Rock Island Trail Forum

I can not find a map which shows the Mile Markers that are used to disclose trail closures. For instance: There is a potential closure between MM (mile marker) 117 & 118 east of Portland, but how the bleep do I find that specific segment on a map?
Thanx in advance,
John D.

I'm sorry to say that there is not currently a map showing the mile markers.

But I understand how useful this would be, so I will build that feature. It may take several days, so unfortunately that won't help you right now. But it's in the works and I'll post something here when it's ready.

In the meantime, here's what to do:

1. Go to the Towns and Services page.

2. The fourth column tells you the mile marker number at each town, for example Portland is mile 115.9.

3. Go to the Katy Trail Map page.

4. Right under the map, you'll see "Center Map at" - select Portland from this list.

5. Below that, you'll see "Show mile markers every" - select 1 mile and click Update Map.

6. Now you see the distance measurements from Portland. Since you know Portland is at mile marker 115.9, you know the 117-118 closure is between roughly 1 to 2 miles west of Portland (note that 117-118 is west of Portland, not east).

So again, sorry that you currently have to go through the above steps to see this info on a map, but I will get a "Mile Marker" feature added to the map ASAP.

John D, in the mean time.....the Park Maps on the Missouri State Parks website, Katy Trail, has the mile marker number next to each town name.

This will be a great addition to our site. Thanks Ray.

The map now features trail mile marker numbers.

For starters, here's a link to Portland, with mile marker numbers every mile.

If the map gets too crowded with all those mile markers on it, you can click edit settings and change Show markers every to a larger number.

I'll add a separate discussion about this to the forum, but wanted to be sure to mention it in this thread.

Happy trails!

I have to agree with the comment above. In the old design of the website, you could change from west/east to east/west with a click, and you could center it on a town with a click, too. I can't figure out how to do that now. Also, the town pages were more helpful. I kind of like the old format better, especially the mileage chart.

Excellent job with the mile markers on the trail map Ray. I give it two thumbs up and I’ll through in a couple of big toes also.

Alright Ray,
I appreciate the info.
Thanx

Hopefully heading to Rocheport this Sunday to ride to Boonville and experience a portion of the trail for the first time.
Any suggestions? Things to look for, look out for?
Hows the trail for that stretch when it comes to flooding?

You likely won't be able to bike on the Trail into Rocheport. The Trail tends to flood just west of the tunnel - the DNR site reports the Trail is closed from Mokane to MM180 - as I recall, the trailhead at Rocheport is MM179. It has been in the news this week that there were sandbagging at the Trail to keep the floodwaters from flooding Rocheport. You may do better biking the other direction from Boonville and heading to Pilat Grove - it is up and away from the river.

https://mostateparks.com/advisory/80026/current-flooding-conditions-and-alerts-–-katy-trail-state-park

Yesterday, we attempted to ride from Boonville to Rocheport and back, Four miles from Boonville the trail is closed in East Franklin due to flooding. Doubt it will be open by tomorrow.

Stayed at Katy Junction in Pilot Grove on our trip this past week. Neat, clean place, comfortable beds, good bike storage. Cafe in town was closed the night we came through, we had made arrangements for Jerry to fix dinner for us, and it was delicious (as was breakfast the next morning). Jerry went out of his way to accommodate any request. Should be more places like this along the trail.

Sorry to hear about all the flooding and tornado destruction. We were so fortunate to miss all the problems.

I also stayed at the Katy Junction b&b in Pilot Grove recently. Jerry was able to provide a great meal working around my dietary issues. He was so accommodating!

We are planning to walk the Katy Trail in October. We can only walk about 20 miles a day. We have not been able to find any lodging between Rocheport and Hartsburg which is 25 miles. Any suggestions on lodging or another way to get around this problem?

There are camping options in between Rocheport-Hartsburg. But assuming you aren't carrying camping gear, here's one idea:

- Rocheport to the MKT trail (around McBaine) is about 9 miles, and the 9-mile-long MKT trail takes you into Columbia, which is a good-sized city with tons of hotels. Total about 18 miles, plus any extra distance to your Columbia hotel.

- Columbia back to Katy Trail and on to Hartsburg would be about 25 miles (9 miles on MKT + about 16 miles on KT).... longer than your 20-mile limit. BUT you might be able to find a place to stay in Columbia that will give you a ride to the McBaine trailhead. Especially if you try B&Bs, they are often willing to do stuff like that. I know nothing about B&Bs in Columbia, but just throwing out ideas, probably worth making a few phone calls to see if any would be willing to provide this drive to their guests.

