Katy Trail Forum

Looks like Katfish Katy’s is going to reopen.
https://www.columbiamissourian.com/news/missouri_business/katfish-katys-to-open-under-new-ownership/article_0e4c7540-8771-11eb-8655-f7e617832ecf.html

Great news!

Thank Jim

Katfish Katy's closes, space open for new business

https://www.columbiamissourian.com/news/local/katfish-katys-closes-space-open-for-new-business/article_22fad270-2777-11eb-b181-97d95e6d4985.html?utm_source=SocialNewsDesk&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=SND_scheduled_post&fbclid=IwAR3L8QXZHVs3Saqk-4TZYOTa4SwvI0sRljFQyV8suhrA9ZErKUAEsUdOCXE

The owners are of course looking for new tenants to run a business there, and I'd expect it to be similar.

New operators have been found. More to come.

https://www.komu.com/news/midmissourinews/katfish-katy-s-set-to-reopen-soon-with-new-owners/article_03aa3d64-8854-11eb-b1d2-233e3e3fe6ef.html

I hope this isn't considered off topic...I am riding Katy east to west in mid-May, then returning to St Charles via ACA Route 66. I see a couple of options to head north back onto the Katy trail around Weldon Springs. Any route I chose seems to be around 53 miles with one or 2 climbs. I'm more concerned about traffic issues.

Suggestions and advice regarding these options?
State Hwy O
State Hwy O via Allerton Road back to Katy
NE to Katy via Hwy 100, joining around Washington

If deemed off topic, please email me directly at gypsea00@hotmail.com.
Or if you are interested in riding part or all?

Thanks for this great forum; I've enjoyed learning from all your experiences.

What is the Katy Trail Mile Marker Number at Interstate 64 and is there access to the trail from this area?We are walking the Katy and this stretch is too long between the trailheads.
Thank You

You can use the Trail Map link above. Below the map is a settings button where you can a set the trail mile markers to “every mile”. Doing so you will see mile marker 51 is just east on the Hwy 64/40 that passes over the trail. You might be able to use the trail shown to the west of the Hwy 64/40 to get over the river but I’m not sure about that.

As Gary suggests, it should be easy to see in the Trail Map link above, especially when on satellite view. The access trail is about mile 51.2, it appears. It is an easily accessible paved path, although it does climb up (gentle incline) from the Katy Trail to the interstate. It is about one mile from the Katy to the edge of civilization - the big outlet mall on the west side of Chesterfield. It would be a bit further to get to restaurants or hotels, but you can estimate those distances on the map link above or any map website.

Good point, Dave. Anonymous, if you’d like to park on the St Louis county side, this particular location - a St Louis Premium Outlet Mall parking lot - will put you just a brief walk up a tiny hill to the trail: (38.6795726, -90.6625438)

From there, set Google Maps to bicycling view to calculate distances between your destination points more precisely.

My friend & I are first timers to the Katy Trail. We were wanting to do a leisurely ride to wineries & antique shops. We want to rent bikes & do a point to point with a shuttle picking us up. What
Part of the trail would be most appropriate for a ride like this? We only plan 1 full day. Thx!!

My pick would be Dutzow to Defiance.

I agree with Jim's idea. You could park in Defiance at the Katy Bike Rental shop and arrange bike rentals and a shuttle with them (call ahead to make sure they are still doing shuttles given covid).

You could get a shuttle to Dutzow or Marthasville depending on your desired distance. There are several wineries on your route back to Defiance (check any map website). There are even antique shops in Dutzow and Augusta. If you wanted more antique options, you could swing by Washington or other nearby towns in your car before or after.

MODOT is starting the bridge work at Jefferson City this Monday. The news stories say the pedestrian bridge will be closed for the duration (about 10 weeks) but MODOT’s webpage says it will be open during the day.
Here’s the news story
http://www.kjluradio.com/newsroom/missouri-river-bridge-work-begins-monday-in-jefferson-city-shouldnt-impact-traffic/article_236d47e2-845b-11eb-b955-535a9080a97e.html

And here’s MODOT’s webpage
https://www.modot.org/JeffCityBridges

Is the trail rideable with all this rain? I am looking to take my wife out this Saturday while it isn't raining. We don't care if the bikes get dirty, but wanted to make sure it is actual rideable. Probably only putting in 20 miles.

It is likely to be softer than many riders would like. Coming out of winter, the trail has not had a chance to dry out to a hard pack like it does in May/June. Wider tires would be suggested, and pedaling might require a little more effort. But anything beats staying indoors yet another weekend! :)

I'd like to take my wife out on the trail. As she is not a hardcore biker, we will probably only cover forty or fifty miles. I'm looking for opinions as to where we should go to catch the most scenic section? Realizing that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I'd appreciate all info folks care to share.

