Rock Island Trail Forum

How hard is it to ride in the rain? Would we be silly to try it today? Thursday 5/29

The main things to consider are:
Tire width, narrower tires will tend to sink in soft spots.
Rain gear, do you have ponchos or at least garbage bags to keep you dry and waterproof gloves and small bags to put on your feet to keep them dry.

Good news is it is not suppose to have a lot of heavy rain or thunderstorms today, just cold drizzle with light winds from the north.

After today it should be sunny and warmer.

I'll add to what Gary said. If the trail is wet, it can be very mushy especially in the west as it isn't packed down.

Wider tires are better; however, they should have deep tread or knobbies. I once was riding on 650b x 47s smooth tires near Windsor. The rear tire was spinning as I was pedaling. I changed those tires to a pair that had small knobbies and the problem went away. Same on my MTB tandem which really helped on the muddy C&O Towpath trail.

I also highly recommend fenders. They really help in the rain or even when the Katy is dry and dusty.

Please follow up with your post and it sounds like this might be worth a separate post about your experiences.
The crushed rock surface of Katy is about as close to being paved as it can get. Some people only want paved trails, but we have freeze/thaw cycles and plentiful tree roots here. Both will heave trails and ultimately make pavement broken and rough, adding to the already expensive cost to maintain. We will keep our crushed rock trail and be glad to have it (comment/opinion written for everyone not just you) When wet it’s a little mushy, but not bad….unless it rained a lot.

Do I need pedals for this trail?

They sure make it a lot easier.

In the words of Gary Coleman, sitcom actor on the show Diff’rent Strokes, “what you talking about Willis?”
The Katy is mostly flat, although there is a long, gradual hill leaving Boonville if you’re traveling westbound. Trail surface is crushed rock and very firm when dry. It’s as close as you can get to paved without being paved. Might be slightly mushy when wet, but not going to slow you down too much. Skinny road bike tires are often mentioned as being rougher on the comfort level as they don’t absorb bumps, they transfer them to your butt. Ride whatever you like. Plenty of YouTube videos both new and old about the Katy. Look for the ones with the most views. I suggest videos by the eccentric Paul Sucheki, bicycle traveling company Noble Invention, even Mat Ryder for a salty Brit perspective.

Scared we won't make it. Is there any safe place to staythe night between Rocheport and Jeff City?

There is camping at Easly at coopers landing, camping at Hartsburg at the pavilion and a small B&B but you will need to call them to see if they have rooms available.

You could stay somewhere in Columbia.

Some people stay at the Lions baseball field on the south edge of Hartsburg. Others sleep on the floor of the gazebo as its close to the action.

Anything special happening along the Katy Trail during the week June 16th thru the 20th? Festivals, bands, jello wrestling?

If there has been, is or will be jello wrestling along or close to the Katy Trail and no one ever told me, I will be very unhappy.

Cathy - have you tried RAGBRAI?

A group of 6-8 of us doing the trail west to east, MID JUNE, Amtrak'ing to Warrensburg, pedaling to Clinton and riding to Machen...and ending in Alton. We've only done eastern parts of the KT, now we're doing the whole thing. We've all got lots of ROAD & GRAVEL bike miles, just kinda new to KT.

Couple questions
1. Although some are camping completely, some of us will probably seek lodging, SHOULD WE MAKE RESERVATIONS?

2. Phone service on KT? Verizon? AT&T? is it all good or spotty in remote areas?

3. Pedaling from Warrensburg to Clinton on DAY 1, any recommended route for that?

Always make reservations...why put yourself in the position where you don't know if you have a place to rest your head? Self induced stress is not necessary or fun.

Tree canopies can make service spotty. With AT&T we've not had issues but we don't count on service everywhere either.

No experience on riding to Clinton. I'd google map it in cycle mode if no one provides a better route.

As a lodging owner my two cents worth is make reservations well ahead of time. I sadly had to tell two separate cyclists lastnight, on Wed., that I had nothing available. Look for a gravel route from Warrensburg to Clinton. 13 highway isnt safe to cycle

You will have a much better time if you take the train to Lee's Summit and then ride the Rock Island Trail to Windsor where it connects to the Katy Trail. If you really want to ride two lane highways from Warrensburg, then you are probably looking at weaving your way to Leeton where you will intersect the same Rock Island Trail that I mentioned before and take that to Windsor. Windsor is a great camping and cabin location where there are several great options.

I second the suggestion to take the train to Lee's Summit and then follow the Rock Island.

I also second the suggestion to make reservations. If you don't, what happens if people aren't able to get accommodations?

I always have some signal on the trail. Not always enough to stream a video or send a photo, but good enough to make a call or send a text. I'm on AT&T.

Make reservations! Great places to stay and nearby restaurants. Much more fun than camping! Most have laundry as well. I’ve done it 5 times and will do it every year until I cannot! Decent cell coverage. Have fun!

