Katy Trail Forum

We are planning entire trail starting in Clinton. Want to spend 2nd night in Rocheport. I think we want to ride a bit further than Sedalia on 1st day-or- at least to eastern side of Sedalia. Otherwise 2nd day ride of 50plus miles may be a bit too much for my companions. ( I think I can handle it but they are anxious aboutit ). Can anyone recommend place to stay in East Sedalia or slightly beyond ?

Thanks !

I'd check out the Hotel Bothwell. It is about 5 blocks from the depot in old downtown Sedalia, which is in the northeast end of town. There are no services beyond the Sedalia depot until you reach Pilot Grove.

We biked the Katy last June and found 40-50 mile days quite do-able. It's a gradual downhill, after all, from Clinton to St Charles, and that helps. There's a great downhill from Pilot Grove all the way to Booneville, naturally, because that's where you join the Missouri River. We had hybrid bikes.

Sedalia House B&B is on the East side of Sedalia, as I recall, and they will shuttle you to Griesen Road in the morning if you want.

Hotel Bothwell. You need to call about the restaurant because it is only open on certain days. If it is closed you can get a cab to McGruder,s. It has very good food. There is also a bar across the street from the Bothwell but the smoke is so thick that I can't go in.

The Sedalia House B&B is @3 miles from both the Greisen and Beaman trailheads. They cater to KATY trail riders with snacks/beverages when they arrive, a garage to park bikes overnight, and a full breakfast tailered to their needs. Shuttles are also available to and from the trailhead, as well as into town for dinner.

There's some great bed and breakfasts all along the trail. Get the Katy Trail Guidebook for lists of towns along the Katy and lodging, dining close to it. It's real helpful.

A couple of people mentioned Hotel Bothwell in Sedalia - here's a link you can use to check availability and rates there.

Also, here's a list of all B&Bs along the trail. If you decide to go beyond Sedalia, there are a couple of places to stay in Pilot Grove (about 25 mile past Sedalia).

Greetings Earthlings. Some of you may remember a post for two from me about our ride plans for this past week. Well, we took off from home as planned. Checked into our B&B in Hermann, everything going as planned. We spent the night, rode around Hermann the next day, visited a couple of wineries and shops and in all had a great time. This was Saturday. Sunday was much the same as Saturday, only colder. Then we watched the weather. We were planning to head out on the trail Monday morning. Then the sleet started. That's ok, we'll just stay an extra night and roll out on Tuesday. Then the weather service issued a winter weather advisory for that whole area. I looked at my wife, she looked at me, and I said, "How bout we call the kids to come pick us up before it gets any worse?" She agreed, and we got home about 6 a.m. Tuesday morning. Loaded up the next day, and went to Hot Springs, Ar. Got snowed on there too.



Oh Well, maybe next time.

Welcome to Missouri. I think we had an entire year of seasons in one week...one weekend it

is in the 80's and we have hail and tornados and the next they are predicting 12 inches of

snow. It's a mad, mad, world. But, it sounds like you had a great time for a while. So, try

again. Who knows what will happen next!

We enjoyed the weather last week. There were bouts with some intense cold headwinds that cut us down, particularly on the unsheltered highway-tracking sections of the trail. We also got some sleet but nothing too intense. For the most part, it was above freezing, which makes it much easier to stay warm.



Fresh snowmelt made the trail very sticky in spots, however. The condition of the trail changed dramatically after passing Jefferson City. We were westbound, which is definately uphill.

Matthew,



I was just wondering where you started. We were in Hermann on Saturday, Sunday and Monday till we bailed. I'm glad you got to do your ride. We were also going to ride west, and our plan was to ride from Hermann to Jefferson City on Monday. We opted not to do that and wait till the next day since it was sleeting when we got up and had most of the night before. When the TV station in St. Louis predicted 6-8 inches of snow for Tuesday, we chickened out completely. I hear that it didn't happen, but was really cold. Oh well, there's always the Memorial day weekend. We may try again then.

Weather....discretion is the better part of valor. Because my sister lives in Overland Park, KS. and brothers in Jeff City, Lake of the Ozarks, and St. Charles I watch the weather up there and remember well that week. Baling was better....better to ride again. Hey could have ended up like a small version of the Donner Party where you were looking uncomfortably at each other (as potential food). So when (not if) you do the KATY send in progress reports, impressions for they are great reading! Regards......Mark of the Dalton Boys

One small comment to the directions "Kirkwood to the Page Extension Bridge".



fter getting to Olive from Mason Road, instead of turning right on Fee Fee, I would continue a little bit west and turn right on Creve Coeur Mill Rd. Creve Coeur Mill Rd gets directly to the Creve Coeur Lake Park.

