Katy Trail Forum

Hello All! Where can I find Heet or other fuel for an alcohol stove along the trail?

You probably can’t swing a dead cat in any town with a gas station, auto supply store or Walmart and not find Yellow Heet.

Don’t forget to pack a dead cat.

Preferably a taxidermic cat, but it’s your choice, both work equally well.

Thanks guys. Just wanted to make sure they would still carry it this time of year. I think my daughter and I will mount a taxidermic cat on the front of our tandem. It will be more like a viking ship that way. :-)

If my cat goes missing......no actually will be starting in Clinton on my trike. Please smile and wave.

In a couple of weeks I'm taking train from KC Union Station in the morning to Washington stop. Will de-train there, then head to the trail to start my journey back to the West.
I've never done this before---1) anything I should be aware of from an Amtrak perspective and 2) there's a new bridge in Washington so that it'll be easy to access the trail, right?

Thanks all.

I've ridden Amtrak a couple times with a bike, and it is pretty straightforward. You should be prepared to lift your bike into the train car (Amtrak should direct you to the car with the bike spots), which is a couple steep steps. You will then roll it to one of the spots at either end of the car. It will sit there for the ride, but you can sit near it and get things from it during the trip.

As for the Washington bridge, it is lovely now for bikes (compared to the previous bridge). The separated sidewalk is on the left side leaving Washington. On the other side of the river, you have the choice of riding a narrow shoulder on busy highway 47 to Dutzow, or taking a right coming off the bridge and riding Augusta Bottom Road to intersect the Katy about 3 miles east of Dutzow. Augusta Bottom Road is gravel for a bit, and then paved near the Katy Trail. It has little traffic, so most recommend that option.

Great to hear!!! Thanks Karen (-:

Is the Katy trail ride still going on June 21-27th, is this an organized ride with bands and special events going on??

Is the Katy trail ride still going on June 21-27th, is this an organized ride with bands and special events going on??

Taking our kids on the Katy Trail for the first time tomorrow. We will either start at the Defiance or Augusta trailhead. We can’t make it from one town to the other. We have a five year old. But I am wondering which direction from either of those Trail heads is more scenic?

Personally, I really like the area between Defiance and Augusta. The area near Klondike park is nice. There is a parking lot near there where you can see the river.

They are both nice. Going east from Augusta, it is about 3 miles to the Klondike boat ramp (nice view of river), and then the trail parallels highway 94. There is a very nice bluff before you get to the boat ramp, and you can also bike/walk up the paved path to Klondike park where there is a playground (for 5-year old).

From Defiance going east, it is about 2 miles of farmland to Weldon Springs trailhead. There is a nice old bridge over Femme Osage creek in this section. Once past the Weldon Springs trailhead, it is more secluded (no farms, no roads) given history and current conservation status. There is a nice river view a couple miles from Weldon Springs trailhead (4-5 miles from Defiance).

Taking our kids on the Katy Trail for the first time tomorrow. We will either start at the Defiance or Augusta trailhead. We can’t make it from one town to the other. We have a five year old. But I am wondering which direction from either of those Trail heads is more scenic?

I am riding from Clinton to St. Charles and will be needing a ride back from St. Charles. Is anyone using the shuttle that day who would like to share it to reduce the cost? It is just me (one person)

Or, I could wait over one day because I probably won't be rolling into St. Charles until afternoon on June 27th.

I'm riding the Rock Island trail, heading from Windsor to Pleasant Hill. Just an FYI,if you don't want to camp in Windsor, try Leeton, 10 miles further. There is a great city park which allows camping, has a porta pottie. Water faucet can be found nearby. Would suggest you call city police just to let them know.

A 15 minute walk will get you to a Casey's Mart. There is a free museum here also.

I'm riding the Rock Island trail, heading from Windsor to Pleasant Hill. Just an FYI,if you don't want to camp in Windsor, try Leeton, 10 miles further. There is a great city park which allows camping, has a porta pottie. Water faucet can be found nearby. Would suggest you call city police just to let them know.

A 15 minute walk will get you to a Casey's Mart. There is a free museum here also.

Does anyone know how many beds in the Turner Hostel? Thinking about taking a group through and staying there.

How large a group are you talking about? If it’s more than 10 I would contact them to make sure there is not a youth group staying there at the same time.

Park now has own page
https://www.farringtonpark.org

Are there any rules against electric assist recumbent trikes on the Katy Trail?

