Katy Trail Forum

We are thinking about driving to St. Charles and getting shuttled to Defiance to ride bikes back. We have never been here before. Muscatine is atleast a 4 hour trip away. We thought it might be a fun weekend getaway. Anyone agree??

Save your money and the Earth. Driving 500 miles for a 20 mile bike ride is bad Karma. A good first step is to attempt to ride farther than you're going to drive to do a ride. Then you can approach Nirvana by learning to drive less because you ride rather than vice versa.

Couldn't agress with the comment more.. The poster needs to do those types of rides in the local park..

Cindy, if you have the desire and the means, then go for it !! Get out and enjoy yourself while you are able. Have a great trip !!

Cindy, My wife and I utilize St.Charles and the KT as a Weekend trip 2 or 3 times a summer. Its a very entertaining town that always has something going on. Riverport is just over the bridge to the east on I70 which has outstanding concerts spring to fall. I am only about 2.5 hours out and it is worth the trip to us.

The unfortunate thing is…..all the good stuff can’t be in everyone’s backyard.



We have driven the 2½ hours from St. Joseph to Rocheport many, many times.....just to ride over to McBaine and back. Was it worth it? Absolutely! Do we still do it? Absolutely! We do an annual ride/walk with kids, sister, and Mom each October to enjoy the fall color. We don’t go too far, but for us this experience is priceless.



Most of the time we do an out and back ride around 40 miles or so one way. The last time we rode the Katy it was a Century ride. We've learned to like it.....so we return for more now!



Come to Missouri…...spend some time in the beautiful historic district of St. Charles. Take a ride on the Katy. Will it be worth it? If I were a betting man, I’d put a few buck down on it for you having a good time!

Cindy I agree with Trek Biker! I live in Edwardsville Kansas and my wife and I take trips to the Katy several times a year. We drive to Rocheport or Booneville and ride east to several of the towns along the trail. Sometimes we turn around and ride back and sometimes we stay the night in a B&B. This past Saturday we drove to Rocheport, rode to Hartburg and had lunch, then rode back. We left the house at 6AM and got back home around 9PM. We had a great day. We have driven to St Charles and rode to Marthasville, spent the night there, then rode back the next day. You might ride from St. Charles to Defiance and back, that would be about 40 miles round trip or just do what you planned and shuttle out and come back. Just have a great time. In St Charles we stayed at the Country Inn and Suites on the south end of Main street and really enjoyed it. There are several resturants and stores up and down main street that my wife and I really enjoy. Overall it would make a very nice weekend getaway. Just click on St Charles on the mileage chart and look at all of the links to help plan your trip. Have a great ride.

cindy, my wife and i just took a 1400 plus mile road trip in july. festus, mo to van lear, ky (loretta lynn's home place) then on to damascus, va to ride the virginia creeper trail. left wednesday mornin, came home saturday night. was it worth it, abolutely. would do it again in a heartbeat. said that to say this, i guarantee you will love every minute of it. enjoy the trip down, take your time ridin the katy, when your done, enjoy the evening. st charles is a nice town. it is not the trip, it is how much you enjoyed the trip.

I think it would be well worth the trip. St. Charles is a wonderful place. A suggestion I would make though would be to ride from St. Charles to Augusta and stay in Augusta at a Bed and Breakfast. Augusta is a lovely place and there are 6 wineries and a brewery in the area. They stay open a little later than normal through the end of September or the middle of October. This year I am planning my 4th annual Katy Trail ride and the last three years we have focused on the Augusta area. My friends and I have been on most of the trail and St. Charles to Augusta is one of our favorite areas of the trail. We are staying in Dutzow this year because I did not book early enough to stay in Augusta on the dates I wanted. Good luck! Hope you enjoy your trip.

Come to St. Charles, stay at Lococo House we will shuttle you to Defiance, Augusta or any town of your choice on the trail, enjoy the trail and come back to St. Charles and enjoy Historic Main Street. Many exciting things going on this Fall.... call 636-946-0619 for prices and details

Thank you for all the suggestions, I think we will give it a try. Even if we decide not to ride the bikes, sounds like there is still a lot of things to see in St. Charles!!

This was a fun place to stay. The homemade meal included real mashed potatoes & real butter,barbequed ribs,baked squash,green beans and bread. Nothing processed here. We especially enjoyed the bonfire after the dinner, and the host's warm hospitality. We would recommend the Rendleman home to anyone wanting a relaxing, comfortable country stay, with great food and wonderful conversation.

