Katy Trail Forum

Has anyone ever run the entire trail? If so in how many days? I plan on doing it in Nov. of 2006 when I turn 70

What a great goal! I wish you much success, sunny skies and the wind at your back.

best of luck. i really hope you make. that would truly be an inspiration.

Best wishes. Sounds likes a great adventure.



I hope my Dad doesn't find this site - he's 71 - will be 72 by the time you run in November - and he'll probably want to do it with you.



HAVE A BLAST!!

Dear 70 years young ----- we are three blocks from the begining or the end of the Katy Trail (depends where you start)---- we have a Bed & Breakfast and we would love for you to stay with us (at our expense)either at the begining or end of your trip ---- we have a nice hot tub and we will arrange for a massage for you ---- come sleep in our cozy room and either prepare for your trip or celebrate your victory ----- Rhona Lococo ---Rhonaloc@charter.net

70? WOW! I am planning to walk the whole trail this fall and thought it would be a feat to do it at 43. I feel humbled! Have a good run!

That's fantastic. I hope to be in good enough shape to do the same thing when I reach 70!

One suggestion: You didn't mention whether anyone will be accompanying you, or at least meeting you at the trailheads along the way. If not, since you're on foot, you'll need to carefully plan each leg of your trip to have adequate access to food & water (or at least wear a camelback-type hydration pack and carry plenty of water). Just be aware that there are some long stretches on the trail without any businesses.

You can use the "Plan a Ride" web page to get a list of businesses and their mile points, to see where the long lonely streches are. For example, here's a link to the Plan a Ride page, showing all grocery stores, vending machines, restaurants, and water stops along the trail. If you look at the Mile Marker column as you page down, you'll see a few sections with gaps of 10 miles or more between services (e.g. St Charles to Defiance, Tebbetts to N Jefferson, etc.) Or you may find it easier to just scan down the mile markers and service listings on the Towns & services page.

Good luck, and please let us know how it turns out.

Hey great plan. Ray is correct in that even in the cooler months you would need a food and hydration supply. I am a cyclist, not a runner, but would be concerned about the distances between water supplies. I don't know if you planned to have support but I would be willing to help with your water/gatorade/eats situation using my bicycle rack-mounted cooler on the western part of the trail. It would give me another excuse to get over there. Just would need some advanced notice. Perhaps we could find others to do the same along the rest of the trail if needed.

There may be several DB's turning 70 this year, but if this is who I think it is, I will put up $10.00 that says he won't make it five miles beyond Sedalia. Perhaps this little wager will provide an extra incentive. This is the show me state.

I am the soon to be 70 year old who plans on running the Katy in Nov. I hope there is no misunderstanding..I plan to take 7/8 days doing this. Thanks for all the encouragement.

DB, seen that your birthday is in nov. can you provide me with a date, my wife and i's birthday are both in nov., and again best of luck. you are a real inspiration.

To answer some of your questions:

1.) My birthday is NOV. 6, 1936

2.) I will be doing this solo over 7/8 days from Clinton to St. Charles

3.) I have support in Sedalia and Jeff. City, the other stopws will be @ B. and B.

4.) I have been running over 45 years, and have run many marathons

5.) Hydration is always a concern but less in November.

D B, my b'day is the 13th, wifeys is the 30th. you are a real inspiration, good luck. with your b'day in nov, you are already a winner. wish i could be there to cheer you on.

I am still a little confused..Will I be able to get across the river @ Boonville on foot?

Also, the last time I ran part of the Trail through Sedealia I ended up in downtown area because of construction. Is that work completed?

To the person from Overland Park offering bike support, that would be great. Any help I could get would be appreciated.

To the B. and B in St. Charles , what a nice gesture, I sure I will take you up on your offer..will keep you posted. Thanks

Just give me some advanced notice and I'd be glad to help, as long as it is a Fri, Sat or Sun. I'm at haaghead@kc.rr.com

...and for those other two questions: yes you can get over the river on foot in Booneville using the bicycle lane on the highway bridge which is divided from the traffic by a short wall (if anyone has knowledge that pedestrians are not supposed to use the bike lane than please correct me on this). The trail is easily followed to the bridge. And Sedalia is through on the trail as far as construction as of late last summer. The trail itself does not go north immediately past the train station and from there you must follow the marked (with spray painted arrows and a few signs) city streets to get back on the trail on the northeast side of town. It's only a couple of turns and the streets aren't that busy as I recall.

I'm planning to bike the Katy Trail the end of Sept for 5 days...

I have a few questions:

#1: My sister was supposed to go with me and canceled out...am I insane to do it alone (mid-age woman)??? (I'm an experienced rider...rode down the west coast on hwy 1 from SF to Tiajuana last summer with a group of 10). I'm in great shape, can change my own flat...it's the 'woman alone thing". My husband thinks i'm a bit nuts (!)my daughter thinks it's perfectly fine. (she, who just got back from traveling in South America!!!).

