Katy Trail Forum

Salt Creek detour: my wife and I traversed Salt Creek on 29 March. The water was only a few inches deep and the mud was firm enough to carefully navigate.

Good to know I plan on going trough there on Friday. It sounds like the detour is fairly obvious. Thanks

Any updates from the Salt Creek Detour onto the gravel? Hubs and I are riding that section next weekend (Apr 9, 11). We are experienced bike packers pedaling Salsa Fargos with 2.25" tires. The low water crossing? On google maps it looks like we just drop off the trail onto gravel, make a u-shaped detour and get right back on the trail. Is that right? We'd be clear after that? Thanks for any updates. :)

My wife and I stayed here 4/2/2021. Joey is a fantastic. You can tell she loves being a host. We are glad we found her. Just a stone's throw from the Katy, it was super convenient for an early start.

Is it possible to ride the entire trail from Clinton to Machens and return to KC via Amtrak? If so, how do you get from Machens to the train station and which train station am I looking for? The Amtrak website is messed up and you can't see the entire RiverRunner schedule in one place. Thanks for your help

Access to Machens via the trail may still be difficult or impossible as a result of 2019 flooding damage, I believe. That said, the easternmost Amtrak stations in Missouri are in the city of St. Louis and in the suburban city of Kirkwood. The trail doesn’t intersect with either station, but you can bike to either from the trail; depending on where you cross the Missouri river, this could be a ride of 17-25 miles. Most of these routes will be on streets rather than protected trails or paths. Taxis or rideshares can also transport you from the trail to either Amtrak station. I suggest Google Maps’ bicycling and public transit views to help you plan.

St Charles to Machens was opened as of last fall.

The 2019 flood damage around Machens was repaired last summer and that section of the Katy Trail is in the best shape it has ever been. If you absolutely have to ride all the way to Machens, then the Downtown St. Louis Gateway Station is your best bet instead of the Kirkwood train station. I have posted detailed directions from Machens to the Downtown St. Louis train station on the Fans of the Katy Trail Group on Facebook, but you do have to be prepared for some on street riding. In order to start your trip in Clinton, you have to either get a shuttle or backtrack because your only Amtrak station options are Lee's Summit or Sedalia (Sedalia is directly on the trail and Lee's Summit requires an 8 mile on street ride to get from Lee's Summit to Pleasant Hill where you can take the Rock Island Trail connection to the Katy at Windsor).

The bike/train scenario can be a fun vacation. Amtrak serves several towns along or very near the Katy Trail. Washington, Hermann, Jefferson City, and Sedalia, all of which have lodging and restaurant options. Lees Summit (a Kansas City suburb) may be another Amtrak option soon via the Rock Island trail from Windsor if some Jackson County trail work gets completed.

For Jefferson City, Hermann, and Washington, you have to cross the Missouri river valley to get to the train station. The North Jefferson trailhead to Jefferson City is kind of a zigzag 2 mile route but well marked and is safe, and gets you to the big spiral ramp up to the river bridge where there is a protected bike lane. From the river bridge, take the first street to the left ( east) straight to the Capitol, go around the Capitol, then you will see signs directing you down to the Amtrak station near the river. The MCKittrick trailhead to Hermann route is about 1.5 miles along the shoulder of a busy highway, but it is a wide shoulder, and leads to a protected bike lane on the river bridge. In Hermann, take the first street left (east) and you will see the station down by the river. For Washington, you could ride on a busy highway with terrible shoulder from the Dutzow trailhead to Washington, but it is risky. I would recommend going east on the trail about 2 or 3 miles from Dutzow to Augusta Bottoms road (right near a small bridge over a drainage ditch), which winds through the river bottom and ends at the river bridge where there is a protected bike lane. From the bridge, go right (west) into Washington about 3/4 mile to downtown where you will find the train station down by the river. Sedalia train station is about 1/4 mile west of the Sedalia trailhead/museum through quiet city streets.

Amtrak has a limit on the number of bikes they will haul; the trains across Missouri dont have a baggage car; you store bikes in the luggage area of the coaches. They have some restrictions, like no tandems, no 3 wheelers, trailers, etc. So the early reservation has a better chance of getting bikes on board.