I've been riding my bike on sidewalks and in local parks for years. That was until I biked from Columbia to Boonville and stopped in Rocheport to eat at the winery there. There's a great book store there, Pebble Publishing. They had a great variety of biking and hiking trail guidebooks, plus one for Missouri Wine Country. They lists camping spots, bed and breakfasts along the ways. You can rent a bike near the trails and near many wineries. pebblepublishing.com for guidebooks, but I'd recommend going there. Oh, and they do guided canoe floats too.

What are your thoughts on best direction to ride,according to prevailing winds?

The answer is: it depends.

Where and when are you going to ride? Decide for yourself from the wind rose data at:

ftp://ftp.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/downloads/climate/windrose/missouri/

Everyone I know that has done the trail end-to-end has gone West to East. The slight average downhill (even though it doesn't feel like you're going downhill) is probably the determining factor.

Prevailing wind is hit or miss, but the trail is definately downhill going east. You notice it when you work against it. We also had either no wind or headwind on our east-to-west trek. I'd definately do it west to east unless you are looking for more of a challenge.

My girlfriends and I always have a great time dancing to the Wonderful Bands that are hired to entertain. It's always an upbeat place to hang and relax! You are guaranteed to forget your troubles and have a Great time!!!

~The InkLady

My girlfriends and I always have a great time dancing to the Wonderful Bands that are hired to entertain. It's always an upbeat place to hang and relax! You are guaranteed to forget your troubles and have a Great time!!!

~The InkLady

I know camping on private property is like asking the Spinal Tap guitar player about his axe. Don't even look at it, don't think about it----but are there any spots that are private property between Pilot Grove and Rocheport, where they will let you camp for a small fee?

There used to be a campground at New Franklin...not sure if it is still open or not. When I

was looking for places to camp, I called the local chamber of commerce, or city hall or a trail

friendly business and just asked and was quite successful in finding places to camp. Folks

are usually happy to help out. I know in Hartsburg, the city park is available for camping.

KATY Roundhouse in Franklin:
http://www.bikekatytrail.com/site.aspx?sid=20

Here's a list of all camping options along the trail: http://www.BikeKatyTrail.com/planner.aspx?chkCampground=on

Note that camping is available at the Katy Roundhouse this time of year, but restrooms and shower facilities are not. Bobber in Boonville caters to RVs but allows tents - you may want to call to see if they're open this time of year.

I just returned from the trail on a ride from Clinton to Hartsburg. It was a good time but too cold and the wind was in our faces the whole time. Three of us rode from Clinton to Sedalia the first day. I was suprised at how good the trail was. It was cold and the wind was in our faces and it made it a hard ride. We stayed at the Hotel Bothwell as we always do. It is very nice. The next morning we left for Hartsburg. It had very hard, steep grades. The wind was in our faces and the trail was soft in a few long places. We had a waffle at the hotel before we left and expected to get something fruther down the trail. By the time that we got to Rocheport we were out of gatorade and needed something to eat. We were very weak. We were told that Abigail's was open and they had good deserts. She wouldn't serve us. She said that they don't serve anything from 2 to 4. There were still

several customers in her place when I went in. I told her we were hungry and very week, but she didn't seem to care. She had pieces of pie in her display case that she could have wrapped to go but they weren't offered. One of my friends went back in to ask if she would fill his water bottle. She did but he said that she acted like she didn't want to. We found some gatorade at the antuque store next door and left Rocheport. My friends and I are clean cut men with familys and we range from ages of 43 to 63. I will never understand why someone with a business in a tourist town that makes much of its income off cyclist would treat cyclist with such disregard. This was the only bad thing that happened on the ride and we decided not to let her ruin our trip. We will just spread the word about Abigail's. We spent that night in Hartsburg at the Globe Hotel. Jeanette was very nice and we had a good nights rest. The total of the day was 78 miles. It was too far for one cold day with the wind in your face. The next time I will try to split it up into 50 mile days.

I'd mark that one up to experience Mike....and plan ahead better next time. It looks like you passed an opportunity to refuel with drink, etc. when you were in Booneville and then expected someone to take care of you later because you didn't plan well. Did you offer to buy the pie or just expect her to read your mind? Come on now....how about some personal responsibility here!



I'm not defending the worker at Abigails...she may have been rude. But she has the right to run her business with the hours that she sets and I doubt that she can read your mind when you want pie. More times than not....Ask and you shall recieve.....Don't ask and you get to blame someone else and complain later.



