Katy Trail Forum

Is there camping in clinton at the trailhead. We will be arriving by train and taxi i guess 14 may

Clinton community center is about 100 yards diagonally from the traihead. Let them know that you ride the Katy, and they might just let you camp in the back. They always let and look after bikers' vehicles parking on their lot.

Seems I've read on this forum that trail users have camped in a dugout at the ball park there.

found my own answer, you can camp right at the community center

Here's where you can camp in Clinton. Go on the left side of the Clinton Community Center clear to the back. Turn left for about 100 feet, then a right through the gate onto the Fairgrounds property. Turn right and set your tent there. There is an aluminum patio covering with concrete floor nearby you can set your tent in. A gate further down will let you go into the back of the Community Center. The Community Center will let you shower but tell them you're on the Katy Trail. I camped at that site two years ago and Clinton has great people.

I am looking for someone who can give me a description of the trail surface. We are riding from Ga to Omaha, NE this summer, and want to use the Katy Trail. Only problem is we will be on road bikes, and some of the pics I have seen look like the trail is dirt/gravel. Any helpful info?

In the FAQs on this website, there is a description of the trail http://www.bikekatytrail.com/faq.aspx#surface
In other places on this comment forum, there are discussions about road bikes and the trail. I've never ridden a road bike on the trail, but others have and I'll leave it to their expertise.

The trail is mostly hard packed limestone chat....some loose stuff, but there is a track. We've ridden our tandem with 28's on it and done fine loaded. Search "Katy Trail" on crazyguyonabike dot com and you will see that many Trans Am riders have crossed our state on the Katy fully loaded on road bikes. You'll be fine.

It's packed, finely ground limestone and has about the consistency of pavement when it comes to riding on it. As long as it doesn't get too wet, you should be fine.

I've done the whole thing twice with a Hybrid. I saw many road bikes using the trail fine. The only caution is related to heavy rain. The trail gets soft and the road tires will dig in quite a bit. Make sure you have several tubes ready. Also, for large portions of the trail there's a road that runs parallel. You could hop on that from time to time.

Just an FYI, the Stein House was destroyed by a fire last Thursday morning. There are other places to eat along Main St, so you don't have to worry about going hungry, but it is a shame to lose this landmark. I do not know if they plan to rebuild.

This was a great place to stop for lunch. Was not expecting to eat the best Thai food ever for lunch that day!

Where is the Thai restaurant from the trail?

The trail is right along the side of Coopers Landing with parking on one side and camping, river, restuarant on the other. You can't miss it.

Just a couple of comments here......while I agree Chim's has great food calling it a restaurant is a bit of a stretch. The Thai Kitchen is in a little trailer - the kind they sell funnel cakes out of at the county fair. You go up to the window and order your food, grab a cold beer at the store and sit at a table overlooking the river until they call your name. Also, if you plan to eat there check Coopers website to make sure they are open. I think they are closed for the winter now and during the warm months they are not open every day. Great food though and well worth the trip.

My daughter and I have eaten here each time we have biked the Katy. We are going again this Sept. and our mouth is already watering just thinking of Chim's food. The store is great too, and you can't beat the view of the river. The last time we ordered and split one as there is so much on your plate that if you eat it all you will be uncomfortable biking for the next hour or so! We learned that the hard way the first year.

Easley Mo.Trying to find out about Clem Easley,name after him, and wife Elsi...maiden nams...Milton
The tavern was run by the brothers about the 1700 or 1800
Any info you can send me would be nice

Is this Thai food a curry?
Curries are my favorites.

Is there a fee for camping at the Davisdale Conservation Area?

There is no fee for camping at Davisdale, it is rough camping only, no services. You can check on the Missouri Conservation Dept. website for information, maps and in particular campsite locations, on all of the conservation areas in the state.

I plan on being on the Katy trail west to east for about one week!Now instead of shiping my bike from wendover i thought that another way to ride is a 150-200 bike usd.Get it at walmart.After the katy trail ,i am picking up the great Mississippi trail! All the way to Mpls,Mn. I am vietnam vet and am on a low budget.Is this a good idea to buy a bike at walmart? Thanks

I bought a Wal-mart bike when I was out of town for a couple of months, just to keep in shape.
Had a flat tire the second day - Stripped the threads on the brake adjustment without applying hardly any pressure - Seat would not stay in one place - pedal came off. Be prepared to do daily maintenence. Donated it to local charity before I left.

daily maintance is required for any bike, I dont care if its a $200. bike or a 2Thousand dollar bike. Renting a bike seems to be a hassel,Seven days 140usd. Thats why i will take my chances on a walmart bike. By the way i have a schwinn hybird in wendover,I have had no problems.So being there is a walmart in clinton,mo it sounds perfect to buy the bike their, Yes after walmart assembles the bike, take it to the clinton bike shop for adjustments, and happy Katy trail!

