Katy Trail Forum

At the end of the long ride, we were pleased to have a great place to spend the night and rest up. Clean and a great cont breakfast. The desk clerks could take a lesson in congeniality, but overall a nice place to wrap up the trip. We even left our bikes outside without a lock - no problem!

At the end of the long ride, we were pleased to have a great place to spend the night and rest up. Clean and a great cont breakfast. The desk clerks could take a lesson in congeniality, but overall a nice place to wrap up the trip. We even left our bikes outside without a lock - no problem!

They treated us very well. Let us put our bikes in our room and the location can't be beat.

They treated us very well. Let us put our bikes in our room and the location can't be beat.

Here's the short version; I did an end-to-end last JUN and, never having visited St Charles before, wanted to have a local brew to remember the occasion, but couldn't due to scheduling. Sooo... Finally got back to St. Charles this year (wonderful weekend of riding the KATY 19-21JUN), and my wife encouraged me to "complete" my 2008 ride. Bottom line? Long wait, s-l-o-w service, and poor value. I wish I could say otherwise, but even the waiter said the kitchen is notoriously slow. 'Nuff said.

Here's the short version; I did an end-to-end last JUN and, never having visited St Charles before, wanted to have a local brew to remember the occasion, but couldn't due to scheduling. Sooo... Finally got back to St. Charles this year (wonderful weekend of riding the KATY 19-21JUN), and my wife encouraged me to "complete" my 2008 ride. Bottom line? Long wait, s-l-o-w service, and poor value. I wish I could say otherwise, but even the waiter said the kitchen is notoriously slow. 'Nuff said.

Too bad. We love stopping here. Next time try Lewis & Clarks.

Too bad. We love stopping here. Next time try Lewis & Clarks.

Had several beers there on July 6. They kept our glasses full the entire evening. Their Pilsner was excellent! Would not recommend drinking several beers the night before your ride but I can't blame them for that. I think the food was pretty good too.

Had several beers there on July 6. They kept our glasses full the entire evening. Their Pilsner was excellent! Would not recommend drinking several beers the night before your ride but I can't blame them for that. I think the food was pretty good too.

Great bike shop, took care of our needs with sincerity and care. Allowed us to finnish the trail with ease.

Great bike shop, took care of our needs with sincerity and care. Allowed us to finnish the trail with ease.

We also had a good experience with Revolution Cycles earlier this week. The guy wasn't sure at first that he could fix the bike, but he did, got it done in about an hour while we had lunch. We had enough time in the day to get back on the trail and finish our ride for the day.

We also had a good experience with Revolution Cycles earlier this week. The guy wasn't sure at first that he could fix the bike, but he did, got it done in about an hour while we had lunch. We had enough time in the day to get back on the trail and finish our ride for the day.

Great place to stay, Thom is an awesome host, the breakfast is wonderful, and rooms are just right. If you are a biker, or just a traveler, I would return and stay here again anytime.

Great place to stay, Thom is an awesome host, the breakfast is wonderful, and rooms are just right. If you are a biker, or just a traveler, I would return and stay here again anytime.

Does anyone ever look for real estate on the Trail? either to live or operate a business? if so, please respond as we have some nice properties along the trail and off for country living.

Perhaps a local Mathasville realator could best answer that question for you.

For the next week and a half, those of you who subscribe to the Forum Daily Digest might not get your email digest every day. I am going to be on vacation with only occasional internet access, so I might not be able to run the digest process each day. Things will be back to normal by July 28.



For those of you who do not know, the Digest is a daily email which includes all postings from this forum from the prior day. You can subscribe at the Forum Digest Subscription page.



As always, thank you for being a part of this great community. Happy trails!

hi there folks out in katy trail land.



have read numerous times that there is a slight incline from i think sedialia to boonville. is this correct and how bad is it. i will be in sedalia the weekend of the 24ththrou---till my g'son gets beat in the little league allstars. i plan on riding to clinton from sedalia and back as well as to booneville and back. so was just wonderin what to expect on the boonville side. any help, please, and thanx.

