Katy Trail Forum

I'm flying into St Louis Sat afternoon. Will be shuttled to Rocheport Sunday and will begin riding Monday. Will put in about. 40 miles a day. The recent heat in Mo has me somewhat concerned - especially since I won't be able to check into
B & Bs until 3 or 4 . Is riding down near the river cooler than temps reported on in towns. If I bring a mat with me, will there be places I can rest under the shade and read as I wait for check in times?

No question...it will be hot and dusty. (I rode Clinton-St. Charles last weekend and it was warm.) That said...I think you will also fine many, many sections of the trail that are completely covered by trees that will provide a great deal of shade. Some of the pictures on this website show riders going through a "tunnel" of trees. Though that doesn't describe all of the trail, it does depict much of it. You'll be fine. As you note, you don't have to rush along the trail because of your check-in times...so take it easy and take advantage of any little small town cafe, etc. you can find to rest and cool.

I found the stretch from North Jefferson to Tebbets to be the longest, hottest "exposed" stretch of trail...and also the one with the least availability of water. There was a pop machine on the porch of the hostel in Tebbets...that was all I found there. Glad it had water in it and that I had the 1.25 in change.

You'll have a great trip despite the heat. Enjoy!

Riding during the heat of day will be a challenge, no doubt. The temps will be a bit cooler on the trail but regardless it will be hot, no getting around it. However as long as you are reasonably bike-fit your schedule seems pretty manageable. Just take it easy, drink LOTS of water and linger longer in the towns, at lunch etc. Yes, if you bring a mat you will easily find shaded spots to rest. One tip: At approximate mile marker 148 is "Lewis and Clark Beach" on the Missouri River. There's a marker, picnic bench etc. Here you can access the river and actually swim in it a bit. It would make a great break on a hot day.

What is your itinerary, meaning what towns are you stopping at? I'd be happy to give a few tips at each. ENJOY, it is beautiful. I wouldn't sweat the heat (sorry) too much, you'll be fine.

It looks like Monday's temp is to top out around 98, and yes, as said it will be warm but you will be fine! We rode in similar temperatures many times (including the eastern section to August last weekend) and managed just fine. In fact, the only time we really got "hot-hot" was when we rode the rather steep hills to the wineries! =) Hydration is the key! Enjoy your ride and the Katy, it is beautiful!!!

Sheribdiver;
If you decide to stop at mile marker 100.8 McKittrick Mo. Joey's bird houses has early check in. From Tebbets and beyond there is some relief and stretches of canopy down the trail.
She has access to the newly renovated store and cafe; food and frozen water no problem. If you are touring there are winerys nereby in Hermann and she shuttles her guests. Sorry about this freak hot weather but then Cal has the Mojavi and we have Mo-Java

Good biking !

First, Hank you offered good comments except about swimming in this Missouri River. Don't swim in the river! There are currents you don't see coming and it is very dangerous. A young lady waded in the river at Jeff City and was swept off by a current. It took weeks to find her body. On a brighter note, Hank is right on about drink plenty. Bring water and every time you can refill, do so. On the Katy Trail map a few towns show there is water, but there are no faucets at the trailhead. And do carry plenty of change so you can buy bottled water of all there is is soda machine. There are benches along the trail, usually (not always) in a shaded spot. Start as early as you cam in the morning and you will benefit more from the shade of the trees. For example it is 8:35 am now, it is in the 80s, and will get up to 106 today. If you biked from 7 to 11 today you would only be biking for an hour or so with the sun directly above. Prior to that the sun in climbing in the sky and shielded more by the trees. I think the temps are not suppose to be as high next week. Hopefully people who are biking this week during our record highs, will see your question and get on here to offer suggestions. Just be smart, pace yourself, drink plenty, be responsible about carrying your own water, enjoy the trail, the scenery, the river(from the bank only!) and you will do fine.

I go by the saying "Drink when you are not thristy, and eat when you are not hungry" when it comes to hot weather biking. Make sure you eat something before you start. I try to feel a little "Sloshy" with fluids before I start, because I know I will get dehydrated. I try to drink at least a bottle of water every hour. I also drink Gatorade every 3rd or 4th bottle (I keep the powdered stuff with me, and snack on trail mix to keep my salts and sugars up (if you start cramping, you're low). Consider use of a CamelBak, and put ice in it, not just fluids, and fill that up at some of the C-Stores along the way. I'm also a believer in long sleeve shirts in the heat (people who live in the desert wear clothes), so think about wearing a long sleeve shirt made out of linen, or wicking material.

