Planning a spring/summer 2021 Katy Trail ride

My wife and I are planning to ride the full trail west to east in 2021 and would appreciate any information that would be helpful from previous riders. Questions below;

Any spring/summer flooding that may inhibit riding? Your opinions of best months to ride are welcome.

Are there businesses that would shuttle two riders from St Charles west to the trail head or should we simply return ride to our starting point? If there is we are assuming your vehicle would be safe to park?

Are there plenty of places to stay and eat throughtout our ride or should we plan to camp and prepare food ourselves at specific areas along the trail? Suggestions welcome.

Are there planned itineraries available specific to riding the Katy Trail that we could review?

Time is really no issue with us so if there are areas along
the trail that riders should take the time to relax, enjoy the area and spend time visiting, please provide.

Lastly, we currently have road bikes, will these suffice or would it be better for us to purchase hybrid or mountain bikes for this trip?

Looking forward to hearing from all of you.

Thanks, Retired Rider

I would not recommend road bikes unless they can take at least 700x28 tires. I've ridden on short stretches of the Katy on my road bike and didn't like the ride. I usually use 700x32 tires although this September my wife and I did the entire trail on a tandem with 26x2.125 tires.

I've done the entire trail many times; however, they have been supported rides. The Katy Trail Ride put on by the department of natural resources is great if you like to camp out in June. Bubba's Pampered Pedelars ride in September is great but a little on the expensive side with hotel or B&B rooms every night.

Many businesses on the Katy are closed on Mondays and Tuesdays so getting something to eat can be an issue then. This web site has plenty of information on places to stay, eat, and shuttle services.

Flooding is sometimes an issue especially in Spring and early Summer. My best ride was in September with nice temperatures and little rain.

My wife and I are also planning on visiting and riding the trail in Spring. Where would be the best place to park a 40ft RV and then pedal for about 30 miles. I only have a couple of days and would like to see the best area. We really appreciate any recommendation. Thx

The campground at the city park in Hermann would be good for that. East or West you would have sections of the trail running between the river and the bluffs along with farm fields and shady sections and Hermann has all the services you would need.

I am also planning to ride the whole trail west to east next year and was also wondering about shuttles - I only saw a couple of options online.

Hi everyone, my wife and I will be traveling the trail west to east next summer. Has anyone charted a re turn trip to Clinton on gravel road other then the trail. Just to see new country. Thanks

Visit the White Wolf Inn in Rhineland for lodging in the Hermann area.
@ whitewolfinnllc.com

I have stayed at White Wolf it is amazing

Any spring/summer flooding that may inhibit riding?
The Katy still has flood damage from a couple of years ago. Watch this site or the state parks on the Missouri Department of Natural Resources for updates in the spring.

Are there businesses that would shuttle two riders from St Charles west to the trail head or should we simply return ride to our starting point? If there is we are assuming your vehicle would be safe to park?
There are businesses that shuttle. Check out the Towns and Services tab to see their location. Yes there is safe parking along the trail.

Are there plenty of places to stay and eat throughtout our ride or should we plan to camp and prepare food ourselves at specific areas along the trail? Suggestions welcome.
There are many hotels, B&B's, etc to stay. The Bothwell in Sedalia, the Frederick in Boonville, the School House in Rocheport, and the Hermann area has many to choose from.

Are there planned itineraries available specific to riding the Katy Trail that we could review?
From the Home page, there are ride reports. Some can be found on this forum. Winter is coming.....a good time to employ search or just cruise around this site.

Time is really no issue with us so if there are areas along
the trail that riders should take the time to relax, enjoy the area and spend time visiting, please provide.
That all depends on what your interests are. This site is a great place to check out the towns you are passing through or staying in. Also, the website onlyinyourstate is a good resource when traveling.

Lastly, we currently have road bikes, will these suffice or would it be better for us to purchase hybrid or mountain bikes for this trip?
Have ridden both a hybrid and a road bike with 700 x 28 tires with no issues. The biggest issue is staying in the track and out of the soft spots or the loose chat.

Two options: Take Amtrak to Sedalia and hire transport to Clinton; Or, take Amtrak to Lee's Summit, either ride to Pleasant Hill and start of RI trail to KT Trail or hire transport.

Please see: https://bikekatytrail.com/docs/kb.doc

To anon from kiowa....I am also planning a loop, east to west, tho. If you are interested in my loop route, you can reach me via my blog...gypsearoad.com.

Also check out adventure cycling route 66, the section thru missouri.

I will be doing a bike tour from San Diego to Maine. Going a bit north out of my way to ride Katy west to east. My goal is to not get killed going through St. Louis. Lol. Any route tips to avoid dangerous areas?

Stu...there are several beautiful, safe routes through the heart of St. Louis that I have ridden several times. The St. Louis region has actually invested in a great paved Greenway system and you just have to be smart about a few places that you should avoid when you are riding alone. There are several good options for crossing the Mississippi River heading eastward, but they all depend on what your route is across Illinois. The most scenic river crossing is the Old Route 66 Chain of Rocks Bridge across the Mississippi, but the closest is the Hwy. 67 bridge at Alton. My favorite option is to take my bike across the Grafton Ferry boat which is really close to the last Katy trailhead at Machens.

I agree with most of what Mark says about crossing the Mississippi River. However the Grafton Ferry can be out of action at certain times due to the river levels. I'd make the Hwy 67 Bridge into Alton Illinois my primary option. You will need to ride on Hwy 94 for a while but it's not all that busy. I've ridden it a few times. Hwy 67 has wide shoulders plus a bike path on the bridge. Once over the bridge there's a bike path to the north and south along the river.

Where are you planning to ride next after crossing the Mississippi River? There are options. You might even want to check out the route for RAAM as it crosses the river into Alton on that bridge.

Thanks guys. I haven’t quite figured it all out yet, but my preliminary plan is to get back onto the ACA Underground Railroad route at Murphysboro and head north toward the Ohio to Erie Trail to Cleveland

Hey Stu, Andy Stout rode from Maine to San Diego in 2018 using a lot of ACA routes. You can contact him through Instagram @stoutabout