Riding the Katy with kids?

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Mandy from El Dorado springs, MO on 5/18/2009 12:47:46 PM:

Hello all.
My husband and I are new to biking, and are riding nearly everyday. What advice does anyone have about riding the Katy with children? They are 2 and 4 and we will be pulling them in 2 trailers, (one kiddo being pulled in each trailer, with our camping gear divided between us.) We are planning at starting in Clinton and riding/tent camping our way along the trail. What is a practical distance to plan in a day? Any additional gear that would be helpful? Suggestions for the most child-friendly campsites? Restaurants? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Hope to see you out there!

jd from gkc on 5/18/2009 11:04:53 PM:

Quite a few people have ridden the trail with kids successfully. Daily miles..anywhere from 20 to 50, depending. Be careful near the river and steep shoulders. Learn about the trail at this website. Also, the following two sites give stories and advisory sidebars about riding it with kids. Carry extra water, use care and common sense, and take a camera. Enjoy.
http://www.railstotrails.org/newsandpubs/news/features/20072307_trailingkids.html

http://www.railstotrails.org/newsandpubs/news/features/20070927_figueraspart2.html

Mandy from El Dorado springs, MO on 5/20/2009 2:29:33 PM:

Thanks jd.
I appreciate it!

Gean Hyder from Nevada, Mo on 5/20/2009 3:01:52 PM:

The park in Hartsburg is a good place to camp. They have a gazebo, so if you just want to put out sleeping bags and not mess with a tent you still have a roof over your head. However there are no showers there. Steamboat Junction in Blufton is a great place to camp. They even have little cabins there at a very good price. Showers are clean. The Katy Roundhouse has a nice campground in New Franklin, they also have a shower. My son and I stayed there a couple weeks ago, there was a couple hundred boyscouts camping there. You will find friendly people along the trail. I hope you enjoy your ride.

shannon from st louis on 5/21/2009 8:50:14 PM:

My husband and I were new to riding last year and decided to ride Klondike Park to Dutzow and back we took our 2 kids, however ours are 7 and 14... the 7 year old was riding on a bike attachment with my husband.. ( he hardly helped peddle) The round trip ride was about 20 miles... It was exhausting and we had to fight the urge to give up and turn around a couple times, but it was so rewarding to set a goal and finish it... we stopped several times, and had lunch in Dutzow before returning, and all in all it was a fantastic ride with absloutly beautiful scenery and we took so many pictures! we rode through a town named "Nona" it was approxiamtly a block long.. it was amusing as there was a welcome sign on each end of "town" Good luck on your ride! I think you will do great!

Anonymous on 5/22/2009 2:04:13 PM:

My husband and I average 2 mph slower on the gravel, if that helps approximate your
speed. Plus there are many fun places to stop that slow us down.

PS. Nona is one house long!--it used to be the bus depot. It's my favorite site, and I swear
the cars moved around, but never a sign of people. Except for the bikers stopped to rest at
the bench!

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