Katy Trail Forum

The state park advisory map references a closure with no detour west of Portland. Is this still the situation?

The bridge west of Portland is still blocked via a fence and signs as of today. Not sure of I missed the detour sign, but I had to use google maps to make up a detour and pick up the trail at the Portland trailhead.

The State Parks dept says this will be closed until 2022 at least. It's a huge slide and will take careful engineering to shore up the cliff. They aren't recommending a detour because it requires riding on a section of 94 with no shoulder and fast traffic. I rode it without any issues on a weekday morning, but I'm comfortable with road riding.

Our last leg this past week was from Marthasville to St. Charles. As stated, we did encounter not just the rock slide, but just before that, a bridge out, large tree across the trail, and then the rock slide...all within about 300 yards. Managed to negotiate our way around each of them.
For the rock slide, although there is no recommended detour, it can be fairly easily negotiated (my directions are West to East). As soon as you roll up to the rock slide, there are a few medium sized boulders forming a 'chute' to the right of the trail. If you can lift your bikes down those few rocks, you will see a leafy path thru the woods to follow for maybe 40-50 yards to get back to the trail. We did it without much issues on Tuesday, 10/13 this past week.

We navigated this closure on Sunday, heading west to east on a 3-day ride. I wish they would post something "suggested" even if not "approved." Were ages 66 & 72, and first negotiated the up-and-downhill paths around the bridge. Getting over the downed trees wasn't too bad. Then the rock slide --lifting and pushing-pulling out bikes over the rocks, then along the path, then back up onto the trail. It was a challenge. We're not big fan of road riding -- but a suggested detour might be better for some. Just sayin'!

Love The Corner for dining on the Katy Trail! We eat there every time we stay in Rhineland.
Quiet wholesome setting where the locals go to eat. Fresh made Homestyle food, breakfast, lunch & dinner. (Breakfast stops at 10:30, so better get up & at ‘um!) Kind & friendly staff.
Save room & Don’t miss one of their delicious desserts!
It’s nice to know of a place to eat any day of the week. And, without having to go into Hermann.
You’ve been on the bike trail & tired and hungry? This is your place! They will take good care of you. (Plse Be kind in return) (Clean restaurant & bathrooms)

Was our plans to stop here this past Monday (10/12) on our W to E on the trail. Unfortunately, the Corner restaurant is Closed on Mondays....argh!

Had to pedal on to Augusta to a little place called Kate's Coffee. Have to climb a few hills to get to, but a very quaint little place. Opens at 7:30am

Thinking about taking Amtrak to Washington station, then cycling to Augusta then over to St. Charles. Is It safe to cycle across the 47 bridge from Washington to the trail head in Dutzow? Is there a bike lane across the bridge?

YES, there is a separate bike/pedestrian lane on the new bridge, and it is open now. You can even ride under Hwy 47 on the north side of the river to get on the right shoulder. From that side of the river, you have a choice of riding along the shoulder of a busy Hwy 47 to Dutzow or taking Augusta Bottom Road (gravel for a bit) to get to the Katy.

age of the burr oak tree west of Mcbaine

350 to 400 years old, according to the Univ of Missouri. For a time scale, I like to tell people that when Lewis and Clark went past the tree, it was already at least 130 years old.

It’s about the same age as I feel when I pass it on day 2 of our 4-day Clinton to St Charles Ride.........

Pro-Velo and Ebby (hope I got the name right) took a phone call from me on May 11, 2019 -- after hours -- and agreed to wait at the shop in downtown Sedalia for another 10 minutes until I could pedal in. I'd had 6 flats over two days on the Katy: my tires were worn out after 3.5 years of trail and road service. (Katy Trail tip--start the trail with new tires).
Ebby met me and my friends, didn't up-sell the tires I needed, installed them expertly for a nominal fee, and met all my tube and CO2 cartridge needs. We were done in 30 minutes and I had no troubles the rest of the trip.
Thank you, Ebby, for staying late on a Saturday and saving this discouraged biker. Wishing you much success. -- TJ

Just adding my kudos to Pro-Velo and Ebby. Arrived in Sedalia -- tire problem! -- on a late afternoon he made the repair and I'm ready to go in the morning. Friendly, knowledgeable and helpful. Great guy, a real treasure. Thanks to Ebby!