From the MO DNR website: Electrically assisted pedal-powered bicycles and tricycles (maximum speed of 20 mph) are allowed

We plan to leave from St. Charles on July 3 at 8am for Clinton using the Bike Stop shuttle. Anyone able to join our group to lower the shuttle price the Bike Stop charges? As you probably know, they charge the same for two people as for four, and we'd love to get the price down.

Nevermind this, we have to change it to July 2, so if you can join us July 2 please let us know.

Had reservations at Kim’s Cabins and I can’t say enough about this place. A buddy and me rode in torrential thunderstorms and flooding. She waited in the dark and rain till my buddy was found out on the trail. She made sure we had food and anything else that we may have needed. I truly can’t say enough great and wonderful things about her and the cabins. The cabin was clean and wonderful place to relax and sleep in. Will definitely be staying here again. 5 Stars

Thanks so much! You guys definitely had a rough start to your adventure. Glad you could rest up at the cabins and appreciate you staying.

I was part of a group that stayed at Cooper's the weekend of May 21. The good: The area has been spiffed up a bit and doesn't have some of the undesirables lurking in the shadows. The bad: The area has been spiffed up a bit and doesn't have some of the undesirables lurking in the shadows. :)

The place is under new ownership and by all accounts the owner is a good guy and has certainly made some improvements. The problem appears to be with his manager, who just needs to chill. The manager is loud, argumentative and really the opposite of the Zen-like chill vibe that the owner (Richard King) says drew him to buy the place. Our group encountered a disagreement over reservations made / not made that the manager threatened to throw us out over. Fortunately our blood pressure was not as high as his, and we eventually settled into a peaceful evening along the river.

I am reminded of ArkyKenny's frequent comments of years ago regarding "old people on bikes with money who go to sleep early." That was our group, as well as others around us. As a business owner on the Katy I would think these would be your preferred clientele. Don't stay up late, don't get into fights, leave without a trace and may even tip generously. Instead the manager was combative and loud and difficult. As one in our group said, he probably needs a hug.

Cooper's is a beautiful place and hopefully the owner will find his sweet spot there. We would certainly come back for a beer or two and a sit by one of the choicest spots along the trail. We miiiiggght even try camping there again, but it probably wouldn't be our first choice. Judging by the cars parked up and down the road there the business is probably doing OK. Location location location. I do have a feeling Cooper's will endure and maybe the stories of Mad Manic Manager will just become one more part of the ongoing Katy Trail lore...

Just out of curiosity - is the manager Mike?

We'll be staying there this Saturday night, I made a reservation a month ago and there have already been some issues with it. Needless to say, based on comments being made on this forum, I'm a little apprehensive about it but am hoping for an enjoyable stay, good food and good music.

Wonder if the owner is aware of the management issues?

I will definitely report after our stay because I'm hoping to have good news to report and we are often quick to report the bad and not so quick to report the good. I will report either way.

Just out of curiosity - is the manager Mike?

We'll be staying there this Saturday night, I made a reservation a month ago and there have already been some issues with it. Needless to say, based on comments being made on this forum, I'm a little apprehensive about it but am hoping for an enjoyable stay, good food and good music.

Wonder if the owner is aware of the management issues?

I will definitely report after our stay because I'm hoping to have good news to report and we are often quick to report the bad and not so quick to report the good. I will report either way.

Yes the manager is Mike. We finally got to a happy place with him but not without some strain. The young kid who was working with him (who I think is the owner's son) was a nice young chap. It all worked out though shouldn't have been so difficult. Good luck.

As a former undesirable who used to lurk in the shadows I doubt it goes back to what it was before. Im sure the group that bought it has a definite plan for what they want it to be. They’re in it to get a return on their investment and that has to come from a little more refined clientele. I don’t begrudge them that. I didn’t buy the place - they did.

Jim and Biker Chick; Both of you said a great deal in your last two sentences. A pleasure to read your comments.

I have been following this forum in preparation for a ride this fall. I value everyone sharing their experience knowing each is unique. With the 5 star rating system used on products and services, it's the comments why something received it's rating which helps with my decision. Please don't let the thought of snarky or sarcastic replies stop you from sharing.

This will be my last comment on Cooper’s Landing. If you’re used to the old Cooper’s Landing with the Thai Kitchen and the mix of locals, Columbia yuppies and assorted Katy Trail riders this is not the same place. For many the new cleaned-up version will be an improvement. For some of us, who have ridden the Katy for years, it will be will be the end of a one of the iconic fixtures on the trail. It’s not the end of the world.

