Katy Trail Forum

I prefer hiking to biking, but I don't see much comment about hiking the trail. Is hiking the trail advisable? What are the down sides of hiking as opposed to biking?

Sore feet!

Betsy,

A few of us have walked it end-to-end. Trek is right, sore feet! lol

There really aren't too many downsides to hiking it other than you need to plan a little more extensively when it comes to services such as water, food, potty-breaks, etc. What is a relatively short distance for a cyclist (ie "Just a mile or two off the trail") is a little more daunting for us hoofers. There are a few links in the ride report sections ot Doug K's blog and my own, even though come to think of it, I need to write up the last day's walk... it was only six months ago! Yikes!

Go for it!

Betsy,

Hiking the Katy is an experience that you will never forget. Bikes are okay but you really get to see the "small things" when you hike. It is a daunting endeavor but it can be done. The biggest setback is time because it will take about 3 weeks to complete and you will need water. My advice: Do it, GregC (I hope you don't mind the name dropping) and I will be glad to help in any way we can. And don't ever forget the cardinal rule of hiking the Katy: Hikers rule and bikers drool! (sorry Nary, I still luv ya).

I saw your paintings at the Hilton in Daytona Beach - I like them and would like to see all of your paintings as I would like to purchase one or two



Thank you



Katie

You can see many of Brother Mel's artworks at his website: http://www.melsmart.com/main.php

If you're in the St Louis area, you can see more at his gallery, which is located on the campus of Vianney High School - hwy 44 @ Lindbergh in Kirkwood.

Horrible!!! My family went there, waited 15 minutes for our first drink order. The owner/manager came out and said that they normally dont take parties over 5-6 people. Are you kidding me? It was excuse after excuse, when the place was not that busy and took over 3 hours to complete dinner.

Horrible!!! My family went there, waited 15 minutes for our first drink order. The owner/manager came out and said that they normally dont take parties over 5-6 people. Are you kidding me? It was excuse after excuse, when the place was not that busy and took over 3 hours to complete dinner.

you sure that wasnt the trailhead? that place sucks too!

you sure that wasnt the trailhead? that place sucks too!

I've had problems at Trailhead in the past as well. The comment about big parties sounds like what I heard as well. I've only been to RT Weiler's twice and both times everything went just fine.



Next time try Big A's - the service and food there are always terrific.

I've had problems at Trailhead in the past as well. The comment about big parties sounds like what I heard as well. I've only been to RT Weiler's twice and both times everything went just fine.



Next time try Big A's - the service and food there are always terrific.

When dining out I never take judgement the first time. You never know the reasons; short staffed, every resturant has at least one horrible server. Now if the food was good give it another shot, no matter where you go.

When dining out I never take judgement the first time. You never know the reasons; short staffed, every resturant has at least one horrible server. Now if the food was good give it another shot, no matter where you go.

I am looking for a bike route from the train (Amtrak) station in KC to Clinton, Mo. Is there anyone out there who has experience with all or a portion of this. Route ideas, suggestions, are extremely welcome.

There really isn't a good one. The problem is that there are really only two roads in and out

of Clinton and both are high speed, and very busy. There was a thread on this awhile back ...

here is a link to part of it... http://www.bikekatytrail.com/talk.aspx?

thid=675¬efmt=1&sortby=0&pg=34&adprice=1. You could ride the train to Sedalia,

then bike from there or, just do the out and back to Clinto if you want to say you have done

the whole thing!

I couldn't get the link to work. Could you tell me how far back it was, or what the title of the comment was?

I did a search on Sharron because she was the one who made the inquiry...it was begun on

April 30, 2006. There were some prior postings as well, but they are back further than the

comments are kept. Sharron ended up riding from KC to Boonville on state highways and

then riding the Trail from Boonville to St. Charles. I even asked an acquaintance of mine who

lives between KC and Clinton thinking there might be some country roads and his advice was

to not even think about trying to bike between here and there. It's too bad. Hopefully, in the

very near future the Trail will come to KC...I am anxiously awaiting that day! Sharon

That's bad news. Thank you for checking it out for me. I went about 15 pages and couldn't find it.



There has to be a way. But maybe there isn't. If anyone else out there comes across something, please let me know. Thanks!

