Katy Trail Forum

I just have to share information about trail one mile west of McKittrick. The farmer there does not like bike riders. He mows his grass that contains those nasty puncture vine weeds blowing them onto the trail on purpose. I had 25 thorns in my front tire alone. When you see mowed grass onto the trail, carry your bike across this portion of trail. It will save you a lot of time from changing flat tires.

Oh you poor Dear. What a tacky thing for him to do!

I noticed the same thing earlier in the summer. Classy!

Also obvious that he has some support on this board...or that he is on the board. Again...classy!

Support on what board? The Katy Trail Board??? The McKitterick Board? What on earth are you talking about?

Very Simple. Spray it. Do not use Roundup (glyphoste 41 generic) as it kills everything. Use a backpack sprayer and spray to his property line. He's probably mowing on trail property. I think that is that Texax "goathead" sand burr. Look for triclopyr in the herbacide product such as Ortho's Brush-B-Gon which is probably 6% triclopyr. If it's a leafy plant, 2-4D will work too. Use 3 oz per gallon of water.
I'm using Garlon 3A for our invasive plants in our woods. Somebody get Missouri Parks on this problem.

I am assuming they meant this MESSAGE BOARD...another name for a "comment forum".

I talked to some DNR folks working the trail this weekend. They have been clearing the thorns at McKittrick, Machens and other spots where they have popped up.

I met a family at McKittrick who found one in their tire just from going across the parking lot. Another couple from Peoria pulled one out of a tire a couple miles down the road.

These thorns thrive in sandy dry soil, which is probably why they are so prevalent this year. They can lay dormant for several years and then pop up when conditions are right.

Let's not jump to the conclusion that the guy had malicious intent. Maybe he just likes things to look neat in front of his house.

Beware. These burrs are really flourishing on the south side of the parking lot at the trailhead in Jefferson City, too.

I drove almost one and one-half miles searching for this thorny stretch. I did find about 300 feet of cuttings on the trail. If you encounter situations like this please contact us immediately with the exact distance from the Mckittrick Trail head. I took a leaf blower to to what I hope was the problem. I talked to the local farmer and he indicated he wouldn't have any desire to cut on DNR property. Look somewhere else for the culprit if this was the location.

Mile marker 90 was the culprit this past weekend for our group. 3 of 7 bikes had flats - one bike had 3 flats (that's an entirely different story)
Don't recall seeing grass on the trail - or anything indicative of malicious intent. But there were more than 50 thorns in one set of bike tires.

Was anybody running them--do the Kevlar tires offer any protection against these thorns as they claim.

Guess the next time I ride the Katy I need to do some tire work by putting puncture proof liners in my tires.

I would recommend if you do much riding on the KT you invest in some kevlar lined tires (Schwalbe, Specialized, Bontanger, etc.). As the Tires on the Katy comment string mentioned it will save you from these nasty thorn flats.

We rode from St. Charles to Machens and back yesterday. No flat, no thorns. Did see one rider with a flat.

just finished the ride across Katy and the day in McKittrick and Rhineland served us with 3 flats on two bikes.

Are solid tires thornproof? Are kevlar tires flat proof? What about fillling my tires with that green goop?

Sunday 9/16. 3 flats on 2 bikes from these thorns. Picked up in booneville area. Next ride columbus day weekend w 12 year old daughter. Have yet to personally change a tube, but will get kevlar lined and practice, since just us gals!

We were proud of ourselves for getting through the Rhineland-McKittrick area with no thorns after hearing of someone with 26 (stayed on the right heading east, or the side closest to 94). But then we got some around Marthasville. Pack a pair of tweezers to get them out!

Don't ride or push your bikes through any of the grass around the trailheads at Treloar and Marthasville. There were lots of goat head burrs growing there last Tuesday, and also at the Warren/Montgomery County signpost.

Rode Jeff City to Dutzow on Saturday --- 3 flats for us and many more for other riders that we encountered. Ours did not start happening until about Tealor.

Two of us rode yesterday from McKittrick to Treloar without problems--did run Kevlar tires, but didn't see any riders changng flats.

4 flats between 3 bikes between Mokane and Rhineland yesterday. Thank goodness we wrote down the Hermann bike shop # posted at Mokane. He saved us!! & those burrs were the culprits

Always appreciate a heads up...we will be going through that area in a few weeks.