What!? No comments? I plan to do the whole trail later this year . I'll leave one afterward if it's visible from the trail (-:

Hmmmm, I never saw the original post on this. Yes, it is very visible from the trail and very cool! Great photo op! There are other odds & ends from the old railroad too.
@coolrunningfool enjoy your trail adventure!

Called Kim at the last minute because we didn’t plan well and she came through with a great little cabin that was modern on the inside with everything we could ever need. I definitely recommend anyone to stay here passing through on your Katy Trail / Rock Island Spur journey.

Called Kim at the last minute because we didn’t plan well and she came through with a great little cabin that was modern on the inside with everything we could ever need. I definitely recommend anyone to stay here passing through on your Katy Trail / Rock Island Spur journey.

Thanks so much - great to have you guys!

Thanks so much - great to have you guys!

Our little bike riding group rode the Katy Trail in its entirety, as well as the Rock Island. With stays in St Charles, Hermann, Jefferson City, Pilot Grove and Winsor. The Katy Junction B&B in Pilot Grove was by far the best. It is right by the trail, so it is easy to find. And there is no riding in traffic. Once there we found the owner operator Jerry to be the most gracious host. He is personal and willing to help with anything you could possibly ask for. The garage where we were able to secure our bikes was equipped with tools and some spare parts. The house is very clean and nicely decorated. Jerry can make a hot meal for you should you need it. After our long day of riding mostly in the rain, we needed it. The meal was fantastic. After supper Jerry even washed our dirty laundry for a more than reasonable price. In the morning we were greeted to hot coffee and another great meal. After our stay I can say I have a new friend in Jerry. If I am ever back in the area, I am willing to go out of my way to stay there. Thank you, Jerry, for making this stay something to remember.

Our little bike riding group rode the Katy Trail in its entirety, as well as the Rock Island. With stays in St Charles, Hermann, Jefferson City, Pilot Grove and Winsor. The Katy Junction B&B in Pilot Grove was by far the best. It is right by the trail, so it is easy to find. And there is no riding in traffic. Once there we found the owner operator Jerry to be the most gracious host. He is personal and willing to help with anything you could possibly ask for. The garage where we were able to secure our bikes was equipped with tools and some spare parts. The house is very clean and nicely decorated. Jerry can make a hot meal for you should you need it. After our long day of riding mostly in the rain, we needed it. The meal was fantastic. After supper Jerry even washed our dirty laundry for a more than reasonable price. In the morning we were greeted to hot coffee and another great meal. After our stay I can say I have a new friend in Jerry. If I am ever back in the area, I am willing to go out of my way to stay there. Thank you, Jerry, for making this stay something to remember.

I've seen several posts on different Face Book groups about the work being done around the rock slide just last week. Apparently the parks department was working on a path around the rock slide. People said that were able to ride around it but then several said that the path around it had been fenced off. Anyone have an update or any insight as to whether or not this has been fenced off?

We were through there on Thursday May 20th and they had just moved the detour fencing out of the way and were letting bikers pass. The ground was a little muddy and slick, and a little scary to ride up the short hill. One of us walked through the area and 2 of us rode. I'm talking about 40 to 50 feet of the trail. The crushed granite surface in this spot has been washed away.

Kim's Cabins was a top-notch place to stay! We so appreciated the cleanliness of the cabin, well-equipped kitchen, and terrific location. Best of all though is Kim! She provided recommendations about local restaurants, trail information, weather information and told us about local history and culture. She is a gem! We highly recommend Kim's Cabins!

Thank you so much! Wonderful to meet you both and have you stay at the cabins!

This is one of the BEST B&Bs I’ve ever visited. Highly recommend!!! We are riding the Katy Trail ... little bit of a ride from the trail (about 2-1/2 mi), but so worth it! We stayed in the Punk silo, my 9-yr old daughter loved the farm animals and we thoroughly enjoyed the delicious breakfast Wendy left in the frig for us. Wow! Thank you Wendy and Doug for a wonderful stay!

Can somebody decipher this sentence for me??? This is exactly how it is typed:
"Choose any electric site and honestly with the factory across street SE corner away from vagrants living in tents and away from shower house better"

My wild brother was attacked by a goose in K.C. years ago. He "killed" it with his bare hands, put it in his backpack to clean and eat later. He used to hunt and fish a lot. Like the deer that get hit by vehicles in movies, it wasn't dead. It started making a ruckus in his pack as he walked down the city streets. Funny...I had a couple of Burrowing owls threaten me this morning. They hissed (hooed?)as I jogged near their nests which were right by the sidewalk down here in Florida. Anyway, the goose freaked him out so much he let it go. Maybe it moved to the Standing Rock (-:

Stopped at Coopers Landing after a long day of riding the Katy Trail. It was a Friday night and we did have reservations but the tent camping area is not nice at all and the manager Mike is rude and does not take criticism or complaints well and is quick to give you a refund and tells you to move on but there are not many camping choices on this section of the trail. Next time thru I will definitely change my days routes so I do not have to stop here.

