Katy Trail Forum

Hello,.I have a quick question.If i decide to do the entire trail to clinton and back,i would like to bring my trailer to do some camping.Is the trail ok for trailers.Thank you,Robert

We did the trail with a trailer last June. Trailers such as a BOB or Burley work just fine. Just remember, you can't camp on the trail, only in designated Conservation Areas and commercial campgrounds.

I've used a BOB trailer many times on the trail with no problems. Have some type of encloser for your belongings on the trailer so they don't get covered in trail dust. \
You can also camp in some city parks in communities on the trail.

I have no experience pulling a trailer on the trail, but have seen many of them being used. The riders looked like they were doing fine with it. One exception that I remember; I spoke with a fellow that had the Bike Friday setup, bike and trailer/travel case, it was a struggle for him. He said the setup worked very well on roads but on the softer crushed limestone it was tough going, especially when he hit the more sandy softer spots.

He was headed to Clinton, I was headed to St. Charles, after we parted, I could see his tracks searching for the most solid part of the trail. I'm no engineer, but my guess is, that it had two wheels of a smaller diameter as opposed to the larger wheels and single wheeled trailers. That is assuming he wasn’t hauling a gold bar or two.

He had flown into St. Louis with bike in case, to ride the Katy. He said he really liked the Bike Friday and trailer, normally. It was a really nice looking setup, I must say!

thank you

how much does it cost to camp here? I am thinking about a ride and need to know how much money to bring

Knowing Pilot Grove, my guess is it will be free (and very basic). Choice of meals will be limited. If Becky's is open you can enjoy some good homemade pies.

Would like to ask any experienced riders how much training they did

before they completed the length of the trail. I am a frequent rider

but the max distance I ever covered in one day was 50 miles which nearly

killed me. I plan on riding the length of the trail later this year and

would appreciate any comments from experienced cyclists. Note I am a 50

something man in fairly good condition.

Much of what you will need for a training plan will revolve around how many days you want to take to get the whole trail done. Most go 30-50 miles per day for about 5-6 days, if that helps you on that question.



Other than that, all I can say is that training amount and so on revolves around what your goals are and how disciplined you are. You state that your "max distance was 50 miles and it nearly killed me". That might be a good start to determine what you need to work on. How long did it take you? How long did it take before you had problems? What kind of problems? What kind of nutritional concerns did you address during the ride (water, how often, how much? food, how often, what was it)? Speaking of the latter, nothing will kill your effort on a long ride faster than not fulfilling your nutritional needs.



See this thread, a lot was said on the topic of preparing to tour the Katy (or any other similar situation):

http://www.bikekatytrail.com/talk.aspx?thid=3647&fmt=1&sortby=0&pg=1

It just takes saddle time. When fifty miles doesn't nearly kill ya, you're ready. The trail is mostly flat, not very taxing really but it is a steady pedal for as far as you want to go. If you are in fairly good shape forty or fifty miles a day shouldn't be a problem. Saddle time is the key for multi days on the Katy, get comfortable on your bike, get used to riding 30, 40 miles at a time with rest stops and you'll do fine. Hopefully you'll be able to build in enough time to enjoy the scenery and the people along the way. Good luck.

As a reference point, in a few months it will be forty years since I was a teenager. Ah, I've always been forgetful.

My wife and I had not cycled for 30 years or so and started back about 6 months before our June 2010 trip of the KATY. When we started 5 or 6 miles was a work out. We are only able to ride about one day a week, but trained on the Frisco Trail for about 3 months until we could do the entire trail (36 miles) in one day. We scheduled our itinerary to be about 35-40 miles per day on the KATY and it worked out great. The riding was not hard, but the heat and humidity were a big factor. We did all of our pedaling early in the day. We are both in our late 50's. I can now do 70 miles fairly easy and plan to ride the whole KATY out and back (550 miles) in four days late this spring. Mostly just takes getting comfortable on your bike. We went through about 5 different saddles on my wifes bike before she found one that would allow her to ride more than about 20 miles.

I'm curious to know what saddle your wife found that works well for her. Or which ones were tried. It seems to be a dilemma here at times.

