Rock Island Trail Forum

taking the train to sedalia on June 6th then riding back to St. Charles. Any problems on the trail due to flooding, tornado damage, etc. This is my first time riding the whole trail. It is one more event to check off the "bucket list."

Mark
Were getting ready for are 12th. Katy trip,
We get a friend to drive us to Clinton, and do the trail in 4 days,
Send a comment back, if I can give you any info.

We got word yesterday from the Corps of Engineers that the Missouri River around us will be a minimum of 27 feet and a maximum of 35 (if the big rains continue). Our levees are 32 foot. the flood of 1993 was 38 and 1995 was 35 foot. Flooding is already occuring in statres above us.

We are very thankful you consider riding the Katy worthy of your bucket list.

About conditions, the long forecast is much of the mountain snow and river runoff from Canada, Montana and the Dakotas will cause continued flooding in Missouri for all of June. The Missouri DNR website is your best source for trail conditions and as some have said, calling businesses along the trail. Good luck and have a good time.

I just returned from riding the Katy Trail the first 2 wks of May. I lucked out and got very good riding weather and trail conditions. What I have noticed since returning is that the "trail conditions and advisories" link on this website and the Missouri DNR link are updated constantly. I would trust this information and the suggestions. Those involved in providing this accurate information and the timely trail maintenence are to be commended.

Have trip planned from Sedalia to Hermann for June 24-26. All good except for only one bike slot was available when reserved Amtrak tickets. Thought a month in advanced was plenty. Any suggestions on how to get two people and two bikes back to Sedalia? Really wanted to ride train back.

There are several shuttles companies on this website that will provide you a service anywhere on the trail. Give them a try for a quote

You may have found trouble on that Amtrak bike reservation since the annual ride is June 19-24 from Clinton to St Charles. Maybe some folks are spending extra time over the weekend too? Does Hermann Ride, Rest & Go Bicycle Shop do shuttling?

this place was great. the food was good, the prices were right and the family that runs it were super friendly. definitely worth stopping in for some food before getting back on the trail.

this was a great little town. true, there isnt a 24 hour grocery or a shopping mall but if you are looking for that, stop off in jeff city before pushing on to tebbetts. the hostel was great. for 5 bucks you get a roof over your head, a hot shower, a microwave and even a bike work shop to do some repairs to your weary ride. jim at jims bar across the street from the hostel was awesome. his bar/store is only open a few days a week but he works in his shop behind the bar and if you find him, chances are he will open up and sell you some beer or something to eat. when we were there some severe weather rolled through, jim was nice enough to check on us and when things got rough, he even let us take shelter in his basement. definitely worth stopping in and having a ice cold beer at jims. love this place!

We stayed at 5 different B&B's along the trail and while they all had great points, we would have to say Cliff Manor was one of the highlights of the trip. The home is beautiful with a rich history. Our host was very professional, taking care of our every need. The suite was outstanding, the bed was extremely comfortable, and the breakfast was great in both presentation and taste. We loved the egg blossoms and the scones.

Have a reservation in Sept. with them. Thanks for the info. Can't wait.

GREAT place to stay! Defiance has the friendliest people and also a super bike shop. Norm is a wonderful host at The Parsons House. We had a lot of trouble on the trail to Defiance from St. Charles, but Norm made us feel right at home. The accomodations were outstanding, we raided the fridge before Norm got there and he later shared a bottle of wine with us. The room was very comfortable and well appointed, and the home has a great history. We would definately stay here again.

We failed to mention the breakfast! Ruby came in early and fixed one of Norm's old family recipes. Fabulous.

We were really surprised to find such a complete bike shop in this small town. They had a great inventory. I was riding a 1983 Trek down the trail and needed a new tire. 27 inch tires are not that common today, but they had one and installed it promptly. We also updated our racks and panniers before we got back on the trail. Great bike shop!

This past weekend I rode with my boyfriend from Hartsburg to Rocheport. I have only been on my bike a few times in the past couple of years and was worried that 25 miles each day would do me in. I am not going to say it was a piece of cake but I was able to ride both days the whole way. You might say"who cares"? Good point, but I just wanted to tell anyone that was apprehensive that it is very doable and well worth the extra effort. Beautiful scenery and we stayed at a charming b&b right on the trail. Loved it.

Lots of people care. Especially those wondering if they could do it. No telling how many others your positive input will give the boost they need to get out and try. Thanks for your post and glad you enjoyed yourself!

Hey thats awesome. My wife has wanted to do some riding on the trail but hasnt felt very confident doing it because she hasnt ridden much either. Its great to hear your story... thanks!

Congratulations on your first ride. I am gettting ready to do my second ride on the Katy Trail from Sat. June 4th to the 6th. Sedalia to St.Charles. I am curious what part of the trail you rode last weekend and how the road conditions were since all of the storms we have had.

