Katy Trail Forum

My friend and I had biked from Boonville to Rocheport one sunday and were starving and

thirsty by the time we got there with every place closed except Abigail's. A pricey place but

we were willing to pay anything for food. The owner looked at us funny when we walked in

and said all his tables were taken with reservations. Only two people were sitting in the

whole place. We went back outside and sat on a bench trying to figure out what we can do.

Another couple dressed all nice came in after us without reservations and were eventually

seated at a table that was "mistakenly" not really reserved. We sat on the bench outside

aghast that the nicely dressed couple was seated and not us, probably too dusty off the

trail. We filled up our water bottles from a spicket and road two hours home on empty

stomachs and sore butts.

We drove the next day to Rocheport to start our biking for the day and stopped at the bike

shop to buy gel seats. They were out of the sizes we needed and the guy running the place

just wasn't the friendliest. We didn't encounter many friendly people in Rocheport. When

we asked for directions and even the service at the winery. It was dissappointing for such a

charming town to have not so friendly people.

We usually eat at Abigails when we bike to Rocheport and I love their food. That being said, I find them a wee bit pretentious and condescending. We ate there with a group of people including my nephew one evening and, when they brought our meals, she gave him an order of Trout. When he said that there must be a mixup and that he had not ordered Trout, the reply from the waitress was....and I'll never forget this line......."well, I wouldn't have brought it to you if you hadn't ordered it!" Having worked in restraurants before, I thought that this was a novel approach to customer service. All things considered though,it's not a bad place to eat...particularly when you look at your other options for a meal in Rocheport.

Rocheport is great. Abigails is the one with the problem.



They're amateurs and equal any McDonald worker.



While in Rocheport go eat at the Trailside Cafe. Sit and watch the action on the trail then test ride their bikes too.

Unfortunately, my husband and I had a similar experience in Rocheport. We stayed at the Yates House and found the innkeeper (female) to be abrupt and rude, the man was okay. We have stayed in many B&B's over the years and have never had an experience like that before.



Lunch at Abigail's was okay, but the service was slow.



We did have a nice experience at the Pebble Publishing Book Store. They carry a great selection of Missouri history, Katy Trail and nature books.



We had our best night of the ride in Augusta and would recommend that over Rocheport any time!

This would be one of my first picks to stop near the trail (10 or 11 blocks north of the trail). At the 5th Street Pub - there is outside seating, it has an informal atmosphere situated in the downtown area, and near Sedalia's two bicycle shops. Sandwiches, salads, pizza, soup all on the menu. I'm a Sedalia resident and cyclist.

My wife and I will be taking Amtrak from St Louis to Sedalia. I would like to leave our van at a garage in town near the station. Is there a shuttle or any kind of transport other than a cab from St Charles trailhead into St Louis.

Cooper's Landing needs to clean-up the porta johns in front of their store. They were overflowing. Very gross. The man running the place was very nice.

The 3 portapotties get serviced once per week, usually on Tuesday. Mike Cooper

What gear would anyone recommend for a single speeding with a 29er on the Katy? I normally ride 32x20 on trails and 44x18 for roads......

I made a visit here with a friend once, while not on a ride, and it was a great stop to visit and look at the art. Galleries are changed frequently so odds are you won't see the same stuff twice.



Plus, it's great to walk upstairs and watch the artists work. Most are very friendly and will have a good talk with you.

I am planning on riding the trail from Clinton to ST.Charles, and then turning around and doing it in reverse next July. I will be allowing myself 8 days to for this round trip and all self supported. Does anyone have any advice? I will be riding my Kona Mtn bike with 1.5" kevlar tires, semi aggresive tread pattern. Also will be tent camping entire way. Thank you, Scotty.

Have a great time! I would suggest inch tires with less tread...you don't need the wide

knobby tires and they will slow you down...kevlar belt is good, though! Sharon KCMO

1.5 inch tires are fine, especially if heavy rain occours the trail can get a little too soft for tires that are very narrow, especially with the load you will be carrying. Not much tread is necessary, slicks or semi-slicks roll much better.Make sure you are using kevlar belted tires, not folding tires with a kevlar bead, as many people do not know the difference. I rode the entire trail from west to east last week in four days with this set up on a cyclocross bike with no flats or problems...enjoy the peace and solitude of the Katy....

