Katy Trail Forum

Plan A: Cycling and camping the Oregon coast in May, Oregon is only 12 hours away but the campgrounds are still closed until June, maybe, and occupancy limits for hotels and eateries fluctuate weekly.

Plan B: Cycleing and camping the Cowboy Trail then the KATY Trail in May.

Questions: Are reservations for B&Bs or hotels a must on the KATY? We prefer to freestyle and dislike having the "get from point A to B" pressure.

Are you allowed to park in Clinton for 6 to 7 days without getting towed.

Anyone want to share a shuttle from St Charles back to Clinton at the end of May?

I recently learned of the Couer D’alene trail in Idaho and hope to do a round trip trail there someday...incorporating the Hiawatha Trail. And the Cowboy Trail is on my list and Mickelson too. I’m going to have to look up the Oregon thing. But first....I also plan to accomplish the Katy. You should look into Amtrak as an option. Outside Kansas City is a suburb called Lee’s Summit. It has a train stop. You would then ride streets about nine miles to Pleasant Hill and get on the Rock Island Trail 40 miles to Windsor, MO where the Rock Island meets the Katy. You would miss a segment of the Katy from Windsor to Clinton. There are public lots in Lee’s Summit. No matter where you park you could call the local police department and have a simple conversation.....if they know how long you’ll be they might even keep an eye on your car. I don’t know how lucky you’ll be not making reservations in advance.....I understand places are pretty busy in the summer, particularly weekends.. My plan is to ride from KC east to Machens then across river to Alton, IL then down trails to the Arch then to Amtrak. Hope some of this helps.

My husband and I are doing a portion of the KATY over Memorial Day weekend and then we are doing the entire thing the end of September. Based on what I'm finding, I would recommend reservations in advance if you can do it.

Also - at note on the train (we are planning to use it on both of these trips) - they only allow 4 bikes per train (not per car) so if you're wanting to use the train, best check bike availability first and then plan your trip because you may have to change travel dates based on the train.

My husband and I stayed here with my in-laws while biking the Katy Trail. Jerry was very attentive and thoughtful. He went out of his way to tell us what we wanted to know about the area. He knows all about the town's history, which was very interesting! We would definitely stay here again!!

Are there any sections of the trail between St. Charles and Hermann that are closed? As we approach our trip, what's the best way to get updates on closed sections of the trail?

We are about to start the last leg of the trail, heading East (Monday April 18 I think thus is!) We encountered only two closed sections and they seem both to have been closed since 2019 flood.

Heading west to east, the first is the washed out bridge at Salt Creek, about 178.5. What's left of the trail there is a steep, muddy ravine with some gravel put down by a farmer part of the way. It's a mess. It had rained fairly recently and the creek looked maybe 6 inches deep and maybe 15 feet across. All that mud was too much for us; we went back to where we could get on the main highway and go around. Cars are going 60 and 70, steep hills and curves, no paved shoulder - we waited for breaks in the cars, did short spurts, waited again - it wasnt too bad. People have mentioned a gravel road or two, we werent sure of them. The highway took us to Rocheport for a great lunch at a spot beside the rejoining of the trail.

Second was aboyt milf market 117-118, a rockslide took out that bridge and the state has fenced off all access. We backtracked a little and took the highway around, I think 94, this highway is flatter and has a bit of a shoulder including thankfully on the bridge. Easier than the other detour and not too bad.

I never found one great place to find this info although the Facebook page for Friends of Katy Trail is mentionned alot - I joined but cant seem to find such posts in one place, good luck.

The state park website has a trail conditions page, with a link to a MAP of closings and warnings:

https://mostateparks.com/page/84206/katy-trail-state-park-advisory-map

They list the two that Marjorie mentions, which I think are the only two closings on the trail now. You should be fine between St. Charles and Hermann. There is always a slight chance for flooding, so check the map, or this comment board, or the facebook group for last minute updates.

PS the first closure is between New Franklin and Rocheport. The second is between Tebbetts and Hermann (closer to Hermann). It woyld be great if this forum or this website had a section specifically about closures and detours, with pins in the map and a chance for prople to post updates. In planning this trip, this topic was the thing I most wanted to know mote about, but thanks for all the other great info!!!!

