Katy Trail Forum

anybody ever try the Cowboy Trail in Nebraska? Very long---what condition in the trail in?

I've been searching online for information about the Cowboy Trail with little success. They really need a website as good as this one. I'd really be interested in hearing from anyone who has ridden the trail.

Below are a couple of useful links on the Cowboy Trail.



http://www.ngpc.state.ne.us/parks/guides/trails/cowboy/cowboy.asp



http://www.trailsfromrails.com/cowboy_trail.htm



I have not ridden this trail but I believe it is substantially complete between Norfolk & Valentine, NE(170 + continuous miles). There may be a few stretches that are still incomplete when you get up towards Valentine, but you can get around this by going out on the highway, which pretty much follows the trail. The surface looks pretty much like the Katy, but the reviews I have read indicates that there are some very rough sections(ie. poorly maintained) to transverse through, so I would use a mountain bike on this trail, at least the first time around. Not that you see a lot of traffic on the Katy, but I believe you will find much less traffic on this trail as the State of Nebraska does nothing to promote this trail. I am going to try to bike this trail sometime this year, but I have been saying that for 2 years now.



A much more interesting trail to me is the Mickelson Trail(114 miles), which gets up into the Black Hills and Badlands of South Dakota. It has some very looong 2-4% grades, which can wear a person out, but will definitely give you much different scenery than the Katy Trail.

yeah it looks like a hell of a trail. definitely have to check it out some day.

Just returned from a trip to Nebraska where we rode portions of the Cowboy Trail between Norfolk and Valentine. It's not as nice a trail as the Katy. The surface is much softer and not well maintained in some parts of the trail--don't take your road bike. Since this board is about the Katy, I'll leave it at that. If you want to know more, email me at preaves@gmail.com.

This past week NASCAR driver, Carl Edwards, rode his bike from Columbia, MO to Madison, IL. He and some friends started at Columbia, spent the first night in Jefferson City, and the second night in Defiance. They did not have reservations - just winged it. What really impresses me is that Edwards also rode his bike through St. Louis and East St. Louis to the Gateway International Speedway at Madison, IL. Then he got into a race car and drove 250 miles at 170 mph!

He must have been the guy that nudged me off the trail.

Thats just racing!

Then after the Katy trail and a NASCAR race-



OMAHA, Neb. (AP) -NASCAR driver Carl Edwards was released early Monday from an Omaha hospital after being injured Sunday night in a dirt track race in nearby Greenwood, a hospital spokeswoman said.



Details of the injury were not immediately available. Edwards' younger brother, Kenny Edwards, told the Omaha World-Herald it could be a dislocated thumb, caught in the steering wheel during a crash.



Edwards hit the back of another car that had spun out in the third lap, starting a 10-car pileup that battered his car. Edwards left the 25-lap race at I-80 Speedway in the back of an ambulance.



A prior rain delay of 45 minutes had left a slick surface on the track.



Lora Ullerich, a spokeswoman for Lakeside Hospital in Omaha, confirmed Monday that Edwards had been treated and released, but did not give further details, citing confidentiality rules.



Roush Racing spokeswoman LeAnne Howell said Roush officials had no comment.



Edwards, ranked fifth in the Nextel Cup standings and leading the Busch standings, was scheduled to be in Milwaukee on Monday for performance testing.



He raced in the late-model event with his brother and father, Carl Edwards Sr.



Edwards finished sixth at the Busch Gateway 250 on Saturday night, leading for seven laps but rubbing against the wall late.

I've never rode Amtrak. Can you buy tickets at the Kirkwood depot? OR do I need to purchase tickets online?

Tickets can be purchased on line, but tickets cannot be purcased at the Kirkwood station. The Kirkwood Station is manned by volunteers and do not handle money.

Also, they limit the number of bikes on each train, so if you are taking your bike, you definitely want to make that reservation ahead of time.

You can buy your tickets on board the train. Not recommended if you're taking your bike as pointed out by ET.

My Great Grandfather ,William T. Hensley, helped build the Katy through Texas. My Grandfather, Ersel Ray Hensley, helped tear out the track, atleast in the central Texas area. My father, Ersel Ray Hensley Jr., brought three of the original crossties to Hilo Hawaii because the Katy was such a big part of his growing up. Now my father is buried under those same crossties in my brother's yard here on the Big Island of Hawaii. By the way, the original depot for the Katy in Albany Texas is still there and is being used as a museum. I can remember playing under the depot landing in my childhood days. We used to put coins on the track to get smashed by the Katy. Thanks for listening.

