Katy Trail Forum

We are riding for a couple of days and would like to find out what people think is the most scenic portion of the trail. Is the trail from Clinton to Booneville pretty, or mostly fields?

Clinton to Boonville is open and rolling...mostly fields. This portion is different because it leaves the river. It's nice but it's not like riding along the bluffs and the river. My favorite part of the trail for scenery is specifically Rocheport to Easley. Lots of riding along the river and the bluffs are beautiful...the best on the entire trail...especially just east of Rocheport. For variety you couldn't go wrong with the segment between Pilot Grove and Jefferson City.

My wife and I did Clinton to Boonville in June and it was fabulous. One day. I am used to the river sections and so the Clinton to Boonville stretches were great variety, from remote prairie and farm country to Ozark character with undulating inclines. However if you have never experienced the river sections then they might rate higher. Tall bluffs, rolling wide river beside, pretty and historic towns in between. On the eastern end of the trail the sections between Marthasville and Highway 40 (I-64) are quite pretty. Hard to go wrong.

I have to agree with Lone Pine....just E of Rocheport to Easly is by far my favorite and in my opinion, the most scenic part of the trail! But, as was said, you cannot go wrong with the Katy regardless! Happy Riding!

If you stay at the Baymont in Jeff City, there's a great restaurant 1/2 block away called Arri's, serving Italian and Greek and a variety of other stuff. We had some huge plates of pasta (carbo-loading for next day's ride!).

Arris's is the best! I love Fetta Pizza.

You can also easily get to the Jeff City Greenways Trail which parellels Missouri Blvd and has easy access to grocery stores, Target & WalMart.

Anyone have any experience with the Vinchester Inn in Hermann? Curious as to condition, cleanliness, location. Thanks!

My son and I are riding the whole trail. As we got into Sedalia, something got caught in his rear wheel and messed up the gears. We got to ProVelo and Ebby gave us exceptionally fast and exceptionally friendly service. Good guys, good work. Highly recommended.

I'm interested in doing all one part of the Katy this week (Aug 13). Don't want to go solo my first trip. Anyone need a buddy?

Hi, my husband and I are planning a roundtrip ride starting from Machens to Clinton and will need some info about long term parking. I'm aware of parking at Black Walnut but is there parking closer to Machens, even if it takes a side trip to the trail. Thanks.

There is really NO place to park at Machens. The trailhead is next to a working rail line and is surrounded by farm fields. There are a few houses at Machens (a few blocks away) but I doubt any of them would want the responsibility of watching your car. If you can park at Black Walnut, that would be best. Think of the very short bike ride to Machens as stretching your legs before you start the ride (it only adds a couple of miles).

We usually try to avoid parking the car in the middle of nowhere for any length of time. I'd park in St. Charles and ride up to Machens if I felt like I needed to ride the entire trail. I'd think the trailhead or a motel lot in St. Charles would be a better option.

Treks right, not much between St. Charles and Machens. I would park in St. Charles by Frontier Park.

One more vote for parking in St. Charles.

Another vote for St Charles. Several years ago, a friend and I parked our trucks at the south part of Frontier Park. We let the Police know our vehicles and location.

My husband and I are planning to ride from Jefferson City to Columbia. Where is the closest lodging?

You will be riding into Columbia on the MKT Trail and the trailhead is at Flatbranch Park. The address is 101 S. 4th Street. (Roughly 4th and Locust) Very close to the University of Missouri and the central business district. I think there are 2 B&B's nearby. I have not stayed at either, so can't make a recommendation, but the names are The Gathering Place and University Avenue Bed & Breakfast. I don't know what hotel options would be closest to the Central Business District. Any riders out there familiar with the Columbia area for hotel options close to Flatbranch Park? You may want to check the date of your ride with the Mizzou football schedule. Football weekends in Columbia can be a bit of challenge for hotels. Hope you have a fun trip!

There are several trailheads and access points to the MKT spur in Columbia. Traveling north, before you get to the end of the trail in downtown at Flatbranch, you will go under Stadium Blvd. at the Martin Luther King trailhead. Going west on Stadium Blvd. will take you to I-70 where there is Holiday Inn and Drury. Going east will take you to the Hampton Inn which is south of Stadium Blvd at the south east side of the MU campus. Stadium Blvd. has a good shoulder but is not without hills. We've ridden to both the I-70 corner and to the Hampton.

If you are a flatlander, one of the B&B's near downtown or the Hampton Inn may be a better option. The last route I took was to the Flatbranch Park which is just a couple of easy riding blocks to the MU campus. I cut across campus to the Hampton. It was pretty flat like the Katy and a bit less stress than all the cars on Stadium Blvd. There is a restaurant next to the Hampton also.

We've also done the trip you mentioned in the other direction. Park the car in the parking garage on Cherry (I think) just a block or so from Flatbranch Park and then ride to Jefferson City or Boonville. It cost a few bucks to leave the car in the parking garage but it wasn't too much or I'd remember that it wasn't a good deal.

We are new to cycling, but are very excited about riding the Katy Trail for our first long ride.
Thanks for all the great info.

Good choice to ride the Katy! I hope you enjoy it as much as we have. It's where we started and now have riden several similar trails in Iowa, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Illinois. Next up is the Root River in Minnesota.

I want to ride the Katy Trail beginning in Weldon Springs and going to Augusta. Does anyone know of bike rentals available around Weldon Springs?
Thanks.

Less than 3 miles up the road in defiance is katy bike rental, they're very friendly, new bikes every year, and the price is unbeatable.

Just past MM87 just east of crossing Hwy 94, there are some deep open cracks near the middle trail surface that a tire would be swallowed up by. Uses particular vigilance in the area.