Sheribdiver, glad to have you in our neck of the woods! Best advice I can give is to start early. You can start riding as early as 5 a.m. this time of year, and be done with your 40 miles before it gets up to 90 degrees. There are plenty of good benches along the way. I guess the good news is that you will not have ANY rain on your trip -- unfortunate for us. Have a great time.

Thanks for the good suggestions. I'm set with a camelback and powdered Gatorade. Ready to start early and enjoy the trip.

40 miles you won't sweat at all if, as all have said, you get started early. If you are from CA coastal you may need more liquids not accustom to the desert side. This weather you could also use a camelback iced bladder pack to drink out of too. Siestas are good too. I'm also on the trail next week and may catch up with you starting from Clinton on Monday. I'm going a lit further than 40 a day.

If you can start early that's ideal, but if it was me I would not worry too much. Sleep in, eat a good breakfast, and do your thing. It will be hot but again if you are in decent shape you will be fine.

I really feel the best time to ride now is late in the day / early evening. We rode yesterday from 6 to 7:30 and it was beautiful.

Cathy is correct, the Missouri River is nothing to be messed with. At the same time I have swam it numerous times and if you are careful it is no worries and can be great. There are places with the river down like it is now that you can wade 100 yards or more in knee deep water. I never actually swam Lewis and Clark beach and would urge caution. But it may in fact be awesome.

Hank, I will definitely stop at the L&C beach for a short dip or wade heading east on Tues. next week. I will tie a rope to the tree too for safety. Thanks.

The wife and I just got back from a mid-day ride, 10:30 to about 12:15. Yes it was hot but really, no problem. Don't sweat the heat Sheribdiver, you'll be fine!

Let me know how L & C beach goes POC. I should have dipped a toe in it while we were there but we were behind schedule and had to mosey.

Did my first riding on the trail today. It was pretty warm, but I was cooler moving than when I was standing. Had some small concerns about snakes -- saw my first one, a tiny little thing -- so I will now cross that worry off my list.

Welcome to Missouri Sheribdiver. Keep those trip updates coming!

I've read on this forum about a few folks who encountered sunning copperheads on the trail. I'm biking the whole trail this summer, and this got my to thinking...what is way for a biker to handle this situation? Thanks

Holler "on your left" and ride around them. However, Copperheads are notorious for not following trail ediquette and sometimes take up the middle of the trail. If you encounter one of the inconsiderate ones pass them on whichever side gives you the most room. All kidding aside the odds of coming across one in mid-summer is pretty slim.

I have encountered them on the trail many times, usually in the spring and/or fall, however. I usually throw my legs on the handle bars and scream like a little girl, but regardless of that ritual, I have found that they seldom do anything other than slither off into the grass. Enjoy the ride - it is a beautiful part of the trail!

I'd been wondering who that was! Now I know, it was Robin from Macon.

Unless you actually stop and pick them up (or run over them), it's really, really hard to get a Copperhead to strike. They're very laid back and are reluctant to bite. Most bites from them involve alcohol use... Here's a shot of one take a few weeks ago on the trail: http://www.pbase.com/harry1/image/144218331
We stopped to look at it and it simply uncoiled and moved off the center of the trail.

Thanks to all.

At least in my neck of the woods water snakes at least during part of their growth look very much like copperheads and since the KT is near water a lot of the time it just may be. We only saw green snakes on our journey last month from end to end and tried not to run over any of them though sometimes that was impossible. Having ridden this trail I would not concern myself with snakes in the least.

In Central Mo snakes (of all varieties) are commonplace on the trail. This is especially true in the Spring/Fall when they are trying to warm up. Simply treat them as a large stick in the trail and ride around them. The greatest risk of having a bad interaction with a snake is to STOP and try to poke it with a stick.. or panic and crash right on top of it! LOL

Black snakes are much harder to avoid because they are longer and are more difficult to ride around than a copperhead.