This was a fun place to stay. The homemade meal included real mashed potatoes & real butter,barbequed ribs,baked squash,green beans and bread. Nothing processed here. We especially enjoyed the bonfire after the dinner, and the host's warm hospitality. We would recommend the Rendleman home to anyone wanting a relaxing, comfortable country stay, with great food and wonderful conversation.

Just wondering about the condition of the trail from Mcbaine to Hartsburg. My buddy and I rode it on Sat. the 19th and there were a couple of bad spots at Easley and just north of Hartsburg.

Rode from Huntsdale to Hartsburg this past weekend. The trail has been scraped, but still a little rough and some washboarding. Fresh chat had not yet been laid near Hartsburg. However, it was ridable on my comfort bike, and had no problems. If you are attempting a fast ride, this section will slow you down.

Trail in both directions around Easley is rough. Lots of ruts, washboarding, and looks like some tire tracks or 4 wheeler indents. Coopers Landing area was soft with bike ruts.

This section of the trail seems to be overlooked by the DNR.....always seems to be in poor condition. I guess it's too far away from most civilization to be trim and neat. We rode 70 from Rocheport to N. Jeff and back last Sat. in the rain. This section of the trail was like riding in a swamp in many places.

Rode the trail from Tebbetts to Rocheport on July 8th. I thought DNR would have laid fresh gravel by then.....I was wrong. There were a lot of ruts just west of Hartsburg where the people that rode in the rain left their mark.

they were laying fresh gravel for several miles in that area last week

We have a group of 50 scouts planning a weekend stay. We will be camping at New Franklin. As we will have varying skill levels, some will ride a mile and some will ride 50. Any suggestions on which direction (East or West) we should head for the best scenery? Any difference in terrain for 10-15 miles from New Franklin, ie. is one way harder versus the other?



Thanks

From New Franklin heading south you will have to cross the Missouri river after only a few miles and you can't ride across the bridge. So you will need to arrange for the boys and their bikes to be transported to the south side to continue on the trail. From there you won't see the river at all, only farmland and it starts out uphill.



For the level trail and scenery I recommend heading east toward Rocheport. Most of the 13 miles is very level and you'll see some farmland and buildings. At Rocheport the trailhead has several attractions right on the trail, a small park for picnics and many places to grab a lunch or refreshing drink. It also has a bike shop if any of the boys bikes need repair. Then, continuing from Rocheport towards the southeast you immediately see the most scenic part of the Katy Trail; the bluffs on one side and the river on the other. You can look at the maps of some of the other small (and I mean small) towns further toward Jefferson City if any of you and your Scouts are willing and able to forge ahead.



This sounds like a great idea to me. I'm sure most of the boys will have an experience that they will remember well the rest of their lives. Have fun, be careful.

Why can't you cross the bridge at Boonville anymore?? Arrange for transportation across the bridge.....south of New Franklin??? I've riden across the bridge many, many times. There used to be a very nice bike lane. What do you know that the rest of us don't Norm???



Unless there has been a major news event.....I think you are in error.

The best scenery is around Rocheport and east. Coming into Rocheport you will ride through the tunnel which your scouts will really enjoy. The town of Rocheport is really nice and you can eat or grab something to drink at the Bike shop right on the trail. Riding east you will be riding along the river with high bluffs on your left. There are benches all along the trail to stop and rest at. The trail is flat and easy to ride so your scouts will be able to ride farther than you might think. Be sure and stop and look at all the different things along the trail, like the Railroads munitions cave on the left side of the trail east of Rocheport. You'll have a great time, this is one of the best sections of the trail and one I would highly recommend to first time Katy Trial riders. Have fun!

Trek biker,



I stand corrected about the Boonville bridge not being passable by bike. I have never crossed it and had heard that it was not advisable to do so. However this website shows a very good photo of the bike lane and it looks very good.

Yes, The Boonville bridge is very passible. It has a very nice bike lane. I think you were confusing it with the now shut-down bridge at Hermann. The new bridge is open and it appears to have a nice bike lane, too. Has anyone ridden the new Hermann bridge yet?

The Boonevile bridge is easily crossed by bike, however, I strongly agree with Norm and Cliff, go east to Rocheport. It is by far the best part of the trail scenery wise.

re Hermann bridge--the bike lane is not open because of other construction equipment still in the area--but there is a nice shoulder area along the road to ride across anyway. We were told the bike lane will open Oct. 9th.