I just rode from Weldon Springs to Steedman and back to Weldon Springs today and had no issues with thorns or flats

Hermann to McKittrick to Treloar and back today, no flats. We're riding normal cheap tires. Lots of walnuts and squirrels on the trail. Leaves already changing.

I rode between McKittrick and Rhineland round trip today. Based upon this thread, I was super careful to avoid grass clippings. My Catrike has 3 opportunities for thorns instead of 2. I was lucky, but I encountered someone who was not so lucky. This was about 1 mile West of McKittrick. He showed me the thorn as he was changing his tire. Lots of leaves on the trail now in wooded areas and lots of walnuts. Leaves are just beginning to turn.

As I was cleaning up the Catrike this morning from yesterday's ride between McKittrick and Rhineland, I discovered a thorn still lodged in one of my tires. Fortunately, it was in the thickest part of the tread and the tires have only around 200 miles on them. It did not penetrate the tire and get to the tube. My tires are Schwalbe Marathon Racers (standard on the Catrike) and I think they have kevlar bands. I was grateful for not having a flat.

We just rode through there this week. We got the heads up from other riders.We walked our bikes through cut grass and ended up with only one flat tire. We saw the farmer cutting. Not sure it was on purpose. He was just cutting. Ride down the middle and walk through cut grass!

I rode St. Charles to Machens on Saturday - got a flat Frontier Park on the way back. Changed the tube and was about to start up again and heard the hiss start up again. Decided to call it a day. Managed 60 miles on Sunday, though. The flat happened even with Kevlar bands. I just bought a super-heavy-duty Slime tube for the front tire, and will install that this week.

Stopped on my Sunday ride to help a gentleman who'd been in a crash. A reminder to all you riders - Karma points are a good thing to earn. Two minutes of my time saved the guy several miles of walking with a locked-up wheel.

Two weeks ago we road from Treloar to Dutzow and had three flats on three bikes. We pulled out probably 10 thers that didn't cause a flat (we have the self sealing tires - though they do not always work). This week we road from Augusta to Marthasville and didn't have any problems.

Rode the entire trail last week, 2 hybrids and one 2-wheel trailer. Got a flat on the trailer near Pilot Grove on an unprotected tire. The hybrids had thorn-resistant tubes and tires. We kept looking for goatheads but did not see any. But we were careful around clippings and appreciate the heads-up from others here.

A buddy and I rode the trail end to end (Clinton to Machens) this past Weds-Sat. We had much trepidation about this section of trail due to this thread, but thankfully never flatted. We did use a lot of caution from roughly Portland to Dutzow to try to ride over NOTHING organic - no clippings, no leaves, no branches, etc.

Happily we got through without issue - however, next afternoon I DID notice one thorn in my outer tire rubber. It hadn't penetrated through to the tube, and since I saw it in the afternoon, I may well have picked it up somewhere further east of Dutzow (the start of our last day).

Mondays & Tuesdays -- Hi, was doing to research for a 2020 end-to-end west-to-east self-supported ride. I am a first-timer and see over and over again that Mondays and Tuesdays can be a little difficult because shops/restaurants/facilities in some towns are closed those days. Are there specific cities/routes that should be avoided on those days? What are the best days to start a ride from Clinton? Thanks in advance

My partner and I have the first two weeks of April off and are hoping to do a cycling trip on the Katy Trail. We did the GAP/C&O last June and LOVED it. I've read some mixed reviews about the kinds of conditions of the trail for that time of year. I also understand that it's a bit before the start of the season so some things might be less serviced. Can anyone who has done the trail in early April give me some more feedback about this time of year? We don't mind getting a bit wet, but is it likely to be flooded (trail closures) and miserable the whole time? Will there be a lot of early wild flowers? Will we have any problem finding a place to sleep and eat along the way at that time of year?
Thanks in advance!

Many businesses, restaurants, and B&Bs are closed on Monday's and Tuesday's near the trail. You might want to start your adventure on a Wednesday.

There should be plenty of flowers blooming that time of year. The old saying is "April showers bring May flowers" so it can be wet that time of year. Fat tires and fenders can help if the trail is wet.

Flooding is an issue. 2019 had some of the worst floods on record and parts of the trail were still flooded into July. Hopefully 2020 won't be anywhere near as bad.

We rode it in mid-April in 2019. This was BEFORE the terrible floods.

We could definitely tell that we were there before the season.

The trail was relatively quiet, which was nice.

You could tell that the State Parks folks use Spring to do maintenance, and a few projects weren't quite finished yet, so we ended up with a few detours.

