St. Charles to Marthasville trail

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jmrtsr98 from The Lou on 9/11/2012 9:46:53 AM:

Riding from St. Charles to Marthasville. Is the trail fairly flat or are there a lot of hills? I made the mistake of riding FROM Boonville to Sedalia last spring, and I felt like I was going UP hill the majority of the way...AND no water along the way either. So I am wondering how the trail is between St. Charles and Marthasville.

ArkyKenny on 9/11/2012 10:17:55 AM:

The trail is flat and there are lots of places to stop, eat, drink, rest, bail out, etc. There is also a lot of trees and vegitation, so wind should not be much of a problem.

Anonymous on 9/11/2012 10:25:12 AM:

I always stop in Pilot Grove.....AND either get water at the trailhead or get something to refuel at Becky's or the Casey's store.

jmrtsr98 from The Lou on 9/11/2012 10:34:23 AM:

I had just left Boonville which was only 9 miles to Pilot Grove, and I didn't really need anything at the point. I did not realize that there wouldn't be ANYTHING in Clifton City, so unfortunately I had to just suck it up until Sedalia.

ArkyKenny on 9/11/2012 10:53:22 AM:

BUT.....If you keep going west from Marthasville, you are basically on your own until you get to McKittrick. It is great country out there, but bring plenty of water, trail mix, etc.

Hopefully your Boonville to Sedalia trip taught you to fill up at every opportunity to do so, or be prepared to go the distance. Think "Camelbak".

Anonymous on 9/11/2012 12:18:12 PM:

There is water along the way. If you choose not to take advantage of what is there you shouldn't make false statements and lead others to think there is no water. It makes for a good story for you, although it is not true. Think "Camelbak".

jmrtsr98 from The Lou on 9/11/2012 1:04:45 PM:

Umm first of all I had a Camelback but since that was the hottest day in quite a while in that area when I went, the water went fast. Yes, since this was my first ride on the Katy Trail, my inexperience led me to make a mistake in not taking ENOUGH. However, please please tell me where the water was available AFTER Pilot Grove until Sedalia, because I sure did not see anything. So I apologize if you think I made a "false" statement. Maybe I was just not as experienced or as observant as you are. Enlighten me so that I don't make the same mistake next time. Thank you for the condescending remarks. I appreciate your "help".

jmrtsr98 from The Lou on 9/11/2012 1:11:42 PM:

As a side note, when we got to Clifton City, we asked around 5 different people who lived in the area, and we were told that they did not know where we could get water and that as far as they knew, we would have to make it to Sedalia. Thanks for making me feel like I can't ask for help or explain why I am asking.

Ritzer from St. Louis on 9/13/2012 10:16:06 PM:

It is flat and Defiance, Augusta, and Marthasville all have amenities where you could get water. In addition, we asked a restraunt for water one time without purchasing anything else in August and they were fine providing it.

Trail Rider on 9/14/2012 1:35:47 PM:

Lou, your Camelbak was 70 oz or more? Sedalia to Boonville is 70 oz unless you are dumping it for external cooling also. The KT is a trail with some experience for known water stops. Although this website shows posted water at the trailheads with water or no water, private businesses or even landowners along the trail are sources of water too. ArkyKenny and Anonymous are correct and experienced to known that you top off whenever you can on the KT. AS far as St. Chas. to Marthasville, no trailhead water until I believe Dutzow and Marthasville, but there's private spots in Defiance, Matson and Augusta. Trail in this area is the flattest. There's an elevation chart of the trail on this website and unfortunately when you did Boonville to Sedalia that was the biggest incline for the entire trail. Live and learn but keep on riding the trail because it is very unique with the sites, the people and the pure joy of riding.

jmrtsr98 on 9/17/2012 10:45:55 AM:

Yes, Boonville to Sedalia was definitely a learning experience for us. We were not properly prepared. We knew it would be hot and unfortunately we only took one camelback (that is all we had), it was nearly 100 degrees that day so between the two of us drinking out of it, it did not take long to disappear. I was going to top off in Clifton City but did not realize that there would not be any water available there. This time we learned and I put a small cooler on the back of my bike with water and soda in it. Definitely much better this time. I had a great time riding this past weekend. We stopped at the Defiance Roadhouse (which was AMAZING)!!! I will definitely go back. We stopped at Augusta Brewing Co. which was also excellent, and we stayed in the Little House B&B in Marthasville which again was perfect. Would not have changed anything on this trip. I will take this trip again for sure.

MidSouth from Rogersville, MO on 9/17/2012 10:55:52 AM:

We have insulated rack packs for our rear racks to carry extra water and sandwiches. We throw in a frozen ice pack or two and we are good for a day ride or even on overnight. We have two water bottle cages on each bike, and 24 oz. insulated bottles, but usually only carry one in the cage, the rest in the pack, they stay much cooler that way.

Foxman from Salisbury, MO on 9/18/2012 3:54:53 PM:

I road the Boonville to Sedalia and back route on Sept 13th which was a very cool and enjoyable ride. Even for a cool day I consumed 48 oz of H2O each direction. I've got Camp Branch(nothing there at all) to Wainwright under my belt so far and I am really looking forward to a ride from McBaine to Herman (McKittrick) next month. Anything to watch out for from Jefferson City to Herman???

Gary from Near Tebbetts on 9/18/2012 7:48:34 PM:

Stop at the trail bench at MM 134 accross from the Cote Sans Dessein story described here:

http://callaway.dbrl.org/history/history-of-callaway-county-missouri/townships-of-callaway-county-missouri/cote-sans-dessein-township

Enjoy your trip.

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