We just visited Green Ridge and so broken-hearted fool spraypainted the exterior of the bathroom with a nasty comment. I hope that gets cleaned up quickly.

Did you report it to the DNR so someone could get it cleaned up quickly? Probably none of the poster here will take care of it.

Thanks, I just called DNR and they are sending someone to fix it today.

After a long bike ride we took our RV to "Lakeside Resort". It's about 30 miles south of Sedalia on the Lake of the Ozarks. It was worth the drive to enjoy the swimming and friendly campers.

I remember hearing that someday the trial might be extended to K.C.

Does anyone know what railroad line that would be since the Katy did not go to KC?

From this site's homepage...scroll down to: Katy Trail Kansas City Extension.

FYI, the Rock Island Corridor from Windsor to Pleasant Hill that AmerenUE now controls seems the most realistic at this point. If you follow the links on the home page, there are several other routes that have been studied. Assuming Rock Island happens, something will have to be worked out between Pleasant Hill & KC. Another problem with the Windsor to Pleasant Hill route is that the 50-55 miles it runs will probably be more limited in services than any of the comparable stretches on the current trail.



You can fairly easily trace the railroad on Googlemap, but from Pleasant Hill to Windsor, I found only two towns, Leeton, MO & some place called Chilohwee, MO on the Rock Island route.

We stopped for lunch at Jim's over Memorial Day. His menu was VERY limited (he has a sign that says "I gots what I gots," but he is in the process of putting in a full kitchen, supposedly to be ready soon. Then he will expand the menu. A highlight of this stop was his old Model T parked out front--he gave all of our kids rides around the block in it! Behind the store he has a large garage containing 4 or 5 other historic cars in various states of restoration, and he let us wander around and have a look at them.

Jim's was a hoot, a real throwback. I asked what they had to eat and he turned and looked in

the fridge. "Well, I got some ham and there's some pizzas in the freezer." There was plenty

of cool Gatorade, though, so I was happy.

I have looked forward to reading other's 2007 trip reports or journals here on the bikekatytrail.com website. Where are they?? Come on everyone, those of us who haven't been able to ride the trail yet this year would love to read about your experiences!!

Here is a trip report of the entire trail.



http://paltnether.blogspot.com/

I did my trip this weekend. We went from Huntsdale, camped at Steamboat Junction and

went on to Weldon Springs today. We had planned to do the full thing, but schedules

didn't allow. I'd have to say Lucy's in McBaine, Steam Boat Junction in Bluffton and

Trailside Bar and Grill in Rhineland were all great. I recommend each one.



For beginners, I'd have to say 60 miles/day is a good way to start. The one thing that

bothered us the most was our butts. Don't underestimate this. We started the trip staying

at Katfish Katy's, also recommended. It's a good, clean campsite. We went on to have

Lucy's in nearby McBaine and the food there was great. We were disappointed how much

ATV use the trail had between Mokane and McKittrick. It gets regularly used after hours

mostly by people on ATVs. Both Katfish Katy's and Steamboat Junction have food and hot

showers. SJ had food available 24 hours at a self-serve counter with lots of snacks and

drink.



Riding into Weldon Springs was pretty dang sweet. Next time I'll notch it up to 180 miles.

Hi again. I love this forum. It is so helpful. I was wondering about handlebar bags. I would like one to keep a cell phone and camera close at hand. Any suggestions on types/styles of handel bar bags? I have looked at the Navarro bag that is about $20. It has a clear front that I like for puting in my phone and even my gps, but it is not handy because it has a double zipper to get to it, and it is very large. Ideas? Suggestions?? Thanks again!

I'd vote against the handle bar bag and for a bike jersey with rear pockets. I dislike the the bar bag because it obscures your view of where that all important front tire is. You can get jerseys that are functional, but still loose fitting and in modest colors and designs. In addition, you can get mountain bike style shorts that have both normal front pockets and velcro closures on cargo pockets.

I use a handlebar bag so I can carry a windbreaker, sunblock, clif bars and a map--along with a cell phone and a camera. If you don't need to carry that much, I would buy a smaller cell phone holder. Otherwise the handlebar bag is in your view and can make the bike "twitchy," if you put too much in it.

Topeak makes a good line of bike products.....front bags, rear racks and trunk bags that slide lock onto the rack. Yes a front bag, overloaded, can effect the balance of your bike. But I only notice that when I'm stopped and off the bike. The trunk bag can have the same effect....and the rear panniers.....and the front panniers.

