Katy Trail Forum

tebbetts and peers are the only two towns in the middle of the 50 miles between mckittrick

and hartsburg. FUEL UP AT THE PEERS STORE instead of in tebbetts. the peers store is open

more consistently for SURE. going E to W, had i not stopped in peers (and opted for tebbetts

instead) i would have been SOL. only things "open" were a post office and a vending machine.

Ummm, did you maybe miss something? Peers is east of McKittrick not west, there are also the towns of Rhineland, Bluffton, Portland, and Mokane before you get to Hartsburg. Three if these towns have bar/restaurants, Rhineland Portland and Mokane, Bluffton has a snack shop right on the trail, and Mokane also has a small grocery store. Plus there are several B&Bs along the way.

;-) Wondered which B&B they stayed at? It's a good idea to carry a ziploc bag of quarters

for the vending machines.

Mokane is 6 miles down the road to the East, and has both a bar/grill AND a grocery store that has a deli. Plus they have a gas station and post office. The store is open from 7am till 9pm and the bar/grill is open from 9am till at least 11pm and later if there are people. The only other town that has more than 1 option and has those kinds of hours is Rhineland which is 20-25 miles to the East, way past Mokane. I'd say the best bet is Mokane. No really good places to stay for quite a stretch, though.

I've been to Mokane several times. The bar has excellent hot food. Try the catfish or tenderloin. The store has excellent deli sandwiches and pizza, potato salad. I've mailed some of my extra gear home from their post office. Everyone is friendly. GOOD people! Nice little town and worth the stop. Great well-kept old historical buildings.

Stayed here at the Carriage House, and it was GREAT!! Our party of 6 fit easily and it was very comfortable!! Spacious and cozy at the same time, if that's possible! Storage for bikes below in garage is really handy - nice feature. Hot tub was out of commission when we stayed, but could be GREAT for tired muscles!

Minor caveat: Self check-in is unique and handy, but MAKE SURE to remember code for keypad. Forgot to print off reservation and it was almost disasterous. That's MY fault, of course, but with self-checkin, owners aren't around and sometimes are hard to get by phone.

EXTRA NOTE: Co-owner Brett Dufur is author of THE Katy Trail Guidebook!! :-)

Stayed here at the Carriage House, and it was GREAT!! Our party of 6 fit easily and it was very comfortable!! Spacious and cozy at the same time, if that's possible! Storage for bikes below in garage is really handy - nice feature. Hot tub was out of commission when we stayed, but could be GREAT for tired muscles!

Minor caveat: Self check-in is unique and handy, but MAKE SURE to remember code for keypad. Forgot to print off reservation and it was almost disasterous. That's MY fault, of course, but with self-checkin, owners aren't around and sometimes are hard to get by phone.

EXTRA NOTE: Co-owner Brett Dufur is author of THE Katy Trail Guidebook!! :-)

Where is the Carriage House located?

Where is the Carriage House located?

Carriage House = Part of Katy Trail Bed & Bikefest B&B in Rocheport, MO.

Carriage House = Part of Katy Trail Bed & Bikefest B&B in Rocheport, MO.

Yes - sorry I didn't make that clear. Go to Katy Trail Bed and Bikefest and the Carriage House is ONE of several choices/rooms they have available.

Yes - sorry I didn't make that clear. Go to Katy Trail Bed and Bikefest and the Carriage House is ONE of several choices/rooms they have available.

Two of my buddies and I are in the process of planning a ride for the end of July. We will be leaving from Clinton and ending in St. Charles. We want to camp at campsites along the way. I am working on plotting our stops. I have the first day riding to Booneville (72.8 miles), day 2 to Portland (75.9 miles), day 3 to Augusta (49.5 Miles), and finishing with 26.9 miles to St. Charles. What do you guys think about those stops? Do you have other recommendations? I am confident in the ability of one of the other riders, but not in the other. Do you think 70+ miles will be too challenging? Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Deoending on the wind speed/direction and temperature 70 miles can be a load if buddy is not used to riding distances. Have you thought of maybe taking a little distance off of the first two days and doing a little more on the last two? When we do a 4-day trip we usually do 3 60-mile days and a 45-mile day at the end.