Here is link to the website elevation map:



[url]http://www.bikekatytrail.com/elevations.asp[/url]



The Katy is an old railroad bed and it's flat. It's not what you would call hilly. But it is noticeable. As I recall it slowed me down a couple mph.

Click on the Milage Chart link above. Below the milage chart is a link for an elevation chart. It should give you a pretty good idea of the elevation along the trail.

I rode from clifton city to Booneville and back last weekend and the elevation changes seemed so gradual to me I couldn't always tell if I was going uphill, downhill or level. At no point would the bike coast without slowing down in either direction (34mm tires at 90#). It seems like the slight downhill from approximately the I-70 bridge down into Booneville was the most pronounced. Then again, there may have been delerium at work here.

If your bike will coast without slowing down the last 4 - 5 miles West of Pilot Grove, you need to patent that sucker. :)

thanx loads everone. i have rode the katy on the eastern end numerous times, and a few miles from sedalia east, but nuttin to brag about. i knew there was some elevations changes, just didn't know how much. thanx for the inffo on the milage and elevations chart. lookin forward to next weeekend. gettin some katy time.

Last updates I see are from April it appears. Anyone have any additional details on the Machens extension. If we wanted to go from Machens going west, where does the trail start out of Machens? Is there parking? It sounds like there's just a short section near Bales park that's not complete. Is that the case? Would appreciate any info as we're looking for somewhere to ride Saturday.

There is another dicussion on Machens not too long ago in June or early July. Browse back and look for it. There is no parking at Machens TH yet, but restroom is probably functional. I don't remember seeing any roads next to it except lots of RR tracks at the end. Black Walnut is another stop (or TH) between Saint Charles TH and Machens TH, and I think there is a road next to it. I am guessing it's about 4.6 miles between Black Walnut and Machens. You could start out at Black Walnut and do a round trip thru Machens. Both Black Walnut and Machens are not officially open yet, and I would not park my vehicles there. It's desolate out there. Yes, there are two unfinished sections which someone previously mentioned them as "more like a wagon trail" and it is about 3 miles. It looks like the unfinished sections are running on top of a levee. Matt and I took some pictures with the "wagon trail" last month, and Matt mentioned that someone must have cut the grass. It was about knee high.

Planning five days on the Katy. Are there services that will take luggage from one stop to another over a five day period of time? Is there anyone you'd recommend to set up a five day trip for us, including reservations and luggage transportation? In advance, thanks!

I'm not sure that there is a service to transport your luggage or plan your trip. However if you go the the FAQ on this website, there is a question about "I don't want to go it alone - how can I get support in planning my trip" that may help you. My 25 yr. old daughter and I just finished a ride from Rocheport to St.Charles (our first long distance bike ride) and my husband was our support. He drove the car from stop to stop, met us in between, transported our luggage, etc. For rookies it made all the difference. We ran into another group that had one of the husbands doing the same. If you could find a friend or family member that was willing to do that, it would take care of transporting your luggage. The support person also gets to drive around beautiful rural Missouri countrysides and can check out things you may want to do as side trips.

If you go to the home page of this website, on the left side of the page near the top you'll see a green ad for Katy Trail Tours from the Independent Tourist. Click that ad for details - they do exactly what you're asking about.

I am thinking of taking a day off while biking the Katy. Would Jefferson City be a good place to sight-see? I noticed there are a few hotels right downtown but there are more hotels out Rt. 54. I've been advised to take the Checker Cab from the north side of the river. Any comments?

Thanks

The museum in the Capital, and the building itself is a target as is the old penitentiary. I don't wish to ignite another storm, but riding across the bridge is not that bad. There are a couple of nice B&B's downtown that are worth checking out.

My girls (teen daughters) and I have stayed at the Ramada a couple of times - as they actually will come pick you up and you can take the bikes into your room.....but it is not that close to anything for sight seeing. I am thinking taxis might be an option.

I wouldn't want to try riding there from the trail head though.

