Katy Trail Forum

Hey all. I’m a veteran of riding on the Katy Trail for short, intense training, but I’m going to set out on a multiday ride on September 19th to go from Lenexa, KS to St. Charles, MO. I’ll hook up with the Katy at Sedalia. My plan is to ride ~100 miles the first day Lenexa – Sedalia. Day two ride ~100 miles on the Katy to Tebbetts and get a hotel room there. Finally day three ride Tebbetts – St. Charles. I’ll be doing this on my mountain bike with knobby tires. I don’t have a trailer or bags for the bike. I’m planning on just taking a messenger bag. I’m not going to have much in my pack as I plan to just wear the cycling gear over again each day (gross, I know, but saves weight). Also, I’ll only take sports bars because I plan to go to restaurants. I’ll be doing this alone.



My question is if there’s anything you all suggest? I’m open to all suggestions such as what to take with, different stopping points, etc..



Here’s my list of things to take with so far:



ELECTRONICS: GPS + charger, ipod + charger + headphones, watch, light + battery, phone, flashlight

FOOD/WATER: water bladder, extra water bottle, protein bars (6), gummi snacks (5), creatine

TOILETRIES: toothbrush, toothpaste, ibuprofen (15), allergy med (10), antibiotic ointment, bandages

CLOTHES: sunglasses, jersey, shorts, sweatbands (2), helmet, socks (2 pair), gloves (2 pair), shoes, casual shorts, casual t-shirt

GEAR: 2 tubes (I ride tubeless 2.1” mtn bike tires w/ Stan’s No Tubes sealant), patch kit, multi tool, pump, tire lever

OTHER: bug spray, trail guide, bungee cables (2), duct tape (4’)



Please let me know if anyone with experience in long, multiday trips can see any problems with this plan.



THANKS!

Kurt, I have done St Charles - Sedalia - St Charles 3 times and can say that you are sure traveling light (and I like to travel light). The bigest concern is staying in Tebbetts and "get a hotel room". There is only the Turner Shelter, which is cheep ($5) has shower and bed but no bedding, towels... If you really want to travel this light, you should probally change your overnight to a larger town that has a B&B or motel, othwise get a trailer or paniers. Another concern is food. You will be out in the middle of nowhere most of the time, and you WILL go hungey unless you have a way to take more food than you have listed.



With that said, you can still do it your way, but take my advice and keep your expectations low: You will get hungry (for real food), maybe thirsty, uncomfortable and cold. But you will live through it and will be a good experience to look back on. If you decide to do it as you plan, I would take some light, but warm cloths and sone more food, like tuna packs, crakers, dried fruit...light stuff

Sounds exhausting. At Tebbets there is only the Turner Katy Trail Hostel. To stay at a hotel or motel you would need to stop in Hartsburg (80 miles) or Jefferson City at 90 miles. Not sure if the bridge can be crossed safely, they are working on the pedestrian/ bike lane at JC. Also, Sept. 20 & 21 are Monday and Tuesday, open eating establishments will be scarce. I would get at least another pair of bike shorts, not cheap ones, and wash a pair at the end of the day. I recently wore a pair of cheap ones for a forty mile day which caused a chafed crotch for the next days 90 miles in good ones, won't wear those again. Thats all I've got for ya. Good luck!

I agree with Chris and Darrell. 100 miles per day on the Katy with your mountain bike is doable (but not for most riders), and it will be very tiring. I personally would bring a lot more stuff and foods to reenergize myself every 10-15 miles. Add apples, bananas, chips, and gatorade mix. How about that rain gear? You travel way too light for century ride x 3.

If you can find your way to Sedalia without the GPS I'd ditch all the weight of the electronics, you sure won't need it to follow the Katy, take a change of bike shorts and jersey instead of the casual clothes and try to find some way to carry what you have on the bike frame instead of a messenger bag. That weight high and moving around will tire you out. The Ipod is no weight tho and for that much time alone probably worth it. Food is sparse along the trail but available. Just don't pass up any opportunities to get some. Tebbetts with no bedding is a whole 'nother deal. It's inside at least, and you might be able to sleep in your warm change of clothing. Chris is right. You'll live, go and have fun.

Just looking at your list:

1. I'd concur on the GPS suggestion. There's no need for it and the weight it involves. You should be able to follow the Katy from Sedalia extremely easy. As for your trip from Lenexa, just write out a cue sheet and be done with it. It'll be much lighter, and you'll have more reason to be confident of the route's reliability. There are several good websites that can aid in this matter for you.