It was on page 35, but now it seems to have dropped off...sorry about that. Basically, it

confirms that everyone on here (at that time) pretty much agreed there is no decent bike

route between KC and Clinton. The problem is that Missouri roads were developed pretty

much by chance...the farm to market paths that had been created over time were simply

paved...so, there just aren't a lot of alternate routes and it makes it hard to get to a lot of

places. I grew up in Kansas, a land survey state, so the roads were built according to the

land survey so there is a road every mile...it is all laid out in a nice grid so you can always get

there from here...not so in Missouri...plus, Missouri has a lot of hills and rivers and such to

work around...Kansas geography is more amenable to a nice grid.

Here's the link that Sharon referenced above that BLM had trouble viewing. And here's one other discussion of KC Airport to Clinton from a little further back.



I did a database search through the old forum notes and couldn't come up with any other discussions of riding from KC to Clinton.



One other option is to take Amtrak to Warrensburg, and then ride your bike to Clinton. Here's a discussion of riding Warrensburg to Clinton. Also not the easiest ride, but easier than KC to Clinton.



Someday, the Katy Trail will reach all the way to KC, and we won't have these problems. But that's still a LONG way off, unfortunately.



Good luck!

Thanks, Ray. I must make note of those directions from Warrensburg to Clinton...I have

ridden that route before and it wasn't bad...but, I had forgotten about it.

Is the trail really going to extend to KC or is that merely idle gossip? What's the schedule?

The extension to KC is not a certainty yet, but it's looking more positive now than it ever has.

That's because Ameren, the energy company, is currently negatiating with the state of Missouri to compensate for the Taum Sauk Reservior disaster. This was when Ameren's dam burst a year and a half ago, destroying Johnson's Shut-ins State Park. They're trying to work out a settlement to make up for this disaster, and one of the items on the negotiating table is an unused rairoad corridor from Windsor (on the Katy Trail) to KC. Ameren owns this railroad right-of-way, and could give it to the state as part of the settlement. The state would then use it to extend the Katy Trail to KC. The two primary negotiators for the state, DNR Director Doyle Childers and Attorney General Jay Nixon, have both expressed their desire to see this included in the settlement.

The Missouri Bike Federation has put together a form on their website where in two minutes you can send a note to all three parties (Nixon, the DNR, and Ameren) asking them to keep the railroad corridor at the top of the negotiating list - if you'd like to see the trail reach KC, please take a couple of minutes to do this.

In the meantime, some of the towns along the route to KC, such as Pleasant Hill, have already started to develop a trail system that will fill in gaps between the Katy Trail and Kansas City.

So it's not a sure thing yet, but Katy-to-KC is looking more likely all the time!

There is one important thing that everyone seems to forget about this line. MOC (Missouri Central) only owns the line to Pleasant Hill, MO. The line north of that (railroad west), through Lee's Summit, Raytown, and onto Leeds, is still owned by the Union Pacific Railroad. It is highly unlikely they would ever part with this 25 some odd miles, as it is a win, win, win situation for them at this time. They win now, because the line is being leased to two utilities (fiber optic and water). The second win is by keeping it the way it is, they prevent another railroad from getting the line if they put it up for abandonment. The third win is, if the line is, a very highly unlikely event, should ever be reopened someone else would have to foot the bill. There also could be a very slight, and extremely remote chance UP would reopen it, if they ever opt to double track the main line. In short, the line between Pleasant Hill, and Kansas City, is owened by the UP, not the MOC.

As I understand it, there is an alternate plan to get from KC to Pleasant Hill that involves securing the easements/Right-of-way that would not be dependent on getting another rail line. Though that may prove to be quite a challenge, there are plans being made to do this.



Step 1 is to get the Ameren Right-of-way from Windsor to Pleasant Hill, and apparantly there was some funding that was set aside in prior years to construct the route to KC via a railbanked line. I would think that securing the Ameren Line would at least allow for opening up the route to Pleasant Hill from Windsor, which would at least give someone coming from KC a much shorter trip.

steve k,



you are correct - i know Pleasant Hill has a bike route in the works for their town, and there are many completed, and planned bike routes in and around KC. The MetroGreen group has detailed plans - http://www.marc.org/metrogreen/

I can get you from KC to Clinton on mostly state hiways and county roads. You would avoid the "high speed" roads for the most part.



