Katy Trail Forum

I NEED SERIOUS ADVICE, FOLKS. How is the Katy Trail looking for a rigorous long-distance trip in Mid-June?



The goal is to do the entire 450 mile KATY (225x2) in 6 nights at a pace of roughly 75-80 miles/day.

Physically and gear-wise, I am in good shape to handle this, but have strong concerns about finding camp sites along the way.



Last year, I did a solo 370 (185x2) mile trip across the dirt-path C&P Canal path in 5 nights, two days of which involved rain and mud. To the good, the Katy is paved in gravel, a bit easier than the conditions of the C&P.



C&P offers free National Park campsites approximately every 5 miles, which is super convenient. In contrast, KATY has fewer camping options, which requires careful planning.



What do you think of this plan - each night stop is a campsite? Is my math OK?



1. Day 1 - St Charles Trailhead / MM 39.5 to Steedman - Terry's Suds and Grubs / MM 121.4 => 81.9 Miles



2. Day 2 - Terry's Suds + Grubs / MM 121.4 to Boonville - Bobber Rest.+Camp / MM 191.8 => 70.4 Miles



3. Day 3

o Leg 1- Boonville - Bobber Rest.+Camp / MM 191.8 to Clinton Trailhead MM 264.8 => 73 Miles

o Leg 2 - (reverse direction) Clinton Trailhead MM 264.8 to Windsor -Farrington Park MM 248 => 16.8 Miles

o Day 4 Total => 89.8 Miles



4. Day 4 - Windsor -Farrington Park MM 248 to Huntsdale - Catfish Katy's MM 171.7 => 76.3 Miles



5. Day 5 - Huntsdale - Catfish Katy's MM 171.7 to Bluffton - Steamboat Rentals MM 110.7 => 61 Miles



6. Day 6 - Bluffton - Steamboat Rentals MM 110.7 to St Charles Trailhead / MM 39.5 => 71.2 Miles



Appreciate any help!

I will be riding it mid-May 6 days west - east. Here all the replies I received. I can let you know after that.

www.bikekatytrail.com/talk.aspx?thid=3258¬efmt=1&sortby=0&pg=5

Thanks for the pointer to the comments on your May trip. I wish you a good ride, and look forward to getting practical advice from you - as a trail blazer- afterwards. As I see it, where to camp for the night remains the toughest question.

Thanks for the pointer to the comments on your May trip. I wish you a good ride, and look forward to getting practical advice from you - as a trail blazer- afterwards. As I see it, where to camp for the night remains the toughest question.

If you drop me your email I'll sent you an email after my trip with some details.

Jim - my email: geisel@ameritech.net Daytoncapri

Hubby and I will be doing the DNR end to end Katy Trail ride the 3rd week in June (details at the MO State Park web site). When you have your days set for your ride, post them. We'll give you a shout if our paths cross! Another thing to think of is if you end up riding opposite direction of the DNR ride on the same day, be prepared to have lots of riders coming at you....and unfortunately sometimes, the less seasoned riders can ride 2 or 3 abreast without looking out ahead for riders coming the other way. Just a heads up to be aware.

Have fun on your ride. You get 2 thumbs up from us for doing an out and back end to end ride!

Daytoncapri, I am wondering if you have seen that the Bobber Restrnt & campground in Booneville is a bit of a ride from the trail. Just checking. Have a good ride and enjoy the sights.

MAH - Thanks to you two for asking and the thumbs up, I'd love to bump into you. If all goes according to plan, the bicycling is Monday morning June 6 through Saturday June 11, or thereabouts. Still not confident about the camping situation. Looks like my first night stop - Terry's Suds and grubs has gone out of business, per this message board. THAT thread also contains a worried statement about the availability of H20 along the trail. What to do? Put a 5 gal jug in the bike trailer?

Darrell-Thanks. Anyone know if HWY B in Boonvill has a wide shoulder for a bicycle and tow-behind trailer? Is this a safe route?



I just saw the location of Bobbers Restaurant/campground at I-70 and Hwy B with Google maps. It's 2-3 miles from the traihead. I'd want to avoid heavy vehicular traffic. I picked this location per the MM on the website; had no idea it was this far off the trail.

Revised Trip Plans - comments welcome. Changed the first two stops, otherwise the same.



