Katy Trail Forum

Just wondering if the trail is marked north of the trailhead along E. 3rd, N. Engineer, E. Boonville, Olive Branch, Randall and Griesen streets?

Yes the trail is marked on the road. It is not difficult to follow between the rail bed and the depot on the street.....seemed iffy to me the first time, but it's easy to follow.

The trail is well marked it is 1 1/2 miles of city streets. It goes out the DNR parking lot on the east side of the Katy Depot straight down 4th street. It will indicate that you turn left onto Emmet. This gives you a safe controlled crossing at the Railroad tracks. Continue on to Boonville road and again there will be indications to turn right. You will see the connection to the trail about 100 yards down on the left. The entire 1 1/2 miles has a bike lane well marked and is easy to follow.

Yes there is a bike lane. But it seemed to be hazardous as it was full of glass and trash and other stuff and several pot holes too. Be careful when riding in the bike lane there. And the neighborhood is very casual.

Looking for white male mid 40's red/graying hair, red/graying facial hair, blue Kansas City Royals ball cap, glasses. Left home Friday June 17th. May be on foot or just purchased a new bicycle. Needs to call home immediately.

Last known to be in Boonville Missouri on Saturday and may be headed on trail toward Hermann or Jefferson City area.

Family is still looking for him. If anyone sees him or has seen him, please call 660-619-2745.

Last seen in Hermann. Please contact the Mo. Hwy Patrol if you see him. Thanks from his family.

We just recently stayed here with a group of 12 friends biking on the Katy Trail. What a wonderful place to stay. The back courtyard and deck was a fun place to all hang out. The staff is friendly and attentive. Sonja took great care of us! The rooms were all amazing and the jetted tubs offered welcome relief after 2 days riding the Katy Trail. We can't wait to book another trip.

Where's here??

Sorry! Wine Valley Inn in Hermann, MO. We loved it and had a great time.

We stayed here in the house in mid-October of 2010 and found the accommodations very charming. And you can't beat the location. We are pleased that you are still open, as we plan to come back.

We stayed here with a group of 12 riding the Katy Trail. What a great place to stay! The back courtyard was a wonderful place to hang out together. They let us lock our bikes on the railing of their back building. The staff is friendly and very attentive. The rooms were all amazing and the jetted tubs a welcome relief after bike riding all day. We can't wait to book another trip!

The bridge is amazing! It is fun to ride and makes getting into Jeff City very easy. Follow the Jefferson City Greenway from the Trailhead. Thanks to all those that made this bridge possible!! Katy Trail riders love it!

I'm planning this trip for my venture crew (Which is an organization under the Boy Scouts) and I wanted know the following:

How hilly is the trip? Are there parts that would be considered very steep for a regular bike compared to a mountain bike?

There are no steep grades on the Katy. As has been said many times before, the Katy basically computes as "flat" when it comes to riding. No ascents, no descents. As long as everyone can pedal in the group, they'll survive.

Numerous youth groups of all kinds have used the Katy both for biking and hiking. Enjoy.

The vast majority of the trail is flat as a pancake. The Osage Hills, located between Sedalia and Booneville, has some minor (but long) grades. It is nothing to worry about, and I think the Osage Hills may be the prettiest stretch of the trail. Any bike in good mechanical condition, including road bikes, will do just fine on the Katy.

I hope you all have a fabulous trip on the KATY. I think it is the perfect venue for what you are planning. Having observed lots of Scout groups on the KATY, my observation is that some are having a great time and others are miserable. A couple pieces of advice if I might. 1. Try to make sure the kids bikes fit them as much as possible. 2. Properly inflate their tires. 3. Teach them a bit of trail etiquette (like stay to the right except when passing, what "passing on the left means", pull off the trail when stopping).
Have a fabulous adventure! The KATY is an wonderful resource!

We took our Girl Scouts (12 thirteen yr olds & 3 sixteen yr olds) biking last weekend (June 10th) on the katy. We did 20+ miles on Saturday and they all did great! Besides what the previous post put, make sure you are aware of the heat and how humid it is. Electrolyte replacement is very important as well as water. It is a great time!

Are there any RV sites? Thanks!

We are planning on biking from Boonville to Rocheport this weekend, is flooding going to be an issue?

I will be rideing the trail from Sedalia to Rocheport this weekend as well and I have been told that trail will be ok to Rocheport but after that it will be iffy :)

I rode this section yesterday, and there was no indication of flooding. Trial is in good condition and dry between Sedalia and Rocheport.