2. To that sheet, I'd add information about how to reach different services (water, food, shelter, emergency services) along the Katy or along the route from Lenexa. Nothing worse than panicking because you need something and don't know where to find it.



3. The others covered most of the rest. If you want an actual motel/hotel room, Tebbets is not where you want to go, and the eating establishment comments kind of fall in line with #2. In that sense, you need to make sure what you plan on being available is available (on my last ride, I didn't plan on the trail head water fountains and toilets being shut down but they were. Didn't know until I was on the trail, I know better next time).

A handheld type GPS can store a good deal of the information on the cue sheet...how to get to food, shelter, hospital, etc. Mine has a clock on it, so I usually ditch my watch when riding (your phone probably has a clock on it too). Mounted on the handlebar, it also is the speedometer, odometer, and lets me know other ride data like elevation, ride time, moving average, fastest speed, sun rise/set, etc. It can instantly let me know how far it is to the next watering hole from anywhere on the trail...no higher math required! On the bike, mine is used more for information and data and not so much for point to point direction like the one in the car.



I don't think mine weighs too much. Weight may be an issue at times, but on a honk'n mountain bike with knobby tires the basic premise doesn't appear to be low weight, less friction, better rolling resistance. Stap on the GPS, weightwise you'll never know its there.

Off topic: Trek, what band of GPS do you carry? Sounds like the perfect one, especially for the Katy.

Off Topic: Sorry 'bout the spelling. What BRAND of GPS do you use.

We rode from St. Charles to Clinton then to Archie the first week of Oct. last year. That time of year can be the most pleasant or horrid depending on how much rain and how cold. We rode 3 days in the rain and it was COLD! Take a wind breaker, arm and leg warmers, and gloves (full). They were life savers!! As you know wind breakers are light and compact. Please post how it was. 100 miles on Katy is very aggressive especially on a mountain bike. I am not that tough. Happy riding!

Clayton

It's a Garmin that I bought on Ebay a few years ago to use while hiking. I later bought the handlebar mount and started using it on the bikes when my bike computer quit working. I couldn't see spending money on another bike computer with less functions and ability. Also, there are no wires or sensors to mess with. Whether hiking or biking, if you come across something of interest you can strike a waypoint, name it, and return to that location.

In buying food along the trail, the following Internet article gives a few tips on it: "Bicycling - How and Where to Chow Down Along the Missouri Katy Trail."



The bar-grills generally do not open early, while the groceries, markets, convenience/general stores, and gas stations do. The bar-grill in Portland is out-of-business. The one in Trealor was supposed to re-open in mid-August? Good luck. You'll survive okay!

The best place to eat, period, in mid Missouri is the Claysville Store (plus the Hoibrinks are the best people on the trail) but they are only open on Saturday and Sunday. If you only do sports bars the Big Muddy in Hartsburg is good food but only opens in the afternoon.

Are you serious about riding knobbies????????? 1.5 inch street tread is prefect for a mountain bike, Cross and road bikes ride skinnier tires.

The little bit of advice I can offer: I rode 80 miles of the trail over the weekend, I have a 26" Mountain bike that I put 1.25" road slicks on, it really lightened and smoothed out the ride, especially since your ride is partly on the road, and it is a fairly inexpensive conversion.. Here is a link to the tire I got at Nashbar http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product_10053_10052_175439_-1_201492_10000_200518

Jeff City is not the best place to be bicycling especially over the bridge.



We stayed at Meyer's Farm & B&B in McKittrick. Great place to stay. Maggie fixes an awesome breakfast for cyclists (especially the oatmeal pancakes).



I would not recommend the Harbour Haus Inn in Hermann. Hwy is very close so you can't get much sleep (unless you like highway noise).



Country Inn & Suites in St Charles is very close to the Katy & it is nice.

Jefferson City may not be another Copenhagen but it is a good city to ride a bicycle in. Cyclist all over Jefferson City think it is fine, evidenced by their numbers. I have to question your conviction on your entire comment, because you remain anonymous.



Yes, the bridge is problematic at this time, but not the whole city. If you or anyone wants to tout their chosen B&B fine, I am and probably most people are happy to hear about it, but come on, be fair. All the communities along the trail would appreciate that consideration.