70+ miles per day are achievable for intermediate riders. Your biggest challenges for the first two days will be up-hills, heat, and sun.



Day 1: Clinton to Pilot Groves. Camp at City Park (next to trail)



Day 2: Pilot Grove to Tebbetts. Sleep at Turner Katy Trail Shelter Hostel for $5 each (100 yard from the trail)



Day 3: Tebbetts to Marthasville. Camp at Community Club Park.



Day 4: Marthasville to St.Charles.

I echo bikerstuff's comments. The Turner Shelter will give you a chance to cool off in the AC and take a shower. Fairly good food next door at the bar and grill.

Thank you so much for that insight. A bar and grill sounds pretty good. Any other info greatly appreciated.

75 mi. a day is do able but you shouold prepare. Do some distance before the ride. Have ridden the trail in 3 days in late June in the past. West to East was the toughest. Good campgrounds all along the trail. Great eatries and rest stops. In July the heat can be a problem.

The comment on "west to east" being the toughest direction throws me a bit. I had heard the

trail was flat as a pancake and the wind shoul be pushing diagonally at your back riding west

to east. How tough can it be?

We have ridden West to East several times. Going this direction, there are some definite inclines before Sedalia, a few miles before Cliffton City (i think this one is the longest/steepest) and then pretty much uphill/downhill grades all the way from Cliffton City until about 3 miles before Boonville, at which time you get a nice steady downhill into Boonville. After that, it's pretty much flat.



It does however, make a huge difference if you are riding these during the heat of the day or not. I find them to be pretty easy unless it's 1 - 4 pm on a hot day. Regardless, I have had heat problems before, however on our last trip in June 09 I made a concentrated effort to hydrate and had no problems at all. Hydration makes all the difference!

"The comment on "west to east" being the toughest direction throws me a bit. I had heard the

trail was flat as a pancake and the wind shoul be pushing diagonally at your back riding west

to east. How tough can it be?"



It is very flat, but there is a noticeable change of grade west of Boonville. We're talking maybe 2% grades that go on for few hundred yards or longer and continue toward the west. Sometimes I wouldn't even see a change in the trail, but did notice myself going a couple mph slower. Add some heat, humidity and a long day in the saddle and it does make it a little harder.

Regarding 'flat as a pancake' and which direction is most difficult...I've ridden it each way and I felt east to west was a little more challenging. However I think the time of year may play a role. Last October I went from St Charles to Clinton and had some pretty good head winds once I past Booneville.

Good luck

I've ridden the trail in 2 days on a mtn. bike and it's pretty easy although most of your ride from Clinton to Booneville will be slightly uphill as you make your way up to the river. Booneville is definitely doable in one day if you're in mediocre shape but if you don't put in a lot of miles regularly you'll probably be feeling it by the time you get to Booneville. Please feel free to email me if you have any questions.

We recently biked the Katy trail and choose the W/S house as one of our stops (4nights)We decided on the house before it was bought by the current owners, and once it changed hands (mid April) we decided to keep our reservation (we booked in January). I want to stress that the new current owners are not to be confused with the previous!

We were extremely disappointed in what we got for our money. The house itself had not had a thorough cleaning in quite awhile. Dust bunnies on the floor, under cabinets (as well as GARBAGE) were plentiful. The bathroom off the sitting room had not been cleaned, and indeed, as the owner first met us and was showing us around, he had to flush the toilet! The cabinet in the kitchen had a smelly bag of very old beer cans and there were ROTTING potaoes on a shelf! The fireplace had a horrible odor, which even permeated through the wall to the adjoining bedroom. The chair that sat close to the fireplace even smelled. There were two coffee cans on the tables outside full of cigarette butts.

We splurged for this house and work hard for our money. After a phone call to the owner when we got home, our hope is that he took all of our concerns to heart, and the next people to rent this house will be pleasantly surprised and not feel that their money spent should have gone elsewhere.

