Scout Trip

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Tom from Overland Park on 1/19/2007 11:58:12 AM:

I am a leader of a Boy Scout troop and am making some preliminary plans for a bike trip for the scouts on the Katy Trail. My interest would be to find a camping spot we could spend Friday night, then do an out and back trip on Saturday, returning to the same campground. I am guessing 20-30 miles reound trip would be about right. Thinking about early March but I have some concerns about facilities being open that time of year. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Robert from Columbia on 1/19/2007 12:52:02 PM:

Im not trying to be negative but there is one thing I have against the boy scouts on the
katy trail.

Virtually everytime I see a large group of scouts on the katy they are allowing the boys to
trespass on other peoples property. One example is the bluffs between rocheport and
mcbaine. That is all private property yet I see scout leaders watching proudly as boys
roam and climb and have fun all over the bluffs.

Rule of thumb...the katy trail state park extends to the width of the trail and that is it. The
only time that you can roam the countryside is if there are signs saying "missouri
department of conservation."

You might want to pass this information on to other scout leaders. Im sure its more fun to
let them off the trail but I doubt you want to teach these boys to trespass. Its also the very
reason why so many landowners hate the trail.

Jim from St. Thomas on 1/19/2007 2:26:51 PM:

Tom, I would recommend riding somewhere in the Rocheport - Hartsburg section of the trail. For my money it's the prettiest part of the whole trail and I think there are several places to camp along that stretch. If you haven't already looked, go to the "Towns & Services" link at the top of the page for camping options. Good luck and have fun.........usually when we pass a group of scouts at the end of a ride it looks like the scoutmasters have spent the whole day herding cats.

savage24 from KC,MO on 1/20/2007 5:16:21 AM:

These places come to mind as being ideal for scout troops, ie: owned by the city or civic groups, have shelter house, picnic tables, etc. Call the appropriate contacts listed on this sight to see if facilities will be available that early.

Closer to home: Farrington Park in Windsor
Middle of the trail: American Legion Park in Hartsburg
Far from home: Community Club Park in Marthasville

Speaking of herding cats - I would avoid Sedalia due to the trail crossing several streets and part of the route being on city streets.

sbikes from Kansas City on 1/20/2007 10:33:05 AM:

Rocheport to Hartsburg, camp overnight in Hartsburg as savage24 suggests, then back to
Rocheport the next day...or go on to Jefferson City the next day.

I have a couple of friends who have taken their boy scout troops on the Trail and have had
good luck with this route. In fact, last time one of them did it, they encountered other
troops camping at Hartsburg who had come from the other direction and so it was not
only a great bike ride, but they met some new friends as well.

Make sure the boys know the rules of the road, that their bikes are in good working order,
everyone has a water bottle and drinks from it, and carry some extra tubes and a tire
pump. This could be a great opportunity to call your local bike shop and arrange for a
lesson in bike maintenance for your troop.

Have fun!

ET from Columbia on 1/21/2007 9:48:35 PM:

Two nice mid-trail campgrounds that would put you within easy riding distance of the pretty stretch around Rocheport are the Katy Roundhouse in Franklin and Katfish Katy's in Huntsdale.

Tom from Overland Park on 1/22/2007 3:49:03 PM:

Thanks to everyone for your comments. Robert, I don't take your comments as negative, in fact, I appreciate the heads up. You can be assured that this troop WILL understand the limits of our welcome.

FEEDBACK! - Please let us know if you have suggestions, corrections, complaints, or ideas. Your input is valued and appreciated - thanks in advance!

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