Make that 450 in 4 days, not 550! Trek, I will look when I get home tonight, is is a Selle, but not sure which on. We started with the stock seat that came on her Scott P4 hybrid, then she tried a Bontragger off of her TREK Navigator comfort bike, then she tried the Selle Anatomica all leather, like the one on my bike. She ended up with the Selle something or other, which has some gel padding.

I think any kind of regular riding will put you in good enough shape for the Katy. I'm a middle aged guy who bikes to work 4 miles each way. This was all the physical preparation I did. And other than the first couple of days on the Katy, my backside did just fine.

Trek, the saddle the wife is currently using and happy with is a Selle Royal Ellipse Women's Moderate.

I posted to this thread about 2 or 3 days ago and it got set aside for review because I hyper-linked to another thread on here. That might show up, but anyway, I wanted to make sure I at least got this through in a timely way.



CMJ, what went on with your 50 mile ride that "nearly killed" you? How long did you get to go before you felt this way? How did it do this? What kind of things did you eat and drink and when did you do it? Hopefully some help can be found.



BTW, the hyperlink related to a bigger text I posted on the issue of long distance training.

Skyguy, sorry for the delay on reviewing your post - was out of town since the middle of last week and did not keep up with things.



Skyguy's original post is now included in this thread (second from top).

Thank you.

I did the entire trail about a year ago. I am in my mid 20's. We did

76.6 the first day, then 56.8, 64.8, and 26.9. To train, I would ride

15-20 mile rides 4-5 days a week. The key is saddle time. That first

day, we were on our bikes for 7 plus hours. That is hard to get ready

for without being on a bike for many hours a week. Regardless of how

you break up the ride, you need to make sure you are on a bike quite a

bit. Get your seat used to being on a bike seat.

Here is the itinerary that we used last year. Not very experienced cyclist and our first week long trip. Worked out great.



Day 0 – Overnight in Clinton

Day 1 – Sedalia (35.6mi) – Camp MO State Fairgrounds

Day 2 – Boonville (37.2mi) – Hotel Frederick

Day 3 – Easley (29.3mi) – Camp Cooper’s Landing

Day 4 – Tebbetts (31.3mi) – Turner Katy Trail Shelter

Day 5 – Hermann (30.4mi) – Bed & Breakfast

Day 6 – Rest day in Hermann – Bed & Breakfast

Day 7 – Augusta (34.4mi) – Camp Klondike Park

Day 8 – St. Charles (26.9mi) – End of the ride.

I am 61, rode the trail east to west against headwinds the whole route, in three days, so average about 75 miles a day. I rode some in the spring, the cut back in the heat of summer, did not really start thinking of doing the full trail until September. Then I started riding short 15 mile or so rides a couple evenings a week, and a longer 40 - 50 mile ride on weekend. By mid October I celebrated my 61st birthday by riding 61 miles, then did the full trail the first weekend in November. There are some gentle grades between Sedalia and Boonville, but after that the trail is mostly level. I find just setting a steady pace, eating nutritional snacks and keeping hydrated helps a lot.

I am planning on running the trail this summer. I am looking to take it relatively slow (20-30 miles per day.) Has anyone done this before? I know this is a bicycling website but could not find any other resources about running the trail.

I am also looking to spend as little money as possible. My brother is going to ride a bike next to me and carry supplies. We are going to try to camp out as often as possible. I was wondering if the campgrounds have showers available. Thanks for the advice.

FWIW, someone mentioned doing just that in the near future.



http://www.bikekatytrail.com/talk.aspx?thid=3656¬efmt=1&sortby=0&pg=2

You can click on 'Plan a Ride' above and then select 'Campgrounds'. That will give you a list of all the camping areas along the trail. You can select them one by one and read what other have had to say about them. I believe most of the campgrounds have shower facilities other than the conservation areas and city parks.

A couple of guys ran across Missouri in 2009. Their pathway included the Katy. They pushed a large-wheel stroller for their supplies.

You're only planning to run 20-30 miles a day? That's barely a marathon every day for 10 consecutive days. You are certainly taking a leisurely pace.

For the most part the trail surface will be fine for running. There are some sections east of Jeff City (as of last fall) that were a bit rough so be careful there). Doing 20 - 30 miles a day will require some good planning to make sure you end up somewhere that you can camp - technically the "park" closes at sundown but my experience is that is not strictly enforced.