So...what was there to criticize and complain about?

Anonymous. Requiring 4 people and two small tents to each buy a tent site and not be able to share only one site and the resulting high cost is one complaint. Every other place we camped along the KT was five bucks or less per person. The sites are not marked or discernible and they describe your site with imaginary lines, uh “your site is from that tree to that dumpster to this imaginary dirt/sand road and yeah sorry your site has all those tire marks and ruts in it”. Then to be told if we weren’t happy we could get a refund and move on or go sleep on the sandbar in the river. All the RV and tent sites are so crammed together and nothing marked. This is by far the crappiest so called campground that I have ever seen in my 60 years of life. I would suggest you visit a MO State Park to learn how to lay out basic/primitive campsites. Very little grass, nothing but dirt and sand but I guess that is expected along the river. Management should also take a class in customer service. Reading old posts this place seemed really nice so not sure what happened. NEVER stopping here again. Of the entire KT experience, which was fabulous, this was the only bad experience. And it wasn’t just our group, we watched you treat other cyclists with the same attitude when they questioned the tenting location they were expected to utilize.

I'm not Coopers Landing. No need for me to visit a MO State Park again. Why do I need to learn how to lay out campsites??

No, you did not watch me treat any cyclist with an attitude about their tent location. Haven't been through Coopers Landing for several years.

I did ask what there was to criticize and complain about. When I enter a place of business I understand it is my choice to be there and is usually in my best interest to go with their flow instead of being critical or complaining. I know I can leave if its unbearable. One night in conditions that I don't think meet best business practices, isn't a deal breaker in my life.

OMG - they were going to charge you for two tent sites so you could put up TWO TENTS?

And when you weren't happy they offered to refund your money and then gave you suggestions about other camping options?

OH THE HUMANITY.

:)

I hope everyone survived.

I've camped at Cooper's and it is very basic and not terribly well laid out or organized. But I found it part of the charm and just another interesting experience. I agree that paying two fees for two tents is to be expected. I was with another rider and we both picked spots and paid separate fees to camp.

On a recent ride on the C & O Tow Path I stayed in hiker/biker NPS campsites for free, but no water and only a port-a-potty that was literally overflowing and had no TP. Later on the same trip I had to pay $35 to set up my ultralight backpacking tent at a SP in Ohio. The site was no bigger or nicer than Cooper's but had electric and a nice shower house. Also paid $54 to camp 1 night at a KOA. After a long day's ride when it's your only option you take what you can get, appreciate the experience and move on. Gotta admit though, after paying $54 to camp cheap motels became a reasonable option for the rest of the trip.

Roger Miller sang a song about Buffalo Herds years ago and when I go someplace with great reviews and all around me enjoying themselves while I'm not, I begin to wonder about me; not the place.

You can camp in Hartsburg for free. Either at Volunteer Park or the Lions ballpark.

Ok.....I’m going to defend CyclingDan here a little bit. If some of you are thinking about Coopers as it was a year ago this is not the same place under the new owners. I pulled in along Smith Hatchery Rd a couple of weeks ago with the sag trailer for our annual 4-day whole trail ride just as I’ve done for last 13 years or so. Don’t know what the manager’s name was but he comes running out saying I can’t park there because they have live music that night and I’m taking up too many spaces. Now - you need to understand that the right of way along Smith Hatchery is not dedicated parking for Coopers Landing parking. It’s county road right of way. Since we had been having an enjoyable day of riding I resisted the urge to tell him to go screw himself and backed the trailer as far out of the way as I could. We also like to buy a few beers while we’re at Cooper’s even though the sag trailer always has a well stocked cooler. In previous years buying beers there meant going inside, grabbing them out of the cooler and finding someone to pay for them. With that in mind we walked through the open door to the cooler and grabbed a couple of Modelos. This time the same young man comes running in to tell us we can’t be in there and we have to order from the window outside. Ok, fine but since we already had the beers in hand we thought we would would walk outside around to the window and pay for them. Nope.....that would be too simple. He had us put the beer back in the cooler, walk outside to the window and order them from him. By the way he grabbed two different bottles from the ones I had my sweaty hands on. As this was transpiring I to my wife that these weren’t going to be the old Cooper’s prices and I was correct. $5 a piece for Modelos but while we waiting I watched a guy pay $8 for a can of beer. Of course it subtle notes of something with some type of amazing finish. If we would have coughed up another $2 he could have had an even better can of beer. Now having said all of this I fully acknowledge the new owners can run the business as they choose and the manager can treat people as wants but I hate to see the end of what was such an unique experience on the trail.

