Katy Trail Forum

It's kind of a dumpy place, but the people are friendly. A large grilled ham & cheese sandwich, huge order of fries, and two draft beers set me back around $8.



Not bad.

All the characters from deliverance came from here... Yep.. It is true

Two weeks ago I biked from Clinton to Cooper’s Landing over three days. (An old man’s pace)

I knew from the elevation map that it was mostly uphill to Pilot Grove and I was happy to get there and supposedly start down hill to Boonville. The elevation chart says it is 825 feet at Pilot Grove and 615 at Boonville.

As I sat at the trailhead; I start reading the info board about the section of trail from PG to Boonville. It says something to the effect that “many riders consider this portion of the trail to be the most difficult due to the uphill grade” This is no mistake; as my geezer legs can attest.

My guess is that the discrepancy between the elevation chart and the actual trail, is that the Boonville elevation must be recorded at river level and not at the actual trail.

Maybe I stumbled into one of those roadside attractions where the water runs uphill.

too funny! enjoyed reading about your experience. A gal pal and I just rode in the Rocheport area and luckily it was all flat. Thank goodness. Your geezer legs must have survived, though and good for you!

i want to start at the crevecour conector and get on the trail from their and was wondering aproxmitly how far would 35-40 miles get me on the trail

A 35-40 miles one-way trip would put you around Marthasville trail head (TH). If someone is going to pick you up at the other end, then you're in good shape. If you have to turn around and ride back to Crevecour afterward, then you might be pushing your limit. A 70-80 miles trip in one day can be a challenge for even a seasoned rider. There is no water until you hit Dutzow TH, but stores, cold drinks, and eatery are available from Defiance to Marthasville.

What is the price per night?

What is the price per night?

I am planning a trip with my two daughters and would like to know what part of the trail is more kid friendly. By that I mean the occasional swimming pool, playground etc. I plan a mix of camping and hotels and would also like to know what part is more scenic, since i am not sure if we can complete the entire trail.

The larger towns like Clinton, Winston, Sedalia, Boonville, Columbia, Jeff-City, and St Charles have the greatest range of public/motel-pools. Also, many of the villages have nice parks that allow overnight camping. A bed-&-breakfast is a nice treat, too. Past posts indicate the Boonville-to-Jeff-City route to be the most scenic because of the combined high bluffs and Mighty-MO River. But, that preference can depend on the riders themselves. Some riders enjoy the wild flowers/plants, birds, and wildlife more. :)



The question of riding the trail with kids comes up a lot. Successful KT rides with kids are posted and reported in several places, sometimes on personal websites, but they are not always easy to find. You might check the ride/run/hike reports on the homepage of this website. Good luck.

this hotel is fine - great staff, historic building, clean rooms, and very close to the trail.

HOWEVER, if you are staying on a sunday, the town is DESERTED, everything is closed, and it

feels a little like the setting for a horror movie. i resorted to eating fast food for both lunch

and dinner because nothing was open, and hung out in my room for the entire afternoon and

evening because, again, nothing was open and it was also 100 degrees. the hotel is FINE, but

i don't recommend an extended stay in sedalia. maybe i missed something, though...

this hotel is fine - great staff, historic building, clean rooms, and very close to the trail.

HOWEVER, if you are staying on a sunday, the town is DESERTED, everything is closed, and it

feels a little like the setting for a horror movie. i resorted to eating fast food for both lunch

and dinner because nothing was open, and hung out in my room for the entire afternoon and

evening because, again, nothing was open and it was also 100 degrees. the hotel is FINE, but

i don't recommend an extended stay in sedalia. maybe i missed something, though...

I forgot small towns are like that--I went to college in Kirksville. Good to note for my

future rides.

I forgot small towns are like that--I went to college in Kirksville. Good to note for my

future rides.

I enjoyed my stay at the house of Dolores and Vergil. After riding from Clinton however it was also necessary, and Dolores’s assistance was immeasurably beneficial. Dolores dutifully picked me at the trailhead exactly on time, which was quite late in the day. She then drove me to her private home, for that is where you sleep and receive your meal; their place in town is not available. I was able to cover 70 miles the next day, and I doubt it would have been possible without Dolores’s assistance in other matters and particularly the bed and breakfast.

I enjoyed my stay at the house of Dolores and Vergil. After riding from Clinton however it was also necessary, and Dolores’s assistance was immeasurably beneficial. Dolores dutifully picked me at the trailhead exactly on time, which was quite late in the day. She then drove me to her private home, for that is where you sleep and receive your meal; their place in town is not available. I was able to cover 70 miles the next day, and I doubt it would have been possible without Dolores’s assistance in other matters and particularly the bed and breakfast.