Columbia: https://bikekatytrail.com/columbia.aspx

MKT Trail: https://www.como.gov/parksandrec/trail/mkt-nature-and-fitness-trail

Good luck and happy trails!

If you are staying somewhere in Hartsburg you might ask them if they would pick you up at Coopers Landing in Easley and then take you back there the next morning. I would expect a fee but you never know - there are a lot of generous folks on the Katy.

Leaving on Mat 22 from Pilot Grove heading to St Charles.
Will we run into closures on this route. If so who do you call to find out more information.

May

The rockslide between MM118 and MM117 still has the trail closed there. I doubt it will be cleared before your ride. The detour is an easy one though.

Hey Jim, I’m sitting here watching the storms pass over and thinking maybe the flooding will clear the rock slide? :-)

If the tornadoes don’t move it first........

Our group did this section today. One thing to really focus on is the road closure- 94 has a section closed in the same spot as trail detour. Today. We were able to go through the road closure- but it's all water based closures, so take it hour by hour.

Hey Jim, don’t use that “T” word, that one last night was a little too close for me.

Is this trailhead safe for overnight vehicle parking? I'm just planning a 2 day trip, so my car would be parked just 1 night.
Thanks

Large tree down on Rock Island Trail, around 256. Impassable.

Maybe others have also, but I notified Missouri State Parks about the tree. Lots of storms and wind and they do a great job of keeping up

Yep, I called right after we spotted it, and they said they would send a crew out shortly

Friend and I just rode east from Sedalia to St. Charles, and then into Washington to catch Amtrak back to KC. We've been leaning on these talk threads so wanted to share some quick recaps that might help others as they plan their Katy adventure. We somehow stayed dry for four whole days, but I fear that might not be the case looking ahead with the forecast as summer comes on.

Main takeaway? The rough midwest winter followed by persistent heavy spring rains have made the trail just a touch dodgier and rougher overall than a typical year. It's all still very passable, but I swapped from wide slick tires (38 mm) to wide grippier tires (Clemente X'Plor Ush is the brand I used).


Sedalia to Rocheport: No water from Sedalia until the Pilot Grove trailhead, some 24 miles or so. Drink up before this stretch! Cleared some branches and dodged some sticks but a nice stretch with no detours. The Rocheport tunnel opened right as we arrived on Friday, May 19.

Rocheport to McKittrick/Hermann: Bumpier, rutted past Jeff City midway, but overall fine. Saw a TON of various large snakes as we got back by the river.

Stayed in Joey's Birdhouse B&B and we had one of the best breakfasts we've had in years, along with good company and a great place to stay on the trail.

Hermann to St. Charles: A great stretch with a few minor detours. One puts you on a remote country highway for literally three seconds and is nothing to sweat, and the other brings you up a large hill and into Klondike Park for a couple miles. It's well marked through the park, scenic and free of cars.


Back in March we worried about all the detours, but now the Parks dept. seems to really be on top of them. Never hurts to have lights on your bike front and back in case flooding closes stretches where you have to go on the road and need to increase visibility. Watch those flooding reports if you're planning a trip as the river looks high and threatening in Mid-May.

Hope everyone has a great time on the trail, we certainly loved every minute of it.

I'm taking a couple of school groups next week/week after, Adam. This is *really* helpful. Thanks for posting. And let's hope we stay as dry as you did!

Frank keep your eye on the flood information on the DNR Katy Trail web site. The trail could be impacted by the recent rains (current and predicted) both along the Missouri River and northwest of the state of Missouri. If the predictions hold true, several parts of the trail along the river will be under water.

Adam, thanks for taking the time to report on conditions during your ride.

Be very careful with the detour around Rocheport, the detour takes you on highway 40 for a few miles and the traffic moves very fast and there’s little to no shoulder to ride on.

Is this still closed. Does anyone know. Thanks.

Yep, still closed.

Just looking for an update. Is this still closed? I am riding it Mid June.

Rode through it Friday evening (5/19) and it was all clear.

Great news thank you!

I'm interested in a first time visit to St. Louis. I would like to bike part of the Katy Trail. St. Charles to Augusta looks great. My questions are:
Is it best to rent a bike in St. Louis?
Do I bike to St. Charles or is there transportation for my bike and I?
Thanks

If you are going to rent a bike, your best bet is the Bike Stop Café which is in St. Charles right next to the Katy Trail.

https://www.bikestopcafes.com/bike-rentals

I second Bike Stop Cafe for a bike rental or if you want a shuttle to pick you and your bike up. There are also bike trails in St. Louis that connect to the Katy Trail if you want to ride from the city.

