.

Today was FANTASTIC out there! Nice and quiet. Birds flitting around looking for seeds. The crunch of your tires in the snow being the loudest sound. Absolutely gorgeous. Makes coming back in by the fire even more fun.

I've never snowbiked, so I can't say for sure, but wouldn't it be difficult to stay upright? Do you have to use a different rig (say for tires)? Wouldn't this cause a degree of wear on the trail if the tires get down into the mud?

Like I said, I don't know for sure, but the only way I'm going to learn is ask.

Not hard to stay up at least in a wet heavy snow like this, I ride with knobby tires, The bridges can be a bit of a challenge and with the snow absorbing some of the footprint you don't even see the tracks once it melts. Your tires cut more groove during or after a rain and don't seem to leave any lasting imprint on the trail. You do have to watch for icy patches and maybe walk the bridges but it is worth it to see the woods like this.

Hows the trail from Jeff City east these days with the snow? Any bike tire tracks or cc blade tracks or even footprints? I'm looking at possibly Apr 2-3 timeframe for a 2 day ride back to St. Charles from Jeff City.

The Katy is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get.

Would like to ride from Washington to Jeff City and take train back in one day. Has anyone given that a shot? How early did you leave?

Worst case scenario is returning to Washington after dark. You would not be able to start riding until noon. You absolutely positively do NOT want to ride 47 or the bridge at Washington after dark. Really don't want to ride it during the day for that matter. If you could arrange a late arrival shuttle from Marthasville or Dutzow then not so bad.

How long would it take from Jeff to Wash. going about 12 mp ? Good place camp close to Wash? I mite planing tripe soon.
river clean up coming soon.

Letz sea. milez times 12 mp.
wud bea bout 3 four that tripe

Im glad to see everyone planning their rides. I am looking forward to seeing you all again, it has been a long winter:) Im planning some new specials, soups, salads, and breakfasts, hope to see you soon! Check us out on facebook too!

I've heard there was a study showing the economic impact of the Katy Trail on the local small businesses along the trail. Has anyone read this or know where I can get a copy? Please email me below.



Thanks in advance.



Kevin



kjbarb@gmail.com

Some data from an older study is here: http://mobikefed.org/2004/09/katy-trail-statistics.php

Here's info about a recent study: http://mobikefed.org/2013/03/katy-trail-186-million-annual-economic-impact-according-new-missouri-state-parks-study

wondering if there are any other recreation riders out there who would be interested in forming an informal once a week or so riding group. I usually ride during the week and like to do about 25-30 miles. Usually do an out & back but maybe with a group could figure out a shuttle system.

I would be interested on the trail and/or around Jefferson City east.

I am hoping someone can provide me with some shuttle advice. I will be driving down from Ontario Canada and plan on parking in St Charles. I am looking to shuttle/amtrac to Clinton and ride back to St Charles over 3 or 4 days.Not sure what month yet but either May or September due to other planned trips. Thanks for any advice,

You will love the trail! We have made trips out from Colorado many times just to enjoy this gem. We had one poor shuttle experience and one good one. Once we rode the train from Sedalia to Washington and then rode from there to St. Charles and back to Sedalia. Last year we stayed at Lococo House in St. Charles and had a great night and breakfast. Since they are now shuttling, we'll be using them when we ride in May. Nice folks, great stay, so I bet the shuttle will be good too! Good luck and enjoy!

I too have been pleased with my stay and shuttle service from Lococo House. (Used them June, 2012) Best wishes with your ride.

And no...I'm not connected to the establishment in any way other than as a satisfied customer.