The B&Bs weren't yet full, which was nice for us. I think most of them were in operation, even if it was just a "the place is unlocked and breakfast is in the fridge" kind of thing. We didn't use any campgrounds, so I can't really vouch for them.

The redbuds were beautiful. I don't really remember any other wildflowers, and I would usually remember that...

Most of the tiny stores and bar&grill places where you would want to find food are not seasonal, and were open for us. Some breweries and wineries weren't quite open yet. But remember that even a lot of the year round places have odd, unpredictable hours that they don't always stick to. It's worth contacting them ahead of time to make sure you have a good contact number, and then also contacting the day before you arrive to see if they are actually going to be open.

If you're looking for a great adventure before it gets too hot, then April seems good to me. If you're looking for the full deluxe everything going at full tilt Katy Trail experience, you need to wait until June.

If you have any questions, just ask!

How long has Papa Jake's been in business..

As far back as I can remember so at least 50 years

Does the Pleasant Hill Lake CG have any toilet and/or shower facilities? If so, what? Tailwinds, John

Do NOT stay!
I booked my trip, sent the check. The second day I realized that I mis-calculated the distance between my starting point and the barn. I immediately called the owner, and left him voice mails, text messages, and inform him that. His reply was cordial. Then I realized that he cashed my check! I understand if he had turn away others, or had spent anything for my reservation. But everything happened within three days. And he cashed my check AFTER I told him that I cannot make it. When I called, the attitude was plain and simple, "you are not going to get your money back, no matter what."
I take my fault. I miscalculated to begin with. I did not confirm the refund policy. But this is not right. Deeply disappointed by how much people are driven by money.

He placed a reservation for 11-8-19 at 4:38 PM on 10-30-19 by phone. at this time I explained the cancellation policy. He made his cancellation by text on 11-6-19 at 2:50 PM. AFTER his check went to the bank and AFTER I had turned others away. There were no calls or texts in the interim. This is all in my phone log. I have several times in the past returned deposits on last minute cancellations when I have been able to book the rooms to last minute show ups. I do not want to get paid twice for rooms but I DO want to get paid once. If that sounds like I am driven by money then so be it.

He also sent me a picture of his check to let me know it was on the way on 11-1-19 (the second day)

I doubt many people that offer lodging along the Katy do so as a nonprofit organization. Most probably do so to make a profit and are essential "driven by money" as you say. Not a bad thing all.

Read the fine print. Know the rules/policy. If you have to cancel and loose money because you "did not confirm the refund policy" why come here to bash Doug? You admitted it was on you.

I'm disappointed in you Mark for being so driven by money that you admit the fault is yours and then for publicly blaming Doug.

I am looking to find out what town to start in if we are coming down from Omaha NE. My BSA troop is looking to do a 50 mile hike with camping. We would like any thoughts and subjections from those who have hiked this trail.

From Pleasant Hill to Windsor on the Rock Island section of the Katy Trail is 47 miles. There is camping in Chilhowee and Windsor both. The shower house in Windsor closes for the winter but maybe you're planning for next year

Pitters, about how many days do you plan for the hike? Knowing that will help us make suggestions.

Store was closed, but it was a Monday

Very nice stopover on my hike from Rocheport to Hartsburg. The Thai food(chicken with green peppers, onions and white rice) was excellent and reinvigorated me for the remaining miles that day. The live music was a nice treat. It was mild enough to sit outside at the picnic tables in spite of a breeze blowing off the river.

Had a wonderful stay after covering 25 miles on foot from Rocheport. So glad I caught her as she had just gotten back from a trip. The room was great, the bed was very comfortable. There was a washer and dryer down the hall and was able to do a small load. She prepared a nice breakfast of pancakes and bacon the following morning. Provided me with enjoyable company. Will definitely stop in again if on the Katy trail in future.

My stay here overall was great. The bed was very comfortable and the room was very clean. The popcorn came in very handy as a snack for the following day. Enjoyed the maple flavored oatmeal for breakfast. My only issue was that the host seemed bent on keeping the thermostat at 69. I turned it up to 73 to warm the room up a bit more as I had been hiking all day in cold temps. Came back from dinner to find the thermostat turned back down. I did turn it back down later before going to bed. Other than that, the room was a nice place to stay.