1. Day 1 - St Charles Trailhead / MM 39.5 to Portland - Rivers Edge RV Park & Campground/ MM 115.9=> 76.4 Miles [Trail to Campground = 0 miles]



2. Day 2 - Portland - Rivers Edge RV Park & Campground / MM 115.9 to Franklin - Katy Roundhouse/ MM 189 => 73.1 Miles [Trail to Campground = 0 miles]



3. Day 3

o Leg 1- Franklin - Katy Roundhouse / MM 189 to Clinton Trailhead MM 264.8 => 75.8 Miles

o Leg 2 - (reverse direction) Clinton Trailhead MM 264.8 to Windsor -Farrington Park MM 248 => 16.8 Miles [Trail to Campground = 0.9 miles]

o Day 4 Total => 93.5 Miles



4. 8Day 4 - Windsor -Farrington Park MM 248 to Huntsdale - Catfish Katy's MM 171.7 => 76.3 Miles [Trail to Campground = 0 miles]



5. Day 5 - Huntsdale - Catfish Katy's MM 171.7 to Bluffton - Steamboat Rentals MM 110.7 => 61 Miles [Trail to Campground = abt 200 feet]



6. Day 6 - Bluffton - Steamboat Rentals MM 110.7 to St Charles Trailhead / MM 39.5 => 71.2 Miles

http://bikekatytrail.com/talk.aspx?thid=2781¬efmt=1&sortby=0&pg=9

Here's a link to a thread from last year re water availability at trailheads. Seems the eastern half of the trail has a few sections where water could be a problem. The western half (except for no water at Clifton city), has water at the trailheads. Definitely no fun to run out of water.

MAH - Thanks for researching and validating the water situation - I will pack a container to carry more water in the trailer. I just researched the climate data for for Missouri in June. Hmm. . . 65 to 85 degrees, with good chance of rain. It could get steamy. OK by me.

Steamy is a definite possibility! Last year in June for the DNR ride there was record heat with the heat index reaching up to 115-116 on the 2nd day of the ride. But then it's Missouri, I've also ridden in June and wore a long sleeved shirt all day.

We've had some strong storms moving across the state lately. Please note the latest trail condition updates from the MO DNR:



4/28/10 -- Due to damage from recent heavy rains, the trail is closed at MM 133.3 (west of Tebbetts) to allow for repairs. Detour signs are in place and should be followed. Trail users should never cross or go around the orange safety fencing.



4/27/10 -- Recent storms have caused several washouts on the trail between MM 68.9 and MM 69.8 (west of Augusta). Trail users should be alert to signage and blocked areas on that section until repairs can be completed.



Trail users should be alert to trees and limbs across and along the trail at MM 112.2 (west of Bluffton). Staff and equipment will be working in that area on clean up.



2/17/10 -- Due to a project on Hwy. 5, the trail is temporarily closed at MM 188.3 (near New Franklin). Detour signs are posted at this location.

We rode our bikes from St.Charles to Jeff.City today we had prefect weather to ride.There is some really bad ruts from Augusta to Portland so watch out you might crash and burn.The snake are also out.Have a good day

I am going to ride the trail in June with my husband and we just wanted to see if there is a radio that you can put on your bike? We both have Ipods and we just wanted something so we can still talk to each other and still have some sound. Another thing we have been riding for about a month now nothing big but like 5 miles m w f and on sat we are going about 10 miles. We are wanting to go the whole trail with about 30 to 40 miles each day. Do you think we will make it? and how long will it take about each day to ride that far? Right now we are riding on a bike trail and we have not been on the katy trail I am hoping it is not going to be a lot harder. Thanks

Radio Shack and others sell radios that can use sun light, hand cranks, and batteries for power. Check the store and online. I have not used such devises but I am shopping myself. I'm also interested in just portable and light weight solar power from REI which could charge my iPhone which has access to NPR stations.



I do think you will make it a complete ride, though I would expect that you would enjoy it even more if you start upping your mileage. You are doing great after just a month, but you can really develop a great deal given your interest and your consistency. By the way, music does facilitate performance, so you can have that going also.



I have ridden the Katy Rides organized by the MO Department of Natural Resources which covers the entire distance in five days, and I can attest to the success and pleasure experienced by riders from 7 to 79 years of age. They come in all shapes and ride every manner of bike. All of us can share our thoughts, so keep asking questions and being excited.

I have a Sony Walkman setup in a handlebar bag with auxiliary speakers run on AA batteries. It works OK up to about 10-12 mph then wind noise starts to overcome it. Have decided the Ipod is a LOT less weight for better sound as someone next to me can't hear the Walkman well anyway. I suspect the wind noise will be the biggest problem for any setup. Having enough power to overcome it would result in too much weight and/or a volume that would intrude on any conversation.