Just returned home from a wonderful stay at Amber House Bed & Breakfast. The accomodations were beautiful, comfortable, and spotless. The grounds were lovely and well kept. Owners Mary & Steve know exactly how to makes their guests welcome by going the extra mile in all the little details. It was a perfect stay. We are a middle aged couple who like to be pampered. And that's just what we got. The price was reasonable as well when compared to other B & B's in the area. We would definately stay here again.

Just returned home from a wonderful stay at Amber House Bed & Breakfast. The accomodations were beautiful, comfortable, and spotless. The grounds were lovely and well kept. Owners Mary & Steve know exactly how to makes their guests welcome by going the extra mile in all the little details. It was a perfect stay. We are a middle aged couple who like to be pampered. And that's just what we got. The price was reasonable as well when compared to other B & B's in the area. We would definately stay here again.

Can't believe I didn't mention breakfast after the lovely ones we had. Excellent! We also enjoyed fresh baked cookies, beverages, candies and nuts. Did I mention we felt very pampered?

Can't believe I didn't mention breakfast after the lovely ones we had. Excellent! We also enjoyed fresh baked cookies, beverages, candies and nuts. Did I mention we felt very pampered?

Can someone give me a time estimate on riding from Columbia to Boonville via the Katy Trail? After spending the night in Columbia, I plan to ride to Boonville and my wife will drive and pick me up there as we continue west. I'm a better than average rider but will be on a road bike with 700X23C tires, and I have a feeling I won't be able to do 25 mph on the Katy surface. I planned to do this last year but got washed out by an absolute deluge that didn't stop until we were in Kansas City.

Looking on the milage chart its close to 20 from Boonville to Huntsdale....add on the 9 miles for the MKT spur to Columbia and you're looking at approx. 30 miles...depending on where your start and end points are in each town. Our option to ride similar tires is the Santana with 700 x 28's on it. We can clip along with the rear axle loaded at 18 to 20 with relative ease. You could probably beat that without the loaded panniers.

I would count on going slower than that on the MKT portion. The trail is in decent shape

but certainly rougher and looser than the KATY. Also there will be more traffic and people

will probably be frightened of speeds as high as those.



I tend to ride about 16 mph on that section of trail which is probably too fast for

conditions in all honesty. Definitely slow down to about 12 or so and be sure to announce

your presence when overtaking pedestrians and other bicyclists.



"On your left" seems to be the accepted phrase in Columbia.



Enjoy your visit.

Thanks for the information.



I rode the MKT to Katy and back a few years ago on a trail bike and know you can't exactly speed along getting to the Katy, so I'm going to allow a couple hours and just take it easy.

We rode the MKT from Columbia to the Katy and back last Saturday. The downhill trip averaged 12.5 mph, while the return (uphill) trip averaged 11 mph. Personally, I like to take a break every hour or so. My guess for your trip would be about 3 to 4 hours depending on how fast you pedal and how many breaks you take.

GREAT PLACE TO STAY!!!!!!!!! very, VERY nice and also bike friendly!!!

GREAT PLACE TO STAY!!!!!!!!! very, VERY nice and also bike friendly!!!

this is a GREAT place to stay. house rooms look very elegant. i stayed in the dorms which

were modern, immaculate, and GREAT for a biker who needed to do bfast at 5am and get on

the road. this is a FUN, historic place to stay.

this is a GREAT place to stay. house rooms look very elegant. i stayed in the dorms which

were modern, immaculate, and GREAT for a biker who needed to do bfast at 5am and get on

the road. this is a FUN, historic place to stay.

We stayed here after a very cold, rainy ride from Boonville and Cath greeted us and offered to let us use her dryer after saying she didn't want us (we had reservations), but otherwise there's not a lot on offer here. Concrete floors, no place to eat (other than the local bar's frozen pizza, and some locals brought in their leftovers from a fish fry, winning our gratitude.) Breakfast was a packet of oatmeal, a small walmart yogurt, one English muffin to toast and a tin of juice. The owners upstairs were quite noisy til quite late and the beds were hard as a rock. We could hear every word they said and they were banging chairs around like they were having a bar fight. No TV, nothing to read, but plenty of hot water. Pretty pricey for what it was. it's a long stretch with very few options, but unless Dotty's is open, forget Hartsburg and ride on.

