Katy Trail Forum

Looking for any updates on the new closure (8/26) just west of Treloar. We are headed through that section on Sunday and just curious what we have to look forward to. I have found alternate routes for all other "closed" sections of our trip.

Hi NEM from KS
Sorry can't help you with the west of Treloar question, but I am curious to know from you the latest on detours and ways around closed sections. There has been lots of very useful information on the forum - many thanks to all who post, but the latest from the ground would be really valuable.
We plan Sedalia to St Charles over six days starting 26 September.
Thanks in advance
Michael

I've been a big fan of bikekatytrail.com for many years. I now live in Pittsburgh and I know that Ray the webmaster had a very similar website for the Great Allegheny Passageway (GAP) trail. But I can't seem to get to it on my computer. Ray, are you out there? Are you still the webmaster for the GAP trail website? I had to take a few months off from biking but am getting out now and could really use the mileage charts. Thanks in advance. Cathy (formerly of Jefferson City, now from Pittsburgh).

Hi Cathy, the website you're thinking of is BikeCandO.com (bikeGAP.com will also get you there). It's a combined website for both the GAP and the C&O Canal Towpath, since those two trails link together nicely and can take you all the way from Pittsburgh to DC.

Good luck with your adventures on the GAP, and hopefully the C&O too!

Happy trails!

Thanks Ray! I am really enjoying the trails here. But I really miss the Katy Trail.

Cathy. Welcome to PA and some really great trails. Check out some of my favorites within 75 miles of steeler town. Panhandle, John Oliver Trail around Lake Wilhelm, Allegheny River Trail in Emlenton, Sandy Creek Trail in Franklin and Oil Creek Trail in Titusville. The GAP trail is off the chart great and scenic. Especially east of West Newton. Enjoy and keep the rubber side down

The hammock sites are ready for use. They are in a shady area, and there is space to set up a tent close by. The cost is $13.

This B&B is now permanently closed.

Sorry to hear that - I have removed that listing. Thanks for the heads-up.

The services listing for Pilot Grove does not have water listed. It DOES have a water fountain and spigot at the trailhead, just checked today! Any idea on how to get it added back?

Thank you for the heads-up. I have added water to the Pilot Grove Trailhead listing.

Happy trails!

My neighbor and I took the dogs and hiked Rocheport to see how the bridge was. Looks fine from the top, don't think my skinny ass would knock it over, must be something underneath. We walked the dogs, then drove the detour, 240 I was thinking it might be do-able, then got on to 40 and it was a definite no go, 2 lane hi way w/little shoulder, what shoulder there is has a rumble strip, and lots of traffic going 55/60 mph. I would feel much safer riding over the bridge than I would riding on 40.

Upriver of the tunnel is closed, so your plan is problematic!!

Is there water at the restrooms in medford?

Negative

Hi, all - folks on a St. Louis cycling forum have shared a Facebook post from a woman who found a silver-looking wedding band or ring on a bench near the trail access point to I-64 (which I believe is the Boone Bridge, to many folks) on Aug 20, 2019. If you know anything about it, search for Valerie Osborn Barr on Facebook and let her know. (I'd share the photo, but am not able to do so in this format.)

We have a shuttle booked from the Bike Stop Cafe in St. Charles going to Pleasant Hill on Saturday, September 14 at 8 a.m. We have space for one or two more riders - one additional rider would make the price $105 each, two would be $80 each. If interested, respond to this posting and I will send you contact information.

Are electric bikes allowed on the Katy Trail (and other trails in the St. Louis area)? We are

trying to move up to the St. Louis area from TN, and I'm very impressed by what I've been

reading about parks and trails in your area. Our only grandchild is just 4 now, but we're

looking forward to spending a lot of time with her in the parks and on the trails. I love to

ride a bike, but I have one bad knee, and I have a problem with pedaling for any length of

time. I've been looking into electric bikes (not scooters or mopeds), which would be a real

help for my knee, but I'm not interested in one if I can't use the great trails. I didn't find

anything specific about this on the Katy Trail website - I apologize if I just missed it. I did

find some info online about e-bikes on trails, but there was nothing specific for Missouri.