Had dinner here a couple weeks ago and all I can say is...GREAT! The service, the food, the price...everything was great! I would eat three meals a day here if I could! I can't say enough good things!

Had dinner here a couple weeks ago and all I can say is...GREAT! The service, the food, the price...everything was great! I would eat three meals a day here if I could! I can't say enough good things!

I agree, Dotty's was only second to a great great place in Rochport called Abigales. Best meal I have ever had, start to finish.

I agree, Dotty's was only second to a great great place in Rochport called Abigales. Best meal I have ever had, start to finish.

We eat at Dotty's everytime we trail thru Hartsburg. Great place. Home cooked, comfort food. Have bought a couple nice little knick-knacks there too. We were sorry to see that the cyclery in Hartsburg closed down last fall. The people who ran it were good folk. The proprietor said he was moving the business to Jeff City(?) or Sedalia or somewhere else along the trail. Good luck to them.

We eat at Dotty's everytime we trail thru Hartsburg. Great place. Home cooked, comfort food. Have bought a couple nice little knick-knacks there too. We were sorry to see that the cyclery in Hartsburg closed down last fall. The people who ran it were good folk. The proprietor said he was moving the business to Jeff City(?) or Sedalia or somewhere else along the trail. Good luck to them.

We've also eaten at Dotty's and found it to be a great place. Nice people, great food.

We've also eaten at Dotty's and found it to be a great place. Nice people, great food.

Add my name to the Dotty's fan club! Unfortunately, I don't get to visit there much since they are closed on my days off. If you are reading this and planning to visit Dotty's, please remember that they are closed on Monday & Tuesday. Be sure and check business hours when planning a ride on the Katy. This website is a great resource for that.

Add my name to the Dotty's fan club! Unfortunately, I don't get to visit there much since they are closed on my days off. If you are reading this and planning to visit Dotty's, please remember that they are closed on Monday & Tuesday. Be sure and check business hours when planning a ride on the Katy. This website is a great resource for that.

Ditto on the good comments about Dotty's Cafe. Extremely nice folks, place was very clean, great food. They'll give you ice and water for your bottles as well. There is also a small park under large shade trees to wait out the heat after lunch. Nice little town.

Ditto on the good comments about Dotty's Cafe. Extremely nice folks, place was very clean, great food. They'll give you ice and water for your bottles as well. There is also a small park under large shade trees to wait out the heat after lunch. Nice little town.

Bruce,

The park in Hartsburg is also a good place to dry a tent, eat a snack, or visit with an "old" trail friend. We hope you enjoyed your trip. We did make it back to Boonville and completed our Century ride. Steamboat Junction is a good stop, but I hear the hostel in Tebbets works too.

Bruce,

The park in Hartsburg is also a good place to dry a tent, eat a snack, or visit with an "old" trail friend. We hope you enjoyed your trip. We did make it back to Boonville and completed our Century ride. Steamboat Junction is a good stop, but I hear the hostel in Tebbets works too.

I wished we could have eaten at Dotty's last Tuesday. After we gave up on a lunch, we ate our trail mix at the trailhead. Then as we were leaving, they opened just for a group--wish they could have put a sign out that they would open at noon that day to serve others, too. Our 'lunch' was ice cream at Jeff City later that afternoon. We weren't the only ones looking for lunch that day either--it would be nice if the businesses got together to make sure someone was open each day.

I wished we could have eaten at Dotty's last Tuesday. After we gave up on a lunch, we ate our trail mix at the trailhead. Then as we were leaving, they opened just for a group--wish they could have put a sign out that they would open at noon that day to serve others, too. Our 'lunch' was ice cream at Jeff City later that afternoon. We weren't the only ones looking for lunch that day either--it would be nice if the businesses got together to make sure someone was open each day.

We had a very pleasant stay at Cliff Manor after a day of riding the Katy trail. Thom picked us up at the trailhead (do NOT try to ride your bicycle across that bridge) and took us back in the morning. He also rinsed off our dusty bikes, put them in a safe place for the night, and filled our water bottles and put them in the freezer for the next days' ride. The room comfortable, reasonably priced, relaxing, and we had a great view of the capital. Breakfast was to-die-for. We highly recommend it.

We had a very pleasant stay at Cliff Manor after a day of riding the Katy trail. Thom picked us up at the trailhead (do NOT try to ride your bicycle across that bridge) and took us back in the morning. He also rinsed off our dusty bikes, put them in a safe place for the night, and filled our water bottles and put them in the freezer for the next days' ride. The room comfortable, reasonably priced, relaxing, and we had a great view of the capital. Breakfast was to-die-for. We highly recommend it.