Jefferson City is a lovely city. We do have a few hills, but not enough to intimidate a serious cyclist. If you want to spend the night in Jefferson City, and don't want to bicycle over the bridge during construction (my advice is do not bicycle over the bridge) you could check with the Cliff House B & B and the Briar Rose B & B, the Capitol Plaza, the Truman Motel and the Hotel DeVille. I've heard they each provide a shuttle over the bridge, probably free if you are staying in their place. I've heard that Briar Rose (573-338-0284) and Cliff House (573-635-4208) treat Katy Trail bicyclers really great.

Do not recommend staying in #8. It is next to the highway/street & therefore very noisy. King bed was not the best either. Breakfast starts at 8am which does not work well for cyclists who want to start early. No remodeling has been done to this room for years. There isn't even a plug-in in the bathroom. A grocery store is very close along with a nice ice cream store.

Do not recommend staying in #8. It is next to the highway/street & therefore very noisy. King bed was not the best either. Breakfast starts at 8am which does not work well for cyclists who want to start early. No remodeling has been done to this room for years. There isn't even a plug-in in the bathroom. A grocery store is very close along with a nice ice cream store.

Maggie & Eldon have a great B&B (Meyer's Farm/B&B). Great hospitality & an awesome breakfast for cyclists (especially the oatmeal pancakes). We highly recommend staying at this B&B.

Any update on the St. Charles to Machens completed link? The trail head at Machens is complete (as is the Black Walnut TH - NOT on the map).



The web says Fall 2010 for completion. There's only 1.5 miles to be finished on the levee.

Could you let me know the type of trail surface and type of tires you would recommend, also 'generally speaking' is there a prevailing wind.

Jess, the trail surface is crushed limestone. My wife and I rode fifty miles today, from Defiance to Treloar and back using Panaracer T-serv 700-25c Hybrid tires. These tires have decent puncture protection and we had no troubles with them or the trail surface today. There were some spots where the trail had more of a gravel surface; seemed to be in areas where the floods may have washed out the finer crushed stone, we just navigated carefully in these areas. We had a tailwind going west today, and a slight headwind coming back eastbound. I think the winds can be tricky along the river, however; someone whom rides the KATY more than myself might have a greater knowledge than me on that. On the tires, we ran 100 P.S.I.; and had a decent pace the whole way. Hope this is helpful.

I usually ride with 700x28 cyclocross tires on my road bike. Never had any problems with them. But I only have riden the western half of the trail. I haven't made it to the eastern half yet. I am assuming it's the same.

I usually ride a hybrid with 700x38 tires and those are sufficient. My wife rides a recumbent with really wide tires and that does help when the trail is soft or washed out. I rode a few miles east of Jeff City today and the trail is washed pretty bad in a few areas. If one isn't careful, it could be bad. Just look carefully, especially where driveways or gravel roads intersect the trail.

Forgot to mention. The wind is usually out of the west. Most of the time, I ride an out and back and start out going west so I have the wind to my back on my return when I am getting tired. But today the wind was reversed so we rode east and then back west.

I use Kenda Kross Plus 26 x 1.75 on the road and on the Katy's crushed gravel. I have a commuter bike so I ride it 90% of the time (road bike 10%). Don't max out your tire pressure on the Katy trail, about 50lbs will do it. I doubled tube my tires to give it extra puncture resistance. You could buy tires with Kevlar (or some other material) in the tread or put Kevlar strips between the tube and tires and really make it puncture resistant. Double tubing seems to help me resist punctures plus it's an inexpensive way. Slime is not that good, save your money and time.

On my mountain bike, I ride Kenda Klimax Lite 26x1.95" tires (although, they're more like 1.7"). Very little tread and extremely light.



I've ridden at least a couple hundred miles on my road bike, with 25c slicks at 80psi, too, and they get the job done just fine. A typical rider will probably prefer something like a 28-38C tire on a road or cyclo-cross bike, just to help smooth out the rocks.

Just paid a visit to the Bar in Portland. The new owners are working away and anxious/ready to open as soon as they get their liquor license. Might be as early as two weeks. She mentioned that they will have the same menu as Judy to start with the addition of hard liquor. If she gets enough requests she will try to keep some dark specialty beers on hand. Perhaps starting with some Sam Adams and going from there. All that were there working were very friendly and seemed truly happy to be serving the cyclists on the Katy Trail.

Glad to hear that Doug! Lookin' forward to stopping by for a burger and a brew or soda. I always enjoy stopping there.

This will be my first ride on the Katy Trail. We are riding on Sunday, Sept 5th, starting at St. Charles heading to Defiance. What interesting things should be look for or expect to see?