I appreciate any information. Thanks ~

Electric bikes are allowed on the trail. The Missouri Department of Natural Resources web site has the Katy Trail Park Rules.

Specifically:



http://www.mostateparks.com/katytrail/info.htm#Permitted



Permitted Uses



Katy Trail State Park has been designed specifically for bicyclists and hikers. The majority of the trail is accessible to persons with disabilities. Segments of the trail that exceed a 5-percent grade or a 2-percent cross slope are indicated on the map. All motorized equipment is prohibited except official and emergency vehicles. Electrically assisted pedal-powered bicycles and tricycles (maximum speed of 20 mph) as well as electrically powered-mobility devices for persons with disabilities such as motorized wheelchairs and scooters are allowed. No hunting or discharging of firearms is allowed. All state park rules apply and are posted at trailheads. The trail is open only during daylight hours. HORSES ARE PERMITTED ONLY ON THE WESTERN SECTION FROM THE STATE FAIRGROUNDS IN SEDALIA TO CALHOUN.

Just wondering if e-bikes have been introduced on the Katy trail and in Boonville .. I have friends who love e-bikes and the were interested.. thanks.. Billy O.
Is it possible to rent them? Thx

I have a hard time pedaling with my bad knees & hip I know they rent Electric Bikes at a bike store in St. Charles,Mo near the katy trail so I would love to be able to ride the trail again can they be road on the trail

E bikes ARE allowed on ALL trails in the St. Louis area and the Katy Trail. I am an avid rider (over 18,000 miles on my current bicycle) and I see more and more E bikes on the trails all the time. The park trails, such as Jefferson Barracks and Forest park. The Riverfront Trail along the levee of the Mississippi river going north from the Gateway Arch, etc. I have also seen a multitude of electric "scooters" and even a few electric skateboards!! It seems the majority of posted signs I see refer to "no high speeds" or "excessive speed" allowed. Some posted signs say no speeds over 20 mph, which I seem to recall is the maximum on the Katy Trail. 20 mph can easily be exceeded by pedal bicycles on certain parts of more than a few paved trails in the area. I often see bicycles fitted with gasoline engines on the streets around STL. And sometimes groups of them on the Riverfront Trail. I DO NOT believe gasoline engine powered bicycles are allowed on ANY trails

My son and I found a bike light on the KT early this morning. Appears to be in working order. I thought I would post here on the chance that the owner would check this forum. We were just west of Bluffton at the time. If you think this may belong to you let me know. Thanks!

Are the Hammock Campsites ready yet? How much are they, are they in the shade and could we put a small tent by a couple hammocks?

660-525-2032
That is the phone number for Katy Rock Junction.
Have a good trip
Allen

Hello,
My wife and I are planning to cycle the trail in October, 2019 from Boonville to Augusta. Does anyone have an opinion as to whether the trail be in good enough condition to do this by then?

Thank You!

My uneducated opinion is YES, it will be good to excellent conditions for riding 90%-95% of the trail. It seems from all I've read and heard that the most prominent trail closure is just west of Rocheport. And the detour may not be desirable to everyone. There are shuttle services offered along the trail, and I expect there will be some available in that area, as it is an ongoing issue. However, my brother is coming from Virginia to ride the length of the trail with me from Clinton to St. Charles. We do anticipate having to work around a couple difficulties that we were not subject to the last two times we rode the whole trail, but absolutely don't expect anything insurmountable. We are leaving Clinton on the 10th of October and plan to do a leisurely ride, returning to St. Charles on the 15th. I do hope you ride, RJ, and have a safe, fun time on the trail. Everyone knows the businesses along the route will greatly appreciate seeing us all. Maybe we'll see you along the way. Happy trails!