This place was pricey, but very interesting historically. Room very rustic and comfortable. Stone for parts of this building was taken from rock quarry on an island on Lake Champlain in VT. This rock contains fossils of tropical marine life from millions of years ago. It was an ancient coral reef.

Took Amtrak fronm St. Louis and arrived in Sedalia around 730 pm on Nov.20th. walked to west side of town and stayed at motel. Rained most of the night. Rain ended as I departed the next morning walking back east through town along US 50. Picked up the trail just south of the old Sedalia Depot. Took the detour around the closure. Picked up the trail just before mm 224. Walked to mm 203 pilot Grove. Stayed at the bed and breakfast there. The trail traversed rolling wooded hills and pastures and most of it was quite remote and peaceful. Encountered thousands of birds gathered in a grove of trees near mm 222. Day 2 pilot Grove to Boonville was overcast and cold. Sun did break out occasionally. The trail traversed pastures, crossed I 70 and then entered Boonville. Stayed at Hotel Frederick. Ate at diner across the street. Rain and snow arrived in evening and continued overnight. Day 3 from Boonville to Rocheport started out overcast and chilly. Crossed Missouri River on path next to highway. Passed marker for original town of Franklin destroyed by flood. Trail continues to town of New Franklin which is on a small bluff. Trail continues east through floodplain passing an old abandoned grain elevator. Just past mm 182 is the detour for washed out bridge at the US 40 junction. Detour continues along US 40. Shoulders are very narrow. Not much breathing room.Road goes over bluffs on north side of the river. Arrived in Rocheport and stayed at Schoolhouse bed and breakfast in their dorm room. Ate at the cafe in the general store. Tunnel just west of town was closed, but could be seen from a distance. Weather remained chilly, but sun came out around noontime and wind diminished. The night was cold and frosty but clear. Day 3 Rocheport to Hartsville was very cold at the start but milder as day progressed. Trail followed river with beautiful bluffs close to trail for nearly the entire day. Soon passed the I 70 bridge. Later, passed the Lewis and Clark cave. A spring flows from this cave. Spotted two of the native American petroglyphs in the rocks above the cave. Stopped to snack a bit further down trail. Had a nice chat with bicyclist who owned property nearby. Passed spur trail to Columbia around midday. Many bicyclists using that trail. Arrived at Eagle Bluffs conservation area mid afternoon and climbed the trail to top of the bluff for an amazing view of the entire area. Then on to Coopers landing. Thai food stand was open. Live music. Many people present. Had to press on to get to Hartsville. Rest of the hike was very quiet and peaceful. Barge passed at dusk going up river. Obtained lodging at Globe bed and breakfast. Thankful they were open. Day 4 Hartsville to Jefferson City was a very warm and sunny day with temps just shy of 70 degrees. Trail continued along river with bluffs to the left. The capital bldg came into view between mm 147 and 146. Crossed US hwy. 63. Arrived at spur trail. Additional 3 miles to Jefferson City. The bridge crossing was a spectacular way to end the hike.

Great write-up. Thanks for sharing.

Nice write up, you hiked rather than biked? That's quite a hike.

Great description of the trail, makes me wanna head for the trail right now but guess I will have to wait until next July.
I really did enjoy your post.

Enjoyed my stay here very much and Jerry was a wonderful host. Had the house to myself, slept well and it was very quiet and peaceful. Room and bathroom were very clean. Prepared an excellent breakfast and shared some very interesting local history. Will definitely be back as I want to hike the entire trail in the future.

Nice spot to take a lunch break with sandwich purchased in Sedalia.

Was content with my stay here. Room was reasonably priced and close to places to eat. About a 1.5 to 2 mile walk from train station.

This was our third stay at Clark Street Lodge for our craft group. Great accommodations with a large room for crafting. The hosts provide a large selection for our breakfast needs and a full kitchen works well for all our meals. Great location!

We're trying to find new rails-to-trails to ride, and since retirement is edging closer I think we will be able to make it happen.

The Katy trail is either #1 or #2 on our list for next year. I will read the forum more closely after I post this, but what is the best way to ride it from end to end? We would especially be interested in sagged rides.....or even shuttle service back to our original starting point.

Any tips, recommendations or directions on this site to certain thread will be much appreciated.

I've done the fully supported Katy Trail Ride 8 times and plan on doing it again in 2020. Unfortunately it was cancelled due to flooding this year. However you can read up on the ride at this link:

https://mostateparks.com/2019ktride

For 2020 it should start in St. Charles which is closer to St. Louis. It includes shuttle service back to your car for an extra $70 a person. They drag your bags for you. Most people sleep in tents but there are hotel options for extra costs. I use the Padres Cycle Inn tent service where you rent their tent and they even set it up and break it down for you each day.