Dana, Billings MT, 10/2/2020
Great old hotel. The staff were amazingly friendly.
Trail was very close to Hotel.
Katy Trail Discount, make sure you tell them!!
Our room was kind of small- especially with our bikes in the room. They did offer to store them for us, but we wanted to get an early start, we didn't want to bother with that time constraint.
Thye had usb ports on bedside table- which is very nice!!
The restaurant in hotel, was very good!!
The only breakfast available were in brown bags due to COVID. Mostly high sugar stuff, no protein.
Bed was comfy; hot water, but pressure was very low. It took forever to fill up bathtub. Would def recommend.
Check out Train Depot at trailhead, if you can- closes at 4pm. Get you KATY trail tour stuff there, support the local economy.

We're staying at the Hotel Bothwell tonight. Perfect place to start our 3-day ride. Historic, charming, welcoming to cyclists. Excellent location downtown and near the trail. We'll stop at Katy Depot on our way out of town.

We are thinking of driving down from Iowa -- possibly to Windsor -- and then riding east for 3 days (Day 1 to Boonville; Day 2 to Jefferson City; Day 3 to McKittrick-Hermann). We're wondering if anyone provides a service to shuttle your vehicle back to your destination point (in this case, to Hermann)? It seems like all the shuttle services we've seen want you to leave your vehicle at the destination and shuttle Bikes & Riders to their starting point. Is it ever done the other way? And who would be a contact at the western points of the trail to do this? Also -- feel free to comment on our proposed 3-day ride. Thanks!

I guess since there are no responses to my inquiry . . . this isn't a good idea. Okay -- what if our final destination is Hermann, and we park and leave our vehicle there -- who would be a possibility to shuttle us + bikes out west -- say to to Windsor-Sedalia? Thank-you again!

How many riders?

TWO -- just me & husband. Sorry -- I should have said that! And while our dates aren't firm -- thinking about October 14-ish.

You probably didn’t get any input on your initial plan since it would require two drivers (one to drive your vehicle to the end point and one to drive another vehicle to bring the shuttle driver back home). Picking you up and driving you to your starting point only requires one driver.

Gary -- Thanks for your comment . . . understand that. We've provided that kind of service for RAGBRAI riders who were riding maybe 3 days of the ride -- followed them to an eastern point where they left their vehicle, then took them back to the west end to start their ride. So, I thought maybe there would be folks along the Katy Trail who provide that sort of service. But I'm learning! :)

Contact me at The Bluffton Barn. Doug

I called and left a voicemail along with my email. Hopefully we can connect. Thanks!

Happy to say that we have a plan! I quickly saw (unexpectedly) how lodging fills in mid-October--so scurried to get the plan together and have made lodging reservations with this itinerary:
Day 1: Drive down from Iowa to Sedalia -- and we have a plan to leave our minivan at the east end and be shuttled back to Sedalia.
Day 2: Ride Sedalia to Boonville
Day 3: Ride Boonville to Jefferson City
Day 4: Ride Jefferson City to Hermann
Day 5: Drive back north
COMMENTS or suggestions are appreciated, especially if any of you experts see big mistakes. We each have roomy trunk bags + a small triangle frame bag -- think this will be sufficient. This forum has been helpful!

Keep in mind that Hermann has it’s Oktoberfest every weekend in October so if you’re going to be in town Friday - Sunday expect crowds and heavier traffic on 94 when you’re doing the rockslide detour. Lots of good wineries in the area. Hermannhof Winery in the downtown area is party central. If you like inebriated crowds and loud accordion music they have it covered. Since I’ve entered the “you kids get off my lawn” phase of my life I prefer places like Adam Puchta’s which is just a short drive out of town.

You don't care for the "Hup! Hup! Ho!" on the patio, Jim?

Have experienced that once and it seemed the more I drank, the funnier it got. Before too long I just couldn't seem to get out of there fast enough. One of those "get off my lawn" things and I figured it wasn't my lawn that they were on.

Adam Puchta's Port is worth the drive from anywhere.

Jim -- Ha!--yes, now we've heard about OctoberFest! We guess that we won't get into Hermann until Sunday afternoon . . . and hoping that it's perhaps not so crowded as folks will be leaving. We couldn't find lodging on Friday or Saturday -- but at least a couple days ago found a few spots for Sunday night. Now I've looked at Adam Puchta's winery and see that they close at 4pm on Sundays! If that's typical, now we'll just hope we can find something to eat-drink on Sunday evening. We are staying at Harbor Haus in town, partly because it looks like we can WALK and won't have to worry about driving when we've had a couple glasses of wine. That'll be the "end of the trail" for us, as we head back to Iowa the next day.

