Reply to Riding whole trail with kids and utilizing Amtrak

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Reply to Riding whole trail with kids and utilizing Amtrak

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JDEcho from Minneapolis on 6/6/2014 6:59:26 PM:

I am hoping to ride the trail in it's entirety the first week of August with my two boys ages 11 and 13. We wish to put in the full 237 miles and use the train to get back to our car. From what I've read this can't be done as the train doesn't stop at each end of the trail. Any suggestions on how we can accomplish this? Thank you in advance. Joe, Ryan, and Tyler.

MidSouth from Rogersville on 6/6/2014 9:48:56 PM:

This is one way to do it:

Day 1 - Ride from St. Charles to Machens and back. This will be a good test of your bikes and gear. Drive to Sedalia and park at the Amtrak Station. Get a shuttle to Clinton and spend the night.

Day 2 - Make your way to St. Charles from Clinton at whatever pace is comfortable. (That could be one of the hottest weeks of the summer.)

When you arrive back in St. Charles get a shuttle to the Kirkwood Amtrak Station, make sure you have reservations for the bikes also. Take the train back to Sedalia to pickup your car.

Thimble from Pleasant Hill on 6/8/2014 11:15:50 PM:

You itin can be done quite easily. You do want to book your Amtrak tickets to include your bikes (extra $10 per bike.) I have used Amtrak and ridden one way and loaded our bikes on the train. It is a very easy process. There are shuttle services that can get you to and from the Amtrak Stations in Sedalia and Kirkwood. We did not use a shuttle as we had family members, but I have read of services. My son and I are riding the Amtrak to Kirkwood in a few weeks and will ride the Katy Trail back to Clinton. Riding the Amtrak and riding the Katy Trail will be a trip of a lifetime for you and your sons. Enjoy the trip!

JDEcho from Minneapolis on 6/12/2014 12:29:33 PM:

I will look into the shuttles. I have a concern about the Amtrak though. Last year the three of us rode the GAP and C&O from Pittsburgh to DC and Amtrak wanted our bikes boxed in a certain sized box. I plan on using my Xtra-Cycle on this trip as well and it is approximately 15 inches longer than a normal bike. I've heard that tandems or longer bikes are not allowed on the trains. If that's the case I will ride a different bike. Any knowledge of longer bikes being allowed?? Thanks, Joe

Trek on 6/12/2014 2:37:25 PM:

Check their website or call them to make sure. To my knowledge though their working is that they do not take special bikes. No trailers, tandems, etc....just your basic DF bike. They do not require a box and can be rolled on.

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