I can't agree with this statement, "it's a long stretch with very few options, but unless Dotty's is open, forget Hartsburg and ride on."



While biking the trail back in April, I had a very enjoyable stay at the Globe Hotel, wonderful host with interesting conversation. Yes, Dotty's is great and so is the Globe Hotel.

I would like some more details on her saying "she didn't want us". Seems like something is being left out. Definitely not enough information to justify the attack.

As a reply to Doug, she made this comment after looking at our drenched, exhausted faces and rainsuits, then acted like she was just joking and opened the door after verifying that we had reservations. She offered to let us use her dryer, but that was the last we saw of her. (We HEARD them til midnight since they live above the guest room, apparently.) Then we also couldn't get the heater to work and couldn't find any extra blankets. I guess she figured we'd find the bar for food since it's a small town, but didn't offer any directions or helpful info at all, and I actually would have gone the wrong way. It was so rainy I can't imagine not helping my guests find the only food venue in town if I were running a B&B and charging those prices.

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. To each his own, I guess. Glad you were happy with your experience, but we weren't with ours, and that's what this forum is about, isn't it?

I also question scenario. Cath was awesome when I showed up without a reservation. The oatmeal and yogurt breakfast was exactly what I needed for hiking.

No TV at a B&B is not unusual. A continental breakfast is common along the Katy--I've

learned to read carefully, because I can't have gluten. Sorry you had a bad experience.

For the person with no name, No the comment forum is NOT about whining that you were unhappy with your experience. It is to offer INFORMATION that will help others decide how to plan their trip, not anonymously slamming businesses along the trail by offering partial quotes of an event. You should have stated the whole truth and nothing but the truth from the beginning. Your day might not have been going well and you missed her joke but someone else might have caught the humor of the situation more quickly. I do not dispute your right to state your case but do it fairly, openly, and completely. By remaining anonymous you effectively remove your targets opportunity to rebut. You are certainly not the only customers that have showed up in the rain this year so how could the owners know how to respond? As to her not offering any information about the town, it's possible she didn't even consider it as Hartsburg is very small, or she had something else on her mind, or you might even want to consider your part in that. Examine your behavior and see if there was anything that would have distanced her from you. Often when someone has had a bad day they display their displeasure in such a manner that other people try to avoid contact with them. Just a possibility.

Maybe the riders complaining about Hartsburg shouldn't ride on the Katy Trail if they want steak and wine at every stop. As to telling them where to go in Hartsburg we only have 3 streets in town and it would be hard to get lost. Actually Cath and Jeanette go out of their way to help riders along the trail. I'm sorry we don't have 5 star accomodations for you but we're a town of 108 people and its hard to make a living off the occasional biker in a rain storm. I'm sure Cath was surprised you were out in the bad weather. Don't write us off. Hartsburg citizens are actually nice people for the most part.

"I were running a B&B and charging those prices." Looking at their website the cost is around $30 a night per person.....that's too high??

Trek, where did you find $30 a night? Their website says rooms start at $70 a night.

The poster said "We stayed" and if that was 2 at $70 a night it cost each of them around $30 a night. Well okay....$35 plus tax. Thats a small price to pay to use a dryer and to get out of the rain to me. Not something to complain about anyway.

I read your post too fast trek and missed the "per person" part. Oops.

I am reluctant to dive into this wasp's nest :-) but I would like to say I think a few of you are being a little too harsh. The original poster *did* offer specific criticisms, despite Doug's argument otherwise. He may have been whiney, but it didn't seem like an "attack" to me. And as far as "By remaining anonymous you effectively remove your targets opportunity to rebut", Mr. Anonymous is really not that much more anonymous than someone going by "Trek" or "Arkie". I would hope we can keep our forum a little more civil by giving people the benefit of the doubt and politely asking for clarification and/or simply relating our own experiences as rebuttal instead of berating them.



For instance, my stay at the Globe a few weeks ago was AWESOME (as I posted shortly thereafter) & Jeanette couldn't have been friendlier or more accommodating.

Mu first response WAS only asking for clarification, after learning more I DID berate the poster for not fully disclosing the events from the start, and no name or pseudonym the opportunity to defend oneself is severely hampered. AS I said, I do support the right to comment about an experience but do it fairly. I feel that I am being civil to the RECIPIENT of the criticism when I comment. Glad to hear something positive! People along the trail are struggling with limited budgets and sporadic clientele to provide services to the best of their ability. I do not agree with Mike that people shouldn't be on the trail if they don't have what they want at every stop. However, enjoying the trail for what it is not what you want it to be wouldn't hurt. An old cycling adage is "If you're not having fun, lower your standards" Enjoy life!