I am not familiar with KC, so you’re on your own getting to Belton and MO 58. This is where the KS MS 150 has started in years past. If you can get to Holmes in KC, it turns to county road D just south of 150, then you pick up MO 58 (east), through Belton to county road J (south)to Hubach Hill Rd (east). Then you pick up MO 58 at Mo 291. Take MO 58 (east) through Pleasant Hill, Strasburg, Kingsville to Holden. Pick up MO 131 (south) to MO 2, jog west a little to County road B (south). Here you have a couple of options:



1)Follow B to Urich and pick up County Road K (south out of Urich) to MO 18. Go east on 18 to Clinton.



2)Turn onto County Road N (east towards Blairstown) go to Norris and take County Road O (south) to the outer road just north of MO 7. I would not recommend MO 7. It is still a divided 70mph hiway at that point.



2b) You could follow N to MO 13 (south), but this is a very busy road as well. I have been on it before but it was pretty scary.



If you have access to a DeLorme Missouri Atlas & Gazetter (under $20 at Wally-World), you can follow these directions pretty closely. I would avoid MO 2 between MO 131 and MO 13 as the hills are KILLER. My wife and I did them on a 105 (actual temp) day during the MS150 a few years ago (not pretty).



PM if you have questions. I have ridden nearly all of the route I described.



Tom

Thanks for the route tom I am planning a trip for june ,from OP start on a sunday morning less traffic . first ill take mission road south at some point ill hook up to your route thanks .

Does anyone know if the St. Charles based Katy Trail Shuttle (katytrailshuttle.com) is still in business? We used him two years ago to go to Kirkwood Amtrak, and he was efficient, friendly, and low-cost. I have e-mailed him 3 times this week with no response. Yellow cab is an alternative, but costs twice as much.

for shuttle service from St. Charles to any point on the Katy Trail or The train stations in St.Louis or Kirkwood, call Lococo House ll, Bed & Breakfast we are reasonable priced. we require a nights stay along with shuttle ----- www.lococohouse.com or 636-946-0619

Why do I have to call long distance to get your price list?

Because it would defy the sound logic of the reasonable and prudent business person to be up front and open with potential clients so they could know what costs were to be incurred while using their services. I have asked Mz Lococococo to give us a clue here when posters ask for costs of their services and she will not do so. It is rather annoying to see people ask and ask and ask....and to see her paste and paste and paste her phone number for you to call. She does though advertise on this site and as she pointed out to me, has the the right to (annoy) continue to paste her number for you to call for more information. She also pointed out that it was my loss if I were to decide to stay elsewhere in St. Charles. I have stayed elsewhere. I have lost nothing. Do as you like, but for me....I'll go where they can tell me what the goods and services cost. Otherwise, I'm lead to believe that we all get charged differently depending on some contingency such as the monthly light bill......or that Alfred Tennison Thomas (AT&T)Locococo really was the architect of the Locococ House.

This is such a great forum with such a wealth of info regarding the Katy from all who ride and post.

Just want to say Happy New Year to all and here's to many happy miles on the Katy this coming year!

Yes.....what MAH said! Every trail should have a website like this with posters that are so willing to help a fellow rider out.

2007 was a great cycling year for us. We enjoyed many miles on the Katy together, and we did our first Century ride in September. Ms. Treks very first and my first since I was 17. We also enjoyed three days of the Tour of Missouri in Kansas City, Jeff City, St. Charles, and St. Louis. If you didn't see any of it this year, make it one of your New Years Resolutions to see part of the tour in 08 (tourofmissouri.com).

Another good resolution is to click on the Performance Bike and/or Nashbar logos on this website when you need to online shop for bike gear. Linking through this site helps support Ray and his wonderful efforts to support all of us who use this site. (And.....just to keep me from getting flamed for advocating shopping online...you may also want to support your local bike shop if you have one). :)

Thanks Ray, the info on this site is priceless. And I used your other site when I rode the C & O canal trail back in Sept. And no flames from me Trek, your advice is always right on the money.



HAPPY NEW YEAR



Paulie

Most of the pictures I see show a trail with little or now shade.

