Katy Trail Forum

Family of Five ages four(on tag along bike),eight, ten, and a couple of 40ish old parents that are new to the biking are considering a Katy Trail trip. The longest ride we have made is fifteen miles. Any suggestions as to a good beginner route? We do not want to camp but would rather overnight at a B&B or hotel. We would like to get our feet wet with a two day trip. Any advice or suggestions?

I would go to Rocheport and travel east. Hartsburg is a little under 25 miles so you might be able to make that in a day with the kids if you have ridden 15 miles before. You'd have all day to do it. There are benches all along the way to rest and trailheads and places like Katfish Katies and Coopers landing to stop at. The scenery is fantastic with several points of interest to stop and look at. You could stay at the Globe Hotlel or the Hartsburg Inn in Hartsbug then ride back to Rocheport the next day. Overall it's a very enjoybale ride with great scenery. Just be sure and check to make sure the places are open as alot of resturants and stores are closed along the trail at the first part of the week. Have a great ride.

I would second the plan laid out above. Good idea. Beautiful part of the trail. Getting prettier every day this time of year.

Any suggestions on places to camp Friday night? I will be heading towards St Charles from Columbia. How about a good place to watch the race go by on Saturday?

Klondike Park is right on the Katy Trail and has new cabins [built last year] for rent. Follow this link:



http://parks.sccmo.org/parks/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7&Itemid=10

FYI, Saturday the tour of Missouri bikers will be going through several streets in Augusta at around 3:00 p.m. Klondike Park is probably the best campground between St. Charles & Columbia, but if you stay there Friday night, you will have to do other stuff until the bikers catch up to you. The Steamboat Junction campground at Portland/Bluffton may be a more timely option, and it has received positive reviews in the past here, but I don't know what it's present status is.

When bunched up this group will whirl past in a matter of a few seconds. It could very well take you much longer to position yourself than any fleeting glimpse will last. If you really want to experience the feel of the race, speed on in to St. Charles to see them pass and then you'll be there for the post race action. The loops the tour will make in St. Louis from Union Station to Forrest Park and back will provide several opportunities to view also.

Is the Columbia Spur Trail hilly at all? I have a recumbent that probably belongs more on the street than a trail and I don't like the hills. IS the riding surface on the spur trail (chat) comparable to the Katy Trail?

The county and city MKT trails are in excellent condition. The only glitch is there are several small longitudal crevises in the trail between the Katy Trail connection and the top of the levee near the

sewage treatment plant. Some are large enough to catch a wheel but easily avoidable. The trails are not flatiron flat but there are

no appreciable grades except the little bump at the levee.

I have seen many recumbents on the MKT Trail. The closer you get to downtown Columbia the steeper the grade.

It does have somewhat of an incline into Columbia, but one thing to remember, it is a former rail bed as well, so you aren't going to face any serious hills. Compared to the Katy going west of Boonville to Sedalia, theres nothing to it. I would think it would be very do-able on a recumbent. The surface, I think, is identical to the big trail.

If biking to a bed and breakfast on the trail, how can I find a list of places to park overnight where I won't be towed?



Please respond to jkinney@metrotilekc.com



Thanks

I just called the DNR (1-800-334-6946), and they said overnight parking is permitted at the trail heads. You just aren't allowed to be on the trail at night.

Since parking is allowed at all trailheads, will it be SAFE to leave my vehicle parked at the Weldon Spring trailhead from late Friday afternoon until early Sunday afternoon?

Going to ride from Clinton to St. Charles on 9/29 - 10/1 (Saturday - Monday). How would you experienced KATY veterans rate the difficulty (assuming good weather) of this? We are experienced road & mountain bikers (put in about 5,000 miles/year). Will carry light loads and stay in B&B's, not camping.