Sedalia Bothwell Hotel is great and let us leave our car in the lot for 3 days. They have a bike washing station. Fitters Pub is worth the visit. On the Sunday leg to Boonville, the only food/water avail was at Casey's gas station in Pilot Grove. Hotel Frederick in Boonville was nice, but bar/cafe closed Sunday/Monday. Main Street Diner OK and will fix a takeout for lunch for the next day. Next leg, 50mi to Jeff City. Please note that after Rocheport, there was no water, cafe, store, or anything near the trail until Cooper's Landing which is 10 miles NW of Hartsburg (which only opens at 2pm during the week and earlier on weekends. At Hartburg, you could only get water from the bathroom sink. After that, its another 13 miles to Jeff City. Some cafe's are open on weekends. KatfishKatys is open late Friday, and at 11am Sat/Sun. Huntsdale trailhead had a water fountain, but it was off for the winter or longer. Jefferson City to Hermann leg was more enjoyable. Holzhausers Bar/Grill in Portland has great burgers and I forget what else. Hermann is a very enjoyable town. The Amtrak to Sedalia was surprisingly good. The train in only allowed to book 4 bikes - per the conductor. It has a snack bar for coffee, snacks, and even a suds.
Most of the Trail info states that hybrid bikes are manageable on the trail. We ran our Trek FX2's with standard tires for 3 days and had 3 flats. Thanks to Ed for help on the first one. So we recommend beefing up your tires and tubes beforehand and get to know your pump.
Also, there are lots of branches and sticks on the trail. My experienced wife went down hard from a stick in the spokes, so be extra careful as you can be a long way from anywhere!

Thx so much for the great report.
How was the bridge detour?

Limped in with a side wall tire cut and patch job. Got a new tire and quick check up in just a few minutes and only just a few $$ as well. I wish this shop was located near me!

Last stop for civilized dining and coffee when eastbound on a Monday or Tuesday. Great scones on the patio and very nice staff. They are closed Wednesdays (but double check).

Brand new hotel. Very nice. They will store your bikes in the linen room on your floor. They also will set you up with a hose to wash the dust off your bike. A little pricey for some, but oh so comfy. The staff could not have been nicer!

Has anyone used Enterprise and rented a car one way from St. Charles to Clinton? Suggestions on where to pick up and drop off, please, etc. I prefer this to a shuttle.

Amtrak River Runner Route....KC to St Louis. It doesn't go to Clinton, but it stops in Lees Summit. You could bike the Rock Island Trail down to the Katy. Or up. Note: The Rock Island is not 100% complete and requires a nine mile ride on mostly quiet streets and highways. There is a shoulder on the three mile stretch of 150 Highway.

I looked into this its expensive extra fees involved

Amtrak from Lee's Summit to Kirkwood is $36 in coach plus $10 for bicycle. Instead of going all the way to Clinton, turn right on the Rock Island Trail at Windsor and ride a similar distance to Pleasant Hill about 10 miles of mostly lightly traveled streets to Lees Summit. Car rental one way to a small town is probably more expensive. Hopefully you are able to break your bike down to fit in the rental. I suggest the various travel sites to research car prices and locations then compare locations in relationship to Katy Trail. You do what's right for you.

I don't know what Enterprise one way rentals are like these days but when I worked there They figured the cost of retrieving the car and returning to it's original location which made it impractically expensive. I think they have since worked on their systems to make it more practical, but you still would probably need to go to a location with a rental office. You could probably find out with a phone call or by trying to arrange a rental on their website. Google says they have an office in Clinton so there is hope. But I'd be shocked if it cost less than Amtrak.

My wife and I both had Greek dinner plates and really enjoyed them, especially since my wife is a good Mediterranean cook. Baklava for the dessert was a plus! Good price on bottled beer and house wine. Open Sunday!

The Palace is a great locally owned establishment that has been in town for a long time. Happy to see more satisfied customers!

We love the KT and this forum!

We’re looking to bike another section of the KT this June as we’ve biked 3 years ago from St. Charles to Marthasville in October ( it got a bit hot) and 2 years ago from St. Charles to Jeff City in April ((and it was super windy and snowed)

What’s the weather like in June?

We’re going to Amtrack from St. Louis to Jeff City overnight . Should we bike to Rocheport and stay overnight there ( any recommendations?) or Booneville and stay at Hotel Frederick? Rocheport would be closer but then we’re biking the next day to Sedalia which would be a longer rider. I read not to miss Rocheport and is there a lot to see in Sedalia before we head back on Amtrack the next morning to St. Louis.

We’re trying to split up the rides evenly so we don’t have 50+miles one day - Jeff City to Rocheport to Sedalia and 35+ miles the other day vs. it being more even Jeff City to Booneville and Booneville to Sedalia.

Also - where can I get the KT 237 magnet for my car which I’ve been looking forward to getting soon!

I think you can get the KT237 at the old train station in Boonville or Sedalia.