I was in Warrensburg over Memorial Day; I have three family members buried there. I have also done five trips on the MKT. Would have to agree with others in that State Highway 13 is not an option for cyclists. Very narrow shoulder until just north of Clinton. The real problem is visibility; Missouri roads tend to have lots of curves and hills, so it's the visibility not the road. And HWY 13 is busy with local traffic and recreational vehicles since Truman Lake is south of Clinton. There is a patchwork of secondary and tertiary roads that will get you from the Amtrak station to Clinton; you'll have to look at the maps (Google or otherwise) to get an idea of how to proceed. The area around Warrensburg to Windsor is Amish country, so the secondary roads are in good shape with horse and buggy traffic and little vehicle traffic. There is a bike trail from Warrensburg to Knob Noster (about 12 miles), all paved, which will get you to State HWY 23, and you can connect with WW Road into Windsor. Probably useless information to you, but it's there. The best option is to find a shuttle service from Warrensburg to Clinton; this web site will get you some information. The other recommendation mentioned above, starting in Pleasant Hill, is a good one, and the roads to get from the Amtrak in Lee's Summit are better for cyclists; the routes have been pretty well mapped by others.
Camping options are sparse along the MKT; you might want to look at the Katy Trail State Park web site to review the rules and restrictions about camping. Camping along the trail is not a good option. Treat yourselves to B&Bs; you'll be pleased with the options.

Hi, Just wanted everyone to know what "happened" to me at this campground. Shortly after dark around Oct. 20, 2024 I turned into my tent and someone was slowly creeping around my tent without a light. Had to be someone who knew property well to walk around in darkness without light. I decided to move everything to "locked" bathhouse including my bike and slept restlessly there. Meanwhile, once again, someone walked very slowly around bathhouse but I remained safe and slept some. I had informed my bike mates about this occurrence before I went to bathhouse and in the morning they informed me that they heard someone walking up the hill towards where I camped. Too bad, cause it's a nice place and I had stayed there before, but I will never go back after that. It was just too scary and the first time in all my years of camping out that that has ever occurred. Thought others might want to know about this and make other plans accordingly.

Did you lay eyes upon this nefarious someone? Did you discuss this with the campsite operators? What was there response? Could this have been the campsite operators checking the grounds for your safety? I’m leaning towards being skeptical of an anonymous post, seven months afterwards, and the quotation marks around “happened” seems odd. It also seems like you are encouraging others to “know about this and make plans accordingly.” Something just doesn’t sound right about this and I think we need more facts before potentially going all cancel culture on this business.

I have to agree......This is a pretty strange post. Steamboat Junction is pretty much in the middle of nowhere so the chances of someone prowling the campground in the middle of the night would be pretty slim.

It was probably just a bear.

This really happened. It was my experience. No, not an animal. I have extensive backpacking, camping experience and yes, I have had animal encounters. This was not one of them. Just wanted to let folks to know about this so they can make plans accordingly. Took me so long cause I had to process it emotionally. Do what you think is best for you.

An emotional scar that has taken 7 months to process…how on earth did you muster up the courage to leave your tent and move to the bathhouse? Sounds like a high risk move. I would like to think that you would have warned us all long ago.

Being a Missouri resident with your extensive experience, have you considered that it could have been Momo?

“I had informed my bike mates about this occurrence before I went to bathhouse and in the morning they informed me that they heard someone walking up the hill towards where I camped.”

Why didn’t your bike mates tell you that night about hearing someone walking around instead of waiting for the morning. Did they seem OK with this nefarious person walking around? So many things seem to be a bit off with this story.

Excellent place to stay when biking the Trail.

My daughter and I camped here on May 18th, on our eastbound ride, after a long day on the rock island trail. We stayed in our tents, but I'm sure the cabins are perfect.

Charlie and Stacey are excellent hosts and their place is fantastic - they have thought of everything you might need for a comfortable stay. The location is perfect.

Charlie took the time to answer all our questions and made us feel totally welcome. You can tell he really enjoys helping people have a great experience.

I would definitely book a stay here if you have the chance.

I saw the following information on the Katy Trail Rider Group on Facebook from the Food Lady. I believe it was posted 5-21-25:

Hey Katy friends!!
Just FYI, my oldest daughter and I are traveling over the next 2 weeks and are unavailable to be your “Food Lady” on the Katy while we are away.
We are in a very different time zone so I am getting your calls/texts in the middle of the night and I am unable to respond. I know the Katy users are amazing at communicating among each other. So, if you could let your friends know that we won’t be able to share food again until June 1, I’d really appreciate it!
Thanks and Happy Trails!
-Rachel, your “Food Lady”

Does the Amtrak train at Alton IL allow you to carry on your bike and park it at the front area of a car?

I remember doing this in Sedalia once, but it was way back in 2017. At that time I walked on with my bike and leaned it up against an area in the front of the car.

OR, do I have to buy a bike box and stow it in the luggage. Because, ugh, I'm only going to Sedalia so I wouldn't want to do that.