We recently biked the Katy trail and choose the W/S house as one of our stops (4nights)We decided on the house before it was bought by the current owners, and once it changed hands (mid April) we decided to keep our reservation (we booked in January). I want to stress that the new current owners are not to be confused with the previous!

We were extremely disappointed in what we got for our money. The house itself had not had a thorough cleaning in quite awhile. Dust bunnies on the floor, under cabinets (as well as GARBAGE) were plentiful. The bathroom off the sitting room had not been cleaned, and indeed, as the owner first met us and was showing us around, he had to flush the toilet! The cabinet in the kitchen had a smelly bag of very old beer cans and there were ROTTING potaoes on a shelf! The fireplace had a horrible odor, which even permeated through the wall to the adjoining bedroom. The chair that sat close to the fireplace even smelled. There were two coffee cans on the tables outside full of cigarette butts.

We splurged for this house and work hard for our money. After a phone call to the owner when we got home, our hope is that he took all of our concerns to heart, and the next people to rent this house will be pleasantly surprised and not feel that their money spent should have gone elsewhere.

My husband & I own the Weber-Schulte Guest House and have NEVER had any complaints (if fact, just the opposite) so this review came as a complete shock to us. These guests stayed for four days and never once called to complain. If they were dissatisfied in any way, why didn't they call us the first day of their four-day stay? We could have addressed any issues. Why didn't they ask for a refund? We would gladly have refunded their money in total if they were unsatisfied. We also could have found them new accommodations quite easily. We never want our guests to be unsatisfied in any way.



Oddly enough, we saw them one night on the porch of the Guest House overlooking the park & they waved and smiled and never mentioned a word about being the accommodations.



I just have to wonder why anyone would make these accusations publically like this but never say anything during the stay. I believe it's always best to discuss things upfront - it's more productive and gives everyone a chance to be satisfied.

My husband & I own the Weber-Schulte Guest House and have NEVER had any complaints (if fact, just the opposite) so this review came as a complete shock to us. These guests stayed for four days and never once called to complain. If they were dissatisfied in any way, why didn't they call us the first day of their four-day stay? We could have addressed any issues. Why didn't they ask for a refund? We would gladly have refunded their money in total if they were unsatisfied. We also could have found them new accommodations quite easily. We never want our guests to be unsatisfied in any way.



Oddly enough, we saw them one night on the porch of the Guest House overlooking the park & they waved and smiled and never mentioned a word about being the accommodations.



I just have to wonder why anyone would make these accusations publically like this but never say anything during the stay. I believe it's always best to discuss things upfront - it's more productive and gives everyone a chance to be satisfied.

I am frustrated with all the comments that say things like "Never Go Here" or "Avoid this Place". Please everyone remember that while this is absolutely the place to voice your opinions, who are you to tell others where to stay or eat. We are all different people, so what you may find offensive may not bother me much, and vice versa.



Tell us your experience, tell us if you think the burgers are good, or if you felt the cleanliness of a place wasn't up to par, or if you felt like you were rudely treated, but please don't tell us what to do.



I find it rude of you to tell others to stay away from a place just because you didn't enjoy it. I want to know about your experiences, but I am an adult and can make my own decisions. Please be more respectful of others and allow us to make up our own minds.

Well said Kim! Trek, I think Kim just summed it up perfectly

Can we also prevent people from saying "Go there!"?



Because, who are they to tell me where to spend my money?



In all seriousness, we are adults and we can figure out who is going overboard in their criticisms. If the place of business is worthy there will be positive follow-up reviews. Attempting to silence all criticism will reduce the value of the forum.

Above I said "Attempting to silence all criticism will reduce the value of the forum."



No one was recommending that we silence all criticism, so my criticism of the critique of the criticism went too far :->



All I'm trying to say is let people speak, and if they go too far others can respond and make things right again.

I just would like to see more respectful feedback. Frankly, after a few end-to-end trips on the Katy, there are some places I won't go to because of treatment we received. I however, don't feel I have the right to tell others not to go there, as these places have obviously met the needs of others at other times. It just seems like we could voice our opinions in a more courteous fashion.