Due to construction on the Moniteau Creek Bridge in Rocheport, the Katy Trail is closed from the Rocheport Trailhead at Milepost 178.3 to Davisdale Conservation Area at Milepost 182.2. This section is anticipated to re-open mid-May, 2011.



During construction, trail users are being rerouted to Hwy. 40, so will need to use caution. Signs will direct trail users to follow the below detour:



Traveling west:

From the Rocheport Trailhead, follow Katy Trail to Central Street (.2 mile). Turn right onto Central Street. Central Street becomes Hwy. 240 Spur (.1 mile). Take Hwy. 240 Spur to Hwy. 40 (1.0 mile). Turn left onto Hwy. 40. Take Hwy. 40 to the Davisdale Conservation Area parking lot (3.2 miles). Enter Katy Trail from the far side of the parking lot. Turn left out of the parking lot onto Katy Trail.



Traveling east:

From the New Franklin Trailhead, follow the Katy Trail to the Davisdale Conservation Area parking lot (6.0 miles). Turn right into the parking lot. Turn left onto Hwy. 40. Take Hwy. 40 to Hwy. 240 Spur (3.2 miles). Turn right onto Hwy. 240 Spur. At Rocheport, Hwy. 240 Spur becomes Central Street (.1 mile). Take Central Street to Katy Trail (.2 mile). Turn left onto Katy Trail.



While following the detour, trail users should use caution since they may experience travel over city streets and highways; motor vehicles traveling at high speeds; uneven or loose gravel on road surfaces; and narrow roads and lanes.



We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your paitence while the bridge is being replaced. For an update, call 573-449-7402 or visit http://www.mostateparks.com/katytrail/conditions.htm.

Thanks DNR.....this has been needing fixed for some time now. It's good to see our tax dollars at work!

That is a pretty good hill from either directions on HWY 40 if you are only used to the flat KATY. We had to take that detour last year due to the flooding west of Rocheport...I was pulling a BOB trailer and I was pooped!

As a courtesy to School House guests, if you do not want to ride on the highway detour, we can provide a shuttle for you and your bike from the Davisdale Conservation Area parking lot to the School House in Rocheport or vice versa. Please mention this when booking and let us know if you wish to take advantage of our shuttle service and if so which direction (east or west) you are traveling to get to Rocheport. In our response to your reservation we will provide contact information for pick up time arrangements on the day of your arrival at the School House. Availability and reservations at www.schoolhousebb.com.

Now that's just plain old good service!

Love to see maintenance being done on the trail, but sure hope this is completed before the Pedalers Jamboree over Memorial Day weekend. That detour will be tough with the little ones.

Bummer - that is my training route- Boonville to Rocheport and south, then back. However, it will be great to have the bridge upgraded.

My husband and I are planning a trip in the fall to ride the Katy Trail. What is the peak fall time and the best route to take for scenic riding? Planning a 3 night trip, riding probably 30 miles daily. We are fairly new riders.

Peak fall color is tracked on the MO Department of Conservation website. Roughly around the middle of October....but is difficult to predict because of the many variables. It doesn't usually coincide with my weekend time off. We like the ride between Sedalia and North Jefferson....Portland to Hermann is good too.

We did a fall trip last Oct 16-17. I think we were about a week early for peak, but many factors determine when peak will be. We started in Hartsburg and rode to Boonville, stayed at the High Street Victorian B&B and rode back the next day. About 39 miles each way. A wonderful trip none the less!

Generally the second to third week of October is prime. I took some nice photos around the 15th of October last fall. The section from Sedalia to Boonville, and Rocheport to Jefferson City would be my choice.

My wife and I plan a two day ride in the spring, 75 miles more or less, then shuttle back to starting point. If I'm reading this site correctly, shuttle services are lacking somewhat in the middle third of the trail. We are looking for one of the more scenic stretches, preferably one with good photography potential, but one that also has convenient shuttling. Are we asking too much? Should we just shut up and pedal, it’s all beautiful?