I did that ride Sunday. There are a lot of pretty cliffs and views of

the river. Some neat bridges. In between the highway 40 bridge and

Weldon Springs there is a area that used to be flooded by a beaver

dam. You can usually see a lot of wildlife there. Be aware that

there is no water between St. Charles and Defiance, be sure to bring

enough. You can fill up in Defiance at the bike shop or either of the

two bars. The bar by the road is mostly for motorcycles, the one

across the street more for cyclists. There is a area right before

Defiance were they are working on the trail. Watch out for the piece

of metal sticking out of the ground. There is a short side trail to a

water treatment plant around before Weldon Springs that is

surprisingly pleasant.

In my opinion, the ride is rather mundane until you get to Greens Bottom. After that you start to sense you're leaving the "Sprawling Urbia" behind bit by bit. As you get closer to Weldon Spring, the trees become more and more of a delightful canopy giving ample shade. The scenery becomes more pastoral as well. The Missouri river comes up to be a closer companion to the trail. The bluffs on the right will be getting higher and higher. They can be quite majestic. Keep a look out for a couple small "caves" in the rock faces right along the trail. They are refreshingly cool to rest in for a short spell if you are willing to climb in. You will also pass a paved trail near Weldom Springs. This Greenway is worth the diversion to ride down for the scenery. It is not that long, but I believe has a great deal of splendor for the eye. Defiance offers a couple nice places for your dining pleasure, and an excellent bike shop with an antique/craft store adjoining it. All in all I find that ride "food for the soul" It is quite enjoyable.

My wife and I are considering doing a portion of this ride tomorrow, we'll be towing my 2 year old in a bike trailer, from Missouri Research Pk/Weldon Spring is there a massive hill that we'd have to conquer coming back from Defiance?

You won't have any hills to worry about in that section.

I rode on the Katy Trail last year, getting on in St. Charles, MO and found it unpleasant to ride b/c so much of the trail was not smooth but was gravel-type biketrails, which is much more tiring to ride on. Where should I get on and off for nice smooth biking and good scenery? I am planning a ride next Saturday and need some direction!

None of the Katy trail is paved other than the short in town sections of Boonville and Sedalia. It is all "smooth" gravel. My favorite area for scenery would be Hartsburg to Rocheport.

Cathy,



The Katy is not paved. It's crushed limestone all the way except a few miles on street in Sedalia. Your other alternative is the Creve Coeur Park connector/extension which is paved but no shade. The link to it is on this website here (top page) http://www.bikekatytrail.com/SideTrails.asp



You can park at the public parking at page extension here

http://www.bikekatytrail.com/site.aspx?sid=486



The trail is at the end of the parking lot. Left turn will take you down to the Katy, but right turn will take you to the CC PAVED trail. Crossing the MO rive is pleasant and safe. The trail is less than 4 miles long and will take you to CC lake which is very nice. There is a Round About at the end of the trail. Either left or right will take you to the lake (I would go left then right to cross over a rusted bridge). Follow the path around the lake (3.2 miles) and you will end up at the Round About (passing the rusted bridge on your left). If you get lost in the park, ask a biker. Many joggers do not know of the CC connector existence

Here’s the deal on the bridge across the Missouri River at Jefferson City; The bike/ped lane across the bridge is closed. You can cross the bridge in the traffic lane, of coarse to the far right. From the Katy Trail use the south bound side coming into Jeff City and the north bound side going out of Jeff City. Modot estimates it to be late spring 2011 before the new bike/ped lane will be finished and open.



My last question was, “can you at least push your bike or walk across where the old bike lane is”. Answer; no, you can not.



My thoughts; using the cojones factor, I wouldn’t cross in the traffic lane UNLESS it was a time of very low traffic, and I would be wearing all the neon clothing I could find plus a blinky or two. And certainly not coming into Jeff City during time to go to work and going out of Jeff City during time to go home. Check with your B&B or hotel to arrange to be picked up or call a cab.



I did speak to one fellow that was doing a cross county, Oregon to Virginia and he crossed into JC in the traffic lane. He said it was quite the experience, and Jefferson City streets were not very bike friendly, go figure! Took a cab back to the trail that next morning.



Some additional info; http://mobikefed.org/content/jefferson-city-missouri-river-bridge-bikeped-addition-contract-awarded



Input and information from others welcome.