"I just would like to see more respectful feedback. AM by kim,independence, mo"



I agree, but I know it won't happen. Some people are happy even when things are less than perfect, and others become infuriated if they don't get every penny's worth. I think that people who over-react do a bad job of hiding it. Let 'em talk.

Thanks, Kim. In all aspects of my life, I try to state the facts and let others make their own

judgements. I hope others can follow that advice here.

I agree with Kim. Try and state the objective facts.Such as 'the burger was cold' or 'the bathrooms were dirty'. Leave out the personality issues (ie. 'the owner was rude'). We all have bad days. After a long ride on the trail I know I'm not as perky as I could be (until I get a cold beer).



ka3751

Free speech is great...what a country!

We were at the Weber-Schulte House over the fourth of July. Easy walking to the riverfront

and downtown shops. Birdseye view of the concert grounds. Cooked some local handcrafted

brats on the backyard barby. The new owners are adding some great artwork and furnishings.

The bedding, towels and linens seemed brand new. We had a wonderful time!

We were at the Weber-Schulte House over the fourth of July. Easy walking to the riverfront

and downtown shops. Birdseye view of the concert grounds. Cooked some local handcrafted

brats on the backyard barby. The new owners are adding some great artwork and furnishings.

The bedding, towels and linens seemed brand new. We had a wonderful time!

Im contemplating a summer ride this August with two boys(cousins)...age 13 and 15. Our plan would be to ride from 5am-12noon...everyday to avoid the miserable heat. Our milage breakdown would be 61miles/88miles/51miles/46miles...(all the way downtown to the arch) Anybody have any insight or advice...?

Unless you just don't like the little fellows....I'd cut the miles back some. For August, 88 miles is a lot of miles in my book. If you think they can average over 12.5 mph go for it though. The trip may be more enjoyable if they had time to stop and check things out abit.

One other potential problem, depending on whether you are camping or staying indoors, is arrival at your nights lodging. Most places are still cleaning and prepping at that time so you would not be able to get in your rooms. If possible I'd sight see more during the day and do the last ride in early evening. Once the sun is lower the heat is more bearable even if the thermometer doesn't show it.

I agree with cutting back the mileage. The gravel slows you down, about 2 mph. We

usually keep it about 40-50 (we ride longer on the road). If you let your lodging know

you are riding the Katy while making reservations, they should be able to arrange an

early check-in. We rode to Hermann and at first the B&B said we couldn't check in until

4--until I told him we were riding the Katy, then he quickly changed his tune and made

alternate arrangements for us to check in at 11. Our goal is to get in before noon,

shower, eat, nap, eat!



Don't forget B&B's may not serve breakfast that early. We were able to make early

breakfast arrangements while making reservations.

Are the youngsters already riding around 40-45 miles now? If not, I, too, would decrease the mileage some--maybe start at a point a little closer to the St. Louis area if you're just doing one way. Riding the Katy is fun when given enough time to stop, look at some of the great scenery, take some pictures, read some of the points of interest along the way, etc. 13-15 is a great age and one where roads are being decided on in life, too; so make it as enjoyable as possible and ask them what they want from the trip.

You mentioned "all the way to the Arch." The trail ends in St. Charles. You're still about 30 minutes to Arch by car.

I would agree with cutting down on miles if really enjoy the trail and see some of the sites. Have ridden the 225 miles in 3 days and didn't have time to enjoy the sites. For enjoyment I would add aan additional day and do 40 to 50 milles a day. Allow a little time to enjoy the beauty of the trail. In August the heat and humidity can be very high,plan for this.

A visit to Cafe Bella does require you to climb the hills of Augusta, which are not inconsequential. Do not be daunted by the first hill up from the trailhead. It is the steepest... walk it if you must. We rode a tandem loaded with camping gear all the way up to the restaurant, and the reward for doing so was more than worth it. Cafe Bella are happy to provide abundant ice water with lemon; the food is gourmet but not fussy, generous in portion but reasonably priced. I would say it was one of the top two places we ate in 5 days on the trail (the other SereniTea House in Booneville, not directly on the trail). And they're open on Mondays!

