Katy Trail Forum

We need to leave a vehicle in Rocheport overnite on the 19th of October. Is this allowed in the trail head parking lot?
Thanks.

Yes. It's okay to park in the trailhead lots overnight,

Thanks for the reply. Is there somewhere on a website that I can see this written? I trust, but verify :)

We have parked our car at Rocheport overnight before. Someone in my group had called about doing it and they told us it was fine.

Why not just call the park office and find out for yourself if you don't trust us? Park Office: 573-449-7402

Of course if you post your findings here, we won't beleive you either.

Trust "anonymous"?

There have been many times where "I heard it somewhere that this or that is true" didn't turn out so well.

So, thank you very much for taking the time to post, especially the phone number. It is help like this that makes this site so valuable. I might add that including more than "anonymous" to your posts might allow it to carry a little more weight...or not.

Ok folks. I called the Parks number anonymous posted. A very kind lady named Mary answered the phone. I asked the question about leaving a vehicle in the trail head parking lot overnight.

Her response is that overnight parking really isn't supposed to happen since it is a day use park, subsequently the parking lot is as well. But, since I called, she would take the make and model of our vehicle and notify the rangers, who are in charge of security for the lot.

Now, I'm not saying that I know what would have happened if I hadn't called or Mary hadn't informed the rangers, but I'm glad I called.

I still haven't read it in print where it says that overnight parking is or is not allowed.

Your mileage may vary.

I apologize for the misinformation. For all of you wondering if you can leave a vehicle overnight at a Katy trailhead, the answer is yes. The Katy is a day-use only park, which is why we don't allow camping along the trail. However, we do allow overnight parking but ask that you call the Katy Trail office at 573-449-7402 to let us know the following: your contact information; at which trailhead you'll be parking; how long your vehicle will be there; and make, model and license of your vehicle. This information is then passed along to our maintenance and ranger staff so that they don't assume you've abandoned your vehicle and also so they can keep an eye on the vehicle. Again, I apologize for the conflicting information and hope this clears up any confusion.

Thanks Dawn. I thought you could clear things up for us here.

Mary called me back Friday afternoon while we were headed to Rocheport and advised me of the same information that Dawn posted.

Thanks again for the help.

For many of us, lodging reviews are good to see here. Although we may often hold a different perspective than others, we like to see what patrons have to say about their nights stay. Because of that we tend to read the reviews here and on Trip Advisor, etc.

We recently rode the Root River Trail in Minnesota and didn't have the advantage of a site like this to read about the B&B's in the area.

We do most of our trips where we start riding early and then late afternoon enjoy the local culture at a restaurant, winery, etc. and then enjoy time to relax at a B&B. Because of that, our lodging is just as much a part of the trip as the direction of the wind for the day.

Some lodging owners to me, seem to over do in their use of this site to advertise for free. A post or comment once in a while seems okay, but when everything in the world all of a sudden is related to the little hotel in town X as if it is the center of the universe now, is a bit too much. That does nothing for me other than solidify the thought that I need to look elsewhere to stay in town X.

Most states have B&B websites for their locations. I disagree about advertising on this forum. I rarely see B&B owners advertise directly here. Usually the posts are new management or different hours. What is the difference if riders or walkers talk about the B&Bs or the owners talk about them. Most of the time both are all pretty positive.

The difference is one person is selling you something and telling you what you get, and the other person is on the other side of the money telling you what they got for their money.

At the end of the day, I'd rather know what I can get for my money. That means more to me than than a hot line from a used car salesman.

Trek, How was the Root River? We are looking into it next summer for vacation.

Pam O....the Root River trail ride was great! We really enjoyed that it was all paved and will probably return, but with the tandem next time. Some parts were not as smooth as others, but that wasn't an issue. There were bridge repairs being made east of Lanesboro so we had to drive past that to ride the eastern part.

There is lots of energy around Lanesboro, similar to Rocheport I guess with several nice places to both eat and stay. We stayed at the Scanlon House in Lanesboro and at the Jailhouse in Preston. Both were nice and would recommend them, although there are plenty of other options.