My brother and I have made 9, annual trips on the Trail across Missouri. The first seven were from Clinton to St Charles, and the last two were from Pleasant Hill to St Charles. We hopeful that we'll get our tenth ride during 2019. We have scheduled the week of October 20th for our annual ride; we'll do it during a 4-day ride (subject to change pending conditions). Previously, we made our trips during September.

I have been busy on Garmin Connect, Strava, and Ride with GPS exploring detour options, and making route maps and GPX files.

Since I am a Missouri "ex-pat" living in the Houston, TX area, I am most grateful for all of the on-line trail up-dates.

Thank you all so much. We will be there, for sure!

I am planning to ride the KT Clinton to St. Charles 9/3-9/8. My plan for day two includes this stretch west of Rocheport, (Sedalia to Cooper’s Lansing, 70 miles). What is the detour route and what makes it undesirable? Safety? Length? Forgive me if there is somewhere I can get that info myself and thank you all for this input. It has been very helpful.

I believe it's because the detour near Rocheport would put you on the highway.

Lots of info can be gained from looking at the MO Parks Website link above and Trail Conditions Report(TCR) from users. I believe the biggest challenge in going the whole length(on bike) is the 10 miles west of Hartsburg that DNR lists as "closed w/o detour". From the TCR, bikers have seemed to make it through by following the closed trail that still seems to have considerable damage. I do not believe there is any good road detour there and also not sure if you may be violating some state law by ignoring trail closed signs.

There is also a 1 mile section west of Portland that is "closed w/o detour" according to DNR because of a rockslide. From the TCR, bikers that made is past this section used area side roads and Hwy. 94 to make it around this obstacle. From the TCR, it does not sound all that safe so be careful on this one.

The remaining "closed w/o detour" section is around Case(MM 97). There is an easy work around by using the local road just north of the bridge that is out. I am guessing why DNR says it is "closed" is that there is not a legal easement to get on and off the trail to use this road. Nevertheless, that is how bikers have been getting around this section.

The other closed section is east of St. Charles to Machens, and I would not ride this section even if it was open.

DNR posts maps for the remaining detours and none of them would concern me. Others may have a different opinion.

No, Rocheport does put you on a nasty highway, I am canceling my thru trip.

According to my tentative plan, by the time I get to Rocheport I will have about 50 miles in the saddle. So I am thinking maybe just try to get a shuttle to take my sore butt from Rocheport down to Cooper’s Landing? or near it? How easy or difficult might that be to procure? Thanks for the summary Steve K.

Best air b&b we have stayed at ever! (And we’ve stayed at a few).
The silos are amazing. Wendy & Doug have created a bucket list stay for anyone doing the KATY or just wanting to get out of the city and unplug. Leave your technology at home and enjoy the silos the animals the lake the Evening sounds on the farm as the sun sets and the stars at night. Really exceeded our expectations.

Forgot to ask. Is most of the trail open now? Any areas still closed due to flooding?

We rode from St Charles to Portland in several segments and there was no flooding. We did it over four days from August 12 to 15.

There is a section between Rocheport and New Franklin that is still closed. The trail bridge under the Hwy 40 bridge pushed off the frame and is off to the side & the creek is wider than it was.

The section from McBaine East to Coopers Landing is open and not bad. I rode a bit past Coopers Landing and after the third silty sand pit across the trail I turned around and went back. It was a work night so I was on a time limit.

That is all I know about that.

@ Karen C - "There is a section between Rocheport and New Franklin that is still closed. The trail bridge under the Hwy 40 bridge pushed off the frame and is off to the side & the creek is wider than it was"


Is there a way around the closed section? We have a multiple day ride planned next month that goes right through this section... thank you!

Scott in case you had not seen in other threads, yes there is a detour that uses, in part, HWY 40. Not ideal, but doable.