About 5 years ago, I met a group of 4 guys attemptnig a round trip in 9 days. They had just turned back East from Clinton. One of them had not done his saddle time and you could tell he was in some serious hurt. I have no idea what happened to them.

Do a few day trips on the Trail to get used to the riding surface and decide what will work

best for you in the tire category. I am a roadie at heart and like to cut down on rolling

resistance as much as I can, but still have a stable ride. I would never take my road bike on

the Trail. I ride a Trek mountain bike that I have put 1 inch tires on (Panaracer Messenger)

and find them to be the perfect blend of good stable support and fast! : )

Just out of curiosity sbikes.....what is considered "fast" on the Katy?

Just out of curiosity sbikes.....what is considered "fast" on the Katy?

I just got done with my first visit yesterday too the Katy Trail. My only suggestion is don`t do it in July , it is to hot. When I was out there it was close to 100 Degrees and very very Humid. I think the spring or fall would be much better for doing the milage you are talking about.

When I used to ride the Trail a lot (before rotator cuff surgery) I would average oh, 15-20

mph...fastest I ever rode on the trail was probably around 30 mph and would have gone

faster, but ran out of gears on my mountain bike! : )

here's a link to a description of my 7-day trip on the Katy. St. Louis-Katy-Clinton and back.



http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=66178&highlight=katy+trail+548

Hello. I am new to this area and was looking to ride some trails. I have been told that Katy is a nice one for sightseeing. I would do it alone, no problem..however, it would be nice if I had company. If you were interested in a ride, please call me. I am safe and friendly :D Thanks~

Xavier 314-984-8181 (work-Hampton Inn, Sunset Hills)

Hello Xavier, we are a group of 3 that ride once in a while. You are more than welcomed to ride with us. We are also in ou 30's and we like to do the Winnery thing. Hope you can make it out soon. I am thinking of a run Sunday and Monday this week. I will call you.



Mike & Lisa

A group of six of us ate here June 3rd. Excellent food, great wine. The patio is such a wonderful place to sit in nice weather. We had a great time! Whatever wine you have with your meal, end the evening with a bottle of Port and conversation. How can you go wrong?

A group of six of us ate here June 3rd. Excellent food, great wine. The patio is such a wonderful place to sit in nice weather. We had a great time! Whatever wine you have with your meal, end the evening with a bottle of Port and conversation. How can you go wrong?

With a bottle of Portugal wine? When in Missouri, try a good Les Bourgeois or Stone Hill......of course there are many other good Missouri vineyards.

With a bottle of Portugal wine? When in Missouri, try a good Les Bourgeois or Stone Hill......of course there are many other good Missouri vineyards.

I hope that was 'tongue in cheek' Trek Biker!

I hope that was 'tongue in cheek' Trek Biker!

The 'port' is a fine Missouri "port" I mean, Missouri has Mexico and Paris...why not Portugal

too!! : )

The 'port' is a fine Missouri "port" I mean, Missouri has Mexico and Paris...why not Portugal

too!! : )

I havent been through Hartsburg in a few years. Did the old Thornhill Winery get bought out by Summit Lake? Any info would be great.

I havent been through Hartsburg in a few years. Did the old Thornhill Winery get bought out by Summit Lake? Any info would be great.

Yes. Summit Lake has a location in Holts Summit and this is a new location with different

menu items...oh, and the wine is good too! Plus, they have Guiness which is a plus for me!

Sharon

Yes. Summit Lake has a location in Holts Summit and this is a new location with different

menu items...oh, and the wine is good too! Plus, they have Guiness which is a plus for me!

Sharon

The State Champion Bur Oak tree is owned by Mr. John Sam Williamson, Jr. and is located in Boone County It is with in the vicinity of Huntsdale MO.