The trail is right next to the Root River in several places. And we seemed to cross it several times also. A bit further for us to drive than the Katy, but well worth the trip for us.

I made my first visit to KT yesterday. A friend and I had been planning it for a couple weeks, talking about it for a couple months. I chose a route starting in Rocheport. We got there before sunrise (an early start was recommended by folks from this board). We started riding East at 0735 and 42 degrees. The initial plan was to ride to Hartsburg and turn around, but both of us felt pretty strong, so we kept going. We made it to N.Jefferson and got photos to prove it, then turned around. We did end up stopping in Hartsburg for lunch, and chose the Hartsburg Grand. I highly recommend them, the food was very good and service was great. They had a chicken and mushroom soup that was fantastic!! Then we headed back to Rocheport. We went East nearly alone on the trail, but there was alot of people after noon. We saw lots of neat costumes along the way and saw nearly every attraction Mark from Boonville suggested: didn't find the Burr Oak, and too tired to ask.. But, we will both be back, and enjoy this wonderful park.

Figs, Glad you went for the full 70. Did you feel like Lewis or Clark along the river? Now your hooked. Congrats!!!

I doubt that I felt like Lewis or Clark.. I do know that I prefer a bicycle for the journey! It was a beautiful ride. Be back soon!

Glad you had a great ride and made it comfortably the full 70! It is beautiful on the Katy and the weather was perfect from mid-morning on! The Burr oak is off of the Katy at McBain...2 ways to get there: turn at the TH and ride down the highway or turn further up the trail (West) onto the highway...it is worth seeing! The Monster Bike Bash was so much fun too...glad you got to enjoy all of us whacky costumed riders - perhaps you should think about that ride sometime too! =)

Saturday and Sunday were great days to ride. It was good to see so many people out...and the Bash riders were great fun. Looked like Lance still doesn't get it....riding on the Katy now with his dope bag attached to his bike!

I tried calling to place a reservation at Klondike at 5:15 on Friday, then realized their office closed at 5 D: I absolutely NEED to camp on Sunday evening, and it must be near a biking trail, or I will go crazy. Klondike's office isn't open on weekends, so I cannot call or find any information on whether or not their primitive and/or basic camping sites are first-come, first-served, or reservation-only. It does not say definitively either way on their website. I'm wondering if I should try another place near STL for camping & biking, or take a chance and drive out to Augusta there anyway. If anyone knows that detail about Klondike, or of another place that will satiate my transcendental fixation, I would be very grateful. happy october.

"Go crazy folks, go crazy!" -Jack Buck

Sunday evening, the place will probably be deserted. Pay your money and camp.

Take a radio maybe you'll get the chance to "go crazy" over the Cards tonight.

There will be room at the Klondike Inn for you Devin. Pick your site, put $7 cash in the envelope and sleep to the din of the Labadie power plant across the river. No problem.

Awesome, thank you! I'll make sure to bring my own wood too.

If you want to be adventurous you can take the "River Trail" about 1 mile before Klondike turn-off (westbound). This will take you to the river and with a small amount of bushwhacking you can be on a sandbar. Wood abundant I would think. Camping allowed. You will be directly across from the power plant which impacts the nature experience obviously. But you would also be on the river. Not to mention save your $7.

Defiance Roadhouse, www.defianceroadhouse.net

Early Lunch, 16 October 2012 Having spent a wonderful late afternoon and evening enjoying Augusta, and a splendid night and relaxing morning in the Klondike Campground, we began our final mileage to St. Charles, anticipating, needing, hoping for some type of sustenance other than energy bars, before St. Charles. We found the Defiance Roadhouse open and eager to serve us, within feet of the Defiance trailhead. The Defiance Roadhouse opened in June of 2012, having been purchased by a young couple early in the year, eager to build a business and a reputation.