#2: Road or Mt. ??? I have a Specialized Alaiz...can't imagine subjecting it to the limestone (my poor baby)! BUT...My Mt. Bike (Gary Fisher, Cake 2 duellie) just seems so heavy! I put semi-slicks on it and it's better now on the limestone trails here. I was thinking of getting a little more upright stem (it's in racing position now) and making it a really COMFY ride. Try to forget about speed and "smell the roses"(!). I know the duel suspension will be nice to have but I'm still worried about the weight. Any thoughts? Oh, i'm planning on carrying a back rack and just the bare esentials. (staying in B&B's along the way)

Thanks for the comments...bring em on! : )

i see no problem with u ridin alone. i have seen many women ridin alone on the katy. as far as the bikes go, i have a raliegh with 1"-1 1/2 inch wide knobbys that came on it. it does just fine. NEVER (and knock on wood) have i ever had a problem. what ever u do, good luck and have fun. it's a great trail to ride.

You should go ahead with the ride. The Katy Trail is under the state park system and a group of volunteers ride sections of the trail to help folks. I usually ride the section between Jefferson City and Hartsburg daily. Cell phone service usually works in most areas. Bicycle...I ride a hybrid but use a mountain bike if it rains when the trail can get soft in spots. Good luck!

I rode the entire Katy alone in 2003 (female and 50) and had no problems at all. Did it with my sister last year, and will possibly do it alone again this October. Stayed at B&Bs/Hotels and had a great time. Just be prepared for a possible flat. I've had 3 on the trail in the past 3 years. Seems like some of those tiny rocks are mighty pointy and sharp.

Go and enjoy!

If you want to read some inspirational stories about the "woman traveling alone" thing, look up the writings of Kira Salak. Most recently she rode the Alaskan Highway. She made almost the entire trip north until she blew her knee out.



Wonderful writer, incredible stories.



Big Rick

Onwhim - Riding the KATY by yourself isn't the issue....more to the point the equipment is and you are on the beam. I can only add that depending on clearance you could use your Allez with 28 or so tires and rumours of a lot of excessive dust from the pug are exaggerated. Now if the trail gets really soaked it won't be pretty, but then it is a Rail/Trail. I applaud your switching to slicks on your GF...get some Slime liners, (not Slime itself) and your tires will be nearly bulletproof. I used my trusty hard-tail Myata MTB pulling a BoB trailer, the bar was flat with bar ends. Front forks and a shock suspension seat rounded up the bike parts. Tires were cheapos w/Slime liners and had one flat, rear tire of course. Regards....Mark of the Dalton Boys

I use a racing hybred on the trail. I use a size 28 tire with no problem. I prefer a hybred road bike over a mountain bike on the trail (covers a lot of distance with ease). I also use road bike handle bars. The dust is over-exagerated. A couple of notes: 1) I do not use my bike (28 tire) on the trail when it's wet, you would probably do better with a mountain bike if rain is predicted. 2) You may not be able to use side trails with a road type bike.

I have lived in St. Charles my whole life and I just discovered a restaurant that has been in the area for a few years. I thought it was just another Main street bar, but boy was I pleasantly surprised! The restaurant area has an open floorplan which gives it an air of spaciousness. They offer the best Happy Hour in the entire St. Louis metro area and the steaks are fantastic. The prices were very reasonable and the atmosphere was fun. They also have the best servers and bartenders around! Do yourself a favor and stop in.

Is there some reason an obvious spam like this hasn't been deleted by the webmaster?

Hey Webmaster, Wake Up--you let these ads go through and you ruin this Forum. What!!!!! This has been on since Jan. 7. I hope you delete this by tomorrow. Thanks and keep the clutter off the web site.

It's a constant struggle to keep out spam - this forum gets several messages a day for gambling sites, "enhancement" drugs, etc. The vast majority of these never even make it onto the website, and I apologize for the few that have slipped through in the past.



However, notes like the one above are a little different, because they really do relate to a business on the Katy Trail. If you read through the forum, you'll see a lot of glowing recommendations for various businesses. Although some of these may be spam, most of them truly are legitimate messages from real trail users who had a good experience somewhere, and want to spread the word about a good restaurant, B&B, etc.



If a message relates to a business on the trail, I generally let it go through, because there is really no way of knowing for sure whether it's a legitimate note from a genuine trail user, or "spam". You, the reader, can decide whether you believe it or not. The great majority are legitimate, and it's probably pretty easy to pick out the ones that aren't, but I'll let you make the call. If a message strikes you as "fishy" (yeah, the one above just might cross that line), then you may want to steer clear of the business. But maybe the guy above really is a legit customer who discovered a restaurant that he thinks is the best thing since sliced bread - I dunno - again, I'll let you make the call.



