Katy Trail Forum

Next week, I will be riding the full length of the Katy Trail by myself. I am just wondering as to the safety of a woman riding the trail by herself. Have there been any incidence of problems as a result of this, over the years? Of course, the ride will be during daytime hours and I will have a cell phone. Thanks for any comments.

Here's a similar thread from last year about safety on the Katy Trail. Consensus seems to be that it's very safe, and there are many solo riders out there of both genders.



Since you'll have a cell phone, you may want to bring this list of emergency phone numbers (Sheriff's offices serving the Katy Trail), for added reassurance. Just be aware that cell phone service is not available on some parts of the trail.

We rode 290 miles on the trail last month and, for the most part, felt very safe. There are a lot of areas that are very desolate, but it wasn't too bad. As with anything nowadays, anything can happen. I think that during the daytime, the odds of something happening are very low. We were a little concerned some nights that we camped. I think you will be fine though. Just pay attention and definitely carry your cell phone. Have fun!

The third week in October, I rode by myself from Sedalia to Hermann, taking four days, and hardly saw another soul the whole way. I missed lunch one day because several of the places mentioned in the Katy Trail book were no longer open, and there were few "signs of life" in many of the very small communities. I was more aware of the isolation of the ride than worried about being bothered by anyone.

I had my cellphone and wore a spray on my wrist.

Where the hoosiers of St. Charles go. Or where the wannabe bikers roar into the area, drinking, fighting, urinating, and whatever else hoosiers do.. good food, horrendous crowd, most of whom are NOT local on the weekends. A dive comparable to Fast Eddies, but without the upscale IL clientelle... and that's saying something.

Been to both Fast Eddie's and Dave and Jacquies.....I'll take Dave and Jacquies! It's probably my age showing but I've had my fill of noisy, crowded, overhyped and overpriced bars. Plus....you've gotta love the stuffed squirrel collection.

I concur this place is nicer than Fast Eddie's. The local people there are great. However, wannabe suburban bikers riding Harleys who invade the area during spring and summer ruin the place. And their bikes are way too loud to enjoy anything. I figure the smaller a certain body part on a male biker, the louder the bike..

Hey Blah! Learn to spell.

Sound like Blah has a serious case of Harley envy!

Can someone who has done the shuttle service let me know the approximate cost? There are two of us and we'll need the shuttle from St. Charles to either Clinton or Sedalia

Did you consider Amtrak? The only catch is getting from St. Charles to the Amtrak station in St. Louis or Kirkwood. If your not comfortable with city traffic this route may not be good for you.



Paulie

I have a B&B just three blocks from the trail head in St. Charles, we also do shuttle service for our guests. The cost to Sedalia is $170.00 and the cost to Clinton is $240.00 plus a nights stay at our regular prices ----- for more info call me @636-946-0619 or e-mail me at Rhonaloc@charter.net

Where is the Amtrack station on the west end of the trail?

The Amtrak can take you as far as Sedalia.



Paulie

There is an AP article in the morning (12-3-06) St. Joseph NewsPress titled.....Amtrak will off discounts. That report states....."Amtrak will will begin offering passengers discounted rates through April in an attempt to lure riders back to its Missouri line. Company spokesman Marc Magliari said a 50 percent discount on a second adult fare for each ticket purchased is intended to boost ridership after the biggest decline in ridership of any short-distance route in the country. The drop in passengers is blamed on track construction between Kansas City, MO and St. Louis, which resulted in the use of tour buses for part of the trip."



If an early Spring ride is in order....it may be prudent to check with Amtrak about this discount.

Thanks for the Amtrak discount info! I think Amtrak is our best (cheapest) bet to get us to Sedalia from Kirkwood. The price before discount is around $100 for two people.

100 bucks even sounds kinda steep. I made the trip (STL to Sedalia)a few months ago and it was only $23 +$10 for my bike. Just remember, Amtrak doesnt have the best rep for being on time.



Paulie

Yes $100 is wrong. It will be about half that for two people with bikes. I was putting in a fare for 2 on the Amtrak site but was taking the cost in multiplying by 2, which they already did for me. Amtrak seems like the way to go!

Once on Amtrak, getting off in Sedalia. Is there some sort of service from there to Clinton? Really hoped to start the ride in Clinton (36 miles ) Any suggestions? besides riding the trail.

Gimmie, I know you are looking for suggestions besides riding the trail to Clinton, but, if you hire a shuttle to Clinton it will easily be mid afternoon before you get started on your ride. I do not know anything about shuttle costs, but you may find the cost of the shuttle to be about the same as a motel room in Clinton. If that is the case, I would enjoy the ride from Sedalia to Clinton and spend my money on a motel room instead of the shuttle. If you are on a tight schedule, I would just ride from Sedalia.