Thats what 100+F days does to the trail.

Yes, same thing east of Dutzow. Had I hit this crack head-on I likely would have went over the handlebars. BE CAREFUL!

I recently inquired about availability on a weekend in Sept. at the Red Brick Inn. Corrine informed me that she and Gary are again retiring and closed the Inn as of 6/30/2012. I am happy for them, but will miss their hospitality and beautiful house.

We would like to do one-way rides of 35-45 miles each day. What shuttle services do you suggest?

Amtrak

I THINK WE NEED MORE INFORMATION

4 adults with 4 bikes
Shuttle from Rocheport to Clinton-Sept 9
Shuttle from Rocheport to No. Jeff City-Sept 11

How about park in Sedalia and ride to Jefferson City and take the Amtrak back to your vehicle in Sedalia? Not sure there is a shuttle that runs out of Rocheport.

After riding 30+ miles, Rocheport to Easley, my friend and I were tired and hungry. What a delight to eat a late lunch at Abigail's in downtown Rocheport. The chef offered inspired dishes, like what I ordered: wild rice and apple pancake on a bed a greens with brie. Delicious. Be sure to stop there. BTW, they're closed 2 pm to 5 pm.

Oh please! Your from Nixa the food claim to fame is Sucker Days, and Rocheport downtown? Really!

Yep. It's true. On weekends, you'll need a reservation for dinner. The B&B'ers fill the place to the brim. It'a a gourmet cafe in a small town. :) A surprise delight for trail users.

I will be camping at the fairgrounds and I am looking for a place to eat nearby... dinner/breakfast... not picky!

I stayed there the May 5th If go right out of the campground gate about a 1/2 mile there is a McDonalds there could be other places also but it was getting dark and it was the first place I found.

Turn right from the campgrounds to the next road, turn right again and go to the fairgrounds official entrance is, then turn left and go north to the next major road. There is a Buffet there for about $10. There's a Perkins on the next road north/south plus other restaurants. Great place to stay.

I know it's no longer June, but I have to reply here. If you are camping at the fair grounds, there's a BBQ place right there on the main drag. It's called Kehde's, and there's a train dining car on the roof. Excellent food, service, and train decor inside. Highly recommend.

Hey everyone :D Just wanted to let you all know how much we have enjoyed meeting all the wonderful people out there on the trail, as well as looking forward to those we will meet in the future!

Wednesday nights are now $1 Taco nights, along with live music out on the patio! Also have live music on Friday and Saturday nights as well as Sunday afternoon from 4-7.

Please make note that our phone number has changed...we can be reached at 573-657-1171 or 573-303-4443.

If you need breakfast while you are in Hartsburg, you will definitely want to stop in at Dotty's Cafe. She makes great omelets and unbelievable blueberry pancakes that are as big as the plate they are serve on. Awesome job Dotty! It was all great!

Dotty's was our stop along the trail this past holiday weekend. Because of the large crowd, they actually ran out of much of the menu offerings and wanted to close early. Then we showed up, and since I had called ahead, Dotty allowed us to come in and she fixed the three of us delicious cheeseburgers and fries anyway. What a great break from the heat, plus a happy ending as we had trouble on the way back to Jeff City with a flat bike tire and a low car tire where we had parked. In the end, Central Dairy in JC melted our troubles away. We will see you again Dotty, Lord willing !!

Thank you so much for the nice comments, we look forward to seeing you again soon with the full menu lol . Dotty :)

Dotty's is the best! A must-stop on the trail for sure. Thank you Dotty!

I had been through Hartsburg a few times, but always was too early or too late. This week I was lucky enough to try their Western Omelet and will now be stopping every time. Great food, service, and value.

Two thumbs up for you Dotty, just see if you can make it a little cooler outside so I can ride over to your place.

Hang on Billy, it has to cool off soon :)

It would be really nice to have all the main eating establishments close to the Katy trail listed with days their open and hours so you can plan your day/week accordingly.

Hear! Hear! Definitely worth all the hype! A must stop!

Stopped at Dotty's on Saturday. Food and Service were Wonderful and we'll definately stop again.

My sister and I stayed here on the Fourth of July. As everything in the city was closed, we really appreciated the sodas and goodies in the fridge. Fortunately we brought food so we were able to cook in the kitchen in the main house. The boxcar was such a cool place to stay, I highly recommend it for families. Overall, a great place to stay and a great location.

Glad you had a great visit! The Katy Trail Boxcar Guesthouse has been a real hit! The AC cools that place down like a meatlocker even in the hottest days of July. Curious if you are coming back to Rocheport for another visit this summer? Check out our new Katy Trail Bed & Breakfast pics at www.katytrailbb.com. We've also got a Youtube on the Katy Trail Boxcar Guesthouse: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4-gjHcKp4s

Glad you found a couple of year old posts to brag about you business over. Can't beat free and timely advertising.

For crying out loud stop with the negative doo doo would you? It's fine to criticize but don' t be so crummy about it.

Bret, when my family stayed at your B and B we loved it. I am thankful there are people like you and the other Katy Trail business owners willing to take risks and open places along the trail.

Yeah, what Cathy said, and ahh, "a couple of years" would be July 10 2013.

I get Katy fever just like everyone else. Warm days on the Katy Trail bring out the trail lover in me just like everyone else and I start checking out the site more. If I'm on bikekatytrail.com and see a compliment I do what my Mom taught me - I say Thank you. Easy as that. That's what forums are for.

Stayed in the Boxcar - LOVED it. Thank you!

https://picasaweb.google.com/110601285339215241149/KatyTrail2012

Looks like you two enjoyed your trip Ginnis, nice photos, thanks for sharing!