Update and Alternate Options

So a group and I are planning to set out next Friday (June 7th) in Clinton to bike the whole trail. Now I am well aware of the flooding situation, and am also very familiar with the trail and it's issues it can have with flooding, since this is not my first biking the trail and we had to deal with closures then too.

From what I can tell we should be ok the first 2 days of our trip...the first day we are biking from Clinton to Sedalia, which should all be open. The second day we are biking from Sedalia to Rocheport...now based on what I have been reading we should be ok until we get to New Franklin but then shortly after it is closed, but we could bike 40 into town (please correct me if I am wrong). Day 3 we were planning on going from Rocheport to Hermann, which from my readings is pretty much under water entirely....My question here is, is there any sections clear between Rocheport and Hermann? And as of right now we were thinking of possibly fairing cars to drive between the 2 if needed, but is there another solution that I am not thinking of? Then on our 4th and final day we had planned on biking from Hermann to Machens...we have opted to just stop in St. Charles since the trail was flooded between there and Machens...but again I know there is some flooding between Hermann and St. Charles, but where exactly is it? and are the detours we can take? etc.

Any help is greatly appreciated!! We don't plan on canceling since one of our group is flying in for this trip and at this point if we cancel our B&B's we won't get refunds. Plus, we were all really looking forward to a trip together to hangout so we aren't really wanting to cancel.

That whole part of the Trail is more under water than not - from what I am hearing. We were around Hermann over Memorial Day and walked on the Trail near McKKitrrick. Parts of the Trail are high and dry and parts are under water - as I understand it, there is no clear path and the normal road detours are also flooded. I think the plan of having cars is a good one. You may be able to drive to some dry spots on the Trail, but don't expect to bike from trailhead to trailhead past Boonville. They were evacuating Franklin and parts of New Franklin as there is concern about the levees.

You can always check the MoDot map for road closures and get a good sense where the Trail might be open as the Trail tracks 94 Highway most of the way from Jeff City to St. Charles (not entirely, but close). If 94 is closed near a spot where the Trail goes through, the Trail will be under water as well. http://traveler.modot.org/map/

The weather is cooler than usual - lots of rain almost every day - but, hop in the cars, bike where you can, stop off at some wineries along the way and enjoy spending time with your group.

Sharon

See my comment from 5/29 under ‘Making our way’, which shows the route we took from new Franklin to Rocheport on back roads rather than on Hwy 40. It was quite pleasant as people that don’t like road riding. We thought about making a route on state roads and highways to Herman but decided to shuttle with the bike shop in Jefferson City instead. Will ride out and back to Bufton and enjoy an afternoon of wine tasting in Herman. Hoping to make our way to Augusta tomorrow through a combo of road and trail.

Hey Seriously Bummed,

I rode the whole trail from 5/25 to 5/29. Let me just say - it is a complete mess.

You are right, Clinton to Sedalia is clear. You can ride from Sedalia almost all the way to Rocheport. We ended up taking Hwy 40. It wasn't that bad. You will have to do some minor climbing.

East of Rocheport was impassable starting at mm 176 or so. You would not believe the detour that we took. I think I need to get my head checked after taking that detour. We rode from Rocheport to Columbia, and then from Columbia to Fulton, and stayed the night in Fulton. Rocheport to Columbia wasn't that bad on gravel roads, but riding to Fulton was absolutely scary. We took Broadway to WW and then F to get to Fulton. I wouldn't recommend it.

The next day we rode form Fulton all the way to Washington! Dont ask me the route because I have no clue. I know we went through Readsville, Americus, and then finally ended up in Rhineland where we road on 94 to Treolar and then hopped back on the trail after pannier deep water. Strava says we did almost 3500 ft of elevation gain and 75 miles. Not for the faint of heart.

Going east from Washington we were able to get to about to Augusta where we jumped back and forth on Hwy 94 several times. Augusta to Defiance is a mess of blown down trees from the recent tornado. We tried to pass through the area, but we met some not-so-friendly working crews, who did not want us carrying bikes over blown down debris (they said that we would sue them if we got hurt...whatever). We rode 94 for a super long way. Hopped back on the trail twice only to find that it was flooded, and then proceeded to backtack and stay on 94. We eventually caught up with the trail somewhere east of Weldon Springs (can't remember the actual mile marker), and rode that into St. Charles. We stopped in St. Charles.

Total mileage was 257 and almost 10k ft of elevation gain, so I guess if you really want to go to the trouble of all the detours, you can do the whole trail, but realistically we only ended up riding the trail for maybe 90 miles and ended up taking ridiculous detours the rest of the way. Anyways, I figure thats half the fun anyways. It was a killer adventure. Good luck...and dont be seriously bummed. Get out there!!

Hi Paul! Thanks for the recommendation about the road into Rocheport! I will definitely take a look back at your post. That's promising to hear that it was enjoyable even if it was on the road...not much of a road biker myself.

Hi Will! Thanks for your suggestions too! I don't think we are going to be that adventurous with our detours. I think we will probably just stick with biking our 2 days as planned into Rocheport and then either with the help of shuttles or ferrying our cars we will hop on and off the trail where we can the next 2 days.

Thank you all for your help and recommendations!

Based on new water developments - I would not plan on being able to bike to Rocheport. The news this morning is that the levee near Boonville is about to break which will flood the area from the Boonville Bridge, to New Franklin and Rocheport. I expect you will be able to bike to Boonville and then drive on I-70 to Rocheport. Last weekend, the water was close to I-70, but the interstate should remain open unless the water gets quite a bit higher. The Trail is the levee for Rocheport - you will have to keep an eye on the news to see how high the water gets there.

https://krcgtv.com/news/local/emergency-management-orders-mandator-evacuation-for-parts-of-howard-county

https://krcgtv.com/news/local/rocheport-volunteers-continue-sandbagging-operations

Sharon

Impressive, Will! Glad we can live vicariously through you. We were planning a similar detour from Rocheport in attempt to get to Hermann. We were a bit too concerned and called in for a shuttle from Jef City. We were showered with kindness everywhere we stopped at our b&b’s to restaurants and along the trail and detours. These towns and small businesses are really hurting, so do them and yourselves a favor, and get out there and visit and enjoy what you can! Be safe.

Camped at steamboat Junction in Bluffton and road back Case then Back to car and campsite about 16 miles of open trail one way. Seriously bummed it May be a lot different in one week.

Camped in Bluffton last night we were supposed to stay in Herman tonight our BB was within feet of sandbags on the trail so we took a rain check for tonight and are staying in Columbia. Planing to drive to Booneville leave the car there and get back on track with our plan.

Hey Everyone,
I just wanted to make sure you mention that you are biking the KATY Trail if you plan to stay with us at the Hotel Bothwell in Sedalia. If you are not familiar we are only a mile from the Katy Depot. We offer a 25% discount to all KATY Trail riders, and now have a full hot breakfast included in your stay. We hope everyone has a safe ride.

Is there another route from Kansas City to St. Louis? Was planning on doing the RI Trail and Katy first week of July.

Will

I feel for you! Last year we rode the part of the Erie Canal Trail that is not all trail, it's highways and hilly country roads.

You did fantastically!

Michael

If you can be flexible, I found www.mobikefed.org to be helpful. Going to try this as alternative.
https://mobikefed.org/2012/11/highway-36-bicycle-route-unveiled-st-joseph-hannibal-260-miles