DOUG of the Bluffton Barn gave us a great start today on our Katy Trail ride. We drove down from Iowa, left our vehicle at his place and shuttled us & our stuff-bikes to Sedalia. What a great guy, super-nice and a plethora of stories to tell. We're headed east in the morning to Boonville. It'll be crisp! A big THANKS to Doug for getting us on our way!

I am interested in trying find a way to ride from Katy/Rock Island trail to Flint Hills trail in Kansas. Are there safe back-roads to attempt to make this connection? Appreciate any feedback.

On mobikefed.org 10/13 How to connect from MO's Katy/Rock Island Trail to KS's Flint Hills Nature Trail using trails & low-stress routes.

We had a lovely stay at the Lindenhof B&B. Kathy is a great host. The breakfast was delicious. The house is beautiful, the beds comfortable and there is a cozy patio with a hot tub. Great place to stay and I'm sure we will be back.

The Katy Trail will be closed daily from 7 am to 4 pm between MM 48.1 at Pittman Hill Rd to MM 56 at the Weldon Spring Trailhead starting Tuesday, Oct. 13 through Thursday, Oct. 15 due to surfacing work. Please avoid this area due to dump trucks and other heavy equipment!

Just FYI. Have left a number of messages via phone and email to CBarJ over the past month, with one being returned.

And what did they say in the one returned message?

Sorry, that was an autocorrect typo. No messages were ever returned.

Sorry, that was an autocorrect typo. No messages were ever returned.

I stayed at the Bluffton Barn on 10.3.2020. Doug was a kind and generous host. The place is eclectic and homey. Enjoyed lively talk around the campfire with Spot and Freckles (Doug's sweet dogs). Though I did not eat any meals there, the other guests had great things to say! I stayed in the upper barn loft. Lots of room, comfortable and quiet. This place is great for travelers who are a little more adventurous and enjoy a rustic old world charm. Thanks again to Doug for being incredibly welcoming and accommodating!

I stayed at the Bluffton Barn the night of 10/9/2020. I found Doug to be one of the most personable gentlemen I’ve met. I felt he and I could be friends. He is a cyclist and enjoys hearing of your experiences and sharing his. The dinner he prepared for his guests that night was delicious and there was plenty, and the blueberry pancakes and bacon the next morning kept me going the next day.
I think it was Erik who mentioned Doug’s dogs, Spot and Freckles, they are both sweethearts, and gave me my dog fix for the day.
If/when I ride the Trail again, I will plan my itinerary to include Bluffton Barn in Bluffton.
Enjoy your autumn ride.

I'd like to ride a single day out and back century on the Katy Trail. What might be the best segment to ride? thanks

The west end of the trail (west of Boonville) is rolling hills while the east end is pretty flat following along the Missouri River. Most people would start at Rocheport because it has excellent access off of I-70 and features the most scenic stretches of bluffs on one side and the Missouri River on the other as you ride east (or as you ride back west after your turnaround point). If you are wanting to complete an out and back century, then this is the perfect stretch where you miss all of the current detours off of the trail (even if the detours are pretty short) and the trailheads with water are well spaced out.

I agree with Mark.

I rode the section from Clinton to Sedalia this weekend and, seeing all the cows grazing near the trail, if anyone has ever seen a cow or other livestock on the trail? Just curious.

This, like just about everything else in town, appears to be closed on the weekends.

I'd sure like to know why you needed a lawnmower fixed on a saturday bike ride.

Other posts on this forum indicate that this shop also sells and services bikes and accessories.

Planned on starting 10/17 from Clinton to St. Charles or Machens, but noticed a Sedalia detour/closure in the forum?

Is that still the case?

In Sedalia, they converted a portion of the trail back into an active railroad siding, so there is an on road detour for about 4 miles. They are currently building several new trail segments to replace the on road detour, but they are not finished yet so you need to still be prepared for the on road detour. From what I have heard recently, a few people have tried the new trail route that is under construction and found it difficult to ride through the gravel base that they have started to lay down (the fine rock doesn't get placed until the end) There are two other major detours that are easy if you plan them ahead of time, between Boonville and Rocheport (a bridge washout requires you to cross an often dry creek bed) and another one a few miles west of Portland, MO (a huge rock slide requires a 1.5 mile on road detour).

Echoing what everyone else said: Clean, friendly, convenient, comfortable. I stayed Saturday night and the sign said "no vacancy" so consider making reservations.

White Wolf Inn is our preferred place to stay.

Thank you Mark & Jill for our last two stays since August 2020.
We enjoy the country setting - peaceful mornings & star gazing evenings.
The bike up to Starkenburg to see the church is a beautiful ride along the country road. (Experienced bikers only - hills & lite traffic, no designated trail.)