This link is on the Home page:

Trail Conditions
Recent Trail Conditions as reported by trail users

It doesn't look like it is used often though.

Searching "trail conditions" using the Forum search is a good option.

Marjorie, you still had a good time on our KT, not knowing if all the trail was passable. That's part of cycling rail trails, not knowing everything. I hope you come back!

Another option for info. Includes a link to State of Missouri Parks website/map.
https://katytrailmo.com/katy-trail-conditions-spring-2021/

I knew there was the "conditions" section of the forum and also saw the state's posts of trail closures and conditions. The challenge with both is that major, enduring closures (the two current ones have lasted two years) are lost in the jumble of other reports and one can't sort out the current status. I agree that in general, the unexpected is part of the fun. I am not sure this applies to huge gaps in the trail that force you onto busy, dangerous highways with no idea of which ones to take. Seems to me if a section is closed indefinitely due to a major problem, it would be in the interest of rider safety and peace of mind to post just those closures in a separate, prominent spot with pins, regular updates and potential detours.

But anyway, great job in general and many thanks to all who maintain this massive info.

Marjorie

Regarding the "Recent Trail Conditions as reported by trail users" link mentioned above by Anonymous on 4/19 (https://bikekatytrail.com/trail-condition-report.aspx):

I have updated the web page and removed the old trail conditions; now it just shows the Salt Creek (Rocheport) and Portland problems. I also updated the link to the state's web page where they have a similar map (the one mentioned above by Dave on 4/19).

I built that web page during the big floods two years ago, when trail conditions were constantly changing on a daily basis. This allowed trail users to report and quickly visualize the overall condition of the trail. Things are not changing so rapidly these days, but I'll leave the resource out there for now.

Happy trails and good luck.

You east coast seriously urbanized, cooped up covid cured types don't worry about the so called "trail closures" and "really steep" elevation changes. I realize from our online social media controlled, eliminate all surprises world, you've taken the first big step to get off the east coast and venture out into the heartland, even though you may think heartland is PA. I can set your mind at ease and honestly tell you from many days on the KT end to end from both directions, if you have some prior trail (and road if going off trail) riding experience, you will find the KT and MO people the most friendly, extremely fun and sometimes challenging (in a good way), and very enlightening, if you bring your legitimate vaccine cards and masks since we recently instituted the FP (Fauci Patrol), kidding. See you on the trail!

Never done this before, so I have a rough plan in my head, but not having done it I figure anyone reading this will be more of a veteran than I am and be able to expose problems I have not thought of:

June.
Thursday am, train from Union Station (KC) to Kirkwood with loaded (saddlebags) bike.
Use a service listed here and set up a pickup at Kirkwood and take me to St. Charles trailhead. Get going and then camp Augusta.
Friday to N Jeff City and camp.
Saturday to Pilot Grove and camp.
Sunday to Clinton.

I'll drink Camelback, assuming water along the route will suffice. I'll eat MREs and lots of gels and bars. One person tent and strap it to handlebars w/o bag? Is that feasible or should I buy bag?

That's alot just off the top of my head--like I say I know I'm missing something. Thanks to any/all who read and respond.

Don’t know from personal experience but I’ve heard that the campsite at North JC can sometimes be a party place for the locals. Party place or not it’s very close to the bridges leading in and out of the city so you’ll have traffic noise for sure. You might want to consider stopping at Tebbetts instead. For $6 you can stay at the Turner Shelter. It’s hostel style accommodations - bunk beds with foam mattresses, a bathroom, showers and a small kitchen area with a refrigerator, microwave, coffee maker, toaster and hot plate. The downside of stopping in Tebbetts is that it leaves you a 72 mile day on your 3rd day but it knocks your second day down to 65 miles instead of 77 miles.

I changed my plans from riding STL to KC when someone mentioned the prevailing winds are west to east. Plus it is generally downhill from west to east. Not sure how much difference it will make. Hopefully the trail will be dry since it can be mushy when wet and make pedaling more difficult.....this is why gravel bike tires are better than wide mountain bike tires. I am planning a training ride on the Blue River Rail Trail from Marysville, KS to Lincoln, NE which is 76 miles. It is a similar trail to the Katy.