So far, this open format has worked well and not too many people have tried to abuse it. If people do start abusing it in the future, we may have to tighten things down a bit. By all means, let me know if you feel the "noise factor" is getting too high.

Although I tend to tire of some of these posts.....I've been known to boast about places....things along and relevant to the trail that I like. I wouldn't class anything that I've posted as spam.



If I visit this site to glean info about Booneville....everything else here is just "noise" no matter what it is. I skip those posts that are of no interest to me. Simple solutions to simple problems.



Keep up the good work Ray!

While the post looks to be genuine spam, I've been to the place on several ocasions. Its been open about three years and its patio overlooks the trail. Its in the old Waterworks building. The food is good and the beer is cold. Its a sports bar upstairs and a resteraunt on the lower level.



Big Rick

It's nice to know that my posting sounded so professional that some thought it was "spam". I'll take that as a complement. I have also given praise to other local establishments that I thought were worthy of praise, and have yet to be considered "spam", so I must be getting better. If you must know, the only thing I did not like about Maryland Yards is they have yet to put in a bike rack. With spring around the corner maybe they'll take that into consideration.

Located on old main street in St.Charles next to the gazebo. They have fantastic icecream, fudge and delicious home made candies I have ever had besides home made. The have it decorated really cute in the fall with bears and halloween decorations! I love it !

I agree! I am lucky enough to live close enough to go whenever! But, worth the trip regardless of where you live!!!

THERE IS A NICE PLACE TO EAT IN CALHOUN CALLED THE WHISTLE STOP. GREAT FOOD. PLUS A BRAND NEW BULLSEYE GAS STATION, AND THE ELEVATOR. CALHOUN IS A NICE QUIET PLACE. I RECOMEND STOPPING FOR A VISIT..

Dont stop at the feed store unless you want to second hand smoke about 300

cigerattes in the 5 minutes it takes for you to buy a gatorade. I guess this is

where all the local yokels sit and smoke.



gross.

Calhoun is a very quiet town...but very gossipy....great food at the Whistle Stop...Brand new NICE gas station...BULLSEYE!! Stop by some time, the folks are nice, but don't say anything you wouldnt want mixed up!!

I visited Calhoun in 2000 and found my Great Grandfather, Grandfather & many more of my family in the Calhoun Cemetery as well as my Aunt Alta Hopkins. Great place to imagine what took place back in the 1800's.

I have quite a lot of information on the Evans & Dukes families (my Mother is a Daughter of William Charles Dukes ll.

Feel free to contact me if you are searching for either family.

Frank Evans

Boonville is seeking to make itself more friendly/useful for KT Trail riders. What does it need? Camping? Storage, better route, etc



Thanks for your comments

If you have something like the Roundhouse Campground at New Franklin you'll be good to go, but if memory serves that's close to boonville so... Maybe a business that is near/on the trail that has good "buy it and go" food that one might find in a natural health foods restaurant. Maybe a Springwater dispenser for free water bottle fill-ups bacause when their in the store to get that free spring/artesian water they will see that big tuna salad sandwich on rye, or wheat and buy it. Regards......Mark of the Dalton Boys

They need to somehow increase the radius of the curves between the actual KATY line and the bridge over the Missouri River. That and smooth out/widen the curb cuts (if I recall correctly). If your goal is to get me to spend money in Boonville, have a map as you enter the city that shows businesses within two blocks of the trail that would be of use to trail users.

I agree fully with the map idea. Our biggest challenge here initially was getting from the Comfort Inn/Holiday Inn area to the trail. We asked at the Comfort Inn and it was explained how to get there......but upon arrival the first time, it was pretty darn difficult getting through the moble home manufacturers maze without getting lost. And we did get lost several times...felt like a Candid Camera stunt was being played on us. Had we not entered the trail there, I doubt that we could have exited the trail and found our way to civilization in Booneville as there is nothing on or along the trail pointing the way. It would be of great benefit if the city of Booneville put signs up directing the way to and from the trail. Perhaps an explanation and map on this website would help also. We like Booneville and will return.....but we sure struggled the first time, all of which was very unnecessary.

We loved Boonville and are thrilled that you are seeking to make yourselves more cyclist-friendly. We stayed at River View Suites, right on the trail, and it was wonderful--best place we stayed on the trail. We would like to see more restaurants downtown--which was nice downtown. It would be great if the downtown could have more "life".

Boonville is about to gain another restaurant and hotel right on the trail. The Frederick Hotel sits at the foot of the Missouri River bridge. It is about 100 years old and is undergoing renovation to bring it up to date. From what I understand, it will be somewhat similar to the Hotel Bothwell in Sedalia. If any of you are familar with Columbia, then you will be happy to know that the restaurant in the Frederick will be run and managed by some folks that are well known around Columbia. The Galloways, owners of Tratoria Strada Nova (spl?) will be managing it, and the former owner of Glenn's Cafe, Steve Cupp, will be running it and is developing the menu. The restaurant should be opening this winter -- sometime in January or February. Stay tuned.

