The Katy Trail and Rock Island Trail

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Is there anything else like the KATY in the US?

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Michele from Chicago on 8/22/2007 10:00:27 AM:

Hi again, We really LOVED our trip on the KATY. What a great park! We were thinking about doing another trip, maybe on a different trail. Is there anything else in the midwest or the country like the KATY? We were definitely spoiled with this trail!

Trek Biker from St. Joseph, MO on 8/22/2007 10:37:54 AM:

Yes! Check out trailsfromrails.com and traillink.com.

You have a very nice little trail just south of you in Illinois. The Tunnel Hill State Trail. It's 47 miles from Harrisburg to Karnak. It has some interesting Cypress swamp on the south end, several gentle bends, rail tressles (one that is near the tree tops and nice in length), and a nice long, cool tunnel north of Vienna. We rode it this spring and saw several deer, a bobcat, and a mature bald eagle among many other birds. It was definately worth the trip for us....would be very beautiful in the fall.

Austin from Longmont, CO on 8/22/2007 3:26:25 PM:

Wisconsin has some really good state trails.
http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/land/parks/specific/findatrail.html

Paulie from Knoxville on 8/22/2007 5:03:55 PM:

The C&O Canal Trail will take you from Washington D.C. to Cumberland MD. And if you got the time,(and the legs)you can continue on The Great Allegany Passage which will take you all the way to Pittsburgh. I think the total mileage is about 330. I've never done these trails myself but plan to make trip in four days this fall.

Also, the Virginia Creeper is very nice. From Abington VA to Whitetop Mt. is only 35 miles but well worth the trip.

Paulie

Paulie

Mark of The Dalton Boys from Austin, Texas on 8/23/2007 9:23:04 AM:

The Rails to Trails Conservancy has a guide...Traillink.com, which lists most all in the US including Alaska, and a separate menu for International Trails as well. You can tailor your search by surface type, distance etc. All in the website is not entirely true...for a more accurate assessment click on the "Trail Website" menu of the trail your researching....great little tool for looking at Rail Trails. PS - just for grins go to the International Rail Trail menu and look up the Otago Rail/Trail in New Zealand, you know for that grand pie-in-the-sky trip you've always wanted to do once in your life. Regards....Mark of the Dalton Boys

frank on 8/23/2007 3:49:52 PM:

michele,

i just got done riding, or should i say attempting to ride the virignia creeper trail. look for www.vacreepertraial.com creepertrail.com and such. the most popular part is from whitetop to damascus. you are shuttled if you choose, from damascus to whitetop and ride back down. wonderful scenery, the majority is down hill, three little cafe's to snack at plus an old railroad station and one replica. lots of trestles. well worth the time to go there. the trail from damascus to abingdon is not as popular, but from the literature i've read, just a nice. hope this helps. also, no hotels in damascus, only b & b's, but very reasonable and right down the street from the bike shops.

Jon from Missouri on 8/27/2007 8:48:10 PM:

http://www.greatriverroad.com/Footpower/vadalbene.htm

Runs from Alton to Pere Marquette State Park. Some of the trail is on the wide shoulder of the highway. We parked at the casino in Alton, rode to Pere marquette and camped & rode back to Alton the next day. Other trails link this with downtown St. louis.

El Toro on 8/29/2007 8:35:28 PM:

I've ridden the Wabash Trace that runs from near Omaha (Sioux Falls, Iowa) south to the Missouri line and a small town named Blanchard. Not many services at all at Blanchard, especially if the gas station closes early. It's 65 miles one way. A buddy of mine and I did it down and back in a day, but I wouldn't recommend it in a day. Turned into a long day. Pretty, but I, personally, like the KATY better.

The Prairie Trace (I think that is what it's called - I'm having a brain cramp and can't remember) trail is about 35 miles long and heads south out of Ottawa, Kansas down through Garnett and on to a very small town named to Welda. This fall is it to open another 15 miles south to Iola. A nice ride, but not as developed as the KATY, in my opinion.

If you get off the trail there are several spots to eat, buy refreshments, etc. in Garnett. I think it is a neat little town.

There's my 2 cents.

Enjoy!

El Toro on 8/29/2007 8:42:11 PM:

Forgot to add - Minnesota is full of biking trails. 100s of miles of them paved if you prefer a road bike. The Munger Trail comes to mind - just north of the Twin Cities on up to Duluth.

Also - the Mickelson Trail in South Dakota is another neat trail through the Black Hills.