We just had a great experience at Cliff Manor last week also. Thom shuttled us and the frozen water bottles were such a treat. We had a riverview suite (and view of the Capitol). The location is great--walking distance to downtown. Breakfast was amazing. We highly recommend this B&B.

We just had a great experience at Cliff Manor last week also. Thom shuttled us and the frozen water bottles were such a treat. We had a riverview suite (and view of the Capitol). The location is great--walking distance to downtown. Breakfast was amazing. We highly recommend this B&B.

My husband & I spent two nights at The Apple Gate Inn in August and are still raving about it! We rode 100 miles on the Katy Trail over two sweltering 100 degree days. The Apple Gate Inn was the perfect retreat - and only one block from the trail! The Inn has been beautifully restored and tastefully decorated. Our suite was perfect - comfortable, spacious, and private. Lynn prepared two fabulous breakfast feasts for us. She is a great hostess & we hope to go back soon!

My husband & I spent two nights at The Apple Gate Inn in August and are still raving about it! We rode 100 miles on the Katy Trail over two sweltering 100 degree days. The Apple Gate Inn was the perfect retreat - and only one block from the trail! The Inn has been beautifully restored and tastefully decorated. Our suite was perfect - comfortable, spacious, and private. Lynn prepared two fabulous breakfast feasts for us. She is a great hostess & we hope to go back soon!

Ditto! This place was the best and after Lynn's breakfast, we didn't eat again til 4 in the afternoon! We intend to return.

Ditto! This place was the best and after Lynn's breakfast, we didn't eat again til 4 in the afternoon! We intend to return.

I'm wonder if the Katy Trail is dusty when you ride this time of year. I'm thinking about pulling a trailer behind with my son, and was wondering if the dust would be a problem for him. Would the Katy Trail ever be paved?

There may be some dust if it hasn't rained in a few days, but it shouldn't be to bad. Taking along some baby wipes is always a good idea. I'll take a dry dusty Katy over a wet soggy one anyday.



Paulie

We just completed the trail yesterday--it was very dusty as most has not had rain since July and there were several areas (mostly McBain to Jeff City)where maintenance was laying new rock. We used a trailor for gear and the cover worked well but I wouldn't have wanted a child in it.

I would highly recommend the Rendleman home B & B. The host was great and the house was like staying in my grandparent's farm house. The house was down home and clean. The bed was firm and the shower's were hot. The food was great! Dinner the night we were there was pot roast, carrots, potatoes, salad and rolls. There was plenty to eat.

This is a come back place

My sister and I have finalized our plans and will be staying in Hermann after riding the Katy from Hartsburg. I am looking for some advice and information on riding from the trail into Hermann. Is is safe to ride this on our bikes? I've seen some info on shuttles and also escorts, but we would prefer to just ride into Hermann. How far is it from the trail to the downtown area, is there a recommended route? Any advice is welcome.

Click on "Hermann" in the map above. Information on this site is accurate about the new bridge now. Thanks Ray. Yes...it's safe. There is only one route to take as only one road leads to Hermann from the north.

Riding from west to east, its easy to miss the turn off to Hermann. After you go under Hwy 19, take the narrow path to your right going up the hill to the Hwy. You should see the Loutre market on the left. Hermann is only a mile or so down the road. If you miss the turn, you will ride into McKittrick, turn around, you've gone to far.



Paulie

Thanks Trek biker and Paulie. I knew they were working on a new bridge, just wasn't sure of the status. Also, thanks for the pointers on where to get off the trail.

If your bikes are loaded it might be easier to just ride thru McKittrick to hwy 19 than it would be to push them up the embankment, especially if it's wet. Just stay to your left out to the hwy. and then make a left.

I have been to the festival in the past and picked up apples from the orchard there.

They are soooo delicious. Are there any this year, or did the freeze in April get them all?

I sure would like to know before I come.

I have been to the festival in the past and picked up apples from the orchard there.

They are soooo delicious. Are there any this year, or did the freeze in April get them all?

I sure would like to know before I come.

Breakfast at the Trailside Bike Shop in Rocheport $10

Wine and cheese at Summit Hill Winery in Hartsburg $20

Lunchg and pie later at Dotties in Hartsburg $20

Dinner back in Rocheport at the Bike shop $15

A day of spent the Katy Trail PRICELESS.......................