We saw nice redbuds and dogwoods, but I can't remember exactly where they were most plentiful.

Heading east out of Rocheport is a nice flat scenic segment. Merriwethers is a nice starting or finishing place.

Are you thinking about a 1 day out & back ride of 50 miles? If so I would either do Rocheport to Hartsburg (50 miles) or Jefferson City to Coopers Landing (40 miles).

Yes, I was figuring one day out and then back. I hope to return and cover the entire length of the trail on a solo ride.

ROCHPORT is a must!

Oh, and don't forget to go west from Rocheport to see the awesome tunnel.

Sounds like Rocheport to Jefferson City would be the best choice if time is limited.
Thanks for all the input. Looking forward to the visit.

Pay homage to Big Burr Oak, I think it is around Huntsdale (someone please provide a more accurate location). It's a wonderful old Big Burr Oak tree that is centuries old. Watch for Boat Henge at Cooper's Landing. You have to look for it. If you are traveling from Rocheport, going west to east, it will be on your left (north of the trail) before you get to Cooper's Landing. Hartsburg is a sweet little village. I don't know what is still open there, but take 20 minutes or so to bike around the place. And if you have the time, at the North Jefferson trail head take the spur towards the river and cross the Missour River on the pedestrian/bike path attached to the Missouri River bridge. Enjoy your trip.

I'm making notes of all the suggestions. Might be more than one ride on the Katy in our future.

Any update on the 2 rides? There was suppose to be something posted on the state park site March 1st.

Here’s the latest update I received:

Gary:
I found out a couple details for you... one of which the event is still very much in the planning stages! The dates for the Bicentennial Ride will be the weekend of August 7 and 8. Also, there will be event-related activities the evening of Saturday, August 7, in the Jefferson City downtown area, near the Lohman Building. As for all the other details, those will be made public at a future date once they've all been worked out.

Your interest is appreciated.

Is this location open or closed? The website is for sale and I tried to call the number listed and it was not answered, It rolled over to another line to leave a message. Google says Permanently Closed

And thanks for the heads-up on this one, definitely out of business so I have removed the listing. Sadly we will probably see many small business shut their doors after the challenges of the past year.

Thanks Ray! You do an awesome job keeping the site updated and if we all take a minute to let you know what has closed, it will benefit all of us.

Are there any private rooms?

I don’t know that I would call it private but there is a small room upstairs with 1 bunk bed that has a door you can close. There’s no guarantee that someone else won’t be using it though. Depending on the trail traffic you may have the shelter to yourself or you may be sharing it with other riders or a youth group. You just never know.

Not sure exactly what you're looking for, but the room that has the door has to share a bathroom and shower with everyone else.

Stayed here 10/11/20. The manager came around, collected our money and assigned us a spot. Big pavilion with lots of tables. Good facilities and capacity for large groups. Outlets to charge your phone. Good market north of town. I hope it survives.

Geo....saw your comment and wanted to reach out. A few friends of mine were going to do the trail a couple of years ago, then the floods came. We were going to do it last year, then the pandemic hit. We are thinking about doing it this year, around September. Is all the damage from the floods repaired? My wife and I have ICE eTrikes, which I assume will not be a problem on this trail. Our friends have hybrid touring bikes.

The Katy Trail is in great shape, but there is still a bridge out between Boonville and Rocheport. If the weather is dry that week, then you can take short gravel levee road to a low water creek crossing and in a few minutes be around the bridge closure. If the weather has been wet and you try this detour, then you might spend several hours getting sticky mud clumps out of the gears on your bike/trike. The recommended detour is a long, hilly detour on a busy two lane highway with no shoulders so that is not really a good option unless you are a serious touring rider. If you start in Rocheport and just go east, then you will be in good shape because the only major detour on that section is a short detour around a rock slide.

I had a great time three years ago touring all of the excellent trails around Madison and Milwaukee, including the three tunnels of the Elroy/Sparta. The crushed, fine limestone rock of the Katy Trail is good for bikes and trikes and the width is really good so that is not a problem for trikes and bikes passing each other in opposite directions.

How difficult is it to get from the Katy Trail to this hotel, or any place in Jefferson City? The road leading from the Katy trail, across the river, looks like a busy highway. I am not someone who favors riding with a lot of traffic, but it does not appear there are many options in this section of the trail.

I stayed at the Baymont during my trip in 2018. There is a path (and lightly traveled roads) to get to the bridge. The bridge has a segregated bicycle lane (very safe). Take Main St up to the Capital then turn right on Broadway, cross 63 and turn right on Miller. The hardest part is the hill on Main going to the Capital. Traffic was nonexistent for me but I think it might have been a Sunday. Monday morning I had to alter the route back to the bridge due to one-way streets (but still not a big deal).