Most of the posts mention the Best Value Inn, which is about 4-miles north of the trailhead on Hwy-54, or the motels downtown, like the DeVille, both which are slightly over 1-mile from the trailhead and close to the government and other sites.



Riders can take the trail 'spur' from the trailhead down to the Nutter/Airport road, and get onto Hwy-54/63 south there. Cross the bridge when the traffic looks do-able (there is a shoulder with small drainage grates on it), then turn east a block or two on Hwy-50, which is a short ways past the south side of the bridge. Also, one can take the streets east and south to H-50 to get away from the hwy traffic. See the maps associated with the Jefferson City map-point above. If you decide to stay, have a nice one.

I live in Jefferson City and bike the trail often. Just got back from a 4 day bike trip from Rocheport to St. Charles with my daughter. I would not recommend biking over the MO. River bridge in Jefferson City. Taking a cab is a good idea. I've met bikers at the Jefferson City trailhead waiting on rides from Briar Rose Inn, Cliff House B & B, Hotel DeVille (they did not wait long) - those are all great options. I've heard excellent feedback about all of them. See the museum at the capitol, open 8-5, 7 days a week. Go to Lincoln University and see the Soldiers Memorial Plaza - very moving. See the Lewis and Clark monument close to capitol - contact Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) about a docent for that one. CVB now has ipods with walking tours and a self directed historic architecture tour. Take a walk down East Capitol Ave. Eat at Prison Brews, O'Donohue's, Madison's, Hotel Deville, Das Stein Haus, Ecco Bar (great greasy spoon type place), go to Jefferson Landing, Elizabeth Rozier Museum, new art gallery at corner of Washington and Missouri Blvd., Oh my God, I almost forgot the most important thing you must do - have ice cream at Central Dairy. Call and get their hours, they may close at 5, but that is the most important thing for you to do in our capitol. Oh, and have pastries at Chez Monet. Her chocolate chip cookies are soooooooo good. Downtown is lovely. For crying out loud, spend a week here! Enjoy.

Taking the taxi would be your easiest option. Traffic speed along Rt 54 is at least 60MPH so you're not much better off than crossing the bridge into Jeff city.



If you are somewhat adventurous, then go with Arkie's recommendation. You can safely cross the bridge using the designated bike lane on the northbound traffic (going out of Jeff city). This means that you would be biking against N bound traffic on the bridge while heading into Jeff city. Although the bike lane doesn't have concrete barricade to separate bikers from normal traffic, it's at least 7 feet wide. See pictures of the lane from MO DNR 2009 ride (Pictures show bike traffic heading out of Jeff City in the early morning)



http://www.mostateparks.com/katytrail/2009ride/day3pics.htm



During the 2009 DNR ride (there were about 400 riders), we had the option of whether taking the shuttle or riding in. About 50% of riders rode in. I rode in alone since I was one of the last riders. It's very doable especially if you're a roadie. Below is the DNR riding direction to cross the bridge.



From the Jeff TH, take the City Spur Trail (one mile) which will dump you to Cedar City Dr. Turn right on Cedar City Dr to Hwy. W. Turn left and cross over Hwy. 63. Turn right, against traffic, onto the off ramp. Travel south on the northbound bridge, within the bicycle lane.

This will be the first time riding the katy. I would like to know how many days it should take to complete the full ride. With time to stop at the different sites and see the views.

Thats a common, but tough question Charles. It all depends on you......what speed you normaly average and how much time you like to spend seeing the sights. If I were you, I'd use the "Plan a Ride" feature above to determine what there is that you like to do or see and then do some math on my own. Only you know what interests you have and what your speed and M.O. are for the trip.



Someone could easily say 4 days and you could do it in 3 and wonder why the extra day. At the same time, someone could say 4 days and it could take you 6 days finishing up wishing you had more time to see or do more.



Bad answer I know. But the truth is there are several factors that must be used to answer that question for each individual. And only you know what the specifics are to your ride style to help you do the math.