My wife and I both use the Topeak "Tour Guide Handlebar bag" and love em. They are just the right size that you can carry what is needed for ready access but not easily overloaded. Google Topeak and drill down till you find their bags. Mine houses my sun glasses wallet, cell phone, camera, compact bino's, dog spray, and lots of extra room for bars or gels.

Have wanted to ride the KATY for several years. Recently noticed a five day KATY ride sponsored by Elderhostel (I'm in my early 60's) that interested me...good, but seemed a little over-organized. Any thoughts or suggestions on Missouri area touring companies that I might look into for a similar small group ride? Thank you. CES

Me and a couple of buddies are planning on taking the amtrack from Kirkwood to Sedalia and riding back to St. Charles. Is this possible in two days. None of us have tons of riding experience, we are just looking for some adventure. Can anybody give any pointers or recommend and stopping points? Any tips would be most helpful. Thanks

Sedalia to St. Charles in 2 days? That's 95 miles per day.......it's very possible but if you don't ride much I doubt it will be much fun.

You might want to consider taking AMTRAK to Jeff City and ride back from there. That's still 50 miles a day but you would have plenty of time for breaks, meals etc.

A two day ride from Sedalia to St. Charles is very possible, if you are in the right physical condition and do some planning. I rode from Clinton to St. Charles in two days this past June and it was a physical challange. See the attached blog for more information.

http://paltnether.blogspot.com/

No way I would try this in two days unless you are in very good biking shape. I agree with Jim. Do the Jeff City thing, and if you enjoy it then do the Sedalia.

Randy, I met three guys on the trail in June that were like you and your friends - not a lot of riding experience & wanting some adventure. They rode from Boonville to Tebbetts (60 miles) the first day and were extremely thankful that they only had to ride another 30 miles to Hermann the second day. I vote for starting in Jefferson City and spending the night around Hermann/McKittrick. By the time you get off the train and actually start your ride you will have missed the best early morning riding hours so I would keep the first day around 45 miles. On the second day (Hermann to St Charles) I would get a big breakfast, pack some snacks and plenty of water, and get started riding as soon after daylight as possible! Be sure to have a plan for lunch (use the info on this site) and do not assume there will be more amenities along the trail as you get closer to St Charles.

Thanks for the help guys. We did decide to start at Jeff City. We leave on the kirkwood amtrack and get to jeff city at around 7pm at night. How far from the amtrack at jeff city is the bike trail? Any recommendations for food from jeff city to saint charles?

OK, from your last post it seems you are not getting on the trail until almost dark. I would suggest you bike to Tebbetts which is about 12 miles east from the Jeff City trailhead. At Tebbetts there is a shelter that's an old store that has been converted by the MO Parks Dept. (think army barracks). You can spend the night there for 5 bucks (the key hangs on a nail on the light pole on the east side of the building). It's an honor system, you just leave the money in a can on the front door. Then you can get up the next morning and bike east. It's about 2 or 3 miles from the Amtrack station in Jeff City to the trailhead and it's well marked. Good luck !!

Or you may get there after dark. This week, the westbound 313 has arrived in JC at 7:17, 9:46, 8:02, 8:57, and 7:31. It's 15 miles from the JC train station to Tebbets with that US-54/63 crossing of the MO river. Consider a downtown JC hotel, Binder Memorial State Park at 5840 Rainbow Dr (8 miles to the West) where camping is allowed, or Ellis Porter City Park (1.5 miles to the Southeast) where camping isn't allowed.

I believe the train leaves at 7:00 AM! You can also catch the train in Washington, MO and ride back to the Dutzow trail head. If you click on Jeff City on the map above, you should be able to find directions to the across the bridge to the trailhead. It's easy.

Randy said, "We . . . get to jeff city at around 7pm at night." To me, that means he's on the 313 Ann Rutledge that is scheduled to leave Kirkwood at 4:59PM and arrive in JC at 6:52PM. The 311 Kansas City Mule is scheduled to leave Kirkwood at 6:29AM and arrive in JC at 8:21AM.

Thanks for all the helpful comments. We are arriving at 7pm not leaving at 7am.

do they every wipe off the table or do the bird clean them off????????

do they every wipe off the table or do the bird clean them off????????

My boyfriend and I will be riding the Katy Trail for the first time in early August. Is it better to start in Clinton or in St. Charles? Where do you leave your car? How does the shuttle work? Where do you recommend we stay? Any advice from those who have ridden the trail would be appreciated. Thanks, Nancy

I think it is slightly better to start in Clinton, but it would be a longer drive for you from/to Cedar Rapids, so might not be worth it. Are you planning to camp or stay in motels/B&B's? How many miles per day are you planning to ride?