Me thinks you are playing with us...

Most bike shops just love to see WalMart bikes come in for adjustments.

I wouldn't wish a Walmart bike on my worst enemy. I'd rather rent, renting would actually be cheaper, and a 99 percent chance of being hassle free.

If you weigh over 150 I wouldn't recomend the very-low-end "mountain" bike from Walmart, you will break it like Mr Anonymous advised. But they do sell a cruiser with balloon tires and even a road bike for about $200 that might last you a week on the trail. Target has a lot better selection of adult hybrid style bikes in $200 range. I doubt there is one in Clinton, but there are several in the ST louis area. I have traveled to a ride before and understand your issue. One other thought: you might find a hybrid at the bike shop for less than you think. It wouldn't hurt to stop there before going to Walmart.

If I wanted to enjoy my ride, I would NOT ride a Wal-Mart bike. I think you are simply asking for hassles. That's just 2 cents.

Never, never, never buy a bike from Walmart,Kmart etc and of course never take it to a real shop to be fixed. Go to some place that sells and repairs bikes for a living. They will fit it and prep it for you and it will be worth the added cost. In our area try the Hartsburg Cycle Depot in Jefferson City. Mark and Pam will do right by you and they are great folks besides.

Never say never :) I am proud to say that my Schwinn Pathway that I bought at Walmart has over 400 trouble-free miles on the Katy now. I did buy a new set of pedals as I put a lot of miles on. I've replaced two flats over three years, but you can't blame the bike for that, and I got a compliment on the bike from the guy in Clifton City. At $250, the Pathway was near the top of Walmart's line, but less than the $1,500 and up I've seen at the local shops. BTW, the local shops do a great service and I may spend my bonus money on a Trek or something similarly high-end one of these years.

Brad, let's be fair. A similar bike to your Schwinn can be found at many bike shops for $275-$400. The main diffrence is that bike shops have a mechanic assemble them and ususlly make free adjustments for a year. If the cheepest bike at your shop is $1500, I would shop around. The shop in my town has more bikes under $800 than over.

You don't have to spend $1,500.00 at a bike shop. The Hartsburg Cycle Depot in Jefferson City sells a good Raliegh bike for around $300 to 350 and it will last a long time. Of course if you want a handmade bike Mark can build you one from scratch that will cost alot. go see him next time you are in Jefferson city. Use the new bike bridge across the Missouri river.

We will b in MO/Hermann end of May. Couple questions...the wine trail out of Hermann, beside this, is there any other wine trail in the area of Boonville?
Also, we are getting the impression that the trail can be somewhat "wild west" if you will, this is a safe ride, right?

There a winery in Boonville that is fairly new...I don't recall the name but they have a store front on main just a few blocks south of the river bridge. There is also the winery in Rocheport that is worth a visit. They have a nice bistro on top of river bluff also.

"Also, we are getting the impression that the trail can be somewhat "wild west" if you will, this is a safe ride, right?"

Could you splain, "wild west" and I might!

Compared to this:
http://www.angelfire.com/ak2/intelligencerreport/bike_race.html
Yes, the Katy Trail is very safe.

Safe as any other state or local highway to ride on with lots of hills and curves.

I'm in my late 50s and bicycle on the Katy Trail about weekly. I do not enjoy dangerous activities, so I don't think the trail is like the wild west. The worst I have encountered are snakes, which I always see in time to stop and let them get across the trail before I get too close. Every so often (maybe one or 2 times a year) there seems to be stories about dog problems, which is not good. But I think someone (?DNR staff) deals with them and they aren't reported again. You'll see deer, turkeys, birds, and other wildlife that you'll enjoy.

I believe the original poster is asking about the Herrman Wine Trail, which is not a bike trail at all, just a highway route to the various wineries in the area.

Midsouth, I believe the rest of us were just a little confused on how anyone could get the impression the Trail, be it Katy or Wine, was anything near being “wild west”. I got the impression Nan thought all cyclist rode into the towns with their six guns a blazing.