Three days seems to be a common time for serious riders who want to complete the length of the trail one-way with adequate stops, site seeing, and picture taking along the way. The length (hours) of the riding day depends on the number of stops made. :) That distance per day amounts to about 75-miles.



Yet, riders who are vacationing on the trail seem to do 40-to-50-miles/day while taking in the eating/watering spots, camping out, and enjoying the various wineries and b&b's along the trail, which is more like a five-to-six-day trip. Not sure this helps any? :)

I just got back from my first long ride on the Katy Trail. We started at Rocheport and went to St. Charles in 4 days of biking. That is a little over half way. We did not push ourselves. It got pretty hot a couple of days, and we had rain on 2 days, as well as a break down.



As others have commented, it depends on your strength and experience, how much time you want to spend enjoying the sights. I'm new at long distance biking so I planned accordingly. The next time I do this I plan on going around 30 miles a day, so that if I run into bad weather, and breakdowns, it won't be a problem. I will also have plenty of time to enjoy the little towns, wineries, historic sights and people along the way.

Three friends and I stayed at The Globe the night of July 13th, 2009.

After a ride that took rather longer than we expected, we got into

Hartsburg around 6:30 in the evening. After being greeted by

Jeanette, we pulled our bikes around back and went inside for two or

three glasses of fresh, real, not-from-a-mix lemonade--a nice

surprise! We learned quickly that *nothing* in Hartsburg is open on a

Monday night. If you want dinner on a Monday, the only way to be sure

you'll get it is to bring it with you from home. Jeanette, though,

going above and beyond the "terms" of our stay (without expecting

compensation), offered to make us some peanut butter sandwiches while

we showered. When we came down, "peanut butter sandwiches" had turned

into wheat bread, peanut butter, strawberry preserves, carrots,

celery, canned peaches, tuna salad, and more lemonade. Her

hospitality has convinced us that this is *the* place to stay along

the trail; we'll be back next year. While I can understand the

complaints about the cats (I believe she said there were a total of 9,

with around 4 living inside), the house both looked and smelled

spectacularly clean. Had I not seen the cats, I would have never

suspected that they lived there. Jeanette doesn't allow the cats in

the rooms, though this did not save one of my friend's allergy from

being irritated. Barring people with very sensitive allergies, I

would recommend everyone stay at The Globe.

Three friends and I stayed at The Globe the night of July 13th, 2009.

After a ride that took rather longer than we expected, we got into

Hartsburg around 6:30 in the evening. After being greeted by

Jeanette, we pulled our bikes around back and went inside for two or

three glasses of fresh, real, not-from-a-mix lemonade--a nice

surprise! We learned quickly that *nothing* in Hartsburg is open on a

Monday night. If you want dinner on a Monday, the only way to be sure

you'll get it is to bring it with you from home. Jeanette, though,

going above and beyond the "terms" of our stay (without expecting

compensation), offered to make us some peanut butter sandwiches while

we showered. When we came down, "peanut butter sandwiches" had turned

into wheat bread, peanut butter, strawberry preserves, carrots,

celery, canned peaches, tuna salad, and more lemonade. Her

hospitality has convinced us that this is *the* place to stay along

the trail; we'll be back next year. While I can understand the

complaints about the cats (I believe she said there were a total of 9,

with around 4 living inside), the house both looked and smelled

spectacularly clean. Had I not seen the cats, I would have never

suspected that they lived there. Jeanette doesn't allow the cats in

the rooms, though this did not save one of my friend's allergy from

being irritated. Barring people with very sensitive allergies, I

would recommend everyone stay at The Globe.

The Katy Trail Merchants and Communities organization will be hosting a Katy Trail Merchant Conference in Defiance, MO on August 11, 2009. We are in the process of starting a non-profit organization to help market the Katy Trail. Please go to our website katytrailmac.com for more information about the organization and the conference. Our thanks to Ray Scott of this website for being one of our sponsors.

Is a cue sheet required for the trip or does one just get on one end of the trail and take off for the other end?

Not required, but maps are available at the trailheads. Also, the Plan a Ride feature above can help you determine where food, lodging, etc. are located along the way.