We stayed at the Bed and Bikefast in Rocheport. It was nice. The food at Merriwether's was good. Then, you will be full strength when you hit the detour or the creek crossing west of Rocheport first thing in the morning.

There was not a lot to see in Sedalia. Stay at the Bothwell. It's the coolest thing in town.

I would expect June to be warm and rainy. But I'm not local.

You can buy the sticker on this website. Scroll up.

If you’re coming from Memphis (as your name might suggest) in June, the weather in central MO will be similar. You may need to factor rain, storms, and more severe weather into your planning.

Thanks for the June weather info and hopefully, it will be a bit cooler than Memphis! I just hope it doesn’t rain/storm on the 50 mile day from Rocheport to Jefferson City as it will take a really long time to get to our destination. Open to any tips for biking in the rain. On the past two trips, we’ve biked in light rain, snow and heavy wind but not a downfall.

In light rain when it's not too cool, I like to just wear a fleece jacket and let it get wet. It keeps me warm enough and kind of breathes so you don't get soaked to the skin.

When the rain got heavier, we put on ponchos, and they kept us dry enough to stay comfortable, BUT the flapped and were so loud we couldn't even talk to each other. A waterproof shell sure would have been nicer.

Your feet and lower legs will get soaked and covered with trail grit.

Fenders are really helpful. if you have a rear rack, you can just make a short plastic extension to keep your stuff and your back side dry. If you don't have a front fender and don't want to shell out for one, you can rig a short piece of plastic with some zipties to minimize the amount of water and dirt on your front and in your headtube.

The best tip I have for riding in the rain is to just put your head down and pedal while repeating your favorite mantra. My favorite mantra is “I hate effn rain, I hate effn rain, I hate effn rain...........”

Jim, you forgot to mention wearing fashionable garbage bags (come in various sizes of large, medium, and small) and household rubber gloves to help deal with the cold springtime rains.

I need to take Amtrak from Sedalia to St. Louis to get back to my car which is parked in St.Charles. Is getting on an Amtrak train at the station with a bike allowed?

Yes, but you must purchase access for your bike at the time you purchase your own seat.

Thank you, k, for your fast reply.

I need to take Amtrak from Sedalia to St. Louis to get back to my car which is parked in St.Charles. Is getting on an Amtrak train at the station with a bike allowed?

Bikes are allowed on Amtrak however, you will need to make a reservation as they only allow four bikes per train. We just made reservations from St. Louis to Sedalia and then from Jefferson City to St. Louis. One way coach seats for the two of us is $64 and 2 bicycles are $20.

Thank you for your super-fast reply. Your reply is exactly what I needed to know.

I plan to park and leave my car at St.Charles trail head and bike to Clinton. Then bike back to Sedalia to take an Amtrak train to return. It appears the train stops at Kirkwood before arriving at St.Louis. Is it better to get off at Kirkwood instead of St. Louis? What is the best way of returning to St.Charles with bike without riding through the city streets from either station? Are there city buses with a bike carrier? Any other ideas of transportation to St. Charles?

The Rock Island Trail extension is almost complete (officials hope to have it open the second week in April) in the KC area. The trail currently ends on the north side of Lee's Summit (a suburb of KCMO) Jackson County Parks is extending the trail to the Truman Sports Complex (Arrowhead and Kauffman Stadiums) From there a short city streets bike ride via Stadium Drive to Leeds Drive to Cleaver II Blvd where you can then access paved trails to the Country Club Plaza. More info on Facebook page Jackson County Rock Island Corridor.
IMPORTANT NOTE: The Rock Island Trail is not yet developed from Pleasant Hill to the south side of Lees Summit. Trail users would need to ride nine miles on rural to suburban roads with one two mile stretch of highway

Is there a location yet for the trailhead / access at Truman Sports Complex? Or, does anybody have any on-the-ground updates about what's complete between Truman and Brickyard Rd? All the official Jackson County info is tantalizing(!) -- but a little dated.

Thanks -- I'm starting a trip in a couple weeks from KC through to STL and (ideally) all the way to the east coast, using the Ohio trail, Erie canal, etc. VERY excited about launching it with the Rock/Katy!

Trailhead will be in parking lot L at Truman Sports Complex. As far as what's complete, the infrastructure is there, but they are finishing up punchlist items, so the trail is closed to the public. I have not seen it, but i found videos on youtube using a few key words. People are using it illegally. Good luck on your trip. I'm planning on doing St Louis via Alton, Illinois to Kansas City in a few months. Probably finish up in Kansas just to do it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvUPpggoktQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0MmsH1gG5c&list=PLIN6dVHZxLrOunNz9J4QpL_d6evyPQ--_&index=22

Ah, thank you MapMedic, that's exactly what I was looking for. In fact (along with the incidental drone footage) now it's possible to get a real sense of what the Truman parking lot "gateway" looks like at the moment. Very encouraging!