The "prevailing Westerlies" are trade winds in the Northern Hemisphere which are most predictable out in the ocean. The trade ships with sails could mostly depend on the winds to carry them to the East (and opposite in the Southern Hemisphere). However, on land, all that changes as the geography and climate play a much larger role in wind direction and speed. Wind is so locally variable that you cannot put a wind farm just anywhere.

Even within just Missouri, the most prevalent wind direction is different in KC (SW) than STL (SSE). But if you had to generalize wind on the Katy, it's from the South most of the year, thanks to the Gulf of Mexico. But when that South wind hits the river bluffs, it goes in all directions. On a windy day, it's not unusual to have the wind at your back one minute, and then have it hit you full in the face the next. So, I tell people to not count on the wind as a help or a harm, but to plan an extra "weather day" into your trip to account for wind, rain, cold, etc.

I've ridden the Katy end-to-end many times mostly in June. In general I think that east to west is better. I've run into head winds going west that were tough especially from Boonville to Clinton when the wind was coming out of the southwest. However last September I rode east to west and had tailwinds most of the way. Mother Nature sure likes to fool with people.

As far as tires, I've used 700x32 or 26x2.125 tires that had very little tread. The Katy is very hard packed in most places and knobby MTB tires would be overkill.

You need to do a dry run and see if what you are describing seems fun once you are doing it.

Load your bike down with two days worth of your chosen food/gels and all of your gear. Ride on a bumpy gravel road for 60 miles, stopping to eat MREs and gels and to refill your camelbak. Spend the night. Ride 60 more miles, stopping to eat your MREs and gels.

What shook off the bike?

Did the tent require constant readjustment? Did it interfere with your grip on the bars?

Did you like the food?

Was the camelbak water sufficient and palatable? Or should you pack another gallon? And some drink mix?

This will give you the answers that only you can answer.

Because here's what happens.

People get out there, and they have never ridden on a bike with 30 lbs of gear on it, and it's just not real fun for them.

Their tent wasn't strapped on right, and it fell off the bike 10 miles ago.

After about three gels, they get sick of the taste and can't keep them down anymore.

Plain warm water from the camelbak tastes gross, so they under drink and get dehydrated.

They don't feel like stopping because it's raining, so they go a couple of hours without eating and they get bonked.

And pretty soon what seemed like a good idea while they were sitting at their desk seems like four days of no fun at all.

So if you do a little shakedown, you'll figure out how to be really ready for your trip.

Signed, a guy who learned this stuff the hard way. :)

Excellent points, Bill from Houston!

Spot-on Bill, but you forgot to mention that you also get lost somewhere on a diversion or even on the trail and have to cycle an extra ten miles of torture! And I remember that there is nothing on earth like warm Camelbak water when you are really thirsty, thank goodness.
And seriously, if you want to enjoy the ride, follow all of Bill's instructions and cut down the daily mileage. We are old fit fogies, but we do 40 a day max, and my better half grumbles a lot about even that.

Follow advice here. It is all good. You can easily get sick of water. I carry Mio usually with b vitamins don't need caffeine crap. It will help some. You dont want to get dehydrated. Winds are FUBAR in my book. Have ridden the trail both ways and West to East was a horrid T storm with 65 mph winds one day. I still have nightmares. 3 miles in 3 inch mud pant for 10 minutes and go on. But it was still fun!

I usually keep it to around 45-55 miles per day. At home I ride dirt roads 90 percent of the time. Check your gear make sure it wont fall off. I use a bike rack with 2 saddlebags with my tent in the middle of them shoved under my seat and bungee corded to the rack.

Have fun!

I have 3 days and I will be on the trail. First time in the spring! Have done 2 Falls and one Winter.

Mr. Jerry Whittle from Belleville -- Could I ask you about your KT experience in the summer? I read that Spring and Fall are best, are you fine with the heat, do you ride early in the morning? I planned on riding it this year, end-to-end, late summer (hot) or early fall (less hot).