No hustle & bustle of Hermann, yet close enough to venture in for dining or music. A nice economical stay as well. Always clean & well kept. Enjoyable patio common area w/ stocked fire pit, table & chairs. Plan time to enjoy the outdoor setting, mornings or evenings. Have your coffee & watch the cows graze by.

It's the trail open McBaine to Easley? Google Maps keeps routing is off the trail for that stretch.

We were just there about 10 days ago. Yes, there are lot of detours, for this trail.
At least 3.
I think Portland, (This one was the hardest, there was a sign that said, something about it being hazardous to your health because of some kind of work they were doing on the trail. lots of dump trucks going super fast, on this part of the trail.
we decided to take our chances because we don't know the area and not the slightest clue as to a detour. We met lots of locals on this part and they gave us some directions to detour- only listen to locals- and get a few different people- each had a different story, but we pieced it together about best route.)
Rocheport (bridge out, just after going East to west). Sorry, I didn't make not of mile markers.

Rocheport : East to west- bridge out after town- you can go down to the left of trail down by creek- there is a concrete slab that they must of put down, but you have to go up large embankment. trail goes under bridge and up. There is one other way to go, we didn't understand the directions, though. we followed some locals.

and Sedalia; Nothing at trailheads warning you about detours. One of them is quite extensive; Luckily the BAM riders were there one day prior to us , so they had pink arrows and spray paint on the ground pointing you in right direction. We also spoke to several other cycclists heading from the direction of detour. Talk to locals if you can..this trail is heavily trafficked by them. Use your resources!! Sedailia detour (going east to west- just before Sedalia) YOu will be riding on highway for a good bit. Nothing heavily traficked and the state park, has signs on the hwy and signs pointing you around.
We didn't call state park, and we should have prior.
Good luck.

There is no detour McBaine to Easley. Google maps showed me the same detour you are referring to, but I biked that section of the trail yesterday and was never rerouted

Dana, Billings MT, 10/1/2020
This hotel is right off KATY trail. So far, its the only hotel that lists correct place off trail.. Others are not accurate, misleading.
The room was great and very spacious. enough room for our bikes. we had king size bed with jacuzzi hot tob in our room. hot water. love this!! just what I needed after a day on the trail.
restaurant was closed in evening and for breakfast. we had to have dinner in bar and grill. food was good.
very historic, old hotel.
we had breakfast at diner across street, which was great!! can't remember the name.
They also offered us a place for our bikes if we wanted. we usually keep them with us. I would recommend this place!!

I love staying at the "Fred". Too bad that the restaurant was closed as the food has been great the 3 times I've eaten there. I've eaten at that diner once and it was very good for the price. Of course almost everything tastes good after a day of riding on the Katy Trail.

Dana, Billings MT, 9/29/2020
Stayed here from KATY trail.
I feel like all of these places recommended to stay for trail usere are miscalculated. The McKittrick trailhead is 2 miles from Herman, not all hotels.
Also, there are some massive hills to climb to get anywhere in MO. Please be aware..not a big deal, unless you are carrying extra gear, which we were..
Our stay here was good. It was weird though.. we didn't actually see any of the hotel keepers. When we got there, there was an envelope with my name on it and directions inside to our room. It was very clean, basic room. comfy bed, water was only luke warm...this is important - hot bath after a day on the trail is much needed... very disappointing... 2 Qn beds. It reminded me of a place I stayed in Germany. There was a small fan on night table to turn on for some are or white noise- it was perfect. How did they know??!
Everything was great, except for the hot water situation. I am not sure I Would stay here again for this reason. We all have our quirks..

Dana Leeds, Billing MT, 9/28/2020
Stayed here while riding the KATY trail. It is not .3 miles off trail head more like almost two miles, and up some very big hills. But...thats Missouri!
Gene was great enough to drive us to one of the wineries for dinner- We were there on a monday, all restaurants and wineries closed by 5 pm. Also, no dine in due to COVID. We got our dinner to go, and enjoyed it on the Gene and Jacquie's back deck, which was lovely. We also enjoyed a nice fire pit that evening in back yard. They also have hot tub. We didn't use because we didnt have suits. They also offered us some wine. We aren't big drinkers, as we were there to ride the trail.
The room with private bath was lovely. Comfy bed and hot water. A hot bath was just what I needed after a long day on trail.
Breakfast was amazing as well. Served on some lovely china.
One thing that I might suggest, was asking about food allergies or senisitivities before making meals for guests. I don't have any allergies, but I do have sensitivities. I wasn't expecting such a great meal or I might have mentioned it. Everything was amazing. I am a big tea drinker, and Jacquie is from London- so the selection was quite impressive. Even Herbal tea. I can't have caffeine, and most places I have stayed, don't offer herbal, caffeine free tea.
I had a great stay and would recommend it highly.