Curious as to updates on this. I plan to ride entire trail mid June. Dread riding Hwy 240 to Hwy 40. Any advice? I already got hit by a car riding my bike last year, not looking forward to lightning striking twice!

If this is the only option, has anyone done it? Easy to find? Easy to ride?

Does anyone know of any shuttle companies that may be willing to shuttle riders for a fee of course?

I think that if you scroll down you'll see someone who rode it recently and said it's open. You could text Katy Bed and Bikefest in Rocheport and ask if its open...

The Globe Hotel. Has become like “coming home”. Leaia and Mark r wonderful hosts The place is always clean, the breakfast is large and delicious. The local restaurant and bar are veey fun. I love stopping there. Always will

What a pleasant suprise the Booneslick Guesthouse. Spacious, clean with lovely amenities and food and drink at the ready.
Sleeping was very comfortable. And a short walk to Frederic's Hotel Bar for drink great price. Would recommend to anyone

We stayed in the Punk Silo. The Silo’s are extremely cute. They have everything u need. Very clever storage, while providing everything
Wendy and Doug are down home peeps. The animals on the farm r fun. Wonderful place, secluded and quiet. A great get away place

A very large tree is down 5 miles south of the Pleasant Hill/Purvis Rd Trail-head. I could not see a way to get around or over with the tree with a bike. Easy detour by taking East 217th Street to South Dillon Rd back to the trail. Hopefully someone will post when the tree is removed.

yes, it is down just East of South Dillon Road, you can see it from there. It is difficult to get around and i skinned up my shins doing it.

Just wanted to let everyone know that I sent an email to: contact@bikerockisland.com about the tree.

Thanks Chris, I spent 5 minutes evaluating how to go over, through or around...I did not see any way of doing so without getting into something that I did not want to experience, so I backed out and took the detour. Assume it just happened in the last day or so.

If traveling from Lee's Summit Amtrak Station- How far down to the nearest RI trail head? Is there good overnight parking near the trail head? Or, is cycling to/from LS Amtrak to RI trail reasonable.

Tentatively planning a train out - cycle back trip. Hermann?
Does Amtrak still go to Washington?

Hello Mark,
The nearest (continuous) Rock Island Trail starts in Pleasant Hill, MO. There is a Trailhead and it's safe for overnight parking. From the Lee's Summit Depot it's about a 20 minute drive via highway or about 1.5 hrs by bike via Smart Road. The Rock Island Trail from Pleasant Hill to the Katy Trail (and beyond) is an excellent ride and highly recommended. I've ridden across the state a few times from Pleasant Hill and really like it.
Sorry, not sure if Amtrak goes to Washington.
-Jharte

Yes the Amtrak station does go to Washington Missouri, I just bought a ticket yesterday for a pick up next week on Friday.

BikeKatyTrail is now offering a "Daily Digest" email which summarizes all of the previous day's Forum activity.

This is a great way to keep up with the Katy Trail Forum, without having to keep coming to the website and without getting individual "KT Alert" emails each time someone comments on the forum.

If you'd like to subscribe, just click in the "Forum Alerts" box near the top of this web page.

Wow, just visited the site to change my individual alerts to the digest option (thank you for that). This site looks great. Love what you've done. Very excited for the RIT. Thanks for all you do Ray! Signed, a happy cyclist

Nice! I just signed up for it.

signed up for the "Daily Digest" yesterday. It works great!Thanks

Going to be heading out of pleasant Hill on the 29th of May around 6 am, riding to Washington Missouri slow and easy, any riders going that way that week that want to join me?

A very large tree is down 5 miles south of the Pleasant Hill/Purvis Rd Trail-head. I could not see a way to get around or over with the tree with a bike. Easy detour by taking East 217th Street to South Dillon Rd back to the trail. Hopefully someone will post when the tree is removed.

Hi
Has anyone recently visited this campsite, want to more about the facilities available here. Called the number on their website, but could not reach anyone for more information. I am planning to visit here on memorial day weekend 2019.

Unless something has changed, there are no facilities here. No toilet, no water, no picnic table just primitive camping
There is camping in Hartsburg volunteer park close to the trailhead. There is a picnic table and gazebo in park. Water and flush toilets at trailhead. There is also camping at Coopers landing in Easley. I don’t believe there are any camping facilities at conservation areas along trail other than primitive.

Allen

Totally agree with Allen. I would add that I would only camp at Hart Creek if it was a time of year where you do not have ticks or mosquitoes, or I had a plan to deal with them.