Katy Trail Forum

This weekend we'd like to have two days of biking on the Katy Trail. We've never been there. Suggestions for a route? Trail conditions? We'd like to ride 35 - 40 miles per day. Can't wait to get on the bike! We've still got snow on the ground here!

I would waite until at least until the end of april.Belive me i wanted to go on the katy trail end of march as well. Not a good idea,In fact i am going in the first week nof june,west to east the on the Great mississippi trail all the way to mpls,mn Yes baby cant waite!!

Two very nice young men served us cones and took our picture. A nice cool stop on a hot day.

Hey! That might have been me! Lol You see My family used to own this restaurant. It is reopened/ reopening soon from what I'm told. Under new ownership/management. I cant wait to see how its changed.

Mailed in my registration papers for the DNR ride. When can I expect to hear back? The website talks about a confirmation mailing in May. Surely they'll let me know if I'm included before then.

watch to if they accept youre payment.may be that will work.

OK, help us out here... End of May, we are planning to start in St. Charles and ride to Marthasville. Drive to Hermann, spend 3 days riding back and forth. Then I will drive to Rocheport, husband will ride there. Is this possible?? WE are getting conflicting reports of the trails condition near Rocheport. From there we car to Boonsville for a couple days to ride out, then home. Final question we don't have to deal with this Jefferson city bridge if not going into Jefferson city , right??

Nan, if your are driving from Rocheport to Boonville the construction west of Rocheport will not be a problem for you. That construction is supposed to done by the end of May, I believe. East of Rocheport is one of the nicest parts of the trail to ride, if you are driving to Rocheport an out and back ride would be worth your time, for sure. The new bike/ped section of the bridge at Jefferson City will be done early in April, it will be a nice ride into Jeff City if you were inclined to go there for dining or lodging. Hope this helps, enjoy your ride on the Katy Trail.

How'd I do dat?? I'm an anonymous! Goofy I reckon. :)

Lighten up Darrell. The world is larger than Jeff City.

Yeah....lighten up. The world is bigger than Rocheport and Boonville that you mentioned too. Heck now that I think about it, the world is bigger than the whole Katy trail. I don't think its bigger than Illinois though. Can some one from Illinois contact Rod Godbloydavich and find out for sure?

The director of DNR is stating that the new bike bridge will be open and dedicated April 7 so you should have no trouble getting into Jefferson city. The new bike bridge looks to have a fantastic view.

Thanks for your guidance Don. Do you have anything for Nan and her husband?

Nan, to answer your question. No, you do not go over the Jefferson City bridge if you are not going to visit Jefferson City. The only motor vehicle bridge actually on the trail is at Boonville, and it has a nice bike lane divided from the traffic. Hermann is also not directly on the trail, but has a nice bike lane on the bridge over the river to get to the trail.

thank u to everyone(almost) that posted comments. Most appreicate the help!

Me and my kids are planning on hitting this trail the last week in March. Question #1: Is there any shuttle services that will pick you up at any point on the trail and take you to any other point? My 6 year old is sometimes good for 8 miles in a day, sometimes 30 miles in a day so I never know how far we will get. Also are there many places to leave your car for 3-5 days?
Question #2: What is the trail like during spring rains? Does it get pretty mushy or does it maintain it's hardness wet or dry?

Also forgot to ask which portions of the trail feature the most camping options really close to the trail (we are self contained) and have the most opportunities to keep a 4 and 6 year old entertained about every 8-10 miles?

Rick, click on the 'Trip Planner' link above and then select 'Camping' then select 'Build My List'. This will give you a list of most of camping opportunities along the trail for your planning.

Is this website the best option for up-to-date trail condition reports please?

This site and the MO Department of Natural Resouses which oversees the trail are the best options. The DNR usually keeps their website current beings they are on the trail for upkeep/maintenance and users here are pretty good about posting issues as they may crop up.