Also, any suggestions on equipment that may be out of the ordinary?? Thanks for your input.....Chris

Hi, I'm hardly an experienced veteran, but did just ride the middle 112 miles of the trail. This was my first ride, so I may have a unique perspective. I thought the trail was very easy to ride. Downside is that there are no hills, so you have to pedal constantly. Up side is there are no hills... (I have heard there are a few inclines on the part from Clinton to Rocheport that I did not do). We thought we could do 70 miles a day if there hadn't been heat. We did at most 46 miles a day from 6:15 am until 11:00 am, due to 105 degree heat.



If you are used to lots of miles, and don't have to race the heat, you may be able to do 80-90miles a day.



The hard part is finding a place to stay where you want to stop, that also has food open. My suggestions would be staying in Booneville or better yet, Rocheport (90 miles the first day). The next leg has few places to stay. Steamboat junction has great air-conditioned cabins $30 with no plumbing, but showers in the campground, $75 for full plumbing and kitchenette. McKittrick had places to stay, but you need to be shuttled for food. Peers is very small, but you can stay in the upstairs of the general store...



Lastly, if you could it may be better to do Friday, Sat, Sun instead of Sat, Sun, Mon because MANY places are closed on Mondays. There are places open, but not as many, and you may have to wait for places to open...



Just some suggestions. The trail is great, and the people along the way are awesome! Have fun!

If you ride 5K miles per year, the KATY will be a walk, er ride, in the park. Michele is right on about riding on Mondays. Better call ahead for your prospective dining and lodging. Browse this old thread for ideas about what to pack.

Hi ChrisN, I made the same trip last year but just from Sedalia not Clinton.



In the morning, get a good breakfast and hit the trail ASAP. MO can be hot in Sept. and ya never know when its gonna rain. Hydrate often.



If not camping, you should be able to get enough gear for 3 days in a seatpost pack. A Camelbak may work for you but remember you'll have a pack on your back all day. Hydrate often.



Stop and enjoy the sights along the trail but not too long cause you gotta ride 70+ miles per day. Plan for the unexpected. Oh yeah, Did I mention Hydrate often.



Have a great ride, Paulie

The Katy is pretty low on the difficulty scale. If you aren't familiar with the towns along the way, use this site to familiarize yourself with what each town has to offer. For example: there is a grocery store a few blocks south of the bridge in Boonville that I've ridden to several times because the sunglasses broke or I needed something that I forgot to pack. It made the trip much more enjoyable because I knew to go out of my way to it. Because lots of places are closed on Monday.....I usually try to carry $5 to $10 in quarters to play Mr. Vendo when that's all that is available. And I always have emergency numbers (listed on this website) programmed in my cell phone, as well as the numbers of my lodging destination. I stap my Camel to the top of my trunk bag and drink from it when I stop after the bottles are empty or to refill a water bottle....I can't see that thing generating extra heat strapped to me all day.

5000 MILE RIDERS WILL HAVE NO PROBLEM. I RODE TRAIL IN 05. I WOULD SUGGEST CLINTON TO BOONEVILLE: BOONEVILLE TO HERMAN: HERMAN TO ST. CHARLES. ACCOMDATIONS HOTELS AVAILABLE AT THESE PLACES.



A RIDE LATE IN THE WEEK WOULD BE WISE....TRAIL A LONELY PLACE MON-TUES..... I SENT A BOX OF CLOTHES AHEAD TO MY HOTELS BY UPS WITH A RETURN LABLE FOR DIRTY STUFF TO GO BACK.....WORKED OUT GREAT. GIVE THE MOTELS A HEADS-UP.



MADE TRIP ON A TREK 2300C ROAD BIKE WITH 28 MM TIRES. NO PROBLEM. COULD BE A LOT EASIER TO TAKE AMTRAK TO SEDALIA AND START FROM THERE. SEDALIA TO CLINTON ISN'T THAT INTERESTING. YOU CAN LEAVE A VEHICLE AT THE ST. CHARLES TRAILHEAD (GIVE POLICE A HEADS-UP) AND CATCH AMTRACK OUT OF ST. LOUIS STATION (CASINO SHUTTLE TO A HOTEL AROUND LAMBERT AIRPORT-METRO LINK TO DOWNTOWN IN AM) HOTEL RATES IN HERMAN AND BOONEVILLE VERY REASONABLE.