I got a little set of battery powered speakers (made by Coby) off of Amazon. My MP3 player plugs into them (will work with IPod) and they sound pretty good for the size. I put them in my handle bar bag and we listen to them every evening with a beverage. I think they cost about $12.

Hi i rode the trail in march and i lost several things along the way. 1 a purple nike wool skull cap, 2 a yellow hoodie with lumiere printed on it. If anyone has found these things please let me know. I can be contacted at lionhorror@yahoo.com. I will pay for shipping to get both things back. Thanks to all.

We rode the KATY Trail in September of 2009, catching the train in Washington, taking it to Sedalia and we then rode to Clinton to begin

our ride at the western most point of the trail. The night before

catching the train in Washington, we stayed at the BRICK INN B&B.

There were 9 of us ~ Art and Kathy bent over backwards to be sure they

could accommodate all of us. The Brick Inn was a delightful place to

stay with well appointed rooms. Kathy was away for a few days, but

Art was a great host . . . taking us on a "tour of Washington" in his

antique convertible. There is a lovely area to sit and relax in the

back yard with two fun swings hanging from the large trees. Flowers

were in full bloom adding to the enjoyment of relaxing outside at the

Brick Inn. Art fixed us a wonderful breakfast before we headed for

the train in the morning. He could not have been more gracious. We

highly recommend staying at the Brick Inn B&B in Washington:o)

We rode the KATY Trail in September of 2009, catching the train in Washington, taking it to Sedalia and we then rode to Clinton to begin

our ride at the western most point of the trail. The night before

catching the train in Washington, we stayed at the BRICK INN B&B.

There were 9 of us ~ Art and Kathy bent over backwards to be sure they

could accommodate all of us. The Brick Inn was a delightful place to

stay with well appointed rooms. Kathy was away for a few days, but

Art was a great host . . . taking us on a "tour of Washington" in his

antique convertible. There is a lovely area to sit and relax in the

back yard with two fun swings hanging from the large trees. Flowers

were in full bloom adding to the enjoyment of relaxing outside at the

Brick Inn. Art fixed us a wonderful breakfast before we headed for

the train in the morning. He could not have been more gracious. We

highly recommend staying at the Brick Inn B&B in Washington:o)

Hi, I am planning a bike ride from N Jefferson to Clinton. I heard that Amtrak is available only until Sedalia. How can I comeback from Clinton to Sedalia? Is there any shuttle available? Please advise.

Just ride your bike back to Sedalia from Clinton.. It's only 40 miles.

Seems to be the simple solution.

Victory Shuttle and Taxi, Sedalia, MO

660-221-7783 / 660-221-7795

Also, B&L Shuttle 660-221-4406

We are two cyclists coming from California to ride the Katy Trail in May. Is there a bike shop or other facility in the Kansas City area where we might ship our boxed bikes by UPS or FedEx and avoid the expensive airline surcharges? We understand that there might be a fee for such a service.



Thanks for your help,



Pubmeister

Sonoma, CA

Why the Kansas City area, might I ask?



Depending on what area you look into starting the trail, you might consider searching bike shops and receiving areas (Kinkos or the like) in bigger towns along the trail where you wish to start. As long as you don't take too long to pick up the bikes after their arrival, I'm sure someone will accomodate you if you accomodate them for their time and storage space.

Now this seems to be an idea for someone in Clinton to make a little money.. Have a place people can ship to in Clinton and pickup your bike for a fee... I would go for it.... Anyone in Clinton interested?

call Epic Bike and Sport 816-382-3100 and see if they'll accommodate you. they are close to

the airport so you can pick up your bikes after you land.

You may also want to consider shipping the bikes via Greyhound. I restore vintage bikes and sometimes use Greyhound shipping services because it is cheap and easy. Plus I've never had any problems with delays or damage. You would need to pick up your bike at the downtown KC Greyhound station.

Jim's was boarded up when we rode through April 15, 2010. The lady at the post office next door said it was closed for good.

Jim's was boarded up when we rode through April 15, 2010. The lady at the post office next door said it was closed for good.

Stunning news!

Stunning news!

Stunning for sure. Mr low-key Jim and his sign-less antique-filled bar-grill have been iconic standbys to locals and trail users for years. You wouldn’t know his corner place was a bar-grill unless someone told you first or you knew it ahead of time. Often, Jim would open up his weekend place during the midweek for hungry bikers staying at the Turner-KT Shelter next door to the west. He served pizza and big sandwiches plus snacks of all kinds.