By Katy Trail it is near mile 170, you'll see the tree to the south, some 100 yards or so from the trail

By Auto off the Corner of Burr Oak Rd & Grocery Branch east of Huntsdale MO.



Many of the members of Huntsdale with the Help & blessing of Mr. Williamson are working on preserving and maintaining the tree for all to enjoy.



The tree has much History it is said that it’s Circumference is about 289" Height 85 feet and has a spread of about 118 feet. Estimated age is Over 400 years.



By the Missouri Department of Conservation – State champion Tree Chart - This Burr Oak was Given 402 Points.



Come and Visit The Tree and then travel west about 1.2 miles on the trail and stop in at Katfish Katy’s Campground & Store for a drink and a great River View!



See U Soon! - KAD

I've visited the spectacular Redwoods of California which are indeed quite impressive. Nonetheless, this tree stands alone -- literally! Definitely a special little power spot of its own!

This is not just an outdoor restaurant! They had minimal indoor seating downstairs, but a few months ago, a great newly-renovated room upstairs opened, with its own bar too. The patio area wraps around the entire building with a lot of trees, so it's very nice. The hours shown don't go late enough either. This place has a much better atmosphere than its neighbor for folks who've just come off the trail.

Well....I'm not going regardless of the atmosphere or the wrap around patio. The word on the street is that this place is just way too darn hard to find anyway.

Hard to find is right...I mean without a name or a location to go by, I guess you just have to

be "in the know"...haven't you received your magic decoder ring yet??? Sharon

I was on the Katy last Sunday and there was not a decoder ring to be found at any of the trailheads or local businesses that I pasted. But I wasn't wearing my 3-D glasses either.

Well, you need your 3-D glasses AND the password...didn't you get that in the mail???

We are looking to upgrade our hitch-mount bike rack on our Explorer. We are looking at the Thule Expressway or the Yakima Slickroc. We're wondering if anyone has these models, what are the advantages and disadvantages? We would appreciate your advice. Thanks!

Last year we looked at nearly every brand available and compared them all. We ended up buying a Softride and have never regretted it. Solid and it will fold down to allow you to access the back of your Exploder without removing the bikes! All other brands tell you to remove bikes before folding down. We travel quite a bit with our bikes and this is a definite plus. Check them out at softride.com

Not many dealers around, we got ours at Cape Girardeau RV dealer, $179.

Sorry, I should have also suggested that you check out mtbr.com

Lets you review about anything bicycle related. Click on Clothing/Accessories drop down box then select Bike Rack, must be over a hundred different models reviewed.

We stayed two nights at Polly's Tearoom and B&B and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. It's a small (two BR) B&B run by a very nice lady--Polly. The breakfasts were superb. Rates are very reasonable. She serves lunch Tuesday thru Fri. We rode from there to a few miles east of Rocheport--a very nice part of the trail. The winery at Rocheport is definitely worth a stop. We biked a tough 3/4 mile up the mountain from Rocheport, but perhaps a mile east of Rocheport on the Katy trail is a rack for your bike and a path to hike to the winery. We ate one evening at the casino in Boonville--good but overpriced at $17 per person.

The meal started great then the waitress lost our order and forgot about us. We did not get our food till an hour later, about the same time they were closing. They were rushing us out and cleaning around us. It turned a great meal into a bad one. I was very disappointed.

Our experience was quite the opposite. We had lunch there a few weeks ago and it could not have been any better. The service was prompt and friendly....and the German food was well served and tasty. We had stopped by the prior evening and there was a huge crowd so we opted for lunch the next day to avoid becoming lost in the crowd.

We stayed at the Hampton prior to leaving on our first day of riding. The service was beyond excellent, the room was perfect, and the breakfast was great. With the price very comparable to the other hotels in town I think you will find the Hampton the best hotel in Clinton.

We stayed at the Doll House at the end of the second day of riding. Amanda was very willing to work with our ride schedule and had a large platter of cookies waiting. She showed us the house and left us alone to settle in. It was a wonderful place and I would suggest this stop to all riders. Even the price was right. Next trip you can bet we will stop here again.