A visit to Cafe Bella does require you to climb the hills of Augusta, which are not inconsequential. Do not be daunted by the first hill up from the trailhead. It is the steepest... walk it if you must. We rode a tandem loaded with camping gear all the way up to the restaurant, and the reward for doing so was more than worth it. Cafe Bella are happy to provide abundant ice water with lemon; the food is gourmet but not fussy, generous in portion but reasonably priced. I would say it was one of the top two places we ate in 5 days on the trail (the other SereniTea House in Booneville, not directly on the trail). And they're open on Mondays!

Just a reminder to all who pass through: This weekend is our annual 'over thirty' baseball tournament. It kicks off with two games Friday evening and continues all day on Saturday. The Hartsburg Athletic Club will be operating the concessions, and we'll be servining pork steaks, brats, hot dogs and cold drinks. Just turn south onto Bush Landing Road from the Katy Trail, and continue about two blocks to the American Legion Park. Feel free to stop by for some good baseball and great food. Ride Safe.

GREAT place to stay!! Maxine and Pete are two of the finest people around - will do almost anything for you. (And, if you're lucky, you can ride in their horse-drawn surrey!) And Chigger the dog will keep you busy chasing his toys :-).

Our party of 5 became 6 on short notice and Maxine worked with us to accomoate everyone - very helpful!!

House and location are even prettier (and roomier) than shown in picture - HUGE yard, pasture, etc. Fun to visit and roam. We'll definitely be back!!

NOTE to KT bikers: Map is wrong and could cause trouble (as it did for us). Katy Trail goes north through Sedalia on Emmit (sp?), NOT Engineer as pictured, so turn LEFT off Emmit onto Boonville to find New York Ave.

GREAT place to stay!! Maxine and Pete are two of the finest people around - will do almost anything for you. (And, if you're lucky, you can ride in their horse-drawn surrey!) And Chigger the dog will keep you busy chasing his toys :-).

Our party of 5 became 6 on short notice and Maxine worked with us to accomoate everyone - very helpful!!

House and location are even prettier (and roomier) than shown in picture - HUGE yard, pasture, etc. Fun to visit and roam. We'll definitely be back!!

NOTE to KT bikers: Map is wrong and could cause trouble (as it did for us). Katy Trail goes north through Sedalia on Emmit (sp?), NOT Engineer as pictured, so turn LEFT off Emmit onto Boonville to find New York Ave.

Quick update to our comment: View full comment for note on map mistake (and I DID mis-spell the street: Emmet.)

Quick update to our comment: View full comment for note on map mistake (and I DID mis-spell the street: Emmet.)

GREAT place to stay!! Our family party of 5 bikers took both cabooses (though one would have been enough - at least bed-wise) and had a great time. Nicely refurbished, very comfortable and VERY unique (ever seen a toilet in the shower? :-)). We'll return on next Katy Trail excursion!

Damon picked two of us up at Trailhead on short notice, as our plans changed in mid-trip, and delivered us back to trailhead next morning. He is VERY accomodating and easy to deal with. Everyone enjoyed him - and Abby, the dog, as well!

Small caveat to bikers only: Plan to bring food and/or cook out at his great fire spot, as Calhoun has NO eating places except for service station with carry-out pizza, chicken, etc., and cabooses are fairly removed from Calhoun anyway. If you have a support vehicle, as we did, there are good restaurants in Windsor - 7 miles away.

GREAT place to stay!! Our family party of 5 bikers took both cabooses (though one would have been enough - at least bed-wise) and had a great time. Nicely refurbished, very comfortable and VERY unique (ever seen a toilet in the shower? :-)). We'll return on next Katy Trail excursion!

Damon picked two of us up at Trailhead on short notice, as our plans changed in mid-trip, and delivered us back to trailhead next morning. He is VERY accomodating and easy to deal with. Everyone enjoyed him - and Abby, the dog, as well!