I think it is more than "slightly better" to go Clinton - St. Charles. I think it is quite a bit better to go that way. In addition to the general incline of the trail, the odds are that the wind will be blowing out of the south or southwest which makes a west-east trip more pleasant than vice-versa. Just my 2 cents....

call 636-946-0619 Lococo House ll --I will give you information and choices for your trip or you can e-mail Rhonaloc@aol.com

Is there long term (10 days or more) secure parking available for my car in St Charles?

Sure. The St. Charles City Hall Parking Garage. Let me guess, now you expect it to be free.

Hhhhmmmmmm......my guess is...driving from Florida....they are aware that costs will be incurred on a trip to MO. Be nice to our out of state guests Chucky.

you can call 636-946-0619 we have extra space at our Bed & Breakfast parking lot, the fee is very small or you can leave your car here for free if you spend the night at Lococo House ll

Please note...For current information about business, services and events in Boonville, Missouri visit the Boonville Area Chamber of Commerce new website at http://www.boonvillemochamberofcommerce.com

Stopped after a twenty mile ride, and both the service and the food provided us with the necessary energy to continue on our way. The cheeseburger was inexpensive and very tasty, and although I had three full glasses of iced tea, I never once had to ask for a refill!

Stopped after a twenty mile ride, and both the service and the food provided us with the necessary energy to continue on our way. The cheeseburger was inexpensive and very tasty, and although I had three full glasses of iced tea, I never once had to ask for a refill!

We stayed here for two nights and were very happy with Birk's Gasthaus. Rick's a cyclist and can assist with minor bike repairs and adjustments if necessary. Great full breakfast and brownies and ice cream in the evening. We enjoyed meeting the other hotel guests at breakfast.

The Stone Hill Winery is walking distance from Birk's so we took a winery tour & tasting and had dinner there.

Rick picked us up at Loutre Market and shuttled us over the bridge, though it's probably possible to flag down a pickup in the Loutre Market parking lot that is going over the bridge. Returning to the trail from Hermann it's a lot easier to cross the bridge by bike and the new bridge with a bike lane should be finished in August.

We recommend this place to other cyclists.

We stayed here for two nights and were very happy with Birk's Gasthaus. Rick's a cyclist and can assist with minor bike repairs and adjustments if necessary. Great full breakfast and brownies and ice cream in the evening. We enjoyed meeting the other hotel guests at breakfast.

The Stone Hill Winery is walking distance from Birk's so we took a winery tour & tasting and had dinner there.

Rick picked us up at Loutre Market and shuttled us over the bridge, though it's probably possible to flag down a pickup in the Loutre Market parking lot that is going over the bridge. Returning to the trail from Hermann it's a lot easier to cross the bridge by bike and the new bridge with a bike lane should be finished in August.

We recommend this place to other cyclists.

My first time at a B&B turned out to be a very rewarding experience. Our host was very interesting and made our stay a delightful time. The breakfasts were excellent and we enjoyed the other guests and had fun getting to know them. My daughter and I wish to thank Rick and his wife for opening up their home to us and making us feel welcomed

My first time at a B&B turned out to be a very rewarding experience. Our host was very interesting and made our stay a delightful time. The breakfasts were excellent and we enjoyed the other guests and had fun getting to know them. My daughter and I wish to thank Rick and his wife for opening up their home to us and making us feel welcomed

We loved Becky's - a perfect lunchtime stop if you leave from Sedalia (headed north) in the morning. Be sure to have a slice of pie!

We loved Becky's - a perfect lunchtime stop if you leave from Sedalia (headed north) in the morning. Be sure to have a slice of pie!

In early July, we biked from Sedalia to Booneville and spent the night here. I will second the other comments here - Penny is a wonderful hostess, her breakfast was amazing and the house is beautiful. What a relaxing evening we had sitting on the front porch.

In early July, we biked from Sedalia to Booneville and spent the night here. I will second the other comments here - Penny is a wonderful hostess, her breakfast was amazing and the house is beautiful. What a relaxing evening we had sitting on the front porch.

In the early 40's my Dad was a laborer on the MKT railroad in Arcadia, OK. His Uncle Dice Simpson had at one time been a railroad foreman there. We lived in the section house and the railroad was right there. Every Wednesday the railroad conductor would toss out some pamphlets on bible stories for children for us. We children were always out there by the tracks waiting for our bible stories. The conductor would always smile and wave at us. We loved it!

Has he or anyone else written down his memories as an MKT employee?