Reply to Next July

Planning to bike the entire Katy Trail next summer maybe mid July, I am an older gentleman in mid 60s, is there anyone that might be interested in joining me, we have plenty of time to plan this.

How many miles per day?

Hotels/hostels or camping?

I'd be interested in doing entire trail in 2020. I tried it in May of 2019, but ended up road riding due to the flooding. Are you planning on camping or hoteling? I'm flexible on mileage, big days don't bother me. I'm late 50's.

I could be interested. Are you tent camping or credit card camping? How many miles were you thinking per day? Carry All or SAG Wagon?

I am not sure I am think maybe try to travel light and stay in motels or what ever that’s available, at this point without a lot or research maybe 25 or so miles a day, what do you think.

I planned a trip with my 11 year old grandson doing 25-30 miles a day. It will take about 2 weeks to ride the entire trail. The plan has a mixer of camping and hotels due to availability at each stop.
We were unable to ride this summer but hoping to try again next summer.

Be sure and add any input, like I said this is in the research and planning stage and it’s great to have it in the future to look forward and prepare for.

I’ll do it but it would hafta be over 2 days I’d cc camp and take the train back.

I was thinking 5 or 6 days of riding.....25 miles per day sometimes gets you to nothing and nowhere,

I don’t think I could do the trail in 2 days but 25 miles a day was just a number I guess a more realistic number would be from inn , b&b or hotel to the next if possible, it’s gonna be a lot of fun planning, For sure gonna have to have a new bike and some light weight gear, what few trails I ride now are usually around 10 miles so I also have to work up some distance endurance.

Dear Trail Rider and Marna

We've made a six-day trail ride, about 200 miles in total, each autumn for the last six years. This year it was the Katy; previously the Allegheny Passage/Cumberland and Ohio, and the Erie Canal Trail.

You pays your money and you takes your choice: is it a race (100 miles a day), or is it a journey (25 to 40 miles a day)? We've found 40 is plenty, 30 is good, and sometimes we just do 20. We rent bikes so they are ok but not always the best, and we take all our stuff with us, travelling as light as possible. And we stay in hotels and B and Bs. I might say that's so we don't have to carry camping gear, but really it's because we like a hot shower or bath, a comfortable bed and a good breakfast!!

As G&G says, we plan the ride around the places to stop and stay. A word of advice: find places as near to the trail as possible. If you are tired at the end of the day, the worst thing is to have a five mile up-hill country-road ride to your B and B. Believe me, we've done it, in the rain.

Also, check out where there is to eat in the evening around the hotel or B and B. People are inclined to tell you "there's a great place to eat just 5 minutes down the road". But that's 5 minutes by (fast) car, not on a bike or walking.

In terms of fitness, through the year we usually do up to 20 miles locally or in Derbyshire, England; often it's 10 or 15 miles. We don't do special training for the ride, just walk a lot, garden, are active, fix stuff and keep generally fit. And we are both of an age - 70 and 68.

Good luck

Michael

Thanks Michael, excellent advice, you mentioned several things I will pay attention to as I plan my trip.

Hello Michael,

Thanks for your note. I agree with what you have said. I have done the KATY in 5 days in the past.

Right now my husband and I are doing the whole thing, Section by Section, and have almost finished it again. (section by section, driving to a Trail Head, riding out to whatever next Trailheads we want, spend the night, and or ride back to vehicle and come home).

I would LOVE to find a group of folks just getting together to CC Camp it end to end...that is without it costing $1000 each, so I am very interested.

This Fall when you rode through Boonville, did you notice a yard with Vintage Bikes w Skeletons riding them? That's our home. We are so Blessed to be able to ride the KATY about every single day. We moved here FOR the Katy. ;-)

Hi Marna, and of course Trail Rider

We did see your cycling skeletons! I like wide and open trails like the cornfields around Treloar, but it's also really interesting to ride past back gardens and houses - that applies to all trails.

If you want a treat on your travels, stay at les Lavandes B and B about two miles above Rhineland in Starkenburg. Myrta is a wonderful host and her husband will collect you and bikes from the trail. Highly recommended for the hospitality and for the lift up to les Lavandes, as the ride up is steep. But it makes a lovely start to the following day when you cruise a couple of miles downhill and onto the trail.