Spent two days in Hermann on our trip last year, don't believe we saw any six guns, blazing or otherwise. There is a nice selection of antique washing machines at the laudry mat though, that was pretty wild!

Nan, the Katy Trail and its fine towns and surroundings along the Missouri River is as much a "wild west" as the Potawatomi Bingo Casino.

That's a great question! After completing the entire Katy last year, I tried the Chief Ladiga/Silver Comet between Birmingham and Atlanta while it was warm there this spring. Their newsletter was proud of the work the trail watchers and police were doing to cut down the crime making me more nervous. I have never seen any trail watchers or police on the Katy, but I think it's because it is so safe they don't need a full-time patrol. One thing that will remind you of the wild west is that most of the towns on the north side of the river between Boonville and Washington seem a little ghost town like. I don't want to offend those living there, but the same floods (especially 1993) that did in the MKT, also flooded out the towns.

It's safe but I would pack plenty of snack food and water, because my son and I went biking and about starved. It was a Saturday and alot of the little towns close the resturants early if they even open on that day, and the convenient was even closed. This was in the town of tebbetts. You will love this trail though, it's beautiful.

The pedestrian/bike bridge over the Missouri River at Jefferosn City was dedicated today. Has anyone on the forum used it? I got on the Katy Trail for the first time since November today, but did not get on the bridge. I'm looking forward to using it. I'm so excited that this project is done and people can now safely bike and walk over the Missouri River at Jefferson City.

Went over the bridge this morning, pretty nice! Rode from the Katy Trail over and then back, lots and lots of people walking and a few biking over the bridge, older, younger, parents with small children, groups of people, several joggers and many pictures being taken. It was a "happening" for sure, was glad to see it.

As for riding up the ramps, not a problem, put the bike in a low gear and went on up. Because of the amount of people, and having to go really slow, it was sort of difficult to keep your balance sometimes. Once the "new" wears off and not as many people using it at the same time it will be a much nicer ride. An excellent view of the area. The auto traffic on the bridge is sort of loud, but not a major deal.

My husband and I are planning a 4 day weekend on the Katy trail. I was told between Booneville and herman is the most scenic part of trail. What would be the best places to stay in this area? What Shuttle service would be best to take back?

My boys and I (ages 4 and 6) just finished up the exact route you are considering. Well actually we started in Rocheport. This was my first time on the trail and we were there before things get in full swing but here is my nickle tour.
The Katy Trail B&B in Rocheport is cute, clean, cozy, affordable and the kitchen is very well stocked. We camped the next night in Hartsburg at the city park. Great spot if you bring some ear plugs. Lots of dogs that like to bark at every train and plane that come by. We had supper at the Big Muddy and breakfast at Dotty's Cafe. Both within walking distance of the park.
Next night we camped in the county fair grounds in Mokane. Lots of flat ground but not much to eat if you dont like lots of fried everything.
The last 2 nights we spent camping in the city park in Herman. We had supper at The Barrel and lunch at Tin Road (?) brewery.
The shuttle service I used to get back to Rocheport was O'Bryans Taxi. They were by far the cheapest (1.50/mile vs most others that were over $2.00/mile) and showed up exactly when they said they would.
Other than Herman most of the food you will get along the way ranges from fancy bar food to bad bar food so if you are looking for some fancy schmancy pasta better pack it along.
Rocheport to Hartsburg is probably the most scenic portion of the trail that we covered and Mokane to Herman would rank a pretty close second. The parts in between aren't bad, they just have some pretty big shoes to fill.

I've stayed at the Globe B & B in Hartsburg a couple of times and really loved it. I agree with the previous poster about the Rocheport B & B, it's right on the trail and provides a continental breakfast. The rooms are quite comfortable. If you have extra cash to splurge, the School House B & B in Rocheport is excellent and you get served a great breakfast. I've stayed there, and had a flat tire. The owner fixed my tire for me and went out of his way to help. I think there's more than one place to eat in Rocheport. We had a great time at the General Store. And the bike and pedestrian bridge over the Missouri River at Jefferson City is now open. The dedication was today. So if you had the time, stopping in Jefferson City is now easier (you can safely bike over the bridge). I've seen great reviews of the Cliff House B & B and the Briar Roas B & B in Jefferson City on this forum. By the way, the Briar Rose has a for sale sign in front. So if anyone is interested in running a B & B, look into it.