My friend and I did this trail about two weeks ago 9/27-10/3 2020
My friend was having some issues with her bike. We stopped in Defiance, to have the bike shop take a look at it. The young man (maybe high school) was not helpful at all- he didn't know anything about fixing bikes, he said their mechanic is only there 3 days a week, maybe. and even if he was there, we would have to leave the bike and they might get to it in a few days.
The only thing they could do was rent us a bike. Hopefully nothing goes wrong with one of those bikes...
I have been to this bike shop while riding parts of the trail a few years ago. my bf and I rented bikes.

we will be driving down to STL and looking to take Amtrak to Sedalia, then the $20/p shuttle to Clinton. Riding the trail back to Machens. Any suggestions on how to get back to our car assuming at the train station? Thanks. We checked shuttles from same and it was $170/p to Clinton. Any suggestions appreciated.

Just go Sedalia to St. Charles. Instead of going to Clinton, take side trips into Columbia (by the spur), Jeff City (so you can see the crazy bike path up to the bridge), and to Hermann (so you can eat and drink at the wursthaus). Not missing anything at Machens.

There are only 4 bike tickets sold per train and October is a very popular month for biking the Katy Trail due to the leaves and Oktoberfest, so I would first verify that you can get Amtrak bike tickets from the Kirkwood Station to the Sedalia Station. If you can get bike tickets, then there are some companies that will shuttle you from either Machens or St. Charles to the Kirkwood Amtrak Station. If you are comfortable riding in some onstreet traffic, then there are routes available from the Katy Trail to the Kirkwood Amtrak Station. You might even consider long term parking in St. Charles and riding or shuttling to the Kirkwood Amtrak station early in your trip, then your car is near the Katy Trail in St. Charles at the end of your trip. That all depends on the Amtrak bike tickets being available, otherwise you are paying for the shuttle. Sometimes you can make a post and recruit more people to ride the shuttle with you and split up the total cost.

Any news on the reopening of the Globe B & B in Hartsburg?
thanks

Was in Hartsburg on 09/28, unfortunately the Globe Hotel was closed.

The Globe Hotel in Hartsburg will be closed until May, 2021, according to a post they made here last week.

So glad to hear The Globe is reopening in 2021!! This place is a gem!!

The bridge over Salt Creek (3 miles west of Rocheport) remains closed and no repairs to replace the bridge that washed out is imminent. Mo State Parks have money in the 2021 budget for the design of the replacement bridge and are hoping to get the estimated $500K for construction in the 2022 budget. Current feeling is that it will at best be approx. 2 years before a replacement bridge is in place. The State Parks Dept. have repeatedly ask the MODOT to put signs up on US Highway 40 alerting motorists to the presence of bicyclists on the detour around the closed section of trail, but MODOT HAS CONSISTENTLY REFUSED TO DO SO. So much for trying to keep riders safe!!!!!!

The second closure around MM 118 was the result of a landslide from private property onto the trail right of way. The trail is completely blocked and there remains the threat that additional rock falls from private land may occur. Removal of the current large amount of rock that fell is anticipated to trigger an additional landslide from the private property onto the trail. The private owner is pushing for the state to buy the land affected, which is holding up the ability of the State to get the trail open. The above information was obtained through a discussion with a representative of the Mo State Parks who was familiar with the situations. The landslide can be seen on the latest Google Earth aerial imagery.

Personal Viewpoint: The property owner should either be required to remove the current landslide and any additional landslides from his property on the trail ROW that may occur at his own expense or given an option that the State can do the initial removal and any subsequent removals and charge the owner. A final option would be for the private property owner to not try to extort money from the state and the owner could do the right thing. There is no timeframe that I am aware of for resolution of this issue, so riders will still need to use Highway 94 as a detour.

My advice: if it has not been raining, you can try the Salt Creek crossing.

But please, DO NOT make the same mistake I did -- the rock slide near Portland is impassible. I got unclear advice from another rider and attempted to go through. Disassembled my gear to get it over the fence, then had to port in pieces to get around the rock slide. I wasted probably 45 minutes and if I had sprained my ankle on the rocks, I would have been in trouble (also, little cell signal there). Just suck it up and take the suggested detour of 1 mile on Hwy 94.