We also loved the Victorian Manor in Boonville. We were greeted with a spread of delicious nibbles and the breakfast was excellent.

Neither of these places are cheap, but they make a great treat on the trail.

Michael

Ditto on the Lavandes B and B about two miles above Rhineland in Starkenburg. It's been a few years since I last stayed there, but it was wonderful.

Thanks for this information.

I'm not really a B&B kinda person. I like a clean Hotel Room, that I can take my bike into with me, has a Hot Tub, not too expensive, kinda person.

Luckily, there are some of these along the Trail....and they also include Breakfast.

Marna! We loved your skeletons on bikes! Took several pictures! Thank you for that!

It also gave us calls to interact with a group who found out they had gone the wrong way. They had left Boonville heading towards garage port. Not! Thankfully your skeletons made everybody stop and talk.

Hi CarolD

Great to hear that you and others are still out there riding the Trail. I guess the weather isn't 95 degrees anymore!

It really makes the ride worthwhile when you make time to stop and talk to people along the way, and particularly if you can help them go the right way. I have had that sinking feeling when, after several miles, I thought: "Hmm, this doesn't seem right, wrong direction".

I wish you smooth and puncture-free riding.

Michael

Thank You for your kind words.

We have met so many NICE People/Cyclist on the Trail and in front of our home. Even with all that went on with the Trail Closings this year, SOOOOO Many Bikepackers!

I have ridden the Trail end to end, years ago. We look forward to doing THIS again. Right now? My husband and I are riding it Section by Section. That is, with work schedules, few folks to care for our animals, and life in general....we are going when we can, and riding out and back 12 to 50ish miles, Trail Head to Trail Head, and doing the whole trail this way. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS TO THOSE THAT LIVE IN MO AND CAN NOT TAKE A WEEK OFF TO RIDE THE WHOLE TRAIL!

Anyway, we are VERY Interest in riding with a/this Group in July. If it can get organized and planned or even if loosely planned. It should be fun!

Marna, riding segments like that is a great way to see the trail. So many neat little towns to see, and so many little restaurants serving up great cheeseburgers and stories of the floods and previous interesting events.

And people like you who live on the trail and make an effort to brighten up your segment of the trail are very much appreciated.

Here is the photo we took of you and your husband on Easter!
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10157195408348554&set=a.10150280079903554&type=3&theater

And your skeletons feeling festive!
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10157195408288554&set=a.10150280079903554&type=3&theater

Thanks!

Riding the Trail End to End is GREAT! And we are planning this. But right now, doing the Section by Section (the same way we rode the whole Mickelson Trail in SD) is a LOT of fun, and you get to see and visit so much more.

You can see much more w/o needing to ride 50 miles in a day, every day. We rode to Sedelia, for example, spent the night and rode home. We went to the Train Station and ate our 'picnic' (food carried) at their tables in, I think they call it, The Women's Room.

We have two Sections (four Trailheads) yet to ride and we have done the whole Trail, little by little.

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS FOR FOLKS THAT LIVE NEAR! It's a GREAT way to see the whole Trail, it fun to plan, and there is no big hurry of riding the miles.

I sure hope this "Next July" Ride can work out....sure sounds like fun.

I really appreciate all of the info and suggestions for my July Ride. I am really excited about getting started, I really hope I can find places such as B&B, hostels, and hotels along the route that are spaced close enough to hit one without traveling to far each day, I really want to enjoy the trip and keep my daily distances between 25 and 30 miles but as I research more I will know if this is possible, I would really love to camp some but just don't really want to drag all the camping gear along. Right now I am just riding some different bikes an trying to decide what I bike I want to get. I really do enjoy making warm plans on these cold snowy days.

TrailRider, we stopped made the following stops, and were pretty close to your daily mileage number.
Clinton
Sedalia (first day was pretty long)
Pilot Grove
Rocheport
Jefferson City
Rhineland
Augusta
St Charles

I liked those stops. But there are many many good ways to do it!