THIS ALL WORKED OUT FOR ME. BEER AVAILABLE AT TOWNS ALONG TRAIL....VERY IMPORTANT.

JB

http://paltnether.blogspot.com/

This is a link to that same trip. We did it in two days. Three days is much smarter.

I rode it last October in 3 days. Clinton to the Globe Hotel in Hartsburg. A pretty long 114 mile day. Took it easy day 2 - 50 miles to the Dollhouse BB in Rheinland. Finished it up with 67 miles to St. Charles on day 3. Worked out perfect for me.



I too ride about 5000 a year and purposely wanted to get in a century. I rode a cyclocross bike with somewhat knobby 700 x 32 tires and thought they were just right. Have ridden several other times on the KATY (including two other one day century rides) with the same bike/tire setup and thought they worked great.



I'm jealous - I wish I was joining in the ride.



I am also gathering bits and parts to build a bike that will be single speed/fixed gear specfically for a ride on the KATY. Probably won't get to use it until next fall but it is a fun project/challenge to start thinking about.



Enjoy your ride!

Hi...did the trip in three days in 2005...Thur to Sat...gave me Sunday to recover...Clinton to Rocheport first day, to McKittrick on second, and St. Charles third day...each day around 7-10 miles shorter than the last...loved it. Hard work for a desk jockey, but with nothing to do but pedal for 8-10 hours a day, very do-able.

El Toro - Great idea! SS or Fixie...if you do send it in to the comment forum.

OK, I'll bite -- why is a single-speed/fixed-gear bike a "great idea" for the Katy? I'm a bike novice, so don't know much about these things, but I did do a 110-mile Katy trip last year & I'm glad I had my 21 gears. Just curious!

I don't know if it's a great idea or not. It's just one of those fun challenges. I think the KATY is flat enough that with some training one gear would be enough and I'm crazy enough to think it would be fun.



There are folks who just completed the Paris-Brest-Paris ride (1200 kilometers in 90 hours or less) over VERY hilly terrain using both single speed and/or fixed gear bikes.



Good idea or not - just the challenge.



Plus...I love to tinker with bikes and bike parts.

Had I not just sold my fixed gear bike, I would have ridden that. Trail is plenty flat.



Thanks to everyone for the comments, especially the head's up on Monday closures. My buddie can't take Friday's off, so we're forced to go Monday. Sticking with Clinton to Booneville; Booneville to Hermann; Hermann to St. Chuck should enable us to find food/lodging. Will certainly look into it further.



For anyone interested, I'll post a report after the ride. Thanks again...Chris

My son and I were hoping to go out for a ride/camping trip on the 22nd of Sept from Rocheport East. It would be great to see lot's of people out and about. Is this time of year a pretty busy season for trail use?

I was on the trail in that area this past Sat and there were lots of people from Rocheport down to around McBaine. Right now it looks like the weekend will be a cool sunny fall day...perfect for riding. If you're down by McBaine (about 9 miles down) when time to eat, Lucy's Bar and Grill has wonderful cheeseburgers and fries. They are just down the road off the trail. If you look west, you can see it when you cross the road. If you're down by Coopers Landing (about 14 miles down), he does Bar-B-Q on weekends and the Thai place is open also...very good.

Have fun!

I am so jealous. I have other committments this weekend, and I enjoy then a lot, but WOW! I want to be out on the KATY. Have a great time.

We stayed at Birk's this past July and had a wonderful visit. The breakfasts were terrific, the room very comfy, and the hosts especially friendly.



After we stayed at another B&B in St. Genevieve, we appreciated our stay with Rick and Diane even more.

We stayed at Birk's this past July and had a wonderful visit. The breakfasts were terrific, the room very comfy, and the hosts especially friendly.