To Mike B. from Boston,
I'm an early morning rider, plus all of my training rides will be in the heat and humidity of May and June in South Carolina. I'm more worried about the long, gradual climb going from east to west. I live at a whopping sixteen feet above sea level, so I notice thinning air.

John: Missouri does have heat and humidity, however it will likely not be to the extent of what you experience in South Carolina. On the plus side we don’t have sand fleas. Mosquitoes and ticks are our nuisances. Altitude sickness doesn’t begin to cause issues until above 5000’ and the highest elevation on the trail is 955’. The key to managing or avoiding altitude sickness is allowing the body to acclimate slowly to altitude. This is done over the course of several days. You will probably already be doing this even if you flew to STL. If the long climb uphill is a concern, you could start in KC and go east. Personally I’m more concerned about the increased difficulty riding on gravel vs pavement.

https://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/Into_thin_air_Medical_problems_at_new_heights

Mike B. from Boston: I like to get on the trail early especially when it's hot. A few years ago it was predicted to get up to 102°F and humid on a long day. I got on the bike before sunrise. Technically illegal but I had good front and tail lights and I thought it safer to get to my destination before the heat got dangerous.

Last September heat wasn't an issue. If anything it was a little cool two of the morning. Of course you never know. On RAGBRAI one night it got down to 49°F in July. I didn't have any long pants or shirts so it was a cold night sleeping in a tent plus a rather cold bike ride until it warmed up.

John, don't sweat the gradual climb. The total elevation gain is about 350 feet from the Missouri River at Boonville (where the elevation gain starts) to the highest point at Bryson. That's about a 0.1% grade, which is not really noticeable. However, it's the hills that cause people the biggest issues. The rest of the Katy is flat, but from Boonville to Windsor, there are quite a few hills. The good news is that you are going down the hills about the same as you are going up them.

I was planning on riding the Katy and Rock Island trails as a round trip in Mid May. Could anyone give me what the typical weather and trail conditions are at this time of the year? Also typical river conditions?

Go to the home page
Scroll down to current weather
Click on one of Clinton-Jefferson City-St Charles
Use the > to go over to the monthly weather
Scroll down to pick which future month you want
Easy Peasy

Or you could just flip a coin (might be just as accurate) ;-)

There is also a weather app for iOS called Dark Sky. It has a feature called Time Machine that you can see what the weather might be in the future along with weather radar etc that you might find useful.

Is there a safe bike route from the Katy Trail to the Hampton or any other place to stay overnight in Clinton?

Use Google Maps App
Set location as Hampton Inn Clinton, MO
Set destination as Katy Trail
Set mode of transportation as bicycle
It will give you the best option and an alternate option

Or, you can leave your vehicle at the Clinton Community Center near the trailhead. Really nice folks with an established process.

Anybody know of events in Sedalia area on Memorial Day?

I'll be starting the Katy late May, East to West. Assuming Salt Creek will not be crossable. Is this possible:

Get onto Hwy 40, zip across the bridge between heavy traffic, make a right onto Road 457 to Davisdale? Satellite image shows something like a bridge, assuming to cross a levee, then there's the trail again, maybe a few feet of bush whacking.

Local knowledge and expertise thoughts? Is "Davisdale" someone's house or private property guarded by attack dogs?

Thanks to all contributors to this great resource!

Davisdale is a Missouri State Conservation Area so that gravel parking lot (Road 457) and foot bridge is for public use (parking and then hiking and biking along the Katy Trail or along the Conservation Area floodplain). They keep the path pretty clear so this route is a good detour option whether you can cross the low water crossing or not. There are several good videos of people crossing the low water crossing on the Fans of the Katy Trail Group Facebook page, so it just depends how the weather has been recently.

Thanks, Mark from Lee's Summit!

Can anyone tell me how to get from the Katy Trail to Columbia and where to find mileage? I believe there is an MKT spur somewhere around Rocheport that will take us into Columbia?

thanks

The trail connection to Columbia is called the MKT Nature/Fitness Trail and the connection is just a few hundred feet before McBaine (you can't miss it). You can zoom into this map to see the route:
https://katytrailmo.com/katy-trail-maps/katy-trail-map/

Still having difficulty figuring out how to get from the East end of the trail (either Machens or St. Charles) back to the Kirkwood train station. No one will shuttle us from either point. Bike Stop says call the day before - that's not helpful when you've got a train to catch.