Their coffee was the best of any I had on the Katy Trail. It was fresh, strong, richly flavored coffee, that could compare very favorably, could surpass many, of the specialty coffee houses, to which I devote so much of my disposable income. It was brought to our outside table in an insulated pot. The Roadhouse menu offers a wide choice of pizzas, Italian dinners, a page of appetizers, large and small salads with multiple dressing possibilities, a wide selection of classic American sandwiches, and even a number of fish and vegetarian options. The food was delicious, made with the freshest ingredients, cooked with care, and tastefully seasoned. As an example, my $8.00 cheeseburger was 1” thick, medium-rare to medium, between a large, grilled, sesame seed bun, with four fresh tomato slices, and two large leaves of crispy lettuce, a couple slices of onion, and pickles on the side, with enough french fries to satisfy the three of us at the table. Another ordered a large Cobb salad, a huge platter, filled with lots of fresh, tasty vegetables and mixed leaves, with a top-flight dressing. Our service was excellent, too, our meal delivered quickly, with several return check up visits, and multiple guests receiving similar service.

We all enjoyed this place, and recommend it highly. The Defiance Roadhouse deserves it's

Show Me MO Tours, St. Louis, MO, www.showmemotours.com
17 October 2012 Return shuttle to Clinton, MO

Roy and Barb Gokenbach operate their shuttle service in conjunction with a custom tour/historic guide service. We found them to be very personal, efficient and accommodating. They offer a new model, diesel Suburban with a very comfortable, quiet leather interior, allowing easy conversation or historical commentary as a specialty of historical guide work.

We had just finished the Katy Trail, self-supported, and thus carried substantial gear in addition to three bicycles: one being a heavy weight cargo bicycle of seven feet length. The shuttle arrived right on time. The bicycles were loaded and expertly strapped in minutes, in a 5' x 8' trailer with high sides and tailgate, the gear piled in the protected cargo area of the Suburban. It was roomy for us, but the rig could have easily handled another three or four riders with bicycles and gear exceeding our own.

The three of us felt we could and should provide a recommendation of their service, because their personal approach to service provided everything we needed, with a competent, confident, efficiency, that exceeded our expectations.

From time to time a thread here gets hijacked because someone thinks its not the topic that they'd like to read about. Without catagories under the Comment Forum, it's pretty much a mixed bag what any given post will be about. If you don't want to read about a B&B, scroll down and read something else. If you don't want to read about that big oak tree for the 12th time, scroll up! (Really, after all these years I'm pretty tired of that darn tree! But I ride to it like magnet and steel everytime I get close.) Or, maybe start a new thread for discussion on the topic that you were hoping so desperately to find.

I'd never try to discourage anyone from using this site, but if you want to read trip journals about the Katy, go to crazyguyonabike dot com and click on the Journals tab. From there type Katy Trail in the search field and have at it! There are many Katy journals there, as well as trip journals that have involved riding on the Katy.

Well, some of the folks there may get off the path too and comment about where they ate or slept. Maybe they think that's part of the trip too.

I'm out. I've got a B&B review to write for a recent trip. If you run across it, scroll down Anon!

I saw your post for B&Bs. I get that feeling sometimes for trip experiences and B&Bs and restaurants too on this forum. I travel internationally quite a bit for my profession. But when people who vacation at those same cities for the first time tell me about their experiences I enjoy with them their happiness even though I have seen those sites many many times before.

There you have it folks. I commend you DSD, for it is not always "all about ME"!

I can't say enough about how well we were trated by Maggie and Eldon at Meyer's. Their place is absolutely beautiful and peaceful and perfect at the end of a very long day's ride. Maggie went out of her way to fix us a power breakfast and get us on the road as early as we requested. Eldon was very helpful in shuttling us and our gear, since we were exhausted after our ride. Definitely will be back!

Agree completely. It was a terrific place to stay and the breakfast was amazing!!!

Somehow me thinks these B&B owners use this space for free advertisement.

Well, Anonymous, I did find out about all the B&B's at which we stayed last week through this website. It would be hard to plan a week-long Katy trip without the use of this site. I am sure that some of the business owners pay to advertise here. But I believe in complimenting great service when I get it, so that others can enjoy what I took the time to discover for myself.

I agree with the above Doug. Also it is so refreshing to meet such good and friendly Midwestern folks who only ask for a fair charge that it makes one want to say thank you.