After we stayed at another B&B in St. Genevieve, we appreciated our stay with Rick and Diane even more.

How did you get from the trail to Hermann? Did you just bike it or did you use a shuttle? We are staying in Hermann in a couple of weeks and were wondering how much problem it will be getting from the trail to the BnB.

How did you get from the trail to Hermann? Did you just bike it or did you use a shuttle? We are staying in Hermann in a couple of weeks and were wondering how much problem it will be getting from the trail to the BnB.

if you stay at Birk's Gasthaus, they will come and get you from the trailhead. Just call ahead. But if you stay elsewhere and the innkeepers don't provide transportation, the new bridge is open and its far better than before. You'd really have no trouble riding from the trailhead into town.

if you stay at Birk's Gasthaus, they will come and get you from the trailhead. Just call ahead. But if you stay elsewhere and the innkeepers don't provide transportation, the new bridge is open and its far better than before. You'd really have no trouble riding from the trailhead into town.

We just returned from our second stay at Birk's. This is the best place in Hermann. Rick and Diane are wonderful hosts, and Rick's breakfasts will take you pretty far down the trail. This is what the bed and breakfast experience is all about!

We just returned from our second stay at Birk's. This is the best place in Hermann. Rick and Diane are wonderful hosts, and Rick's breakfasts will take you pretty far down the trail. This is what the bed and breakfast experience is all about!

No problem getting across the new bridge at Hermann. Probably less than a half mile from trail across the bridge. Once across plenty of bed and breakfast available.

No problem getting across the new bridge at Hermann. Probably less than a half mile from trail across the bridge. Once across plenty of bed and breakfast available.

This place is a MUST. The staff catered to us, and to our bicycles (we were riding the Katy Trail). The room was one of simple elegance with an historic feel to it. I highly recommend it!

This place is a MUST. The staff catered to us, and to our bicycles (we were riding the Katy Trail). The room was one of simple elegance with an historic feel to it. I highly recommend it!

The staff at the Hotel Frederick could not be more friendly and helpful. The hotel itself is a pleasant step back in time.....our compliments to the owner on the renovation. The combination of Glens's Cafe and the hotel is something that Boonville should be well proud of. Job well done!



We checked in on Saturday of Labor Day weekend and had the pleasure of dining at Glenn's that evening. Early the next morning we hit the trail for an out and back century ride. As we arrived back at the hotel that evening, we were greeted with doors opened for us to the hotel and to the bike storage room. Soon to follow we were each given a cold bottle of water. That treatment is a far cry from the staff at Hotel Bothwell in Sedalia last June laughing when I had to ride my bike down the street to go buy a corkscrew because one of their prior guests had stolen theirs and they just hadn't gotten around to replacing it yet. I would have expected an apology because they couldn't produce a common bar type item for a guest, instead of being laughed at because I had to buy one. We can say that we've stayed at Hotel Bothwell....but we'll be returning to the Hotel Frederick.

The staff at the Hotel Frederick could not be more friendly and helpful. The hotel itself is a pleasant step back in time.....our compliments to the owner on the renovation. The combination of Glens's Cafe and the hotel is something that Boonville should be well proud of. Job well done!



We checked in on Saturday of Labor Day weekend and had the pleasure of dining at Glenn's that evening. Early the next morning we hit the trail for an out and back century ride. As we arrived back at the hotel that evening, we were greeted with doors opened for us to the hotel and to the bike storage room. Soon to follow we were each given a cold bottle of water. That treatment is a far cry from the staff at Hotel Bothwell in Sedalia last June laughing when I had to ride my bike down the street to go buy a corkscrew because one of their prior guests had stolen theirs and they just hadn't gotten around to replacing it yet. I would have expected an apology because they couldn't produce a common bar type item for a guest, instead of being laughed at because I had to buy one. We can say that we've stayed at Hotel Bothwell....but we'll be returning to the Hotel Frederick.