You just have to want it, Bear:

http://www.carbodydesign.com/archive/2007/01/10-ford-airstream-concept/1930-Airstream.jpg

You just have to want it, Bear:

http://www.carbodydesign.com/archive/2007/01/10-ford-airstream-concept/1930-Airstream.jpg

We are planning to take Amtrak to Jefferson City and ride back to St. Charles. Does anyone know if the bridge to the trail is safe to cross on a bike or should we seek some sort of shuttle service.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

We biked the trail several years ago, and you do need a shuttle to go across the bridge. We

did not go into Jeff City; stopped at that point. We started in Booneville and rode west to

Sedailia one day, and east to Rocheport the next. Then drove to Hartsburg and went west one

day, and east the next to Jeff City. After 4 days on that bike, I put my foot down! So that

Friday, we toured Hermann sans bikes! Have Fun! take sun screen, bug spray and extra tire

tubes!

I was there a couple of months ago and there is a bike lane on the

bridge but it is very narrow and scary. I very badly wanted to go to

Jefferson City but declined to go across the bridge. I would suggest a

shuttle somehow unless you are much braver than me.

What a fun night we had in Tebbetts! The accommodations at the Shelter were crude but what could you expect for $5.00 apiece. We wondered what we would encounter and we were pleasantly surprised. Not real clean but it beats camping. The johns and showers worked great and we even got to play a little ping pong. The highlight of our stay in Tebbetts was going next door to Jim's Bar. Jim will cook you up a pizza or burger. We chose the pizza and it hit the spot along with an icy cold beer. The Karaoke started up shortly after we arrived and the place came to life. Jim is full of surprises and helped create a night we won't soon forget. All of the towns folk that we met were friendly. Thanks Jim and friends!

What a fun night we had in Tebbetts! The accommodations at the Shelter were crude but what could you expect for $5.00 apiece. We wondered what we would encounter and we were pleasantly surprised. Not real clean but it beats camping. The johns and showers worked great and we even got to play a little ping pong. The highlight of our stay in Tebbetts was going next door to Jim's Bar. Jim will cook you up a pizza or burger. We chose the pizza and it hit the spot along with an icy cold beer. The Karaoke started up shortly after we arrived and the place came to life. Jim is full of surprises and helped create a night we won't soon forget. All of the towns folk that we met were friendly. Thanks Jim and friends!

Jim's Bar is awesome!!! It was one of the highlights of our trip 3 weeks ago.

Jim's Bar is awesome!!! It was one of the highlights of our trip 3 weeks ago.

We will be in the St Charles - Jefferson City area and would like to take a day or two on the Katy trail. What area of the trail would you suggest that has the most interesting sites/good food/lodging? Thank You!

Based on previous threads (see 20 miles on the trail) many people like the Rocheport to Jefferson City section. The bluffs along the river are beautiful, and there's a couple of spots where you have wonderful views of the river. Cooper's Landing is also very interesting. Also check out comments about Marthasville, and Dutzow and Augusta, re: places to eat. I think if you go on this web site to a particular town you'll be able to see the comments about that area.

I agree. I have ridden the Katy quite a bit, and the area from Jeff City to Rocheport is one of my favorites. Make sure you stop in Hartsburg, hopefully when Dotty's Cafe is open.

I agree! We are just starting to see more of the trail. Jefferson City

to Rochport is nice. We just rode from Herman to Jefferson City. The

scenery is okay. I did like Herman to Defiance!

The afore mentioned area is probably the most scenic section of the trail, but you might also consider the Sedalia to Booneville leg. This part of the trail goes through the Osage Hills (William Quantrill's favorite haunt, and later that of Jesse and Frank James).

The trail and the bluffs from Rocheport to Hartsburg is my favorite part of the trail. Its closeest to the river and the bluffs are fantastic. We also have three spots to stop and eat and drink; The Big Muddy, The Hitching Post and Dottys. Please give us a try. We have two spots mentioned by Lewis and Clark which are great tourist spots.

"We also have three spots to stop and eat and drink; The Big Muddy, The Hitching Post and Dottys."



Michael, which two of these three spots were there when Lewis and Clark came through? Or am I cornfused?

Didn't someone named Dot travel with Lewis and Clark?

It was DOG not dot. The two spots were: BULLS ROCK, south of town, easy to see from the river but not the trail. You can see them from a boat or by going to Native Stone Winery on Hwy 179. We also have the location where YORK was documented to have swam ashore to gather watercress for the explorers supper. The state sign is across the river and downstream from the Hartsburg Access. Bulls Rock had a native American symbol painted on the rock, a manitou, or devil, to warn enemies away. At any rate Hartsburg has many spots to visit or paint.