Katy Trail Forum

We are interested in biking the KT late April. Any advice or experience in pulling a small dog ina trailer behind the bike?

I think it's a great idea. I see dogs along for the ride often either in trailers or in baskets in the front. The terrain is very tame. You and your dog will have a lot of fun.

I’ve no experience with a dog in a trailer but have watched several YouTube videos on training them to get used to doing so. I’ve had our trailer out and have been letting our pup get used to it…we’ll see how it goes when it warms up.

I put a hard floor in kids trailer 1/4”. Put in a nice soft dog bed and Oliver & I ride regularly. I do lease him in because he is a terrier!

Make sure to practice before you go, in case you find out that it doesn't agree with him.

The trailer will get a lot of limestone dust on it. Most trailers have a clear vinyl cover, and that will keep a lot of the dust off your dog. However, if the temps are high outside, your dog might get uncomfortably warm with the reduced air circulation.

Most kid trailers have screened vents that will help keep the dust level down while providing air flow inside the trailer. Also bike fenders will help keep the dust kick up down, your dog will appreciate that.

We rode the entire trail, from St. Charles to Clinton and back to St. Charles with a nine pound Morkie in/on a Burley bike trailer, pulling it with our tandem. Tent camped along the way with great success. Had to work around the rock slide area and managed to do it staying on the trail without taking the alternative route. Take plenty of water. Our little dog was fantastic and created no problems. Watch for stray dogs.
Great experience for us. We plan to be in the area in late April and will do it again. Look for a tandem pulling a yellow Burley trailer! Have a great ride!

Todd/Bonnie,

Which Burley do you pull....Child, Cargo, or Pet?

We pulled a Burley cargo trailer the first time with a homemade rack for the dog to sit in/on. It worked fine but we have since switched to the Burley Tail Wagon. A little roomier and the dog now rides inside on top of our camping gear. Both are good trailers.

I am planning on biking with the trail with my family in late March. My question is how busy will it be? Specifically, do we need to make reservations well in advance for lodging along the way?

Plenty of time to pick & choose. Not that busy in spring. AirBnB has many options including Vinchester Inn of Hermann. If you’re near a Drury Inn they have free breakfast and in evening they have free drinks and a light meal. If you’re on the Facebook join Fans of the Katy Trail.

That's a very broad question...How busy will it be? Kind of a shot in the dark. How busy will the highway be between PEA RIDGE and the Katy?

Weddings, civic events, ball games, etc. can impact lodging availability on any day.

Error to the side of caution and book ahead when you've refined your plans. Whether or not you have a place for your family to stay the night is not something that should be questioned on the trip. Do the fam a favor.

It's not so much how busy the trail is but if even one night of rooms for your plan is full it throws off your whole schedule. One or two strong riders could add 15-20 miles on to a day to make the next available stop. Could every member of your family do that?

Absolutely agree with Doug. Finding a couple of rooms was difficult two years ago and it sounds as if some of the B and B options are out of business since then. Unless you like living on the edge (of sleeping under a hedge, that is), book ahead and check bookings a couple of weeks before, and get good directions/coordinates to find places. And remember to add any extra miles getting to them off the trail. We booked one place and I only realised it was 10 miles off the trail too late, and the final mile was up a steep hill. I wasn't popular that evening, in particular as it offered one meal option - microwaved pizza.

To be perfectly clear, yes you need to make reservations well in advance for lodging along the way. Technically, the Katy Trail opens I think May 1. Since your trip will be in late March, some B & Bs and similar types of places may not be fully open. So start calling now.

And Missouri has fickel weather in late March. So plan for riding in anywhere from 35 to 75 degree weather.

That said, you'll love the Katy. It's one of the best rail to trail bike trails in the country.

Wise words, Cathy; but we preferred the Allegheny Passage and the Cumberland/Ohio which seemed to go through more woods than the Katy! Still, we loved them both.

Michael I really struggle with which I love more, the Katy or the GAP/C & O. Since I now live in SW PA I feel blessed to have a remarkable trail like the GAP/C & O to enjoy. But I rode the Katy for 12 years and really miss it. I will say that the Katy has more of a rural flavor to it. I love biking past farm fields, and seeing planting, then the growing season and finally harvesting the crops. But I also love seeing reminders of the industrial past along the GAP: coke ovens, Patch towns, reminders of the coal and steel industries.

I noticed on my newsfeed today that the State of Missouri has taken ownership of the Rock Island Trail, which is wonderful news. I hope the next time I get to bike in Missouri it will include time on the RIT.

Basically, it's all good.