I second Trek's comment: Since the DNR manages the trail, their site should always be the most current and authoritative source regarding closures (http://mostateparks.com/park/katy-trail-state-park). We pull the advisories from the DNR site twice a day, so the trail condition information here (near the bottom of the home page) should always be pretty fresh too.

Also, people often post information here in the BikeKatyTrail forum about trail conditions, which may or may not show up in the DNR advisories. This forum is an especially good resource when there is flooding occurring.

It's probably a good idea to check both sources - plus the weather forecast - before you set out on your trip.

Any recommendations on women's bike shorts (ie padded) and where to buy? Any other recommendations for a more comfy ride?

On bike shorts in general....a middle of the road pair usually works well. The most expensive ones are not really necessary for most trail riders. Pearl Izumi a good brand that can be picked up at most local bike shops, Dick's, or online through places like Performance Bike, Nashbar, Rei, Amazon, or ebay. If you buy at Performance Bike or Nashbar come to this website and click on their links here and the webmaster gets a cut to help with costs administering this site.

Sally, I assume from your name you're a woman and from one woman to another, head to a bike shop or REI and try them on before buying anything. I myself love SheBeest and Pearl Izumi but there are several brands out there which are crap.

what speed should i expact ride at for the dnr ride.

I'm "Almost Retired" & have a moutain bike. I do
10 - 12 mph. I take a lot breaks & enjoy reading the signs, & sites along the trail.
Others get into camp way before me!

thanks for the reply. i am 67 and my longest ride on the katy trail was 40 miles and trail was soft. My time was not very good, 6hr and i think that has to be better.

The trail should be hard in June for the ride.
Time is not too much of a problem, need to be
back into camp for dinner! Practice! Thursdays
ride is 68 miles. It's been "warm" last couple
of years. Distance & heat will take a toll.

if i could ride 70 miles in 7 hrs, would that be a decent time for me

mailed my registration in so i better get besy rideing. done hundred & fifty miles this mounth

I have done several moonlite rambles in saint louis. I pay my money receive a shirt so on and so on. Outside of the gate at this event are typically hundreds of cyclists who join in on the ride after it starts without paying.

You can't stop them from riding on the street with the rest of us who have supported the sponsoring group.

I would suspect the same could be said for the katy ride. If you don't participate in the food or sag support what stops some one from simply riding the trail for part or all of this ride. If you are self supported and camp it seems possible and it is a public trail. Has anyone seen this happening?

I'm not asking because I am planning this but it has crossed my mind. I would love to do this ride but my work situation does not allow me to know what my schedule is or if I can take off till a week or so before I do it ( self employed contractor) and the ride is sold out before I can commit.

I am not so cheap as to attempt this to save money because it sounds like it is very economical ride and it would be fun to join in on the shared dining, pancakes etc. But if one wants to join in on the comraderie of the event and your not harming or using the mdnr's resources, is there a harm in doing it?

It would be easy just to blend in on the ride.
But commit to at least a couple of days with the
group. The comraderie & pancakes are part of the
ride. Life is too short, take off work a couple
of days. Come & join the fun!!

It should be perfectly fine to ride along with DNR riders if you don't utilize DNR added resources such as SAG support, camping, and daily meals. Paid riders are given a # tag which is attached to their bike or back for the duration of the ride.

Amazingly I have not seen anyone just riding along with DNR group for the last few years. People probably are happy to see you on the trail regardless.

Almost Retired is right that you would miss the camaraderie. I would recommend you to register as day riders (riders who only ride and pay for certain days that they ride) then show up on Sunday evening in Clinton at the registration table, and ask to switch out the days you intend to ride. DNR officials and volunteers are nice folks, they won't say no to your reasonable request especially when you already paid. All Riders are required to check in with Registration table at the end of the ride each day.

There are provisions for just day riders where you pay for single days. But you need to notify DNR before. Actually I have done it both ways but if you are riding the trail without the official registration and number you should have some outside support and tell DNR so they are not mistaking you as an official rider.

does a tent count as one bag on the dnr

I use 2 duffle bags. I put my tent, ground tarp, sleeping mat, in one. The other has my clothes etc. Just easier to keep all your stuff together. I put a 55 gallon trash bag inside. after the unload the truck it rains sometime. stuff will stay dry that way.

