Places to stay after leaving Boonville and heading east, we were trying to get 20-30 moles down the
- + Places to stay after leaving Boonville heading east, trying to get 20-30 miles
Discussion started 02/19/2021 03:12 PM by Susie - 10 replies (last reply by Bill in Houston at 03/01/2021 09:46 AM)Susie from Brady NE on 02/19/2021 03:12 PM
Places to stay after leaving Boonville heading east, trying to get 20-30 miles
Jim from St. Thomas on 02/19/2021 07:20 PM
Not a lot of places to stay on that section. I think your only two options are Rocheport (13.5) and Hartsburg (38.5).
Bill in Houston from Houston on 02/24/2021 12:06 PM
Maybe Columbia?
Camping at Cooper's Landing?
LS Rider on 02/25/2021 07:41 AM
The trail is closed going East from Boonville well documented on this site. If it has been raining or the creek is high the detour is not safe. Rumble strips, little shoulder and the cars and trucks are flying by.
Bill in Houston from Houston on 02/25/2021 11:50 AM
Can anyone advise on the trail closure east of Boonville? I searched the forum and didn't see anything.
Do you mean the trail closure just west of Rocheport?
Anonymous on 02/25/2021 12:51 PM
Potato...Potato
East of Boonville is west of Rocheport
West of Rocheport is east of Boonville
Doug from Bluffton on 02/25/2021 02:00 PM
East of Rocheport is also east of Boonville. Case in point trail closure at mm117 west of Portland.
Anonymous on 02/25/2021 03:44 PM
How true.
West of Rocheport is also west of Portland.
One closure east of Boonville and west of Portland.
And one closure east of Boonville and west of Rocheport.
$64 question is, where the h#!! is Wall Drug?
Bill in Houston from Houston on 02/26/2021 11:55 AM
Ha ha haaaa, ok, yeah, you win.
Is the rock slide at mm117 passable for the brave?
Doug from Bluffton on 02/26/2021 05:42 PM
They have fencing up to close off the trail but it is not hard to just cut out to Hwy 94 ride past the closure and get back on the trail when 94 goes over it. Less than a mile of hwy riding.
Bill in Houston from Houston on 03/01/2021 09:46 AM
Great info. Thanks, Doug.
Best month
- + Which month is best to ride the Katy Trail? How early can I start? Average temperatures?
In the planning stages.
Thank you
Discussion started 02/22/2021 06:11 PM by James Hollon - 4 replies (last reply by Bill in Houston at 02/24/2021 11:57 AM)James Hollon from New Braunfels, TX on 02/22/2021 06:11 PM
Which month is best to ride the Katy Trail? How early can I start? Average temperatures?
In the planning stages.
Thank you
Jerry Whittle from Belleville on 02/23/2021 10:15 AM
During the spring into June flooding can be an issue. I've done the Katy end-to-end 8 times in June but had planned to do it 9 times. Flooding prevented it that 9th time. It's very warm to even being hot in June. Bugs will be out.
Last year the wife and I did it in September. The weather was almost perfect with no rain but it did get into down to 48°F one morning. We might just have been very lucky that week.
BikerBoy from Maryville, IL on 02/23/2021 11:17 AM
James, winter recedes about 100 miles north each week in the springtime. Since the Katy is about 600 miles north of New Braunfels, you can sort of figure out what the temperatures will be like (i.e. what your weather is like now is about what the Katy will have in the first week of April). We do get a lot more rain in the spring as Jerry noted, but that varies by year.
I suggest adding an extra day to your trip plan as a "weather day", so that you won't feel rushed if there is a day with lots of wind or rain.
BTW, New Braunfels and Gruene are a couple of my favorite towns.
Gary from Near Tebbetts on 02/23/2021 12:25 PM
Go to the Home page, scroll down to current weather, you will find historic averages there. Of course, there is no guarantee that history will repeat itself when you choose to ride the Katy. :-)
Bill in Houston from Houston on 02/24/2021 11:57 AM
James, we were hoping to get some cooler weather when we rode the trail, so we rode in third week of April. We got lucky, in a way, because the trail had just barely stopped flooding and somewhat been repaired in some segments. A little earlier, and we might have had some trouble.
There was nobody else out there at that time. We asked the businesses when the busy season was, and they said it starts in July, which I found kind of surprising, since I think it would be pretty hot.
I'd like to ride the trail in the busy time to get more trail camaraderie, but July doesn't seem great. :)
So then my next choice would be to try to hit it in the right month for fall colors. Early Nov?
As mentioned, it would be nice to allow a bad weather day. But if you're staying in places where you would need a reservation, I don't know how that works.
This site doesn't like for people to paste links, so just google "average weather for columbia missouri" to see a nice overview of temp and precip.
Transport from Sedalia to Clinton
- + Is there any consistent and reliable transportation to get my bike, stuff and me from Sedalia to Clinton?