There is a huge tree down west of Rocheport a few miles that has the whole trail blocked. There has been a path wore down in the weeds to the south of the trail. It is passable, but you must take the path off the trail.

I was wondering if you travel West from Treloar, but you don't think you want the full 16 miles to McKittrick, was looking for more like an 8 mile ride, where could you stop? Is there anywhere to park?

Tailheads with parking exist at Treloar and McKittrick. But none in-between. One can always turn around at the halfway point for a 16-mile ride.Good luck.

I am planning to sign up for an organized family bike tour from St. Charles to Sedalia, June 25-July 1(traveling with two kids, 7 and 13). I got concerned about the potential flooding. Can anyone comment on whether the flooding is a real threat to the trail at this point? Thanks!

On 6-8-11, the news stated that major flooding would be at Saint Charles on the Missouri River. So, there might be parts of the trail affected. Historically, the MKT railroad had many problems with flooding on the railbed and had to rebuild several times in it's history. That's why they abandoned the railway. So, there are a few areas that probably will be flooded over, as they are right on the river and have a history of doing so when the water is high.

I should have said major flooding in Saint Charles within one week of today. So, by June 15th, major flooding. Sorry for the mistake in my first post.

If you click on "trail advisories..." on this site's homepage, then "caution advised...", there is good information on flooding conditions on the path and predictions for possible flood conditions on the path.

The organizers of the KATY Trail ride won't let you get wet. In years past they have bussed riders around unsafe or flooded parts of the trail. I believe we have had word that they will probably do so from Rocheport to Hartsburg. Its still a great experience.

Does anyone know how high the water has to get to stop the amtrak train? I am going to ride the train Saturday 6/18/11 to Sedalia from Kansas City and ride the trail east from there if I can I may have to ride the roads part of the way.

I don't think Amtrak gets anywhere close to river before Sedalia.

Yes I know the the Amtrak track are ok up to Sedalia but if the tracks on down by the water flood the train will stop and and I will not be able to get back from St. Louis

Greg, you can look at NOAA's projections for the Missouri river levels for early next week and they are showing no flooding for any parts of the Katy Trail. If the trail is not flooded, then the Amtrak tracks on the south side of the river are not going to be flooded either(as they are a good 5 feet higher than the Katy Trail). However, always good to have a plan B when traveling on the Katy trail and there are a lot of shuttle services out there that will take you back to KC if Amtrack can't.

Thank you for all the help

I read in a biking book that you can wrap a tube around your bike seat, partially inflate it, and it will add extra cush....anyone ever tried this?

We thought about it but think it is pretty funny but I bet it would work.

Extra padding is good. But you might want to invest in a better seat prior to the trip. Also, bike shorts are a huge plus as they reduce the chance of rash and chafing.

i have read about the same thing numerous times. sounds like it would work. air is always better than an old hard seat.

How does the trail look from Hermann to St. Charles? Does anyone know if there are flooded areas of the trail?

Thanks.

KT Caboose is now open from Fri to Mon as of last weekend!!

K.T. Caboose is now open Wednesday thru Monday. We open 10:30 a.m.

I was at the wineries in Hermann last weekend and talked to one of the locals who was in Hermann for the 1993 flood. I am planning to ride the katy from Sedalia to st charles on July 1, 2011 and will be taking the Amtrak from Kirkwood to get there. The lady I talked to basically said there's no way the trip will happen due to the predictions of flooding from releasing water from the dams up north. Does anyone who lives around the katy or lived in the area of the katy during the 93 flood know if this is actually true? And if it does flood will there be any stretches of the trail worth riding? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

I would say that chances are probably 95% that the Trail will be flooded or inaccessible. I read in the Columbia Tribune that they will be using the Katy Trail to build levees to protect Rocheport. I would check the NOAA website to check on the river levels before you come. Clinton to Boonville will be fine, but Boonville to St. Charles will be iffy for a lot of the way, in my opinion, but until the water shows up nobody really knows.

The Columbia article says that the Boonville guage will be at 27 to 33 feet on Sun. June 19, but right now NOAA's website still has projected levels at around 22 feet on Sat. June 18. So, something not quite right there. If it does get to the 27 to 33 feet range, yes that will shut down areas around Rocheport, Hartsburg, and Portland, MO I believe. In addition, if the trail floods, it will also take awhile to open these areas back up when the river receeds.