Hi Lee. This is Robin from Katy Bike Rental. Our shop is located in Defiance, Mo but we offer shuttle service along the entire trail. In fact,we are already booking several shuttles in your desired area for Spring. Please feel free to give us a call directly. We would love to help you plan a nice, Spring ride along the trail. We can be reached at 636.987.2673 or 314.578.7300 Thanks & we look forward to hearing from you!

I most enjoy the section between Jefferson City and Rocheport, and Treloar and Bluffton.. I have not ridden the full length in the spring, just fall, so blooming spring flowers and trees could make some difference.

I am single mom who would like to take her kids the full lengh of the trail from Clinton to St Charles. We would like to make this a "roughing" it experience meaning camping and picnics. We would like to go around May - June. My children are in their preteens. Just wanting to get others comments on if this is safe. Thanks

I believe it would be a safe and fun adventure, with appropriate parental supervision. Exercise the usual cautions in towns, at road crossings and along the river, and you should have no problems. I guess the first caution is to understand that it will be quite the undertaking to do the entire trail. Boy Scout motto "BE PREPARED", especially if "roughing it".

As for personal safety or security on the trail and camping at camp grounds, I have never seen any indication that it is not safe. That is my personal experience, others may think differently but I have not heard of any problems at all. I have spent quite a bit of time on the Katy Trail, but of course it is a matter for your comfort level, a concern is certainly understandable.

You have come to the right place to get the information you need to make it a good trip, hopefully others will have some input. Good luck.

The ride should be safe and fun. I would suggest considering the DNR ride in June for first time adventurers.

I think it would be safe if everyone is prepared with a bit of training so that they are attentive to their surroundings including other cyclists, the concept of staying to the right, announcing when they are passing other riders, not panicking and weaving around the trail when other rides approach them from either the front or the rear, etc. Just basic bike handling and courtesy stuff.

I've seen packs of scouts, etc. that were (in my opinion) not prepared to be riding in a setting where they might encounter other folks.

Sounds like a great adventure. Enjoy!!

What the others have said is very good. But I will add that the training is important for a good enjoyable time. Make sure each of you can handle the amount of distance and time per day required - this will require some ride time. Make sure you keep the preteens (you didn't say their ages) in mind in this training period and the ride time.

Make sure you do some planning along the way as to how far you need to go and where you can stay. You will also need to manage supplies, such as food and water both for storage and for needs in riding. This will become evident as you prove yourself for longer distances.

In addition to what the last post says, you'll need to make sure everyone is instructed on proper safe street riding. I doubt you'll be able to carry 5-7 days (the usual time most tourist/neophyte riders are on the trail going from end-to-end) worth of food and water for your group's needs without restocking and the need may come to go off the trail to find those things (and campgrounds), or other needs that might arise on your trip. And since you wouldn't want to leave the preteens unsupervised, they'll need to know how and you'll need to be comfortable that they know.

I suggest the DNR ride as well, if it fits what you have in mind for the time you have in mind. Also, consider looking for fun things for the preteens to do to get/keep them invested in the idea.

Have fun! It should be very safe as long as proper preparations are in place (and those are the same for basically everyone).

If you have any more questions about this, by all means ask!

Oh and I forgot, too. Part of that preparation will be basic bike maintenance. That mostly means learning how to fix flats. Be sure to have that knowledge along with the tools for it when you go.

I would say the trail is very safe aside from occasional stray dog that might be in a bad mood..a good squirt from the water bottle usually takes care of that.

You should consider the upcoming DNR ride June 20-24. Very organized and would be a great experience for your family. Last year there was a family that had a set of 6 year old twins and an 8 year old that did the ride.

You might have a friend drop you off at the Clinton trailhead, and then pick you up in St Charles for returning home.

But if you drive yourselves to the trailhead, you might park your vehicle at the Community Center after unloading. It's located about 2-blocks south of the trailhead. It's well-lit, and patrolled. You can leave your basic information at the front desk inside.

You can also shuttle back to Sedalia via the Defiance bike shop if desired?

Sounds like you're planning a great trip that others have done, too, safely. Do use common sense on the trail while enjoying its many sights.

I think safety will be ok at that time of year. My concern would be carrying and planning for the supplies and camping equipment. Suggest a pull behind trailer to carry. When I rode the trail last fall I do not recall seeing very many campgrounds that would have full facilities. Good luck - will be a great experience with proper planning.