Discussion started 02/05/2021 01:51 PM by WFM69 - 5 replies (last reply by Jerry at 02/23/2021 11:52 PM)WFM69 from St Louis on 02/05/2021 01:51 PM
Is there any consistent and reliable transportation to get my bike, stuff and me from Sedalia to Clinton?
Bill in Houston from Houston on 02/08/2021 02:07 PM
Not to be a smarty pants or anything, but your bike is probably the most reliable transportation to get you and your bike to Clinton.
John Hutchins from Pacific on 02/09/2021 08:58 AM
Ditto, plenty of time to ride to Clinton if you take the morning train. That's how I started my last trip east on the Katy.
PTM from STL on 02/09/2021 03:10 PM
A couple of years back, we camped at the Fairgrounds and in the morning, got picked up by a local who shuttled us to Clinton. Can't recall the name. Maybe check with Champion Bikes in Sedalia - the nicest folks.
BTW, for our shuttle, we had two big hybrids and a pull behind trailer and our escort showed up in a very small car - made for an interesting trip! If you find someone, you may want to ask what the transportation method is to see if it meets your needs, but you can't be too picky!
Good luck, be safe and hope to see you on the KT.
Steve from St. Charles on 02/16/2021 02:15 PM
I’m planning to ride the Katy in June, starting at Clinton. Based on this message board is seems best approach is to Amtrak to Sedalia (St Louis) then hitch a ride to Clinton? Does that sound correct?
Jerry from pilot grove mo. on 02/23/2021 11:52 PM
Laura from Sedalia has transportation to Clinton call her 660 287 0585
bridge out west of Rocheport
- + I heard that there is a bridge out west of Rocheport. Does anyone know exactly where? Is the bridge outage between Rocheport and Booneville are west of Booneville? The detour sounds dangerous to ride ...
Discussion started 02/15/2021 10:21 PM by DJ - 3 replies (last reply by Jerry Whittle at 02/17/2021 08:48 AM)DJ from St. Louis on 02/15/2021 10:21 PM
I heard that there is a bridge out west of Rocheport. Does anyone know exactly where? Is the bridge outage between Rocheport and Booneville are west of Booneville? The detour sounds dangerous to ride and I'd like to know if I could start my trip in Booneville going east or if I need to start in Rocheport to avoid the detour. Also, any guidance/tips on this section of trail is welcome. I have not ridden this stretch.
I'm planning to ride the week of March 30th. Any recommendations on places to stay would be helpful, too.
Thanks!
Jerry Whittle from Belleville on 02/16/2021 01:23 PM
If the weather has been dry, there is an easy, short detour past it that does not include roads. Check out the discussion on "Salt creek bridge" in this forums for lots of information.
There's another trail closure due to a landslide in the same area. There's about a 1/2 mile detour on a nice enough road that has small shoulders; however, is smooth and cars have plenty of visibility to see you.
Anonymous on 02/16/2021 01:49 PM
Where is the landslide closure near Rocheport?
This must be a very recent event.
Jerry Whittle from Belleville on 02/17/2021 08:48 AM
I misspoke about the location. The rockfall is at MM 116.00 to 118.00 which is between Portland - Steedman. It happened last year if I remember correctly.
MO Research Park in Weldon Spring
- + Are there restrooms at the Duckett Creek Sanitary district before starting a hike. Also once on Katy Trail are any restrooms open going west towards Defiance?
Discussion started 01/23/2021 03:00 PM by Faye Holdenried - 6 replies (last reply by Avatar 9357 at 02/12/2021 05:31 PM)Faye Holdenried on 01/23/2021 03:00 PM
Are there restrooms at the Duckett Creek Sanitary district before starting a hike. Also once on Katy Trail are any restrooms open going west towards Defiance?
Avatar 9357 from St. Louis on 01/23/2021 05:36 PM
There are no restrooms at Duckett Creek.There are restrooms at the Weldon Spring Trailhead but no water.
Jeff Morgan from Chesterfield on 01/24/2021 09:57 PM
5 day trip suggestions: Day 1- St. Charles to Hermann and stay at any B/B. Day 2-Hermann to Jefferson City and stay at Hilton downtown. Day 3- Jefferson City to Rocheport and stay at School House B/B. Day 4- Rocheport to Sedalia and stay at Hotel Bothwell downtown. Day 5- Sedalia to Clinton.
Connie from St Charles on 02/10/2021 04:34 PM
There is a pit toilet at the Greens Bottom Trailhead parking lot about a mile from Duckett Creek.
Avatar 9357 from St. Louis on 02/10/2021 04:53 PM
It's more than a mile from Duckett Creek to Greens Bottom Trailhead. It's more like 7 miles.