From there then, it sounds like the trail infrastructure should guide you pretty much all the way to Lees. And any obstructions along the way can usually be 'forded' or portaged (I'm looking at *you*...Salt Creek)

Good luck/fun on your ride too. I think we're going to make a point of completing the trail all the way to Machens, and then even proceed further to the important (if remote) confluence of the Muddy and the Mighty. Do you (or anyone else) think there's an ideal spot to soak that in?

Ivan...the Ted and Pat Jones Confluence State Park is still closed due to all of the flood damage from 2019, so you won't be able to travel the floodplain area to the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers. You will probably be stuck leaving Machens by taking 94 Hwy. east to 67 and over the river bridge to Alton. My favorite is to take my bike across the Grafton Ferry, but unfortunately that ferry only operates during certain months.

Ivan here is a link to the extensive Illinois trails in the area. I’m thinking more about crossing via the Grafton Ferry since that sounds cool.
http://www.mcttrails.org/map.aspx?fbclid=IwAR3X98mtgxYZhZTMRnehAV94VDkQFKZULMhOrnxO2k6Whwg848qXflyIKMo

Eric

Closed Sunday. The only place open in town on Sunday is the Casey’s convenience store with pizza and some sandwiches.

Hello! Me and 4 friends (all 50-60 years old) are going to bike from KC to STL on the Katy Trail in June. We do similar bike trips every summer (Fargo to Minneapolis; LaCrosse to Milwaukee) and we're wondering about any challenging elevations or trail conditions, especially between Sedalia and Hartsburg and Hartsburg to Marthasville. Any tips or challenges we should know about?

It is an old train route, so not many drastic hills. Can't vouch for the route between the KT and KC. I think the Sedalia to Booneville stretch is a slow, grinding slight uphill, but others may disagree. It always seems to flatten out for us heading east of Booneville.

Heat can be a problem during June. There are some sections of the trail without shade and we can get hot/humid weather in mid-MO.

Availability of food stops along the trail may be a challenge, please do research on this site and this Forum to check if businesses are still open.

There are some sections that include detours as well.

Good luck and hope to see you on the trail.

Going west to east the only major elevation challenge for me is the section between Clifton City and Pilot Grove. There is a long (maybe 4+ mile) uphill grade in that section. After you get past that you’ll get to enjoy the long downhill into Booneville and then flat to slightly downhill gradients the rest of the way.

The west half of the Katy Trail has gradual rolling hills just like the rail-trails that I have ridden in Wisconsin. The east half is extremely flat and follows the Missouri River. The Katy Trail is great, but you do need to be prepared for the two major closures/detours. The Salt Creek bridge that is out just east of Rocheport has an easy unofficial detour along the levee and across a low water crossing as long as the weather has been dry (if it has been wet, then it turns into a muddy mess). Unfortunately the officially recommended detour requires riders to take a hilly detour along a busy 2 lane state highway with no shoulders and I don't recommend that route for recreational riders. The second detour is an easy 1/2 mile detour around a large rock slide (just west of Portland). Only 1/4 mile or so of that detour is on a state highway and that section of roadway is completely flat and not heavily traveled. Again, the Katy Trail is awesome, but I want you to be prepared. You will have a good chance in June for an easy low water crossing of Salt Creek, but you still have to be prepared.

Many businesses such as stores and restaurants in the small towns seem be to closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. Sedalia and Boonville aren't a problem. You might want to schedule your trip with that in mind. If you start from KC on a Monday, you probably won't have to worry.

I have ridden the trail in it's entirety in both directions. While the elevation change is not extreme it is generally downhill from west to east as it falls toward the Mississippi river. For me, the greatest elevation change is the 30 or 40 miles between Sedalia and Boonville which is downhill as you approach the Missouri River valley.

I have rode from HWY 135 to Windsor.

East of Beaman are two nice size hills. They slope toward Shaver creek. So you go down hill and then up. That's going east or west. Normal slow grade from Beaman to Greenridge.

It is more uphill going west than east. You don't notice until you turn around and notice you are coasting more.

Rode the Rock Island from Windsor north to PH. Don't remember any big hills. Some up grades as you come to roads.

Be careful crossing the roads in Sedalia. pay attention especially at the Grand, Clarendon road and Ohio/16th streets. There are lots of people are will allow you to cross but others who are so busy on their phones or just not paying attention that they are dangerous.