While the current Missouri River crossing is OK, it is certainly not the incredible view/experience that the old Katy Bridge would be. I think that would make people consider Boonville as much of a "must see" spot on the trail as Rocheport is now. We have stayed in Boonville on a couple of Katy Trail rides, and really enjoyed our stay at the Officer's Quarters. I agree that more downtown restaurants would help--when you're there on a bike, driving out to "the strip" isn't an option. We wandered around for quite a while before finding something, but were very happy with the pizza place we found--I forget what it was called. It's fairly new, had a very pleasant patio in back, and was really good. By the way, we had a mechanical problem with a bike and called an elderly fellow who runs a bike shop. He came to his shop on a Sunday evening (I think it was) to meet us and help us out. I agree with the map idea with services such as food(restaurants and stores), lodging, bike shops, and any public parks, especially with pools for hot summer rides, labelled.

Dear All,

Thanks for the replies to this post. The reason I originally submitted the query is I am involved with the City of Boonville and private developers trying to mahe B'ville more bike friendly.



There is a lot going on. Here's some of it:



The Frederick Hotel will open its bar and restaurant within a couple weeks. By summer they will have rooms open. The Frederick is planning to put a beer garden in back, bike lockers, shower, and a small shop/rental.



B'ville is talking about: better mapping, parking and signage, creating pocket camps as well as a group camp at the Kemper, downtown bathrooms, and converting a turn of the century wareouse into a museum/food and bevvie concession, biker hang. Of course, they want to save the bridge and add it to the trail.



Also, B'ville is mapping surrounding road rides for daytrippers, considering a riverfront bike path/greenway, and developing a levee ride west of the bridge.



In short, B'ville and the Frederick are making major committments to the biking community. Any further replies to this post will help these efforts.



Thanks for the help.

Sounds super! I'm already thinking of a great weekend getaway--ride from Columbia to Boonville, with a good dinner and a night at the Frederick, and then a lazy Sunday ride back with lunch at Les Bourgeois...

I did the Katy for the first time in 95.

It was great. We pulled into Boonville late the first night and a police said it would be fine if we set up our tent in the park by a baseball field. We did and enjoyed every minute of it.

THe hospitality is what brings me back everytime.

BRian

I think that bridge would be a huge improvement to the KATY experience in Booneville. I was very disappointed in 2003 when I was on teh annual DNR ride and found it blocked off.



Big Rick

myself and 2 friends (early 50's - fair to good bike shape) are planning a first time Katy trip - your comments/suggeations are appreciated. Our emphasis is having time to check out small towns, some nice lodging, good places to eat, and the Hermann Octoberfest. Here is our tenitive itinerary.

First, 2nd or 3rd week in Oct to spend weekend in Hermann for Octoberfest



Tue - fly from Denver to St Louis - taxi to St Charles - pick up rental bike Tue or early Wed - Tue night in St Charles



Wed - to Treloar 44 miles - Wed night in Treloar



Thur - to Tebbetts 47 miles - Thur night in Tebbetts



Fri - To Hermann - 30 miles - Fri & Sat nights in Hermann (Octoberfest)



Sun - back to Dutzow - 27 miles - Sun night in Dutzow



Mon - to St Charles - 34 miles - return bikes - fly home Mon even or Tue am

Please define fair to good bike shape?

Is the formula for travel distance per day equal to 1 beer per 10 miles?

Seems pretty good....are you all camping or B&Bing it? Your best bet is to scroll through the pages on this site and through other KATY riders you will probably get a comprehensive picture. above all....enjoy the voyage Mark of the Dalton Boys

Looks like a good plan. I assume you're planning for Oct 2006, since you mentioned Oktoberfest. Be sure to make all your reservations early, because Hermann gets booked up far in advance during Oktoberfest. Also October in general is a busy time on the trail, so many B&Bs will be full. Also consider how you plan to cross the bridge at Hermann - does your B&B offer rides to & from the trail? You might want to save some time at the beginning or end of your trip to stroll around St Charles Main Street - very charming and historic area.

I think this is a very good itinerary if you are interested in having time to explore, and leisurely mornings and/or evenings at your overnight spots.

You should be able to cover more ground than that in 6 days....

Gary, If you are planning to spend a night at the Turner Katy Trail Shelter in Tebbetts please be aware that the mattresses on the bunks consist of a large piece of foam covered with plastic. As far as I know visitors need to bring their own pillow & bedding. It is a great place to stay and a wonderful asset for the Katy Trail. Just want to make sure you are aware of this.