Connie from St Charles on 02/12/2021 02:22 PM
Not from the Duckett Creek sanitary district. I'm assuming she means the sewage treatment plant that is along Greens Bottom at the bottom of Jungs Station Rd.
Avatar 9357 from St. Louis on 02/12/2021 05:31 PM
The title of the post says Mo Research Park in Weldon Springs.
Lodging between St. Charles and Weldon Springs
- + Is there any lodging between St. Charles and Weldon Springs. 16mi might be too much of a (HIKE) for my wife. We are walking the trail.
Discussion started 02/09/2021 03:52 PM by Dan Paradis Terodactyle - 2 replies (last reply by Dan Paradis Terodactyle at 02/11/2021 02:38 PM)Dan Paradis Terodactyle from Lincoln NH on 02/09/2021 03:52 PM
Is there any lodging between St. Charles and Weldon Springs. 16mi might be too much of a (HIKE) for my wife. We are walking the trail.
Dave from Kirkwood on 02/09/2021 04:56 PM
There is a hotel (Best Western Plus St. Louis - West Chesterfield) up by I-64 if you walk up a Busch Greenway trail off the Katy. The detour would be around mile marker 52, and you walk up a nice paved trail to a wastewater treatment plant, and then on to the hotel (probably about 1 mile off Katy trail).
Another option would be to walk across the bridge over the Missouri River for I-64 (there is a separate sidewalk with protective barrier for bikes and pedestrians), and find a hotel in Chesterfield near the other side. The access offshoot to the bridge is around mile marker 51.
Dan Paradis Terodactyle from Lincoln NH on 02/11/2021 02:38 PM
Thank You. That's Huge.
Looking for some insight or “expert” opinion. Did we plan this correctly?
- + Looking for some insight or “expert” opinion. Did we plan this correctly?
This summer, a small group of friends are going to bikepack Katy Trail from West to East, Clinton to Dutzow and Amtrak back to...
Discussion started 02/05/2021 09:50 AM by Doug - 5 replies (last reply by Doug at 02/06/2021 06:35 PM)Doug on 02/05/2021 09:50 AM
Looking for some insight or “expert” opinion. Did we plan this correctly?
This summer, a small group of friends are going to bikepack Katy Trail from West to East, Clinton to Dutzow and Amtrak back to Sedalia.
We want camping not B&B. We are good for 40 - 60 miles a day. We don’t have a lot of interest in window shopping or fine dining. However we do want to enjoy the sights of the trail and enjoy the experience of the adventure. We will be looking to the local economy for meals. Our goal is not to ride end to end, but to travel a signification portion of the trail and enjoy what it has to offer. We decided to stop in Dutzow to catch the Amtrak to avoid the hassle of going to the St Charles station.
Here is what we have come up with.
Clinton – Sedalia (35)
Sedalia – New Franklin (41)
New Franklin – Mokane (60)
Mokane – Dutzow (50)
So now we are asking the experienced. Have we missed anything? Any glaring issues? Any recommended improvements? Any must see or must do while around any towns.
Thank you all for your insights.
Missouri Haus Vacation Rentals from Marthasville on 02/05/2021 12:23 PM
Great plan! Maybe consider camping in Marthasville at the baseball fields or just past Augusta at Klondike Park as there are no campgrounds at Dutzow, unless you are planning to not stay in Dutzow but ride Hwy 47 and into Washington for the train.
Marthasville has the best pizza in the county at Philly's Pizza. If you plan to eat in Washington, there are several excellent places near the train station. The 1869 Draft Room, Marquart's Landing, John G's Tap Room, and Sugarfire Smokehouse are just a few.
Keep in mind that the Amtrak has limited spots for bicycles, so you will want to get advance reservations.
Bill in Houston from Houston on 02/05/2021 12:47 PM
The big thing will be to call ahead and make sure that the services you are counting on are available on the day you want them. Like, actually pick up the phone and call on the day before. Because if you roll into Mokane at dark-thirty expecting to get dinner at the bar and grill, and for some reason they are closed, then what?
That said, here's where to eat if you choose to have nice simple local food amongst the nice local folks.
Windsor - Wagon Wheel
Sedalia - Bothwell, I guess.
Pilot Grove - Deon's or Casey's (sorry, man, that's the best food nearby)
Boonville - Main Street Diner
New Franklin - no idea.
Rocheport - Merriwether's for breakfast
Jeff City - Central Dairy for ice cream
Mokane - Mokane Bar and Grill
Food is kind of a blur after that, except that Treloar Bar and Grill was great.
As far as history or sights, buy Dufur's trail guide and it will point out all those.
Jim from St. Thomas on 02/05/2021 07:57 PM
One option would be to cut day 3 a little short and stay at the Turner Shelter in Tebbetts. It has hostel type accommodations. For $6 you get a bed with a foam mattress, air conditioning, hot showers and flush toilets. The latter become a rarity east of Jeff City. The downside is that there are no dining establishments in Tebbetts although the shelter has a refrigerator, microwave, hot plate and a coffee maker.