We've ridden the Katy for several years. Most of our rides are under 40 miles, although we've ridden many more in a days trip. The shorter rides are more peaceful and fun when we have the time to enjoy the trail. The part that you rode is a favorite of ours.

It's great to know someone new is trying the trail. I've been pleasantly surprised that 20-30 miles was not too hard on me.

I like the trail from Tebbets to Blufton. It's wooded, has some views of the river and standing rock.

I was planning on riding the full length of the trail in late June, and I'm worried about flooding. I've never been on the trail before so I'm not aware how low it can go to the Missouri River.

Any advice? Comments? Thx!

My wife and I are planning a 2-day trip from Boonville to Hartsburg and back. What's the safest place to park our car overnight in Boonville?

I've left my car at the trailhead on out and backs to Sedalia several times and all was well. I've also left it in the Comfort Inn parking lot in Boonville (and other places too) several times. I always ask at the desk and have never been refused to leave the car on their lot. It's a short ride from the Comfort Inn to the trail in Boonville.

I rode my bike from Clinton to Sedalia yesterday, 5/17/11. The weather was perfect, and it was my first time on the trail. My husband dropped me off at Clinton, picking me up at the end of my ride at Sedalia. I was disappointed in two facts:
1. There was no cell phone service for about 10 miles around Windsor. This seemed very dangerous for me, since I am a woman riding by myself.
2. I was shocked to see how many times the trail crossed country roads. People on the trail have to stop and yield to oncoming traffic. Many times there were sharp curves and trees blocking any oncoming traffic. This frightened me. I know it's a lot to ask, but I wish the traffic had to yield to me. When the trains ran across these roads, the traffic had to yield to them.
There were no bugs this time of year, and the trail was in excellent condition. Even though I had the safety concerns mentioned above, my experience was wonderful!!

You're kidding, right?

Hey Ray, can you put in a "like" button? Thanks. :)

"This frightened me. I know it's a lot to ask, but I wish the traffic had to yield to me."

-That shouldn't be a problem!

Maybe we all could pool our money and hire two highway patrol officers to ride with you next time. I do hope your complaints are in jest!

Congrats on your first ride. I think as you ride more and get comfortable with the trail your concerns about cell service and traffic will fade.

Maybe we could get Obuma to build overpasses on all of the road crossings so as to not have any conflicts.

Out on the eastern end, many vehicles slow and yield for vehicle traffic. However, you cant count on this. Many people that dislike cyclists or that arent from the area, may not.

I understand your concern about crossing roads. My sister used to have the same fear, but has gotten better with experience.

Cell phone coverage on the trail is spotty and this is common knowledge. It depends on your service and terrain (standing by a limestone cliff--no service). I try to emphasize to visitors--the Katy runs through some very RURAL areas. It may be hours between food stops and days between bike shops.

BLH, I'm assuming you are not kidding and also that you drive a car. Can you imagine a delivery driver driving a semi having to stop at all of those intersections? Or a school bus, or mailman, or you in a car. Most of the time there are no bikes crossing but if they put up stop signs, people would have to stop 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. If they put up yeld signs, it would be less safe because most drivers would ignore them and a cyclist would assume (correctly) that they had the right-of-way. The cyclist would say “but I had the right-of-way” while lying on the ER stretcher. So most smart cyclists would stop anyway, and wait for the traffic to stop and this would delay traffic even more. So my advice is: when coming to an intersection, treat it like a train crossing, Stop, Look, and Listen, any you will be safe.

BLH, I have not ridden on the part of the trail you were on. But I do ride a lot from Jefferson City east to Portland, and from Jefferson City west to Easley. I don't think there are that many roads that cross the trail on these sections, so you might give them a try. Also there are several places where the river is close to the trail, which is always nice (unless there is flooding).

It's great to hear someone new is trying the trail. Keep coming back, and tell all your friends.

BLH,

We appreciate, as others have said, about you telling us about your initial trail ride. With time, crossings will be less concern because you will be able to watch earlier for traffic and time your crossing without having to come to a complete stop. As you saw, Green Ridge wasn't too far for the cell dead zone, for your husband to meet you for future rides. I do not believe there was as much traffic when the trains ran years ago and also as many high traffic roads intersecting. We all appreciate your new riding adventure on the Katy Trail and assume you will keep riding it. Believe me it gets more fun and better with every ride.

BLH,
Really? It's the Katy trail not a spa, if you want the silver spoon treatment on your bike ride grants trail in STL. I've ridden the Katy 3 times in the past 4 years and I found a dead guy, had to divert Rochport because of flooding, was chased by dogs, and got stuck in a hail storm for 7 miles. This trail is very rural in parts and is not for most people if you are planning to ride it more than 20 miles. Seriously you CANNOT complain about no cell reception in the middle of no where and having to look both ways before you cross the street. Common sense really.