I imagine there is a lot of money that comes to Rocheport from cyclist like you and I. I would also guess that there is alot of money that comes to town from those who have never been on a bike. I've spent money in Rocheport as a cyclist. I've also spent money there as the parent of a college student at Central Methodist up the road. Ex MU basketball coach Quin Synder had been known to eat at the Trailside Cafe...probably because Rocheport is a quiet getaway and a short drive. I don't imagine he rode his bike from Columbia in his dress clothes. Go to the Bistro on the hill and see how many patrons are wearing bike garb.....not many. I'm sorry, but I just don't buy the idea that Rocheport needs to cater to me as a cyclist as if I provide "much of" their "income."



It sounds like the bad thing was your lack of planning for an off-season ride.....not the hours or service at Abigails.

I asked for anything to eat. That meant anything. This is my 4th time to ride the trail. It was planned but I didn't plan on not being served. As I said, I explained to her that we were hungry and weak. She apparently didn't care. There wasn't any mind reading necessary.

Their hours are posted on this site as:



Hours: Lunch W-Sun 11-2, dinner W-Sat starting at 5:00

Reservations required for dinner



Part of the trip plan should be survival (Plan B)and/or arrival during open hours. It appears you planned on someone serving you outside of their hours. Thats a planning problem.



Off-season....peak season (when things may be booked or sold out) plan ahead.....have a contingency plan. It's not always someone elses fault.

I never knew that I had to do micro-research into every business along the trail. I was raised that you don't let people starve. If you have to bend the rules to help someone you do it. I respect their business hours but you help people in need. It is apparent that you are friends or family with these people. I only know about mine and my friends experience with them on the 18th of March. Enough said. This was my 4th ride on the trail since 2001 and they have all been good experiences except this one. Enough said. You can have the last word.

Best to you.

Mike, I'm sorry you had an unpleasant experience in Rocheport. I agree with the point that Trek Biker made that businesses have the right to set their hours, but it sounds like the person at Abigails could have handled it a little better by suggesting some alternatives for you and your freinds. I highly reccommend Les Bourgeois Wineries bistro; it is worth the climb up the hill, and I've eaten lunch there several times while riding the trail. It is shame someone in Rocheport did not direct you to it.

I am not related to anyone in Rocheport or friends of Abigail folks. I just fail to see that poor planning on my part or yours needs to be blamed on someone else.



We are all human and we make errors in judgement that causes ourselves folly. When I do....I own it instead of blaming someone else that I don't know.

Thanks savage 24. I will be going through Rocheport within the next month. I will take your advice. Sounds like a good place. I will pass the word. Thanks again.

You are right Trek Biker. We shouldn't have come to their door expeciting something to eat or drink. Even though we had hit our sugar low. I am sure that at Christmas when you see homeless you blame it on them. I will plan our trip better next time. I just never realized that there were people in Missouri that would turn people away. I will pray for you.

Mike, Just don't go to Rocheport on a Monday, as many businesses are closed (including the bistro). If you are going to be on a bicycle there are two ways to get to the bistro: There is a private trail from the Katy that leads up to the bistro that has lots of switchbacks and is too steep to ride - there is a bike rack at bottom at the Katy trail where you can lock up your bike. I prefer to ride the main road south out of town up the hill to the bistro - it is very steep at first and some people will walk there bikes but once you get around the first curve it levels off a bit and is not so bad.

You've all made some valid points, but I'm afraid this is about to degenerate into a flame war (some might say it already has), so I am going to close this topic. If you have something that really needs to be added to this discussion, please send to me directly.

This serves as a warning to trail riders that it's a good idea to be over-prepared, especially this time of year when many businesses are still closed for the season or operating on limited hours. You can't always count on a particular business being there for you, unless you have called them ahead of time and gotten their assurance that they will be open at a certain time. Some have even been known to close early if business is slow. Again, this is less of a problem in May-October.

And hopefully this discussion also sends a message to any business owners about the impact of one small act of customer service - an opportunity to either earn a customer's loyalty and have them tell the world how great you are, or to earn their scorn and have them tell the world how bad you are.

Sorry to hear about this low point of your ride Mike, but hopefully the rest of your trip made up for it.

I am interested in pulling a Forrest Gump and fast hiking the Katy trail. I have some experience doing ultralight hiking and I am looking for advise from anyone who has done this,or advise from anyone who thinks I have lost my mind? Do you know any one who has done this, what is the fastest it has been done etc...

Has anyone found a place to camp near Clinton? I have a group of 4 riders that are starting in Clinton, and plan to camp the whole way.



Thanks

The City of Clinton has a lovely community center, just across the street (more or less) from

the trail head. Call them and ask if you can camp on their grounds. I was able to do that a

few years ago, then you have access to public bathrooms and showers. It worked out well. I

don't have the numbers any more, but I am sure if you searched on City of Clinton you could

get the number from City Hall. Finding places along to the trail to camp can be challenging,

but doable...I did it. Have a great time!