OOPS! Sorry about the long page! Had the 2 year old grandson on my lap!
Thought I fixed it before I sent it!

We are planning a trip from Sedalia to St. Charles. Any suggestions on how to get back to Sedalia with our bikes?

You basically have two options: you can use a shuttle service, or take the train (Amtrak).

There are a handful of shuttle services whose business is to simply transport riders and their bikes from point A to point B on the trail. They all serve any point on the trail, so any of them should be willing to take you & your bike from St Charles to Sedalia.

This link will give you a list of all shuttle services


Regarding taking the train, one problem is that you would have to get from trail's end in St Charles to the Amtrak station in Kirkwood, which is about 15-20 miles of street riding. If you're comfortable with street riding in areas where you may not be familiar, then it's no big deal. But some riders are not up for such a challenge, in which case shuttles are the only option.



This entry on our FAQ page discusses using Amtrak to get to some point on the trail



And here's a page discussing how to get to the Katy Trail from the Kirkwood Amtrak station



Well, there's always a third option too: make it a round trip and ride back to Sedalia! Most riders are pretty well worn out by the time they have covered the 190 miles from Sedalia to St Charles, but it's always an option if you have the time and energy. Everything really does look different coming from the other direction. Here's a ride report from a couple who did the Clinton-to-St Charles-to-Clinton round trip.

take the train back to Sedalia

call 636-946-0619 ask for Rhona we provide shuttle service

We walked back and made it safely just about 5 1/2 years ago. Thanks anyway Rhona.

Call the nice folks at Katy Bike Rental, http://www.nibordot.addr.com/
They can take you back to Sedalia.

I'm looking to ride the train as soon as the weather cooperates. Anybody know if the trails are dry enough now?

The link below was recently posted on crazyguyonabike.com. The info may be helpful for some wanting to know how to properly train for their big venture across the Katy.



http://cyclingtrip.com/sections/guide/index.htm

Cannot recommend

It's kind of a joking sort of thing, but is more than enough reality for cycle touring most average routes. Though, (to anyone reading it) don't let it discourage you from trying it, or doing the Katy. The rewards more than make up for any of those things.

I saw that probably 15 to 20 years ago.

Not to be taken seriously. It is a joke.

I want to walk from St. Charles to Herman on the trail and camp along the side of the trail. I have an alcohol stove and will not have a fire... just need to pop the tent and sleep the night. Can I do this? Hard to plan where I will stay because it depends on the weather and how many miles I walk that day. Trying to practice for the Appalachian trail.

From the FAQ:

Is camping allowed along the trail?

No, camping is not allowed along the trail. However, there are several private campgrounds, and public parks that allow camping.

You can click on 'Trip Planner' above, then select 'Camping', then select 'Build My List'.

This will give you a list of all the camping opportunities along the trail.

Brett Dufur's guidebook shows a few more locations for camping than this website. They are businesses and city parks, like MidSouth mentioned above. www.schoolhousebb.com .

Website says bridge reconstruction is expected to be completed by end of May. We are traveling from Atlanta and that is part of the KT that we planned on riding. Does anyone know if the contractor is on schedule and that it is realistic to expect it to be reopened by the end of May? We "encountered" the flood of 2008 when we rode the entire KT and it really cost us in shuttles, extra Amtrak rides to retrieve our car, hotel changes/cancellations, etc. We simply want to avoid those hassles on this trip! Thanks.

This is who you would need to contact:

Dawn Fredrickson, Field Operations & Katy Trail Coordinator
Missouri Department of Natural Resources
Div. of State Parks, Northern Parks District
(573) 449-7402, dawn.fredrickson@dnr.mo.gov

Ride registraion is in the mail !! Might be a
"little" early to pack the duffle bag.......
Waiting to get some outside riding in !!!

Sending mine in too...see ya there

Ours is in the mail also!