You could stay on the train to Warrensburg. From there, it's only 29 miles to Clinton on Hwy 13. You probably have a good chance hitching a ride in someone's pickup. DISCLAIMER (since I know a lawyer is prowling this site): Hitchhiking is illegal in MO and I cannot represent that it is safe to ride a bike on this highway.

Of the 4 places we stayed on our Katy ride (Clinton to St. Charles), this was the most disappointing. No host or hostess around, it was cold at night, and the bathroom was out of toilet paper. The shower was marked cold for hot, and hot for cold, and there was no note to tell you this, so I waited 10 minutes for it to turn hot, before trying to turn it to cold (which is when I got the hot water). Breakfast was good, but late. The hot tub was the only redeeming quality. The house is nicely decorated, but a little more comfort would have been appreciated after a long day of riding from Sedalia.

My family of three was equally disappointed in the lack of interest by the "hosts". The breakfast Gregory made was great, but the atmosphere was completely lacking - we didn't have any idea even if the people in the bedroom downstairs were supposed to be there are potential axe murderers. It was my children's least favorite stop.

I stayed here last week & it was very enjoyable. The place is practically sitting on the trail, so it was nice to collapse immediately after my rainy 50+ mile day. The "Jefferson" room was large and attractively (tho sparsely) decorated. The bed was very comfortable. The bathroom was on the other side of the house, so that was a little inconvenient. It was nice to be able to use their washer & dryer (well worth the $2 fee). Breakfast was delicious, prompt, and attractively presented. It included unique touches like a fruit & yogurt parfait, walnut banana pancakes, and scrambled eggs with yellow squash & onions. Gregory was an excellent cook & breakfast host. I do agree somewhat with the people above who felt "on their own", especially when arriving. My assessment is simply that the innkeepers are a little inexperienced at this, but that will hopefully improve over time if people provide detailed feedback to them, which I did in an e-mail. In terms of "bed" & "breakfast", though, I give the place an "A" -- quaint, comfortable, clean, and a great breakfast, all at a fairly reasonable rate.

I stayed there twice in a row this last summer and both times were just perfect.. the price was

right and the breakfast was very good. Gregory made a very nice vegan meal for me both

times and the room and bathroom worked great. so all of negative comments I think are very

un-warrented. I say give these folks a chance..

I'm glad your stay was pleasant, but the comments were not "un-warranted". The fact that they didn't have the bathroom stocked with toilet paper, and that the host didn't show up, and that showers are marked backwards, are just that, FACTS. These things happened to not be appreciated by us after a long day on the trail, and we will likely choose another place next time.

I say give everyone a chance Chris......even the original poster.

I feel that would be a good idea" to stay at another place next time"..

I feel its a great place to end up after an 89mile 100 degree day on the trail from clinton.

I got there and just chilled and was very pleased not to be bothered by a host. maybe if your

expecting the Ritz Carlton you shouldnt end up here. but if you want a great place to crash

and a good breakfast in the morning before another long day on the trail this place can't be

beat...

Chris, I don't think she said she was expecting the "Ritz Carlton". She just pointed out things that disappointed them. As for me......I like to hear about both good and bad experiences. I think most people here understand that any business can have a bad day and if most reviews are positive they will write the bad ones off.

One shouldn't have to stay at the Ritz to enjoy the benefit of toilet paper and faucets installed to code.

Hey, it was not my intention to cause argument. I only intended to express disappointment in what seemed to be lacking. I will admit this was my first B&B experience, so I can't say what my expectations were. However, I did expect certain basics, and got them everywhere else we stayed during this 5 day trip. Even the Tebbetts Shelter/Hostel had toilet paper and a decent shower, although obviously lacked some of the better amenities that this B&B had. Guess I would expect them to not miss what I consider to be an essential - toilet paper. I do think it's good to have discussion and say what was good and bad about each place, so that others know what to expect. As I said in my original comment, breakfast was good and the hot tub was a big plus! But there were also some negative things about this place for us.

Hi all. I operate the Katy Trail B&B with my wife Tawnee. We are always the first to state that we are not a high-end B&B, and that there is no hostess on site. In fact, that has been our best two selling points. Many people prefer their own space. Somehow those two facts did not present themselves as clearly as we would have hoped to our guest above. I'm glad that our B&B has been a very popular stop for a lot of people that keep coming back. However, the place is definitely not for everyone. Some people absolutely love it. Others, obviously, not so much. We were so blessed in the 2006 season to have Gregory “chef extraordinaire” making the place even more wonderful. We bought the B&B three seasons ago when it was closing and in danger of not being a B&B anymore. The thought of not having a place in Rocheport where families & kids could spend the night just seemed to go against what the Katy Trail is all about. So my wife and I have kept the B&B going, and have made many improvements over the last two years to make it even better. We make our money elsewhere. Honestly, this place isn't about making a lot of money, or offering a high end B&B experience. Its about offering a warm comfortable bed, a hot shower, a great breakfast and a sun setting over the Katy Trail at an affordable rate. The homogenization of our culture tends to raise one's expectations to expect hotel highway chain caliber experiences at every stop. But you’ve got to remember that Rocheport isn’t on the highway. It’s a funky little river town with no Sonic, WalMart or KFC. Our B&B, and our town, is what I would call the antithesis of that “everyplace becoming the same” thing. That’s why we live here. We're welcoming people out of an 1880s home that is limping along but getting better each year. The house saw a foot of water in 1993’s flood, and we're literally rebuilding it room by room.