His place is renown for fun-filled evenings of karaoke and local jam sessions. If you’d never sung before in your life, you did at his place. Some of the jammers arrived on horseback, and played all kinds of instruments, from old-time mouth harps, strings, squeeze boxes, and horns, to wash-boards. Always an eventful evening for first-time visitors from the trail.

Stunning for sure. Mr low-key Jim and his sign-less antique-filled bar-grill have been iconic standbys to locals and trail users for years. You wouldn’t know his corner place was a bar-grill unless someone told you first or you knew it ahead of time. Often, Jim would open up his weekend place during the midweek for hungry bikers staying at the Turner-KT Shelter next door to the west. He served pizza and big sandwiches plus snacks of all kinds.



His place is renown for fun-filled evenings of karaoke and local jam sessions. If you’d never sung before in your life, you did at his place. Some of the jammers arrived on horseback, and played all kinds of instruments, from old-time mouth harps, strings, squeeze boxes, and horns, to wash-boards. Always an eventful evening for first-time visitors from the trail.

I just talked to Jimtoday at 573-295-6100. He is only open 3 days per week, but give him a call. He is most accomodating

I just talked to Jimtoday at 573-295-6100. He is only open 3 days per week, but give him a call. He is most accomodating

I have a group of five that will finish the trail late May 31st. We need a way back to St. Charles by shuttle or a way to Sedalia so we can take the train to Kirkwood. The Clinton Cab number is disconnected and the website does not come up. Did they go out of business? Does anyone have any suggestions on a return trip method for our group? I would prefer not to turn around and ride back to Sedalia if at all possible. It would be nice if we could catch an empty shuttle dropping off people who were heading to St Charles but thats unlikely at the end of the weekend.

Hi All,

I am planning on riding The Katy round trip starting from Clinton. My goal is to ride 3 days each direction. Day one - Clinton to New Franklin (camp), Day two – New Franklin to Bluffton or Rhineland (camp), Day three – Bluffton to St. Charles (hotel). Return will be – Day four – St.Charles to Hermann (hotel), Day five – Hermann to Rockeport (B&B), Day six – Rocheport to Clinton (hotel).

My goal is 75 – 85 miles a day is this realistic?

I’m planning on mid-May and I will be coming from Colorado on Friday. I will hit the trail on a Saturday morning ready to roll. I will be solo and with a BOB trailer and no more than 35lbs in the trailer.

I have done some touring and averaged 50 miles a day, but always in high altitude. That’s why I am thinking 75 – 85 miles is doable. I welcome your comments, please?

Jim

I once did a round trip of the katy (plus side trips) for 540 miles in 7 days, and it sounds like you are probably in better shape than I was.



The flatness of the trail is faster than a hilly road, but the gravel surface will slow you down compared to pavement.

We do a 4-day ride every year - 3 60-mile days and 45 miles on the last day. Your first and last legs will probably be your hardest. They will have the only inclines of the whole trip. That said, if you are in decent shape 75 - 85 mile days are very doable on the Katy. The only caveate I would throw out is to get a lot of seat-time in before you ride. If your butt is not used to sitting on a bike for 6 hours a day it can make for a pretty miserable trip.

I echo the saddle time. The KATY is really flat, especially compared to CO and you won't need to get out of the saddle any. You'll have to make yourself do so and this will really be hard on your backside.

If you plan on doing that many miles per day you won't have time to stop and enjoy the sights. We are not as scenic as Co. but have lots of nice things to see and do, the Katy Depot in Sedalia is a must, the winery's along the way etc. "Take time to stop and smell the roses". Enjoy your trip. Maxine-"Maxine's rooms for rent".

Jim, if you are an early riser, and get on the trail near sun-up, you will have plenty of time to enjoy, and still finish each day by early afternoon. For some people, it's all adout the winerys, B&B's, antique shops..., for me, it's about the isolation of the trail, the river, the bluffs, nature, and being able to propell myself 400+ miles in less than a week. I did it once in 5 days and once in 4. But I did St Charles to Sedalia and back. So if you are fit enough to do 50-80 miles, you will have no problem. Enjoy!

Agree with the above comment. It's fairly easy to do 90-miles/day with an early start. Yet, mid-summer heat or rain could be a problem at times? Have you considered a rest day or two if needed? Otherwise; you should be okay with it. Enjoy.