John G from Dallas on 02/06/2021 06:23 PM
So is the ride from Dutzow to Washington to catch the Amtrak on "busy" roads?
Curious for you, and for me since I like this destination to return to Sedalia via Amtrak.
Doug on 02/06/2021 06:35 PM
For John G. I found this post under the Washington link.
We are going to catch the Amtrak using Augusta Bottom Rd. The other option was HWY 47 (busy)
By trail: The shortest and probably safest way to Washington is via Augusta Bottom Road, which crosses the Katy Trail around mile 70.5. You can see it as the white line in the map below, running from the Katy Trail to just north of the bridge.
Getting to Clinton from the Flint Hills trail in KS
- + I was following the thread about a person riding cross country and wanted information on the best route coming north from TX. I was looking at routes from Osawatomie KS. One route is on MO18. Has anyo...
Discussion started 02/04/2021 07:27 AM by R Bruce W Laubach - 1 reply (last reply by John Hutchins at 02/05/2021 09:19 AM)R Bruce W Laubach from Williamsburg on 02/04/2021 07:27 AM
I was following the thread about a person riding cross country and wanted information on the best route coming north from TX. I was looking at routes from Osawatomie KS. One route is on MO18. Has anyone ridden the section of old MO18 I noticed by Google earth that one of the old bridges is closed?
is it still passable by bicycle?
John Hutchins from Pacific on 02/05/2021 09:19 AM
Not sure if this is what you are looking for but check out the Eastern Connectors on the Transam Eastern Express. https://www.easternexpressroute.com/the-transam-eastern-connectors/
That routs from Clinton to LaCygne, KS, about 20 miles from Osawatomie.
Flies and mosquitoes on trail
- + Biked the trail last year (actually twice: yo yo) The bugs came out the last day and were really bad. Planning a thru-hike next year with my wife and would like to know when the bugs go away in the fa...
Discussion started 01/17/2021 05:16 PM by Dan Paradis Terodactyle - 4 replies (last reply by Dan Paradis Terodactyle at 02/04/2021 07:52 PM)Dan Paradis Terodactyle from Lincoln NH on 01/17/2021 05:16 PM
Biked the trail last year (actually twice: yo yo) The bugs came out the last day and were really bad. Planning a thru-hike next year with my wife and would like to know when the bugs go away in the fall?? Sept? Oct?
BTW Anybody wanting to read my bike journey, go to trailjournals.com Good info.
John Scanlan from Hilton Head Island, SC on 01/30/2021 01:21 PM
Your comment said "The bugs came out the last day and were really bad." When was that last day?
John Scanlan
ping1@hargray.com
Brian L. from Austin, TX on 01/31/2021 07:22 AM
According to his journal that he linked to, it was May 22, 2020.
Jerry Whittle from Belleville on 01/31/2021 08:15 AM
The bugs really don't go away until the first frost of the year. Of course as long as the Katy is, there can be frost in some places but not in others. My two biggest worries are mosquitoes and ticks. A quick goggle showed these:
Once temperatures start staying consistently below 10 degrees Celsius (50 degrees Fahrenheit), mosquitoes start to go dormant in preparation for winter.
Ticks can be active when the ground temperatures are above 45 degrees Fahrenheit.
If you are hiking, some DEET and proper clothing would be a good idea to ward off the ticks.
I rode the Katy last September after the temps got below 50°F and mosquitoes weren't an issue.
Dan Paradis Terodactyle from Lincoln NH on 02/04/2021 07:52 PM
Thanks guys. Sounds like we should be ok if starting late Sept. Hard to outrun those pests when hiking. Will also treat clothing for the ticks.
Getting to the nearest hotel from the Clinton trailhead
- + Would I be able to bike from the Clinton trail head to the Hampton Inn (I believe this is the closest lodging from the trail head) without getting on the highway? Or does the hotel offer a shuttle? ...
Discussion started 02/03/2021 06:52 PM by DM - 2 replies (last reply by Gary at 02/03/2021 11:01 PM)DM on 02/03/2021 06:52 PM
Would I be able to bike from the Clinton trail head to the Hampton Inn (I believe this is the closest lodging from the trail head) without getting on the highway? Or does the hotel offer a shuttle? It did not mention one on their website.
Gary from Near Tebbetts on 02/03/2021 07:32 PM
Yes, it looks like an easy ride to the trail head from the Hampton through city streets. As for hotel shuttles, best you contact the hotel directly, but I doubt you would really need a shuttle.
Gary from Near Tebbetts on 02/03/2021 11:01 PM
Yes, it looks like an easy ride to the trail head from the Hampton through city streets. As for hotel shuttles, best you contact the hotel directly, but I doubt you would really need a shuttle.