We even have one window that doesn't have a latch on it *gasp*. And to be fair, I must admit, I am the one who put the faucet knobs on wrong in the Attic room. The 60 year old clawfoot tub faucet broke, and I had two hours to switch out the faucet handles from another 60 year old faucet (thank goodness I had the part on hand). And yes, the hot and cold are backwards. That was the only way I could get it to work. I do need to put a note on it. We could ditch the old clawfoot for a fiberglass showerstall with a new fixture that "looks old," we could close the B&B and cash in our chips, or we could endeavor to continue to do the best we know how, with what we have available. We want to keep doing what we're doing: offering the low cost lodging option in Rocheport, where families, kids, wedding parties and couples are welcome. Yep, our place is a little funky, it will never win B&B of the Year or anything, but we do see a lot of people leaving with smiles. As for toilet paper, we have plenty! We have three cleaning folks on staff. Generally there's a couple extra rolls in the wicker basket behind the various toilets or in cabinets above the sinks. I'll never know if perhaps some cyclist needed it for their next night camping more than I did, or whether it was a huge oversight. Either way, we stand corrected. We do have two phone numbers posted if anyone needs anything, we're only a phone call and two blocks away. We have a 1 and a 4 year old. As a result, we have to do our business a little different right now in these first few years with the kids. Probably a year or two down the road, we'¦ll have more of the kinks worked out. We believe our website offers a very clear picture of what we do and do not offer. I always prefer a chance to make something right before someone rants about toilet paper, etc. We endeavor to please as many guests as we can. But I do remind myself of my mother's words: you can't please everybody.

Brett, Thanks for taking the time to post a response here. I wish more owners would do the same. It's always nice to hear both sides of the story. Also, thanks to the original poster for sharing their experience. It's always hard to get a feel for a place from a website and it helps to hear other's experiences - good and bad.

All in all this has been one of rarities on the internet.....a civil conversation.

Thanks for adding the info Brett. I am the one who had the original post, and I did not intend to be totally negative on the B&B. We were really glad to have a reasonably priced place to stay, and I loved the hot tub!

Just a little tired, and frustrated with trying to find some toilet paper. I looked everywhere, and even searched the storage room off the kitchen, to no avail.

Just want to say that we really appreciate that you have kept the place open and going, and priced so that even cheap people like us can afford it!

Hi Kim. Glad we've had this chance to chat. I'd be happy to offer you a free night's stay in 2007 as a chance to make up for your last visit. Email me anytime to iron out the details: pebblepublishing@gmail.com. Life is too short to make anything but friends and goodwill. And I think that's what the Katy Trail is all about... If that won't work for you, perhaps I could talk you into a free float on the Missouri River? I'm real excited about 2007. For the 2007 season, we're adding another lodging option at the B&B. It's a house right at the Rocheport Trailhead. We call it the TreeHouse. Its a 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom house available for people to rent in its entirety. Great for families, three couples to share, etc. We're wrapping up the renovation work right now, then we will get the furnishings in. It should be ready by May 1 if not sooner. It offers great light, great location, great space with oak hardwood floors, a huge kitchen, vaulted ceilings, ceiling fans, etc. Please visit our website at www.katytrailbb.com for more information coming soon. To anyone reading these postings, I hope you'll make it to Rocheport this season. It's a beautiful little town regardless of the season. There's a new general store now open too, that offers great lunch and dinners, live music, poetry readings, good coffee, grocery store items and more.

Maryland Yards is no longer there. A new restaurant called Pasta Luigi's on Main is at the Waterworks location now. The restaurant is actually in a 19th Century city waterworks building converted into a 3-story restaurant with a nice deck out back for warm-weather dining. The seafood ravioli is the best I have ever had. They also have toasted canneloni which is awesome. You can park your car out back, go for a ride and then have a pasta lunch (or a sandwhich) on the two-story deck overlooking the trail when you get back.

pasta luigi's is closed

This was a very helpful picture for my school project!!!

I saw in the paper that the DNR settlement with Ameren UE over the Johnson's Shut-Ins disaster may include receiving the use of the right-of-way of the Rock Island line from Windsor to somewhere near Kansas City, to extend the trail across the state. Sounds like a great thing.

Yes, in fact the Missouri Bike Federation is coordinating a grassroots campaign to help convince Ameren that this would be a win-win situation for all parties involved. Anyone who would like to see the Katy Trail extended to KC should take a minute to read the MO Bike Fed's web page on the Ameren situation. Thanks!