Much of the discussion on getting to the Katy in St louis mentions going from Kirkwood. I think it is 20+ miles. What about taking amtrak to the union station and then taking the metro train to the airport? All of the amtrak schedules I see arrive late in St Louis. I would rather have a short drive on the night I arrive (Stay at a local motel near the airport) and hit the trail early with a short bike. Comments?

The metrolink trains only run a generally east-west route that ends at the airport, so you would probably have to take the bus. I have not ridden the busses here - I understand some/several of them have bike racks. It is about 20 miles from Kirkwood to St. Charles - you are best to find a cab that can take a bike, a shuttle service or a buddy.

Metrolink DOES run from Union Station to the Airport, but I don't know an Airport-to-Katy route.

Sorry, read Kirkwood, not union station :(

Again, apologies Karl. It may have taken 4 days for someone to answer, but at least it only took 24 hours for someone to prove me wrong. Hopefully your question is answered ;)

I planned on doing that. I mapped out this route:



http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=53112



I ran it by some friends but did not ride it. We'll be going from Kirkwood after all, thanks to Amtrak's trailer policy.

I'm interested in getting dropped off at the Kirkwood Amtrak station for a one-way trip west, and I was wondering about the best way to get from there to the trail. Is it a safe ride or is getting a shuttle the way to go?

I put together a page discussing this issue - click here for details. I'd love to get feedback from anyone who has ridden from Kirkwood (St Louis County) to the Katy Trail.

I did the opposite in August 2004. That is, I rode from the KATY trail to the Amtrak station in Kirkwood. From the Page Bridge and Creve Coeur Park Connector Trail, I took the following roads:

SE on Marine Ave.

Straight on Westport Plaza Dr.

Straight on Craig Rd.

Left on Olive Blvd.

Right on Mosley Rd.

Left on Ladue Rd.

Right on Spoede Rd.

Right on Clayton Rd.

Left on Geyer Rd.

Left on Argonne Rd.



Except for the long, steep hill on Marine Ave., this turned out to be a pleasant, fairly quiet ride. In addition to the hill, Marine was pretty narrow, twisty, and busy. Much to my surprise, no one honked at us and most vehicles passed in a courteous fashion. However, I would only recommend this route to very experienced riders.

I'm planning to ride the Katy in early May & want to take Amtrak from LA to (near) one end of the trail and back to LA from (near) the other end. Haven't got any decent maps yet, not sure which Amtrak stations would work best for this approach. I'd rather ride 20-30 miles on bikeable roads than wait around for a local connector train. I'm bringing along a Bike Friday NWT folder w/suitcase trailer & don't want the hassles of sending my bike-in-a-suitcase through airport security, or I would consider flying (but where?)



Any suggestions gratefully accepted & considered. Thanx, Sharron Sussman, Julian, CA, sharronsuss@earthlink.net

My thought would be to do Sedalia for the west end and Kirkwood (see above) for the east end. You would end up missing out on the Clinton to Sedalia section, which is probably the least scenic part of the trail anyway (I like it, too, but it's a more agricultural/prairie area). The Hotel Bothwell is a reasonably priced old restored hotel that is an easy ride from both the Amtrak station and the trail, if timing works out such that you need to stay in Sedalia one night. There is a good Italian restaurant in the hotel, but it is closed Sunday nights.

Lococo House ll, Bed & Breakfast is three blocks from the St. Charles Trail Head ----- we provide shuttle service to Amtrak Station in Kirkwood ------ you can leave your car here ride the train, to the chosen desination of your choice and then ride back to your car ----or you can ride train from your destination to St Charles and then we will shuttle you to train station and you can ride back to your vehicle ----- or we can pick you up at the Airport ---- the choices are yours --- we only require you stay with us one night ---- either coming or going ----- and a small shuttle fee, we have a quaint Old Town St. Charles, which will provide you with entertainment and many restaurants to choose from ---- give us a call or look us up at www.lococohouse.com

I've mapped out the second route in gmaps. Is this the shortest one of the options? I assume that avoiding the traffic has recreational cyclists in mind. I commute by bicycle, so a bit of traffic doesn't bother me. I need to get off the train around 3 and get about 40 miles of trail down before dark, so I'm hoping to get there as fast as possible with a reasonably safe route in mind. The route to Creve Coure is 16 miles.

My friends and I stopped in Clifton City the 18th of March and the honor system refigerator isn't stocked yet. You can go up the hill to a metal building on the left and there is a door on the side. It doesn't look like a business but it is a garage and they have drinks.

We will be taking the train to Sedalia, but want to start riding from Clinton. Does anyone know of ways to get to Clinton without having to ride to Clinton and then double back to Sedalia? Thanks

j y, check on some shuttle services. check this web site. it has pret near eveything you need. happy bikin and be safe. frank