Hi Opedaler
I posted some thoughts in the Katy Trail Forum thread 'Next July' and also in other posts about shuttles. We used Todd at Katy Bike Rental/Katy Shuttles tel: 314 578 7300. His base is Defiance about 10 miles west of St Charles, but he offered to pick us up from our hotel - the Holiday Inn Express in St Charles (recommended) and shuttle us west to Sedalia. I'm sure he'd take you further west to the end of the Katy.
We prefer to ride quiet times and just the two of us, so we booked our own shuttle and cycled late September/early October when it was supposed to be cooler (it wasn't). As Jerry points out, there is an annual big ride which got cancelled due to the flooding this year.
I'm interested in your thoughts on other trails. We have cycled the entire Allegheny Passage/Cumberland and Ohio over three years. It's a really beautiful ride with lots of interest along the way. We've also done two stretches of the Erie Canal trail. The part west from Rochester is all off-road and lovely, but going east involves some significant bits of highway which is ok, but not a lot of fun, and it's more difficult to find the way on these stretches. We also struggled to find B and Bs and hotels on this part of the Erie. The ride through the outskirts/suburbs and centre of Syracuse is most interesting. We got lost quite a bit, but didn't find the traffic a real problem. However, we are used to roads, although we avoid them when we can.
Which other trails are you considering? Michael

The direction to ride the Katy is west to east. With prevailing winds and down river, so down hill. What is the other trail you are considering? I've ridden the Katy several times and it it great. Last spring I rode the C & O Canal Towpath and the Great Alleghany Passage. The GAP is a rail trail like the Katy but is in fantastic shape since it doesn't suffer annual flooding like the Katy. The C & O is challenging. Rocks, roots, mud, etc. but worth the ride with the right tires and attitude.

Thanks so much to all. I (make that we) have many things to think over. It'll be a go now for sure!

Michael,

We are just entering the rails-to-trails lifestyle. Work has precluded much until now, but it is becoming our go-to preference. We have done several group rides (ie tour de Nebraska, seven cities etc....all sagged road rides) but are looking for more leisure and scenic rides.

We have ridden the Cowboy trail in Nebraska extensively and we love it, but a few things......the flooding this year has really taken its toll, and it is a different type of trail in that a lot of it is focused on open range land. The eastern part is farm land with more trees and goes along the Elkhorn river, it was quite nice, but many repairs are still needed from last years flooding. The western portion is open and could use some upkeep. As more people find interest in this type of trail it will be a very nice ride. I would recommend from west (Valentine) to east (Norfolk). There is a loss of 1000' elevation and the winds are primarily west to east. Keep it in mind once it is fixed up. I should mention if you do have issues there is a good road all along the trail (Hw 20 and then Hwy 275) with shoulders. A lot of traffic tho so we prefer the trail.

We have also done the Mickelson trail in the Black Hills of South Dakota twice. We did the "Trail Trek" and would highly recommend it. Even though the last two years also saw some water damage they have worked hard to keep it up. The Trail Trek is limited to 600 riders and it fills up within a week often. Each year there have been a few "accidents" because of trail issues, but most could have been avoided with a little effort on the riders part. The "Trek" is somewhat complicated so I'll direct you to their website for a complete itinerary.....suffice it to say, it is unique and you always have your car for site seeing at night. You must get your own lodging....we just get hotels (two nights in Custer, and two in Deadwood. If you ride it on your own (ie unsagged I'd recommend going from North (Deadwood) to south (Edgemont). It can be done in a day (109 miles) but we prefer the more leisurely ride of the Trek.

Recently talked to a gentleman who does the Erie canal ride (sagged) every year and said it's a must-do. It won't be this year for us as retirement is still a year away, but it's on our bucket list as is the Coeur d'Alenes trail in Idaho, and the Beaver trail in Iowa.

This is not a complaint, just an observation. My son who hunts within view of the Rock Island Trail observed 6 riders, within a couple of hours duration, using the trail. It is deer season all this week. Would it be a huge problem to inform riders that it is deer season and to be cautious while they are out. It might be a good option for someone riding the trails to don a hunter orange vest during their ride. As I said, just an observation and suggestion for deer season. All be careful, please.