Brian L. from Wichita, KS on 8/30/2007 10:00:14 AM:

Regarding the trail you mentioned near Garnett, KS -- it's the Praire Spirit Rail-Trail -- you might want to call ahead if you go, because their web site (http://www.prairiespirittrail.org) warns that flooding has caused the closure of a 2 1/2 mile mid-trail stretch. I've been to Garnett many times & the paved section of the trail near town and the restored depot there are very nice. I haven't ridden the remainder of the trail, though.

El Toro on 8/30/2007 10:32:01 AM:

Thanks for reminding me of the name of the trail near Ottawa/Garnett. Couldn't think of it for anything.

I just got a newsletter from that trail and - you are right - there is a bridge out because of flooding. It's going to be a while before it is fixed. Based on this week's newsletter, there is a marked detour on gravel roads around that section of the trail. I have NOT been there to ride it or verify what the roads are like (i.e. traffic, hills, gravel, etc.)

ET from Columbia on 8/30/2007 12:28:52 PM:

It's still under construction, but MN is putting in a trail along the north shore of Lake Superior, from Duluth to Grand Marais (about 90 miles, I think). Some sections are complete, and it is truly spectacular--it's a paved trail, and not a rail trail, so it's going to be fairly hilly. It's called the Gitchi-Gami trail. MN has several other long distance bike trails, like the Willard Munger Trail, south of Duluth. I'm sure the state DNR or someone has a list of them all.

JB from PITTSBURGH on 9/3/2007 1:04:18 AM:

CHECK OUT THE NORTH BEND TRAIL FROM PARKERSBURG,WV TO OUTSIDE OF CLARKSBURG, WV. 75 MILES IN LENGTH WITH 13 TUNNELS! THEY HAVE A WEB SITE.....NOT AS SMOOTH AS KATY TRAIL.

OF COURSE, GREAT ALLEGHENY PASSAGE FROM PITTSBURGH TO DC IS AN OPTION. WEB SITE ATA (ALLEGHENY TRAIL ALLIANCE)

howard hughes blues from kc on 9/3/2007 3:36:15 AM:

anybody ever try the Cowboy Trail in Nebraska? It is very long---longer than the Katy. I was wondering if it's basically ok to camp on the side of the trail. The official website doesn't list camping locations. Also the Mikkelson---camp anywhere?

Brian L. from Wichita, KS on 9/6/2007 12:12:36 PM:

I've never ridden the Cowboy Trail, but I did consider & research it a little. However, it's not longer than the Katy - yet. Their web site says:

"When finished this hiking, biking, and equestrian trail will stretch 321 miles across Nebraska. ... Over 161 miles of trail are now open, including a continuous 143-mile stretch from Norfolk to Ainsworth. In 2007 an additional 30 miles will be added connecting Valentine to Norfolk."

There's only one review of it on TrailLink.com, but I'm sure other sites have more. This forum's for Katy discussions, so you might want to Google around for those other discussions.

howard hughes blues from kc on 9/7/2007 4:53:08 AM:

yeah, it's not open all the way, but if you read the rails to trails website it's possible to just go out on the highway which runs parallel and ride the spots that aren't open yet. Also if you go all the way to the western end you are fairly close to the Mikkelson trail in South Dakota. One couple said they did the Mikkelson, rode on highways to the Cowboy Trail and did the whole Cowboy Trail. As far as camping on the Cowboy Trail, one of the links says there is camping possible in several towns but doesn't go into detail.

Gramps from Richmond, CA on 9/7/2007 7:21:41 PM:

I'm also looking for paved or "skinny-tire" (road or recumbent) friendly trails. my standard is the combo "Centennial/Trail of the Couer d'Alenes" in Spokane and nearby Couer d'Alene Idaho. 60 and 75 miles respectively with 90% paved pedestrian/biker/hiker only trails.
I'm looking for similar U.S. or foreign trails amenable to skinny tires. All suggestions and contact sites welcome.

Gramps (65 and going strong).
See you on the trail

bears from Ashland on 9/7/2007 9:17:39 PM:

Gramps, check out www.mnbiketrails.com/main.aspx?SectionID=3&TM=44243.84 Trails are paved. We rode Cannon Valley and Paul Bunyan Trails plus downtown Rochester (riverside trail) is great.
Hope to see you on our Katy Trail.

Clarendt from Junction City AR on 9/9/2007 9:05:53 PM:

Gramps, we have Tour Easy Recumbent bikes with skinny road tires. We are going to ride the Katy Trail. To make sure we don't have problems we are going to put Marathron 700 x 35 on the rear and Marathron plus 20 x 1.35 on the front. These should fit inside our fenders and fit on the rim. If you go to wide it won't fit inside the fender. We will see how it goes in a couple of weeks! But if something like that would work for you it would open up a lot of trail riding for you.

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