You are biking all day on one of the best trails in the country and you post only about the place you slept? That would be like going to Washington DC and spending the day seeing the National treasures and only posting your experience about the room you had at Holiday Inn.

I posted about each placed we stayed, not just this one. And I have quite a few other things I will be posting about (e.g. the effect of the wind on our ride). In due time...

I was wondering if Mr. Anonymous has anything to post that would benefit the cycling gang here like Doug has, or does he just enjoy wasting bandwidth...

Anon - Most of the reviews posted here are very positive, and this B&B has had plenty of good reviews in the past. Nothing fishy about that - just satisfied customers helping fellow cyclists find good places to stay, and helping a small business succeed when they do right by their customers.

Doug - Your contributions (and those from anyone who has shared advice or information) are greatly appreciated. Whether it's just one post about someplace you slept or ate, or a dozen posts about every aspect of your trip - you're sharing useful info that helps people plan their Katy Trail trips. Your fellow cyclists and your humble webmaster thank you for taking the time to share your experiences/knowledge. Regardless of how many or how few posts you submit.

I agree Ray. Maggie and Eldon would be the very LAST to post bogus about themselves while being one of the most deserving of the legitimate compliments that they receive.

Maggie and Eldon have been extremely generous, supportive and kind in mentoring me in my new venture as a B&B hostess. Whenever I have a question I call Maggie. I have met guests that have returned to their beautiful home every year for 15 years! Wow. Without places like theirs riders would not return to the Katy trail again and again. Thank you Maggie and Eldon for doing such a fantastic job and setting an excellent example for the rest of us.

My Comments were not aimed at Maggie and Eldon.
Just appeared to me that almost all the topics were about the stays at B&B's and very little on the poster's experiences on the trail.

We have stayed with Maggie and Eldon each year for the past 3 years. We love their kindness, beautiful home and fantastic breakfast! Maggie's oatmeal pancakes are terrific. We are looking forward to seeing them again.

We really enjoyed our stay at Doug Rendleman's B&B in Bluffton. The food and hospitality were terrific. We loved talking to Doug about all sorts of things especially biking and the trail. Tom enjoyed a really nice hike up to the scenic overlook before breakfast.

I was on the same trip with Tom and Cheri and agree with all of their comments. Doug is a full service host. He even checked the air in our tires and parked our bikes in the barn. Great host!

We were very pleased with our experience in taking your recommendation. We showed up drenched, muddy, cold, hungry - Doug took care of every need, even laundered our clothes. Plus he adds great character and humor! Thoroughly enjoyable, like staying with an old friend!

Thanks to all for the kind words. I DO enjoy the company and I'm glad it shows. Tom, I could not find the Buckeye. Hope it has not died. Will look again come spring.

We are new to biking. This summer we have went riding on the Katy Trail in the St. Charles area, the Washington area, and the Hermann area. We would love to know what the seasoned riders consider the best 10 miles of the entire trail. We loved mm115 area of Portland.

That's like asking me to name my favorite child! I love the big cavernous bluff 3 miles east of Augusta (oh, and the wine!). I love the run westward into Rocheport because it has the river alongside the bluffs. I love the Amish sights in Windsor. Picking my top 10 miles would be tough, and would change day-to-day.

Preach it Mark! Amen! To that, I would add that I love going down hill fast from Pilot Grove into Boonville, I love riding right by the river on a ledge between McKittrick and Treloar, and I love a burger and a cold drink at any one of a number of trailside food joints.

We stayed at Hartsburg Inn this past week while riding the whole trail. Cath took good care of us, and the room was quiet and comfortable. The continental breakfast in the room allowed us to set our own departure schedule, which was very convenient. If you are going to stay in Hartsburg, I recommend calling ahead of time to see if any place will be open for dinner, since Dotty's is closed a couple of days of the week, and the Bistro was out of food when we were there.

We had the same experience with no food in Hartsburg (excluding frozen pizza at Bar) when we stayed there on the 15th. Cath loaned us her car to drive to Ashland for dinner! That's a great B&B host!