Small caveat to bikers only: Plan to bring food and/or cook out at his great fire spot, as Calhoun has NO eating places except for service station with carry-out pizza, chicken, etc., and cabooses are fairly removed from Calhoun anyway. If you have a support vehicle, as we did, there are good restaurants in Windsor - 7 miles away.

We had a 4 3/4 inch rain yesterday. There is a washout at state road PP. it is not as spectacular as some I have seen in the past but the trail will be closed for awhile. I have also gotten reports of numerous small washouts near Mokane. Along Hwy 94 you can see pieces of old railroad ties that were washed out.



They are usually pretty quick about getting the trail up and running again unless there are bigger washouts that I have not heard of. In my opinion DNR is doing a better job of preventing and repairing washouts than the railroad did in it's later years.

I'm sorry to start a new thread about this, but I have to make a comment about a previous post about the Hartsburg Inn. In there was a line that read, "We met up with some other folks that night and the next who stayed at the Globe and they weren't impressed with their accomodation either."



Did I stay at the same place these people did? You know what - this kind of stuff really pisses me off. Jeanette at the Globe Hotel was truly one of the sweetest, hospitable, hard-working ladies I have ever met. After 45 miles in 95 degree heat, she greeted us at the back door with large glasses of fresh lemonade. Though not a five-star B&B, the Globe was clean and comfortable. My room was very nice. There was a ceiling fan in each room, the bed was very comfortable, and Jeanette cranked down the AC that night. I slept like a baby. We missed out on dinner at Dottie's because she was closed, but Jeanette offered to make me some peanut butter sandwiches. I certainly didn't expect her to make me dinner. One other thing. Soon after we were settled in, a woman arrived on a mountain bike and wearing a huge backpack. Obviously I'm not an EMT, but this woman looked like she was teetering on the edge of heat stroke. She was flushed, breathing very shallow, and her speech was somewhat incoherent. Jeanette immediately recognized the symptoms, put her in a cool bath upstairs and gave her lots of fluids. She may very well of saved this woman a trip to the hospital, or worse.



Come on...give Jeanette some love! All I can say is that if you weren't impressed with the Globe's accommodations, then you are expecting way too much, or possibly Jeanette wasn't too impressed with you. Go ride in Vermont where you can hop across the state going from one $200 a night B&B to another. As someone else said, The Katy "is what it is". And it IS the best!!

I totally agree with all you say about the Globe and Jeanette....wonderful in all respects. Everything a biker needs and not a lot of the frilly frills that would just cost extra. I've stay there many many time and will continue to do so.

But....I do believe the Hartsburg Inn is a different place than the Globe. Maybe the poster with the bad experience wasn't talking about Jeanette and the Globe?

I'm hoping that most people that read the original posting recognized that as hearsay and that it has no value. The poster only used that comment to bolster his own negative statements and in so doing destroyed all of his credibility. The Globe is Great!

Doug - You are absolutely correct. It was hearsay and I too hope that people recognize it as such. I'm sorry for my mini-rant but when I read that post, I saw RED! Jeanette was such a kind, sweet lady. I couldn't stand to hear that negative comment. I guess my philosophy has always been, "If you don't have anything good to say, then don't say anything at all".



One more comment and I'm outta here. I live in the dirty, congested, crime infested Baltimore-Washington DC I-95 corridor. Coming to Missouri for the first time in my life to ride the Katy was a complete breath of fresh air. For that week, my soul was healed. The Katy is an awesome trail, and this trip turned out to be one of the best I have ever taken - despite the 95 degree heat. The truth of the matter is - even if there were no towns or resources along the way, and if all I had was a place to pitch my tent and access to water, I would still think the Katy was the BEST. I would ride it again in a heartbeat. Thanks for listening.

I stayed at the Globe last summer and Jeannette and the Globe was fabulous. I, too, see red when some poster dogs a restaurant or motel. If these places were/are as bad as some posters state then why are they still in business??? I look past the jazz some people say and make my own mind up on what I think about the B & B's and restaurants I frequent. This world is not perfect.