Well said! I could not agree more Doug! It is what it is. And what it is, is a rail bed that has been converted to a trail that passes through rural Missouri.



When you embark on your Katy journey....know that you are passing through rural American and that for that time you are living in their world....as it is in many rural Missouri communities.



"Enjoy the trail for what it is not what you want it to be." - Doug

Thought I would reply to the first negative posting I've had in 5 years. I did say, "I don't want you!" as a joke. They were soaking wet and muddy. Bad timing on my part and I apologize. I did offer to dry their clothes. I did point out the Hitching Post as the only place in town to eat and also left two complimentary drink coupons in the room. The floors are concrete because it floods here. There are area rugs. There were 3 of us in the kitchen upstairs. It was Memorial Day and it was over by 9 p.m. There are two extra blankets in the wardrobe. True, no TV after the digital switch. But there is a bike book by Jerry Dusterhoff, the Katy Trail Guide Book, promotional material about the area and a history book on the area all located in the room. The beds are firm and the water is hot. Breakfast includes coffee, tea, juice, hot chocolate, yogurt, English muffins with butter and jam and oatmeal.

"Enjoy the trail for what it is not what you want it to be." - Doug, as quoted by Trek.



I approached my trail "trek" last month from Sedalia to Hermann a little differently and it gave me a whole new perspective and appreciation for what a gem we all share in the Katy Trail. I camped! This was my first big camping trip and, while it was definitely rougher than hotels, I felt a real sense of accomplishment and felt closer to nature after it was all over. Corny, but true. So, you're right -- get to know the trail & what it has to offer, not what you expect based on your experiences from other vacations.



PS - I did spend one night in a B&B (the aforementioned Globe), and -- even though tent camping is fun -- the nice bed, washer/dryer, and indoor breakfast were a welcome respite in the middle of the week!!!

It’s great that you had that experience Brian. And to me anyway…..no, it’s not corny. I know that there are a lot of MO’s for riding the Katy, but whatever it is the underlying element is that the trail is a rural path through many very small communities. It is what it is…..nothing more, nothing less. Some towns have two choices to eat and others have too many to choose from. Sleeping accommodations range from a $5 hostel to $200 plus B&B’s.



Every trail we ride including the Katy, we slog along taking pictures (we still need more for some reason) and stop periodically to visit with others (locals and riders). We take what we can from these experiences and are grateful. We camp, stay in historic hotels, and also enjoy the B&B scene. We eat GU and tuna at trailheads because that’s all we have and we eat at the more expensive locations too, like the burger joints and the linen tablecloth places.



I followed a couple’s journey on crazyguyonabike.com a year or two ago as they traveled from the west coast heading east. They were on a TransAm trip to get out of the rat race. I kept a close watch as they approached Missouri because of their intent to cut through on the Katy. I wanted their perspective on this gem! A few days after they were off the Katy in Illinois, they ended their trip and returned home. In their ride journal they mentioned how they discovered that by being out on the road they never had left the rat race. The real escape was on the Katy. Having discovered that it was time to be grateful and head home!

Doug,

Comment forum means comment forum, and comments can be positive or negative. If I put all the facts in, this would turn into a small book, but thought comments were to share a BRIEF comment about your impressions/experience at that particular locale. `The ride was rainy for the whole trail but we didn't complain about any other experiences and overall, rated our ride as excellent and will do it again.

To the folks who were so nice by sharing their fish fry at the Hitching Post, and the bartender who did her best with what she had, thanks very much, we REALLY appreciated it!

Never saw any drink coupons or were told about them, were only told to leave our check on the dresser. And yes, I already acknowledged that Cath offered to let us use her dryer (in the very first sentence of my original comment.) We are small towners with midwestern roots, so do not feel we had unrealistic expectations at all, just felt the experience at this particular location was less than hospitable or considerate of their guests, other than the one offer, which we didn't utilize. I have actually worked at a B&B myself and we always went out of our way to make our guests feel welcome, comfortable and that we appreciated their business (and would tell their friends to come!)

To attack us for sharing a negative experience is what I feel is missing the point of this forum. Overall, we were very impressed with the hospitality we received along the trail and wrote several positive comments on the appropriate listings. This was the only negative one we wrote and I hardly feel it was as negative as Doug wants to interpret!!! Perhaps Cath will (has) learn(ed) something and will impress her next guests with a more positive experience.