Does anyone what percentage of the trail is shaded? And where

are the shadiest parts of the trail? Thanks, Margaret A.

the shaded areas are just here and there. i have rode under shaded canopies between hartsburg and north jefferson, between mcbaine and hartsburg, and a little shade by new franklin, and a little canopy of shade east of sedialia. there is also some shade outside st. charles. thats is all i have ridden. hope this helps. happy bikin.

It really depends on the time of day and the time of year. I would say that at least 70 percent of the trail is shaded. When you cross the river bottoms away from the bluffs, you will have little tree cover.

Good answers above.



If you want to find out how much tree cover is on a particular section of trail, you can see actual photos by using the Google map of the Katy Trail.





You'll see the trail mapped out as a red line. Use the +/- controls on the left to zoom in, and you can use your mouse to "click and drag" the map as you follow the trail.



Finally, click "Hybrid" in the upper right corner. Now you are looking at actual satellite photos, so you can see which sections have lots of tree cover and which have no trees (if you zoom in close enough). Many of the satellite photos were taken during winter so that roads would be more visible, but you can still pretty well tell where the trees are, even without leaves. If you lose track of the trail (the red line), just zoom out until it shows up.

Nice job with that link Ray. The hybrid view is excellent. As you eluded to, the trail seems to be a bit more shaded in areas than the photos indicate.

Bring a hat, you'll need it.

I and a group of my student friends are planning on a trip on the Katy trail from Washington, Mo to Sedelia, Mo. We are trying to budget our trip for a week. How much would be reasonable per person when accounting for food and stays? Would B&B negociate on group prices?

The $64 question.....How much money do I need? That all depends on your tastes and needs as it does everyday. Use this website to determine the distance you are going to travel each day and then lodging options there. Lodging costs vary from a few dollars a nite on the honor system at the Turner Katy Trail Shelter (hostel) to over $200 at Hermann Hill Bed and Breakfast in Hermann. Of course the same goes for eats. You can eat lunch for $15 to $20 at Les Bourgeois in Rocheport or for $1.50 for a can of tuna and a few crackers. Only you know how you like to travel.....so only you can decipher how much money you will need. If money is an issue to make the trip, I'd consider a few less days out to travel Washington to Sedalia.....riding the whole trail to get more bang for my buck.

Just messing around with "google earth". Went to Jefferson City and located and followed the trail. Pretty neat. The pictures can answer a lot of questions. Want to check out the bridges Hermann, Jefferson no problem.

If you are looking for a B&B don't miss this place. It is easy to get to, the host is nice and the house has quite a history!

If you are looking for a B&B don't miss this place. It is easy to get to, the host is nice and the house has quite a history!

We stayed there in 1998 with the previous owners and it was awesome. The history, gorgeous room, and fantastic breakfast was worth the price. We stayed in the huge Kate Kinney nursery suite- plenty of room for 4 of us.

We stayed there in 1998 with the previous owners and it was awesome. The history, gorgeous room, and fantastic breakfast was worth the price. We stayed in the huge Kate Kinney nursery suite- plenty of room for 4 of us.

I'm back to report that the food at Rumples was great! The full menu offered pasta, steaks, seafood and sandwiches. Being a burger lover, I had the "Awesome Burger" with seasoned fries. Awesome indeed! Menu prices were very reasonable and the 3 local micro-beers on tap added some adventure to my Awesome Burger. Rumples is the only place we know that offers O'Fallon Gold wheat beer ( a perfect beer 10). Topping it all of was the jazz and blues band squeezed into a small corner near the bar. We had an incredible evening at Rumples.

I'm back to report that the food at Rumples was great! The full menu offered pasta, steaks, seafood and sandwiches. Being a burger lover, I had the "Awesome Burger" with seasoned fries. Awesome indeed! Menu prices were very reasonable and the 3 local micro-beers on tap added some adventure to my Awesome Burger. Rumples is the only place we know that offers O'Fallon Gold wheat beer ( a perfect beer 10). Topping it all of was the jazz and blues band squeezed into a small corner near the bar. We had an incredible evening at Rumples.

Thank You so Much for your positive comments on Rumples Pub.

It is the support of people like you, who keep returning to Rumples

that keeps us going. I Sincerely Thank You Again! Brenda, Owner

Thank You so Much for your positive comments on Rumples Pub.

It is the support of people like you, who keep returning to Rumples

that keeps us going. I Sincerely Thank You Again! Brenda, Owner