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Riding to Kansas City
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Ken Gagne from Worcester on 6/8/2009 9:49:54 AM:
Hello,

I'd like to bicycle from St. Louis to Kansas City, with as much of my ride as possible being
on the Katy Trail. I know the trail doesn't go all the way to KC, though. Can anyone
suggest at what point I should leave the trail, and what route I would take from there to
get to KC? According to MapQuest, the point on the trail closest to KC is Green Ridge,
which would mean not seeing the Windsor-Calhoun-Clinton legs of the trail.

-Ken
 
Anonymous on 6/8/2009 5:47:18 PM:
You might want to check out these maps out at the MODOT website. They show which roads have at least a four foot shoulders for biking. They also have a daily traffice volume on them. For instance you can leave Clinton on route 7 and then take route 71 all the way into KC. It says its got a 4 foot shoulder, however the traffic on these roads moves very fast.

http://www.modot.org/othertransportation/bike_ped/Bike-PedProgram--RoadandRouteInfo.htm

There is also the discovery trail that connects Boonville to KC. It is a combo of gravel and paved roads. I have never been on it though.

http://www.discoverytrail.org/

If you main goal is the Katy and not neccessaily KC, then I would bike right to Clinton, spend the night and then bike back to Sedalia and catch the train back. Its going to be 70 miles of hard busy roads to get to KC.
 
Ken Gagne from Worcester on 6/10/2009 1:46:06 PM:
It never occurred to me to take a train for the last leg. Thanks! I was hoping to complete a
pan-Missouri bike ride, but the backtracking you suggest would add up to almost the same
mileage. Besides, I won't be starting right at St. Louis, anyway.
 
jd from gkc on 6/10/2009 4:48:21 PM:
If a pan-MO ride is your goal, it's about as easy to enjoy the trail all the way to Clinton, and then take Hwy-7 over to Harrisonville where you can cut across to the western border via paved backroads south of KC rather than thru the busy parts of it. Some riders take Hwy-50 out of Sedalia because they want to go into the city itself. Many tree-tunnels and canopies cover the Katy between Sedalia and Clinton not to mention the scads of small wildlife. Enjoy? :) :)
 
jd from gkc on 6/11/2009 9:58:59 AM:
Post Script: you can probably make it to the old Hwy-2 from Green Ridge okay!
 
roadwarrior from opks on 6/21/2009 6:55:27 PM:
today I rode my motorcycle to hiway 2 and rode all the way to Clinton. 13 too much fast traffic with a 3 foot shoulder stay off 13 but hi w 2 is do able just go too windsor.on Sunday theirs not much traffic out.Something else to think about once you get south of harrisonville theres very few places to get water so you need to stock up when you can.Ive been contemplating this ride for a while its a challenge i'm going too get in shape and give a try in the fall.
 
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