We stayed at the Hartsburg Inn last week. The room was clean and cozy and you could not ask more of our hostess Cath. We arrived in town when Dotty's was closing and the Hitching Post has closed (as of a couple of weeks ago). We were starving and Cath most graciously offered her car to go to town and get something to eat. She was very accommodating. Would definitely stay there again.

We stayed at the Hartsburg Inn last week. The room was clean and cozy and you could not ask more of our hostess Cath. We arrived in town when Dotty's was closing and the Hitching Post has closed (as of a couple of weeks ago). We were starving and Cath most graciously offered her car to go to town and get something to eat. She was very accommodating. Would definitely stay there again.

Last year we biked the C&O Towpath trail and this year we are going to bike the Katy. We thought we knew everything last year and we were very wrong. Besides being fantastic the trail was quite isolated with minimal cell reception if needed. The trail itself was rutted, rocky and lots of large roots. That made for a very jarring ride. We had to be constantly on high alert to evade the larger debris for fear of going down. We can average 14 miles/hour on a paved path and assumed we would go 12 mph on a compacted path--we were lucky to go 10. We would finish the days both physically and mentally exhausted.

Is there anybody out there who can compare the two trail? What don't we know about the Katy?

Thanks

I have done both. I didn't find the C & O as bad as you described, but it did have its issues. You will find the Katy much better maintained. The towns seem to cater more to the cyclist on the Katy(more lodging,food,etc)than the C & 0. Many businesses are closed on Mondays. Cell phone service was a little spotty(I use Sprint)but it worked near most towns.



You've come to the right place for your research. Good people like Trek, Doug, MAH, and Rhona will bend over backward to help you out on here. Proper planning will make your trip much more enjoyable.



Enjoy the trail, Paulie

The KATY is almost always well maintained. The surface is crushed limestone, which packs hard and is very suitable for biking The limestone can be dusty, so you may want to bring along something to clean your chain. Except for the occasional soft spot, you won't have any of the surface issues you had on the C & O. The only problem you might have is, if there is a soaking rain for a day or two, the surface gets a little mushy, but it dries out quickly. Most of the towns are small, but almost all have somewhere you can buy snacks or a meal.

The C&O is also lacking in that it doesn't have a forum like this. Also, this is a much more comprehensive web sight!

Sometimes there are washout areas that create a possibly crash-inducing drop off. Sometimes there are deep cracks in the trail that could swallow a wheel. Sometimes the trail is repaired by dumping a pile of loose limestone that can cause handling problems.



And sometimes there are downed trees that required evasive action or dismounting and carrying the bike over and around.



Not all of the time, of course, but you do need to watch the trail.



Then there's the occasional stray cow or snake to avoid.

I have done the trail several times and plan to do so again in October. Other than the occasional body and odd meteorite impact you will find it to be a delightful experience. :)

although not having done the entire trail, i have done bits and pieces. even rode from columbia to rocheport and back after a mid missouri toad strangler of a rain storm the previous day and absolutely no problem on the trail whatsoever. trail was good, no rutting problems at all. only problem ever incured was a downed tree about 1-1 1/2 miles west of hartsburg. had to litterally crawl around the tree. fortunately, there was a trail maintanence man at hartsburg, told him, and he immediately drove up and cut it up. otherwise, no problems at all.



best advise, plan for anything, be careful, and enjoy the ride.

I rode the C&O several years ago in 3 days (Cumberland/Hancock/Harpers

ferry/DC). I found short sections rough as you described, but overall

OK. You might have hit it after some heavy rains/flooding.



We ride hybrid bikes (mountain bike, but with sit-up handle bars,

wider tires, smooth on the face, knobby on the sidewall)which give a

much better ride than a rode bike on unpaved trails like the KT and

C&O.