I have taken the first left off of the long bridge and stayed at the Cliff House. I have then walked downtown and ridden my bike around downtown/capital building. There is a dedicated bike lane on the street. Cars can use it when no bikers are in it. Walking your bike might be safer for you going across the bridge towards the Baymont. Sorry, didn't look up where Baymont is. But I think it's alongside that busy highway. You can circumvent this by taking the side streets. Hope this helps. The Capital was fun to look in. Food is great at Arnies? think that's what it's called.

If you want to avoid the uphill to the Capitol, after going one block on west main turn right on Bolivar. Bolivar will curve to the left and become Dunklin at the intersection of Missouri Boulevard. After crossing Missouri Boulevard, turn left on Mulberry, that will take you to the hotel.

Sorry, called Arris bistro, loved it! The special dessert case, yummy.

Crossing the Jeff City Bridge is always a highlight of Katy Trail trips for me. The bridge is super-safe, and offers great views of the river and Capitol building. And the ramp on the north end is so much fun to ride down!

Do you have google maps? If so, do directions from Katy Trail North Jefferson City spur to the Missouri State Capitol, biking. It will show you the correct route. There is a Katy Trail spur that goes from the Katy Trail to the North Jefferson City Recreation Area. Then you take 4th St. to Cottonwood St. which leads to the access to the Pedestrian/Biking path attached to the Missouri River Bridge. These streets are all safe for biking, if you are not there between 7:30 am and 9:00 am or at quitting time when commuters are in the area you won't encounter many cars. As others have said, the bridge is very safe, this is a protected biking pedestrian trail. And the view of the river and Capitol is wonderful. Once you get over the bridge you turn left on Main and can either go to Baymount Inn (and someone gave the route to use to avoid going up that hill). If the Cliff House Inn is still open that is on Cliff St, very close to the bridge. Google maps shows it is temporarily closed. But check closer to the date of your trip. If they have reopened it is a wonderful option. And there is also the Capital Plaza Hotel. Which is at the corner of Missouri Blvd and W. McCarty. You can also call the Doubletree, which is about 1/2 mile farther east, and see if they happen to provide any kind of shuttle from the trailhead. Also, other hotels in Jefferson City might be willing to shuttle you and your bike from the trailhead to their hotels.

Easy to get to. The bridge is a breeze.

Plus, as mentioned, a trip isn't complete unless you go over that big bridge.

AND, you also have to go to Central Dairy. So good.

AND, as mentioned, Arris' is close and is good grub.

My group stayed at the Baymont six years ago. The hotel was very nice and convenient and the staff was very hospitable. They let us store our bikes in a locked meeting room. I highly recommend this hotel!

Stayed at the turner hostel on 3-5-21. Glad they are still there and operating. Be advised that there are no stores-restraunts-bars left in Tebbetts. Bring food or snacks if you plan to stay there. There is a pop machine on the porch of the hostel though.

We just had the best stay at Lindenhof B&B. Everything was absolutely perfect! We stayed in the Harmonie room and it was so comfy and cozy, and we LOVED the big jetted tub and the heated tiles were such a luxury. Already trying to convince my husband we need both at home ?? We even got a chance to sit in the outdoor hot tub which was wonderful and relaxing on a chilly, snowy night. The breakfast the next morning was so so so delicious and amazing! And last but not least, Kathy was such an outstanding host. She went above and beyond, was so very nice and personable. And when we experienced some car problems the next morning she was so kind to try and reach out to her local friends to see if anyone can help us out, and even offered to follow us back into town to make sure we made it ok. Thank you so much for the lovely stay Kathy, we will definitely be back!

A little gem! Wonderful rooms / antiques - attention to every detail. Great location - easy access to building. Very easy to contact owner - very fast responses to text messages. Beautiful common areas with fireplaces. Large hot tub and outdoor fireplace. Outstanding breakfast - very special recipe! Will stay here again. I can recommend this place and the owner without any reservations whatsoever. You'll love it.

I believe this restaurant is permanently closed. Can someone confirm?

LS, thanks for the heads-up. Google says it's permanently closed, and Google is usually right about this sort of thing, so I have removed the listing.

I am planing a hike in early March 2021. Is the tenets hostel open that early for overnight stays?

We weren’t planning on opening the shelter until mid to late March but if you’ll post the date you want to stay we can probably open it for you.

Thanks Jim
I spoke to Micalla at the conservaton dept and she said the key will be there for first weekend in March ( 5th or 6th). Peace.

Yeah......she called me today. I’m out of town for the week. But she said she will run a key down.

I will be hiking through in a couple days. Is bluffton barn open for rent camping in early march? Let me know. Thanks

I am. Give me a call so we can talk about what you might need. Doug