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Riding from St Charles to KC
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Phil from Saint Louis on 5/12/2020 12:16:01 AM:
In the next few weeks I'll be setting off to ride from Saint Louis to Denver, I'm still 19 years young and I am excited for the feat! What I am trying to figure out currently is the best stops and pace for me to take on the Katy Trail/ Rock Island section of my journey. I am thinking I can make it to KC,(Olathe) where I have a place to stay, in about 3 days time, riding 80 miles a day. This seems like a lot to me but I won't be stopping at any attractions or resturaunts. I plan to bring all of my food and only stay at campsites (hopefully all relatively close to the trail).

Currently I have a few places to camp in mind like the Grand Bluffs Conservation area, Katy Roundhouse in New Franklin and, the Katy Rock Junction. Unfortunately these are all spaced out perfectly to make my trek across my home state 4 days instead of 3. If you have any suggestions about where I could set up a minimal camp (no fire) or any other general suggestions please holler!
 
James from Kansas City on 5/12/2020 7:11:38 AM:
If you haven't already, I'd suggest using the "trip planner" icon along the top menu. You can search for campsites and they will even include info like which City Parks (Hartsburg, Pilot Grove) and conservation areas (near Rocheport, etc) you can camp in. I'm planning a trip in the near future, but can't comment on any campsites except Katy Rock Junction, which is a great place to camp.
 
Jim from St. Thomas on 5/12/2020 6:04:10 PM:
If I calculated right, St Charles to Olathe via the Katy/Rock Island is around 290 miles so that’s closer to 100 miles a day than 80. If that’s correct you could do St Charles to Jefferson City the first day. That’s 104 miles and you can camp at the Carl Noren access. Some folks have said it’s kind of a sketchy place to camp but it is there. The second day could be Jefferson City to Sedalia which is around 85 miles and you camp at the State Fairgrounds. That leaves you a little over 100 miles to do the 3rd day to get to Olathe. It’s doable but you’re going to be one tired puppy when you get to Olathe and you still have a lot of miles left to get to Denver. If you’re going to take a day or so break in Olathe I would say go for it. If not, I would take at least 4 days for the St Charles - Olathe leg.
 
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