Another bastion of freedom bites the dust.

I had no idea it had changed so drastically. My experience was a few years ago. Sounds like a loss of a real treasure and something I'll ride past in the future.

Wow! No more self-serve beer...that is a game changer!

Soon our freedoms will be nothing but a distant memory.

Yep......no more self serve beer. That was my whole point. The fact that you could pick that out of everything I said is very impressive.

I think a lot of times the actual complaint gets lost in the weeds, and needs to be summed up.

1- "I had to buy two tent sites for two tents, and was offered a full refund when I was unhappy. The site layout was somewhat unclear as well."

2- "Beer was too expensive, rona protocols were unclear and arbitrary, and owner was rude."

This is good info for people who will pass through. It will be helpful for those who consider stopping in the future. A few years back I had heard it was a cool place, but we passed through too early in the morning to judge for ourselves.

We have done the trail for the past 4 years and have stopped at Coopers each time. It has been a nice place to stop for the views and a beverage and snack. I wonder if some cleanup and general site improvements would more than pay for itself with increased sales and campsite reservations? Also better customer service by staff would be nice. We enjoyed some good food last fall that was prepared by a group from Columbia. I want to thank them for the nice lunch served with a smile.

I did stop at Coopers Landing in the first week of May. I paid $20 for a one-man tent. A $20 per night isn't really bad but in one other campsites I paid $10, and another $7. But this site has the least to offer for your money - no shower, just port-o-lets. I got drinking water from other mobile camper because I didn't know if the water on the premise is drinkable.

This brings up a question. I was cycling from Sedalia to St.Charles. When I got to Marthasville, I met another biker who was heading west. He told me that we could camp in the area between the station and the Community Park for free. Maybe that's because we were technically off the state park property? We could stay in the community park for $5 a night but why pay? The station has clean toilet and sink where you can wash and get drinking water. The only thing missing is the shower. So the question is: instead of finding a campground, why not camp one of those stations for free? Honestly I was impressed how clean those toilets were for non-attended public restrooms. Kudos to the state park. Marthasville is the best place to camp because there are restaurants and convenient store all within one mile. And it's free and safe. I understand the local police patrol the area in the night.

I'm going to stick up for Cycling Dan too.

We have been planning our Memorial Day trip for months. Much of our trip was planned around wanting to camp ON THE RIVER at Cooper's Landing. We based mileage around that. Once I had the itinerary nailed down I made a reservation for a campsite on the river for Friday, May 28. Then I made our train reservations - well, couldn't get our bikes back on the train on Sunday so we had to push our itinerary back a day.

I called immediately after getting the reservation confirmation to see if I could change my camp reservation to Saturday night. The guy I talked to was in a big hurry, said it was no problem to change the reservation and he would send me a new confirmation. When I didn't get a new confirmation the next day I sent an e-mail to confirm. I received a response saying the reservation had been changed, but still never received a new confirmation.

Fast forward to today - after reading all of the comments about the new ownership, I got worried so I called and talked to Michael - guess what - NO RESERVATION CHANGE. I was willing to pay $40 to camp right on the river on a holiday weekend. I'm not willing to pay $30 to camp in a field next to a bunch of RVs w/no other amenities. So even though I have an e-mail saying that my reservation was changed, it's the other people who get to keep the waterfront site. Oh, of course Michael is willing to refund my money - how nice, since he knows there is no other option!


***UPDATE*** I want to say that Michael just called me back and they are taking responsibility for the mix-up. He is going to make it right by us, and even though it's not exactly what he had planned, I think it will be quite the experience. I will update when we return. This goes to show, a little bit of customer service and gratitude for the customer's business goes a long way. In today's economy, I doubt there are many small businesses who can afford to turn business away.

I wouldn’t worry about being very far from the river at Cooper’s. The whole place between the river and the trail is maybe 150 ft or so. Take a look at Google maps and you’ll get a good idea of the layout. Let us know how it works out for you.