Last year my wife and I rode the Katy (we are 64 yrs old). The Katy is

much better condition. Our trip was on the "tailend" of two

hurricanes, and there was flooding, some areas closed, and some areas

washedout, but this is a rare situation. The state was out repairing

these areas the very next day. The Katy is not anything like as remote

as the C&O, although you will have to cross to the south side of the

river in some locations to find food/lodging (Washington, Hermann,

Jeffersonville)---about 1-3 miles roughly. Many other food/lodging

opportunities are located right on the trail. This website is the most

comprehensive source of information of any trail that I have ridden!



Don't miss the Globe at Hartsburg or Doug Randleman's B&B at Bluffton.



Cell phone service was spotty, but I have T-Mobile which probably has

the least coverage. I believe Verizon is probably the one with the

best coverage.



If you want more info on specifically where we stayed/etc. feel free

to email me direct: dgat1989@yahoo.com

We have ridden both the Katy and the C&O (as well as the Great Allegheny Passage). The surface of the Katy is FAR superior to the C&O, the latter being just natural dirt. It's hard, dries out quickly, and drains well. Some parts were so firm they were almost like pavement. Since it's not a national park like the C&O, there are more services too. They're both great rides, just different.

This place is awesome!!!!!! We were starving to death - ok - really hungry for real food - not energy bars - when we pulled in. There was no one around. We went in the store and there was a guy in there. He had about anything you might need in the store. We got some pop and ask him about the Thai food. He didn't think it was open on Mondays. Well, we went outside and Chim (I think that's her name) was there getting ready to do some cooking for that night. We know that because we ask. She agreed to cook us something, even though she really wasn't open. We chose a dish and she was able to make it for us. It was sooooooo good. We ate it all - bad idea as there was a lot and we still had a ways to go. We sure enjoyed it, though. We sat on the picnic benches eating that wonderful food and watching the river. The breeze was cooling, and it was a Zen moment.

This place is awesome!!!!!! We were starving to death - ok - really hungry for real food - not energy bars - when we pulled in. There was no one around. We went in the store and there was a guy in there. He had about anything you might need in the store. We got some pop and ask him about the Thai food. He didn't think it was open on Mondays. Well, we went outside and Chim (I think that's her name) was there getting ready to do some cooking for that night. We know that because we ask. She agreed to cook us something, even though she really wasn't open. We chose a dish and she was able to make it for us. It was sooooooo good. We ate it all - bad idea as there was a lot and we still had a ways to go. We sure enjoyed it, though. We sat on the picnic benches eating that wonderful food and watching the river. The breeze was cooling, and it was a Zen moment.

We have made the trip to Easley twice recently just to eat at Chim's Thai place(both times on a Saturday) and Chim's Thai Kitchen was closed. It was earlier than stated closed time (around 7:45pm or so) and she seemed upset and wouldn't give us a reason. She just said the kitchen is closed. Others were upset also because they rode there just to eat.

We have made the trip to Easley twice recently just to eat at Chim's Thai place(both times on a Saturday) and Chim's Thai Kitchen was closed. It was earlier than stated closed time (around 7:45pm or so) and she seemed upset and wouldn't give us a reason. She just said the kitchen is closed. Others were upset also because they rode there just to eat.

My boyfriend and another couple are planning on tackling the Katy Trail in October. We're so excited!! However, we have talked to others who have done it and they have mentioned that during the summer (of all seasons) the campgrounds along the trail are overgrown and unkempt. Is this common? Do we need to plan on staying someplace or can we bet on camping?

The State Campground Association monitors the grass height in Arkansas to determine when it should be cut in Missouri. All campgrounds are required by state law to be a member of the Association and may not by law cut, damage, remove, or deform any grass or grass product until instructed to do so or suffer consequences of the law. Wagering on camping is not allowed by Missouri state law. I think dog fights are on the way out too. You may still be able to do that across the border tho.

You can stay in the Volunteer Park in Hartsburg. It is mowed and next to a bathroom and there is a resturant right across the street. We would welcome you to our town.

I forgot to mention if you come to Hartsburg on October 10 and 11 there will be 55,000 other people here attending the 18th annual Pumpkin Festival so camping may be difficult.