Cathy; not sure if we conduct this discussion here but anyway...
We stay in SW PA (Brownsville area) when in the States so the GAP has been on our doorstep. It does remind me more of the UK - industrial heritage, paths through woods. And although we really enjoyed the Katy, in late September it was hot, and dry apart from the thunderstorms, and there were challenging diversions, whereas the GAP was much easier to follow. We managed to get lost just once, in Confluence of all places.
We look forward to cycling either again, or the RIT, when it's easier to travel. You are very lucky in the States to have such long rail trails, although you do have some interesting ownership issues. Michael

The Katy trail is open all year, only the restrooms and water is turn off for the winter months. If weather is nice the restrooms and water is turned back on April 1st. Some B&B are open all years just check ahead for rooms.

First time bike touring. All the talk of b&b and hotels. Do folks camp on this trail? From Kansas City using RIT to St Louis how much of the time can I pitch a tent / what areas do I have to use a hotel? Thanks

You can't camp just anywhere along the trail. But there are plenty of campsites and public parks that allow camping along the way. This site provides great info about camping options. I have always camped and stayed in the Turner Shelter when I've ridden the Katy.

On the west end which I'm familiar with, you may camp at Pleasant Hill and Chilhowee on the Rock Island. You might visit with the Hometown Convenience Store in Chilhowee ahead of time. In Windsor there is camping and shower house both at Farrington Park and Katy-Rock Junction.

I do not believe you can stealth camp along the KT. Just designated public and private camp locations. Then if unsure, contact local towns and law enforcement for park or shelter camping.

Planning a trip in Late April, I am driving to St Charles an taking the train to Lee’s Summit to connect with a riding partner coming in from CO. I will be parking in St Charles which train station is easiest to ride my bike to Kirkwood or St. Louis? Also, is there signage to assist bikers to get from Lee’s Summit to Pleasant Hills? Looking forward to exploring Missouri!

As you have figured out, the Rock Island trail has a gap between Lees Summit and Pleasant Hill. There are no signs to direct you as a cyclist. I am including a link to my day one ride going from Kansas to Illinois then down to STL. In Lees Summit I would avoid 291 Highway as much as possible, it is the busiest street and highway other than 50 Highway. I suggest riding west on 3rd street until you reach the Rock Island trail then ride it southeast, picking up my route the rest of the way. Other than crossing very busy 291, I had no traffic issues, but it was a holiday, Labor Day. Google maps street view is helpful for previewing your route. If you are on Facebook join Fans Of The Katy Trail group, it is very useful. Search my name there.
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/course/78015260#

As far as the start of your trip goes, you actually have a third option: You can park in St. Charles and ride west on the Katy Trail to Dutzow where you turn south for a couple of miles into Washington, Missouri where you can catch the train west to Lee's Summit. That would be about a 38 mile bike ride. Remember to check on the Missouri River Runner Amtrak service because with budget cuts, sometimes it only runs once a day in each direction across the state (instead of twice a day when it has more funding...the bike tickets are also in high demand certain times of the year...you don't want to have a ticket for you and not for your bike). The distance from St. Charles to Kirkwood would probably be about 25 miles if I gave you the winding, more bike-friendly option. I personally like riding through St. Louis City and County, but an out of town person might really like more time on the Katy Trail and go with the Washington option. If you are really adventurous, you can make a 50 mile trip from St. Charles, to the Machens trail head near where the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers meet, take either a ferry boat or a bridge across the river, and then ride down the bike lane along the the open Mississippi River on the Illinois side where you then cross the famous bike/ped only Chain of Rocks Mississippi River Bridge, and then continue of a paved levee bike trail all the way south to Downtown St. Louis where you can catch the Amtrak station there.
I can also give you a bike friendly route from Lee's Summit to Pleasant Hill. The Fans of the Katy Trail Facebook group is a great thing to check out and it is easy to link specific route maps to that site. There are lots of great options...just let me know if you want specifics about any of them!

Thanks for the information. Both responses were very helpful. Any other suggestions, must see things along the trail or places to eat and of course where is the best ice cream along the trail! Have to have your priorities in order

Thanks for the information. Both responses were very helpful. Any other suggestions, must see things along the trail or places to eat and of course where is the best ice cream along the trail! Have to have your priorities in order

A party of 4 of us plan to ride Clinton to Machens in April. I'm thinking about using a shuttle instead of Amtrak, partly because of the long ride to and from the train stations on each end. Has anyone here used a shuttle service for this? what did it cost you? any other comments?

OK, I'm getting more familiar with using the web site. I see that ShowMeMoTours could do this for $370.