I'm not savvy enough or familiar enough with the roads to understand some of the directions that have been posted.


Does anyone have a route that they have created for Garmin that would take us safely from St. Charles back to Kirkwood station? We aren't opposed to riding on city streets as long as they aren't super busy highway speeds. We are all used to road riding so some traffic isn't going to completely deter us.

Or - do you have a better option? We really wanted to do end to end but we're willing to cut out Machens because we don't want a 60 mile day at the end trying to catch a train.

Here is a Google Map link (this can be converted to a Garmin gpx file) that provides the best low traffic route (and most paved trail segments and bike lanes and residential streets) from the Katy Trail to the Kirkwood Amtrak station: https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/1/edit?mid=1g3mKDxZ4Dz7hIUq1qvJf2qm0nloQIosI&usp=sharing ... here are some of the highlights: separated bike lane across the Missouri River bridge at I-64 / paved trail along the levee through Chesterfield (note that there is a direct connection to Boones Crossing from the levee trail so you don't have to follow the Google Map to Top Golf and loop back...unfortunately Google Maps doesn't recognize this link) / cut through the mall parking lot at Boones Crossing to Edison / travel through the Chesterfield valley using low volume roads or you can ride on their nice sidewalks / ride on the wide shoulder along the South Outer 40 outer road / take the Salt Mill Road shortcut to Old Woods Mill Road / turn onto Clayton where there is a nice sidewalk for the first mile that eventually transitions into a really nice 8' wide paved trail / turn right onto the Ballas Road bike lanes / and finally ride along sidewalks and residential streets in Kirkwood in order to reach the Kirkwood Amtrak train station.

Thanks Mark. Do you know what the mileage is?

It is right about 25 miles to the Kirkwood Amtrak station if you measure from the point you turn off of the Katy Trail and cross the river. If you are using the Katy Trail mileage to calculate your total daily distances, then the Weldon Spring trail head is about 5 miles west of this turnoff point, so that would be 30 total miles from the Weldon Spring trail head to the Kirkwood Amtrak station.

I'm planning a 5 day west to east bike/camping trip in a few weeks and noticed there seems to be nothing between Sedalia and Pilot Grove. I'm hoping to do close to 50 miles a day, so stopping after on 33 miles in Sedalia seems too short for day 1 but 60 miles to Pilot Grove is probably too ambitious for day 1. Are there an camping options between Sedalia/Pilot Grove. Primitive and no services is fine.

Are there any forums or how to's on running the katy 50/50?

The only resource that I know of is the Katy 50/50 Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/katy5050/

And for everybody wondering "so WHAT IS the Katy Trail 50/50?"...

It's an ultramarathon (i.e. foot race, not bike) with distances of 50 miles or 50K (that's just over 31 miles for the metric-impaired). This year it's scheduled for September 4, 2021 at 6:30 AM, starting and ending at Marthasville. And as you would expect, a good portion of the route uses the Katy Trail.

Accuweather says flooding at Mokane and Hermann - anyone observing impacts? thx!

I suspect the trail will be safe for awhile. Rationale: it is unprofitable for trains to be stopped and not moving cargo. Obviously its not a working line, but it once was. There is probably going to take moderate flooding to effect the trail.

If you're on Facebook, join the Fans of Katy Trail group to get up-to-date reports from cyclists. Someone just posted a mile-by-mile assessment of the trail conditions. She rode the entire length a few days ago and did encounter washed out areas.

According to this website https://water.weather.gov/ahps/region.php?state=mo The Missouri river is below flood stage along it's length through Missouri.

Trying to sort out the best way to get to the trailhead in Pleasant Hill from the Airport (with a pass by UPS to ship my bike bag to St Charles). Does anyone who knows the area have any suggestions? Plan is for mid May 2021.

Actually, I think I figured out the best thing to do is just to fly to St Louis and there is a shuttle that will take you from there to Clinton or Pleasant Hill. Saves me having to figure out how to ship my bike bag too!