Fairly easy to to 90 miles a day on a rail trail? There are probably few who post here that would find that to be so.

Maybe. But I've seen distance riders do it quite a bit with time to stop and take pic's as well. Early birds also see neat game, like, foxes, bobcats, coyotes, and lots of deer. Also, a rest day or a big breakfast helps a lot too, I think. :) :)

Of course it's always easier to see someone else do it jd. wink wink wink

Quote: "Fairly easy to to 90 miles a day on a rail trail? There are probably few who post here that would find that to be so.

- posted 2/13/2010 9:17:54 AM"



Clairifaction: There are many levels of bike riders; those who only ride nice days 5-10 MPH and consider 10 miles a "long ride". And then there are those who ride 100+ miles per week 10 months out of the year and enjoy the occasional (with some pain) century (100 mile ride). The trail is for both, and everyone in between.



I would be willing to bet that most of those "90%" that you speak of could do 90 miles if they wanted to bad enough.

Thanks for all the comments everyone.

I do have rest days built in if needed and yes I'm an early riser. I will be trying to be on the trail around 6:00ish. Break camp and set off after a few hours of riding stop for some breakfast. It’s easy for me not to fix breakfast at a campsite because before you know it there goes another hour of fussing around.

Thanks again,

Jim

Fitness is key. My guess is that most folks that I see on the Katy would not beleive that a Century (or 90 miles) would be fairly easy to pull off in a day.



There are those who can ride 100+ in a week. That's just 20 miles a day for 5 days or so. That is somewhat different than doing a near Century for six days straight. I'd have to reclassify a ride from "fairly easy" to something else if it involved pain.

Jim, your plans to stay in Rocheport on the "flip-flop" should include us, www.schoolhousebb.com. Check it out and best of luck!

With 14+ hours of daylight, doing a Katy round trip in 6 days is very doable. I'm planning a similar trip for late April or early May. I would recommend doing a 75 to 100 mile day trip in a rural area with your loaded trailer a few weeks before your trip to make sure you and your bike are ready to handle it.

Jim- It sounds like you will be traveling relatively light and not carrying much food. Plan your stops carefully! Do not assume services will be available in the small towns along the trail until you have confirmed it with a phone call.

Jim - wishing you a great trip.

I agree with Maxine from Sedalia. When you return from a butt-busting 90 mpday bike

trip, what you come home with is bragging rights and a feeling of accomplishment, but

you won't come close to seeing the area and enjoying the uniqueness of the historic Katy

Trail. You can do all that mileage stuff at home. I know I won 't change your mind, I used

to do 80 mile days on tours, and I came home feeling good about it, but when I slowed

down to 45 mile days, I found out about the food, the local beers, the friendly people in

the cafes. I took more pictures and learned to sketch. I like it better now, and one of

these days when you're a geezer biker like me, you will also like it better. Meanwhile,

have a good trip, I'll be on the Trail in May, look for the old guy on the Blue Bianchi in the

slow lane. One word regarding saddle angst -- Vicodin.



Pubmeister

I can understand both sides of this one. In one respect, there are a few sights to see along the way (in some respects), and there are many folks who would appreciate it if people were to. But in the other respect, the Katy offers something that's rare when it comes to riding - the opportunity for distance without much pressure. It's flat, and has very little traffic concern compared with "back home" for most of us (rolling steep hills in MO and probably mountains in CO) and resources are generally easy to find without too much effort and planning. So it's a good intro to long-distance riding. And even if you already are versed in riding with all those stressors, it's always nice to get into nature and have a stress free time and see how your performance translates to an environment like the Katy.

Picked up some gossip about this bar, formerly known as "Steedman's Only Bar (SOBs)", at another tavern down the trail. It's had a bit of bad luck since Terry skipped town taking inventory and who knows what else. Apparently, Bernie (the proprietor), is looking to get a new liquor license, and wants to open up again soon. Not sure how true any of this is, but it would be nice to have one more stop on the trail open for business.

Just passed through 3 days ago and the loading dock still had a huge pile of "remodeling"

garbage and was disappointed to see it...had a great time there in '02 when it was the SOB.

A lot of trail industries were still shut down (except KATY Roundhouse) including Trailside in

Rocheport. While it might have been technically open it wasn't at 10-ish in the morning.

Really need to think about water availability at all trailheads. I can do vault toilets just fine,

but water....gotta have it...rule of 3's. All in all without SOB, or TSG a real loss hope it rises

like the phoenix. Mark