However, the trail is generally higher from Hermann to St. Charles, relative to those other areas, so that is another section that could remain open in addition to the Clinton to Boonville leg.

Thank you Sharonbikes, and SteveK for your input, it was extremely helpful. Guess I won't be riding the trail for quite some time. Hopefully the flood won't be too bad for the small towns near the river, we'll have to wait and see.

I would keep tabs on the state parks website for closure notices and call ahead to the areas where you plan to be. We rode the Trail between Augusta and St. Charles over Memorial Day weekend and parts of the highway along the Trail (92) were closed due to local flooding, so you just never know. I hate to discourage riding on the Trail as I want to support the local businesses. Of course, the Trail west of Boonville to Sedalia should not be affected at all since it is not close to the river.

sharonbikes indicates that sections Hwy 92, that paralell the Katy Trail, between Augusta and St Charles were closed due to local flooding Memorial Day weekend. Could you be more specific with the Hwy 92 closures locations? Or could anyone reading this direct me to a website that lists road closures due to flooding along the Katy Trail? I'm familiar with the trail from Sedalia to St. Charles and need this information to determine if I will be running a vehicle supported bike tour between St Charles and Boonville the last week of June. Thanks!

The State's website will be your best place to start. Http: www.mo.gov. Road closures are posted on a map at http://www.modot.mo.gov. Possible closures of the Trail will be posted at http://mostateparks.com/park/katy-trail-state-park or go to http://www.dnr.mo.gov for lots of info on the flooding situation including hydrology maps from NOAA. Hope you have fun!

Thanks for state website on road conditions/closures. I have all the other links this was the missing one. Safe, waterless, cycling to all!

We tent camped here Friday, June 10, 2011. It was a nice stay. The little shower/bathroom house was basic but clean. In fact, the owner cleaned it for us when we arrived. (Although it wasn't bad before that!) We were glad to have the little blue shower house as potential shelter, since we were barely missed by a severe storm with hail. We didn't need it, but we were prepared to duck in there if the storm had hit us. The owners were friendly and keep a nice little campground. I would guess there are about 5-6 RV spots with electricity and I believe also water/waste hookups. There were about 5 tent spots with fire rings. Some spots had nice blue picnic tables. It was us and an RV the night we were there. The grounds were clean and neat. It seems like they are trying to work on the landscaping.
The owners work during the day, so be patient trying to reach them. We couldn't call them when we got there, since we didn't have strong enough cell reception, but we had called in advance (although somehow we were down for the wrong day... didn't matter). When we got there, we set up our tent and they stopped by when they got home from work.
We didn't visit the nearby bar, but we did hear their music until about 4-5am. It wasn't loud enough to keep us awake. I guess Portland likes to party Friday nights!
All in all, I would recommend the Rivers Edge RV Park and Campground!

It's a good place to camp with a basic shower/bathroom building. I camped there in Oct 2009 and sept 2010. Would do it again someday.

We ate here for lunch June 10, 2011. This is definitely a BAR and grill. Despite the random unsavory word floating to our table from the bar patrons, we had no problems eating with our young kids here. The staff was friendly.
The food was yummy and not greasy like bar food often is. The Philly sandwich was delicious. They refilled our many water bottles and even rinsed off the dust from the trail, which was very appreciated. Definitely stop at the Mokane Bar and Grill if you have a chance!

We had a great meal. While enjoying a few beers with the locals we ask about camping in the shelters down by the ball diamonds. They said no problem but we made shoot some fireworks at you, do not be scared, it is just what we do for fun around here, not much else around there to do. We laughed at them but got no fireworks.

While riding the trail for a few days in Oct 2009, I stopped for lunch at Mokane. Would recommend it to other riders to stop for a sandwich.

A friend and I went out for our first ride and decided to make Rocheport our stop, rest, and turn around point. I was a little leary of going to Abigails because of some of the negative feedback I had read on here, but we decided to save judgement for our own experience. Are we glad we did!!! Wonderful food, friendly staff and great service. Loved the menu! Our only regret was that we only got to try two of the choices. We will certainly be back anytime we go through the area. Thanks for a great meal.

Congratulations, you have discovered the secret to enjoying the Katy. Reserve judgment of the various establishments along the trail based on your own experience. Katy users are a diverse group and not everyone will agree on what constitutes a good or bad experience.