Rock Island Spur

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Bill R. from Wentzville on 11/25/2023 9:14:00 PM:

I'm wanting to bike the Rock Island spur from Windsor to Pleasant Hill. Old photos I've seen look like the trail is pretty rough and gravelly. Has anyone ridden that stretch and might be able to provide some feedback? Thank you.

Elrod from KCMO on 11/26/2023 8:44:53 AM:

Bill it’s almost exactly the same crushed limestone, but….it’s not as compacted yet. So if there’s been a lot of rain before your ride, it can be really tough getting through it. Our bikes were too deep into it to ride at all a year ago and had to quit. We all had hybrid bikes.

Bill R. from Wentzville on 11/26/2023 9:02:09 AM:

TY for the info. I'll probably wait until Spring when it gets a little more compacted over the Winter by mother nature. I'm looking forward to staying at Kim's Cabins in Windsor.

Marcia from Carterville, IL on 11/26/2023 9:52:02 AM:

I just finished the trail on 11/24. Rode from Windsor to Pleasant Hill on 11/23. I didn't find it bad. There had been some rain I believe 2 days earlier. My bike was fully loaded and heavy. I do have gravel tires on my bike. 45 front and 42 rear. Sometimes adjusting tire air pressure is helpful. This was my first time on this trail. It was a little desolate without the views like the Katy, but still enjoyable!

Bill R. from Wentzville on 11/26/2023 1:55:46 PM:

Thank you Marcia.

Eric from KCMO on 11/26/2023 2:45:25 PM:

It is slightly rougher than the Katy, but perhaps like others you won’t even notice it. Emphasis on slightly. I rode across the entire state in September 2021 including all of the Rock and almost all of the Katy. At the time I concluded that the 45 mile stretch of the Rock slowed me down only one MPH. Conditions were warm and dry. I suspect that it just wasn’t as broken in as the Katy. As far as “gravely” that might be exaggerating. Enjoy the ride.

David A from Alameda, CA on 11/27/2023 12:35:37 PM:

Rode out of Kim's Cabins last Spring after a rainstorm. Some muddy spots & tires did dig in some, but to the most part in great shape. Drainage was good, but there seemed to be a little less gravel on the surface. It was a spur day trip, traveling light & unloaded, only 20 mi RT,can't say how a heavier load would do. They did a great job on it, now it's up to us to tamp it down!

Bill R. from Wentzville on 11/27/2023 2:22:49 PM:

TY David.

Kim Henderson - Kim's Cabins from Windsor on 12/1/2023 8:39:39 AM:

Definitely many are riding the Rock Island down from Pleasant Hill to Windsor! Now even from the KC stadiums with a few miles of road between Lee's Summit and P Hill. I'm not a cyclist but talk to many every year. The Rock Island surface is comparable to the Katy most say, with the exception of after much rain you'll find it a little softer.

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