Any snake I've ever ridden over was on the eastern 1/2 of the trail near farm land. Most of the time, they have been small and/or young snakes. I'm real bad about putting my head down and pedaling: Every once in a while, I'll feel a "bump", and I'll realize that I ran over a snake, not a stick. Oops. Sorry dude--hope I didn't break anything.

I did that once with a skunk too. That is a potentially VERY BAD deal, but nothing happened to either of us. I also had the pleasure of running over a dead dog once, and his entralls were "ripe". I don't recommend that either.

I really need to learn to keep my head up when I ride.

Ha-ha, ArkyKenny - you are *definitely* a "focused" cyclist!

Good to know I can add snakes to weather - my list of things I 'm concerned about for my July tour.

Sheribdiver, as for snakes being on your list of things to be concerned about, it shouldn't be very high on that list because you will probably not even see one. If you do see one, just ride on by and let it be. Enjoy your tour on the Katy.

Agree with Darrell -- I've only ridden the trail a couple times, but I've never seen a single snake -- or even a married one! (Sorry, couldn't resist ;-) Cows, beagles, etc., but no snakes. Good luck on your ride!

Drive like you're from California and you'll never hit a snake!

Snakes, turtles, cows (really), vultures, fox, deer, ground hogs, actually hit a fat squirrel once..... Unless they are completely covering the trail, just ride around. Personally, the greatest danger is small children. They love stopping dead in the middle of the trail.

Sheribdiver hit the trail today and saw one teeny, tiny snake. I was so intrigued I stopped to get a picture, but it slithered off -- and I had no desire to go all Steve Irwin on him. So, I've seen a snake and don't have to fret about it any more. Great birds out here!

Does anyone know the name of the beautiful little bluebirds that seem to be everywhere on the trail?

Those are Indigo Buntings. They are beautiful!

Beautiful, beautiful. Saw many, many of them last weekend all along the trail.

You may have seen two kinds of bluebirds. Tha Indigo Bunting Bluebird is the prettier IMO. The Eastern Bluebird is also lovely and happens to be Missouri's state bird. At least one trailhead near Jefferson City has pictures and information about these birds.

Katy Bike Rental in Defiance always has the best service and a must stop location! I've been stopping here for years and they never cease to amaze me with their friendly and ever helpful staff. Complete bike shop has a little bit of everything for your bike and your body, with an added bonus of real running water!

Another added bonus is a new Italian restaurant opened up just across the street.

Couldn't agree more about Katy Bike Rental. Very nice folks with very reasonable prices. I broke a water bottle holder on the trail--picked up a new one there. $6 for a new one and he even offered to put it on. Try that at a local bike shop.

Agree. Great stop. Great shop.

I rode the DNR Katy Trail ride last week and know that someone asked if Becky's could open earlier than normal for breakfast. The word wasn't passed on around the campground. So, I think that myself and the guy who gave massages were the only two that ate there. It appeared that additional staff were brought on to accomodate the potential crowd. My breakfast was great and Becky's deserves your consideration for no other reason than for what she attempted to do for the riders.

Thanks!

Which campground is this?

Actually, it was at the park in Pilot Grove

After a long hot ride this morning my wife and I ate lunch at Becky's. I've been reading about this place and heard several friends who have been there talk about it. We were not let down. From the iced tea to the cheeseburger to the creamed peas and potatoes....and the cold air conditioning it was great. I even had a big piece of blackberry pie with icecream for $2.95. Becky is great and the service is too. I love to stop and support the local economies that help provide the places that I am blessed to ride through. We'll be back!

ray
we hope to be open weekends July 13 and on
will have water available and some foods. It was a challenge to renovate the Merck but breathing life into her is another challenge. Hope you can visit or see us on themerck.com Thanks

ray
we hope to be open weekends July 13 and on
will have water available and some foods. It was a challenge to renovate the Merck but breathing life into her is another challenge. Hope you can visit or see us on themerck.com Thanks

I wrote it in another post but Loutre Market in fact is very easy to get to from McKittrick trailhead. On west side of tunnel under Highway 19 is short spur trail, from there just pedal across highway to Loutre. 3 minute pedal at most. Of course if Mercantile is open then just go there.

I wrote it in another post but Loutre Market in fact is very easy to get to from McKittrick trailhead. On west side of tunnel under Highway 19 is short spur trail, from there just pedal across highway to Loutre. 3 minute pedal at most. Of course if Mercantile is open then just go there.