Katy Trail Forum

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!

We ate at a lot of good places on our ride last week, but I wanted to spotlight Abigail's. We were actually looking for the BBQ place that others recommended, but a group of folks standing outside Abigail's convinced us to try it. I like different, and Abigail's was certainly that. We ordered chicken quesadillas with blackberry sauce (who knew that would work?). The funky antiques kept us intrigued while we waited for our food. Portions were good-sized, but maybe too heavy for trail riders on lunch.

Abigail seemed very business-like, but our server Dean was funny and cordial and suggested other places to eat down the trail. Highly recommended.

Abigail's is the best restaurant in all of Missouri IMO. Terrific food (quality and variety) and great people. I go there every time I'm on the KT (unless it's Mon or Tues, when they're closed) and in many dozens of visits over the years, they've never disappointed. It's as close to a religious experience as you'll get at a restaurant (and that's saying something; although that may also have something to do with riding 50 miles or so beforehand.) Superb food for the end of a ride, and even better in the middle of one. But- they are closed b/t 2 and 5, and after 5 you'll need a reservation.

A large tree has fallen across the trail near Windsor between the 251-252 mile markers. It is blocking the trail. Able-bodied travelers can portage around it.

Did our first full Katy ride his past week. As noted elsewhere, the wind can come from any direction in Missouri. We went East to West because of convenience, but others espouse going West to East for favorable winds. My observations were that you can't really plan a long ride based on the wind, because it will vary so much day-to-day. For quite a while, we were riding West with a steady 12 mph wind from the SW. So it was an offset headwind to us. In the open areas, it slowed us down to 7 mph. But in the trees, we were able to maintain a comfortable 10 mph. Since most of the Katy is tree-lined, the wind was not as much of a problem as we expected. The funny thing is, we met several groups coming the other way (with an offset tailwind) and they remarked how they thought the wind was blowing directly at them!

What was really interesting was riding along the bluffs from St. Charles to Rocheport. The wind hits the bluffs and spins in many directions. One minute it’s in your face, and the next it’s propelling you from behind.

On our final trek from Sedalia to Clinton, there were quite a few open areas, but the wind was coming out of the NE at 16mph. We enjoyed several miles of very easy riding. But those who chose to start West-East that day, and there were quite a few, faced a strong headwind.

It’s important to note that a doubling of wind speed means a quadrupling of wind resistance. In other words, it’s about 4 times as hard to pedal against a 12mph headwind as a 6mph headwind. So our lessons learned were: 1) to plan our ride as if it’s going to be all headwinds (and be happy when it’s not) and 2) if we do face a headwind, it is not worth the much higher effort to keep our speed up to a peak level. This was just our experience/opinion.

Hope this helps others.

The Best Western was closed some time ago. The property is now operated by a Magnuson hotel affiliate that goes by the name of "M-Star Hotel". Reviews on the new owners remain favorable.
M-Star Hotel Clinton
106 South Baird Street,
Clinton, MO 64735,
United State

Phone Numbers:
Phone: 660 885 2206
Fax: 660 885 6398

Got it - thanks for the heads-up!

We just got home from a week-end at Monette's Bed and Breakfast and it was fabulous. We just wanted to get away to the country and relax and go to look at fall colors. It was so nice. The front porch is awesome! We sat and drank our coffee in the mornings and fed the goats and played with the neighborhood cat. They have everything you need plus the most wonderful hot tub. The best part of all, was the morning breakfasts. I have never had such wonderful food. It was like nothing I have ever tasted. All I can say is, you will love it!!!!!!! Thanks so much!

Very nice accommodations. Very nice and clean, but not fancy. Perfect for a family stay. Late check in was super easy. Very close to the trail. TV could have been a little bigger.

I was getting a daily email with updated comments on the forum. However I'm not able recieve emails at that address any more. I cannot find where I signed up to recieve the emails Are you still doing this. I loved to read about everyones experience on the trail

Glad to hear that you enjoy the forum digests. Just send me your new email address, and I'll add it to the distribution list. Not just Tonya, but anyone who would like a daily summary of forum postings can send me your email address, and I'll add you to the mailing list.

You can email me at

I have a to-do list of some website enhancements for the winter season, including building a web page where you can sign up for the digests, but I'll just handle it manually until then.

We stayed here to start our Katy Ride. Neat historic house not far from downtown shops. They shuttled us to/from dinner, and Rhona fixed us a large breakfast. They took good care of our bikes and gear. We will stay here again.

Had a similar positive experience here in June. Would not hesitate to return.

We stayed here on our last night on the Katy. The hotel was built in the 1920's and unlike a lot of refurbished older hotels, they have chosen to keep a lot of the period plumbing, woodwork, etc. It must be a massive job to find replacement parts, so our hats are off to them. The rooms are more European style (smaller), but have character and charm that the chains do not have. And despite being a 7-story downtown hotel, they do an excellent job in catering to Katy riders. You leave your bike in the lobby and they take it to a non-public area downstairs to store it overnight. Continental breakfast is served starting at 6 a.m., so you can get on the trail early. Highly recommended!

We stayed at Polly's this past week. She is such a wonderful host and her place is really neat. She has such a large variety of food, snacks and beverages available that it is your fault if you go hungry/thirsty! We will definitely stay there again next time around.

What is the weather like mid to end of Oct?

The weather is Missouri mid-October is almost a daily surprise. We have already had frost and evening temperatures in the mid-30's. Tomorrow it is predicted to be near 80 degrees with severe T-storms later in the day. I realize it is hard to plan very far in advance with this news and I wish I could tell you differntly, but this is how MO weather is.

Agree with Robin. The past week it was sunny, drizzly, warmish, cold, and very windy. The wind came out of EVERY direction except straight North. The best you can do is to stay flexible and reasonable.

Agree. If you are close enough to the trail and flexible enough with your schedule you can catch some wonderful, wonderful riding days.

Also be aware that many of the businesses begin shutting down for the season in the next few weeks, but I have always been able to find/carry what I need without any big hassles. Just don't count on everything being open.

Enjoy!