I am hiking between Green Ridge and Clifton City in April and am looking for a shuttle service between the two trailheads. Also,is there anywhere to tent camp on the east side of Sedalia? Thanks in advance for any recommendations.

Trying to plan a 3 day eBike trip. Staying in one location, and riding 2-3 days from that location. Would Windsor be a good place to do so, and ride each way on the Katy trail, and another day on the Rock Island Spur. Place to stay for 2-3 couples, bars, and food? Weather in mid April? thanks,

Happy to have you contact me at Kim's Cabins to visit about this. I promote folks staying multiple nights in my 4 cabins and doing exactly this. Three great days of riding and hang around the campfire at night. Judy's Kitchen a favorite for dinner plus we have Jalisco, our new great Mexican restaurant and I have Weber grills. The Pickled Possum bar a fun hangout with numerous pool tables. Contact me soon for availability

Fitzgerald's rental is a good option as well. Larger home with 1st floor as rental. I stay any opportunity I get when I bike through. Good place. As far as bars and food, there are a couple in town. The Opossum bar is one that comes to mind. The Chinese place has great food. I think a subway but not much else in Windsor. You can find everything listed in the services section of the website.

Hermann would also be worth checking out. There are plenty of places to stay, wineries, bars, food, etc. 40ish mile rides out and back both directions are probably more scenic than doing so from Windsor in my opinion. Jefferson City would allow for the same.

Weather in mid April is probably much like Lincoln NE. Could be rain, sunny, cloudy, cool, warm...

Hello!
I'm planning to ride the Katy trail this spring from KC to however far a couple days gets me and back. I just wanted to say hello and I am loving this site and all the GREAT info within.

When are you starting out and what do you know about weather along the Katy?

Hello Randi,
Undecided on exact date but weather is a main concern of mine. Living in Kansas City most of my life not far from Katy trail the weather in the midwest can change rapidly and we've had spring snows and springtimes where I felt HOT.

I think I remember reading that the spring / early summer months are rainy season along the Katy. Is that in accord with your information? Rain puts a damper on my cycling.

I like to ride the Katy in early to mid-May. Yes it is rainy in the spring. It's best if you have the flexibility in your schedule to watch the weather forecast and time your ride accordingly. If it's been a wet winter/spring you also need to pay attention to this forum and the state park website for flooding or other closures. But it's a great ride. Get some rain gear to bring along, change to wider tires if your frame & wheels will take larger tires and consider putting fenders on your bike if you don't have them already. You won't mind a bit of unexpected rain if you are prepared.

I can support what John H says - be prepared for the rain. And if you get soaked, drying out can be problematic; I seem to remember trying to dry out our cycle shoes in the dryers in a laundromat at the 'wrong' end of Jefferson City.

I stayed with Maxine and Pete while doing a travel nurse assignment in Sedalia. I loved my time there! I stayed 6 nights and went home for 8. It worked out great for me and I would gladly do it again. Maxine and Pete are very down to earth people that are so friendly and easy to get along with. There home is beautiful and comfortable. The landscaping is nice and it is an all around great place to stay!

Here’s an opportunity to give something back to the trail:
Magnificent Missouri and Missouri State Parks are sponsoring “Honeysuckle Hack” events, Jan 2 2022 at the Marthasville Trailhead and Jan 9 2022 at the Augusta Trailhead. Both events are 1-4PM.

Volunteers, working with park staff, will be assigned areas of bush honeysuckle to hack from the Trailhead areas.

Participants should wear comfortable high-top shoes or boots, durable work shirts with long sleeves, and pants. They should also bring their own water and a snack. Tools, gloves and insect repellent will be provided at the trailhead. Restrooms are located at the trailhead.

Bush honeysuckle is a fast-growing, non-native shrub that harms native plants and tree saplings in all ecosystems across Missouri by stealing sunlight that native plants need to survive. If bush honeysuckle is allowed to grow unchecked, forests, parks and trails can be invaded so densely they are rendered nearly unusable for native plants and many species of wildlife. Removing invasive bush honeysuckle shrubs also improves forest health and the aesthetic value of Katy Trail State Park so future generations will be able to enjoy the park's beauty and recreational opportunity for years to come.


Preregistration is highly recommended. For information on how to preregister, telephone Graham Cave State Park at 573-564-3476.

The events are on January 2 and January 9 to chop down honeysuckle? And they will be providing insect repellent?

WOW - those are some tough insects :)

This should follow with a Kudzu Kut. It seems to have a pretty good hold in several places along the trail.

Thanks for the info Ray. Sounds like a great way to start the year by being outdoors and giving back a little. Maybe meet some new and or old friends.

Darn, they've canceled the one on the 2nd due to inclement weather.