Thanks for any help you can offer.

I cut and pasted this from Amtrak's site:

Over the Phone
You can purchase tickets and get travel information 24 hours a day by calling 1-800-USA-RAIL (1-800-872-7245). Julie, the Amtrak automated, voice-activated agent, is happy to help. Or, if you need live, personal assistance, just say "agent" or press the "0" button on your telephone.

As Bill says, it's probably best to just call. Different locations have different rules, and they aren't always easy to suss out from the website. And even when you talk to a rep, the rep probably will not know if your bike will be in a certain part of a car, or on a rack, or in a separate car, as those things seem to be determined by the crew of the train as they see fit.

Thanks! It was actually worth the phone call and time on hold. The agent said I don't need to box it (the website was confusing and said I did...) and that there's a car with racks for the bikes where you hand it to a porter. (this is like the Southwest Chief). It'll be interesting how it happens as Amtrak used to have the outdated "Two inch tires" for their racks. I run 2.25 on my Fargo. If nothing else, I can flat them and then inflate when I arrive with co2.

If the website allows you to add a bike to your ticket it doesn't need to be in a box. How it's loaded on the train varies by train. But it goes as is. I took my bike from St Louis to Washington DC on Amtrak. No special preparation required.

There is a nice paved levee trail system that takes you from Alton along the Mississippi River to the Downtown St. Louis Amtrak station. You get to ride across the old Route 66 bike/ped bridge across the Mississippi River and you get to ride past the Arch on the way to the train station.

I'm coming down from Wisconsin on May 30th to do the most scenic parts of the Katy Trail, which google says to be Rocheport to Jefferson City.

I'm going to be "biking" it on my wheelchair with a handcycle attachment (with electric assist). My dog will be coming with me, and we would like to do some camping on the way as well. I have battery range of approximately 130 miles depending on terrain, but wouldn't mind recharging along the way as well.

We have 4-5 days available for trail riding and camping and would like to keep mileage capped at about 20 miles per day so we can enjoy everything else the area has to offer.

Does this sound possible, and does anyone have recommendations for places to stay, eat, and visit?

Thanks all!

The Trip Planner link, Towns and Services link, and Mileage Chart link above is a good place to start planning your ride. Keep in mind restaurant along the trail may not be open everyday of the week and the days open vary by the owners. Good idea to call ahead before showing up.

Also the mileage between Rocheport and Jefferson City is only about 37 miles so will have plenty of free time to explore if you plan on 20 mile days.

Would it be better to start in Rocheport or Jefferson City?

I'm assuming it's a round trip excursion. If so, I'd start in Rocheport (more amenities immediately near the trailhead) and go to North Jefferson. You would then end in Rocheport. The elevation change is 40 feet over a 35 mile stretch with the advantage being west to east. Unless you veer slightly west, you will miss the tunnel which spans Moniteau Creek just a couple minutes from the trailhead. There are a couple wineries and lookout points to the east of Rocheport and near the trail. All of this is available via Google Earth. If you're actually in Jefferson City, Prison Brews has a good lunch and is a micro brewery. Central Dairy is a must for ice cream. Enjoy.

You can camp at Cooper's Landing and in Hartsburg.

Are there restaurants nearby we could walk to dinner? We will be riding the trail in early October

Maybe try out Google Maps to look nearby. For us, we would hop back on the bikes to get to the restaurants.

Short answer is no. I've stayed at Maxine's; it's in the country, as they say, maybe a couple miles from town center. However, you're not too far from the old trail detour along Engineer Avenue. Heading west a few blocks from Maxine's, you'll intersect with Engineer, then head south into town; you'll pick up the trail along Engineer. If you're coming in from the west (from Clinton), you'll already be on Engineer before getting to Maxine's. You'll be able to see all this by viewing maps such as Google or Bing. Sedalia's not that large of a town, so you'll have little trouble finding your way around. By the way, if you are coming in from the west, the trail goes right through town, so you'll find no shortage of places to eat. If coming from the east, you'll cross Engineer Ave as well. Regardless, good choice staying at Maxine's; very comfortable and homey. Happy trails.

I am looking for a dependable reasonably priced shutttle service to bring our van fron Rocheport (Friday May 30) to Herman Mo for the nest day (Sat May 31)

This restaurant is OPEN 7 days a week. Great stop at mile marker 74.

Does Leeton allow dry camping for RV,s for a night or 2 to ride the spur?

You might talk to them at City Hall and ask

Just a note: celebrating my birthday from June 8 to the 18th and other dates in June my 75th birthday and I want to offer rooms at the most inexpensive stay on the trail brought to you a few weeks a year it’s a CYCLEINNHERMANN celebration..
Trying to support the cycle community the best we can. We’re trying to make arrangements for Brett Dufur to have a book sighting at our location in the near future.
Thanks, Rich Lauer.

What day is your bday?

Mine is June 11 stop by