First time on the trail…

Planning our first trip. Initial thought is to go round trip. Retired so time is flexible. Any suggestions we should include as we plan?

We've done numerous out and back trips on the Katy.

It seems to be a completely different ride on the return trip seeing the landscape from the opposite direction.

Round trip or out and back eliminates the need for transportation back to the start point.

Time is in your favor....relax and enjoy the ride without having rigid deadlines to meet for transportation, etc.

Would recommend starting in Clinton and going west and returning to Clinton via Sedalia. A few reasons: 1) the only real elevation change is from Pilot Grove to Boonville; west to east it's downhill. 2) During baseball season, room rates go up in St Charles, and are pretty high as far west as Chesterfield. 3) You can catch the Amtrak going back east from Washington, Hermann, or Jefferson City, so you can skip riding a lot of miles going back to Clinton. Just have to time your route. You will want to leave the train in Sedalia, and then ride back to Clinton, about 35 miles, but that is a nice ride east to west; you can always stop again in Windsor. Good accommodations (going west to east) in Clinton, Windsor, Sedalia, Pilot Grove, Boonville, Jeff City, Rocheport, McKittrick, Hermann, Washington,... well, lots more: this web site will answer most of your questions with some research. You can get car shuttles back to Clinton as well. Can't comment on camping, but there are some options. The Clinton Community Center offers parking and camping, and you can check in there and leave an itinerary. It's about 1/2 mile from the trail beginning (or end) via separate bike path. Would agree that a rigid schedule won't work too well, especially if using Amtrak. By the way, forget about weather forecasts; I've never done a trip where the weather was as predicted. You'll need raingear.

Not sure how this works: Would recommend starting in Clinton and going west and returning to Clinton via Sedalia.

Leave Clinton and go west.....trail ends in Clinton, but anyway go west and then somehow go to Sedalia and back to Clinton??

I rode East from Clinton all the way to St Charles. Then took the Amtrak train from Kirkwood, MO back to Sedalia then rode back to Clinton.

I don't know the terrain of this trail. What type of tires would be best?

The fattest tires that your bike can handle with a lot of tread or even some knobbies. I've done the trail with tires as small as 700x25s and as large as 650bx47s. The small tires were too small, and the large tires were overkill but still better than the 700x25s. I found 700x32s were adequate.

Dear Anonymous Einstein: Thanks for the communications critique, but Billy from Yukon OK figured it out. FYI: Studies have shown that 99% of forum users that use "Anonymous" are creepy uncles (or aunts as the case may be). Happy trails and good riding.

My first time was with 25mm..not a great result. I have been happy with 28s in good weather, but would prefer wider.