Dead guy? Do tell.

For crying out loud Andrew, you make the Katy Trail sound like an access road to the Valley of the Living Dead. I've ridden the Katy Trail often, I haven't seen any dead bodies. Where the Hell did you see a dead body? Come on, give it up.

You can always find a body or two at Deon's in Pilot Grove after the saturday night shootout. No big deal...

No Cathy of Jeff city! the katy trail is not, "an access road to the Valley of the Living Dead" it's just not a trail for everyone especially on the western half. I just think it's funny that someone would complain about the things BLH complained about considering the experiences I've had on the trail. 99% of the time I really enjoy riding the Katy and see it as a mental and physical challenge, but when you put more than 20 miles on it you have to expect the unexpected(like some of the things I came accross). I found a rider who died of a heart attack 2 miles west of the Tbbetts trail head. He was riding from Jeff city to Hermann for the weekend. I would encourage anyone to ride the whole Katy trail at least once in their life, its a great experience. Just be prepared for bigger issues than looking both ways before crossing the street.

Andrew, I think the Katy Trail in my area is for just about everyone. I see very elderly people using it. I saw a group of developmentally disabled people from a nearby residential facility with a few staff on the trail, going for a short walk. I see little kids with their parents; people post comments on this forum about going on long rides with 8 year old kids. I've enjoyed a burger at Jim's in Tebbets with a couple of men and a 10 year old, having the adventure of his life.

I hope that BLH rides the trail again, and again, and then she finds herself getting on the trail every chance she has.

I'm a 59 year old woman, at times afraid of my own shadow, but I got over my fear of being injured riding my bike, and ride weekly, because I can ride on the Katy Trail.

Oh, and I hope that BLH somehow gets on the mailing list for one of the groups that support bicycling in Missouri, and she supports their efforts to make bicycling safe for everyone in our state.

You are absolutely right Andrew, that everyone should ride the entire trail, and the key is to be prepared. My daughter (she's 27) and I rode from Rocheport to St. Charles 2 years ago with my husband as support in our car (sounds like what BLH and her husband did). We planned carefully using this website. Break downs, bad weather, a mean old lady that chased us out of Wainwright, and my brush with getting over heated didn't bother us.

Sorry this is so long. I'm listening to weather alerts and blogging, going on and on and on........Looks like Portland and Bluffton are getting hail.

I RECENTLY RODE THIS SECTION AND WAS WONDERING IF I WAS THE ONLY PERSON IN THE WHOLE COUNTY. IF YOU FELT NERVOUS CROSSING THESE DESERTED COUNTRY ROADS YOU HAVE NO PLACE LIVING OUTSIDE A PANICK ROOM. I HOPE YOUR COMMENTS WERE A JOKE.CELL SERVICE? NEXT TIME WATCH THE TRAIL AND NOT THE BARS ON YOUR PHONE

i was wondering WHAT to reply to such A post. then i PRICKed my finger and had to stop typing.

come on jim...this lady is complaining about having to cross a street, not a busy street in st louis but a deserted road in the country.dont coddle her.but i do applaud you witty response.

Yes, don't coddle her. But don't sling mud at her either, which is what some of the insulting comments you clowns have made amounted to. Encourage more people, no matter how new they are to this type of experience to get on this trail and learn to love it. She will figure it out.

Now if you'll excuse me, the finale of American Idol is on and I do have my priorities.

Cathy, we was jist doin' a little bit of funnin', that's all.

But, you are right. I hope BLH sticks with it and piles up the miles like many of us have.

BLH, being cautious is a good thing, especially in cycling. The Katy is an excellent way to spend your time outdoors, getting exercise, and just chatting with people along the trail. It's a great hobby and just simply a fun thing to do. The truth is though, if my cell phone did work all up and down the trail, I would have probably already thrown it into the river! Figuratively speaking of course. Good luck to ya!

Yo Kurt.....I just give a lot of leeway to first timers. It's easy to forget what it was like when you first started riding. To a lot of our urban brothers and sisters the Katy is wilderness. Their fears may seem a tad extreme to seasoned riders but they are real to them.

I rode the trail for the first time in my life last weekend. I did from Clinton to Calhoun and back (I hadnt been on a bike since I was 13 years old). It is really nice. Much more pleasant that riding on my local roads that I would have to share with trucks and farm equiptment. This weekend we are going to pick up a new bike for my spouse and do another leg of the trail. I had problems with cell phone reception. I really was using it for music while I rode so I will be sure to bring an ipod this week. Does the phone reception improve as I move east?

What about the mountain lions and bears and sasquatches and the shetland ponies between Calhoun and Sedalia!?!

The thing I really like about about riding the Katy is the freedom. It makes me feel like a modern day Tom Sawyer or Huck Finn. I feel no need for time pieces, music players or even a cell phone. Adventure is where you make it.