SalsaBoy on 4/15/2012 9:55:26 PM:
Previous post says park at the Rec Center in Clnton: I know it as the Community Center. In any case, it's only a block or so from the trailhead and I've found it to be safe. Machens really doesn't have an easy way or place to park your car. If you want to park east and go west, in St. Charles on the river, there is a Lewis and Clark museum on the river with a big parking lot there, and I've left my car there several times and not had any problem. From there, you can do an out and back to Machens just to say you did the whole trail. You should also consider riding the train part of the way to or coming home from your destination. Techinically "Downhill" is west to easy, but it really doesn't matter much because the whole thing is flat--that can be negated by winds, but generally, they are from the southwest: If I am only going one way, I prefer to go west to east, and usually park in Clinton, and ride the train back to Sedalia so I can enjoy the rough and rugged (not really, just not very many people) west side of the trail.