Rock Island Trail Forum

I am looking for a bike route from the train (Amtrak) station in KC to Clinton, Mo. Is there anyone out there who has experience with all or a portion of this. Route ideas, suggestions, are extremely welcome.

There really isn't a good one. The problem is that there are really only two roads in and out

of Clinton and both are high speed, and very busy. There was a thread on this awhile back ...

here is a link to part of it... http://www.bikekatytrail.com/talk.aspx?

thid=675¬efmt=1&sortby=0&pg=34&adprice=1. You could ride the train to Sedalia,

then bike from there or, just do the out and back to Clinto if you want to say you have done

the whole thing!

I couldn't get the link to work. Could you tell me how far back it was, or what the title of the comment was?

I did a search on Sharron because she was the one who made the inquiry...it was begun on

April 30, 2006. There were some prior postings as well, but they are back further than the

comments are kept. Sharron ended up riding from KC to Boonville on state highways and

then riding the Trail from Boonville to St. Charles. I even asked an acquaintance of mine who

lives between KC and Clinton thinking there might be some country roads and his advice was

to not even think about trying to bike between here and there. It's too bad. Hopefully, in the

very near future the Trail will come to KC...I am anxiously awaiting that day! Sharon

That's bad news. Thank you for checking it out for me. I went about 15 pages and couldn't find it.



There has to be a way. But maybe there isn't. If anyone else out there comes across something, please let me know. Thanks!

It was on page 35, but now it seems to have dropped off...sorry about that. Basically, it

confirms that everyone on here (at that time) pretty much agreed there is no decent bike

route between KC and Clinton. The problem is that Missouri roads were developed pretty

much by chance...the farm to market paths that had been created over time were simply

paved...so, there just aren't a lot of alternate routes and it makes it hard to get to a lot of

places. I grew up in Kansas, a land survey state, so the roads were built according to the

land survey so there is a road every mile...it is all laid out in a nice grid so you can always get

there from here...not so in Missouri...plus, Missouri has a lot of hills and rivers and such to

work around...Kansas geography is more amenable to a nice grid.

Here's the link that Sharon referenced above that BLM had trouble viewing. And here's one other discussion of KC Airport to Clinton from a little further back.



I did a database search through the old forum notes and couldn't come up with any other discussions of riding from KC to Clinton.



One other option is to take Amtrak to Warrensburg, and then ride your bike to Clinton. Here's a discussion of riding Warrensburg to Clinton. Also not the easiest ride, but easier than KC to Clinton.



Someday, the Katy Trail will reach all the way to KC, and we won't have these problems. But that's still a LONG way off, unfortunately.



Good luck!

Thanks, Ray. I must make note of those directions from Warrensburg to Clinton...I have

ridden that route before and it wasn't bad...but, I had forgotten about it.

Is the trail really going to extend to KC or is that merely idle gossip? What's the schedule?

The extension to KC is not a certainty yet, but it's looking more positive now than it ever has.

That's because Ameren, the energy company, is currently negatiating with the state of Missouri to compensate for the Taum Sauk Reservior disaster. This was when Ameren's dam burst a year and a half ago, destroying Johnson's Shut-ins State Park. They're trying to work out a settlement to make up for this disaster, and one of the items on the negotiating table is an unused rairoad corridor from Windsor (on the Katy Trail) to KC. Ameren owns this railroad right-of-way, and could give it to the state as part of the settlement. The state would then use it to extend the Katy Trail to KC. The two primary negotiators for the state, DNR Director Doyle Childers and Attorney General Jay Nixon, have both expressed their desire to see this included in the settlement.

The Missouri Bike Federation has put together a form on their website where in two minutes you can send a note to all three parties (Nixon, the DNR, and Ameren) asking them to keep the railroad corridor at the top of the negotiating list - if you'd like to see the trail reach KC, please take a couple of minutes to do this.

In the meantime, some of the towns along the route to KC, such as Pleasant Hill, have already started to develop a trail system that will fill in gaps between the Katy Trail and Kansas City.

So it's not a sure thing yet, but Katy-to-KC is looking more likely all the time!

There is one important thing that everyone seems to forget about this line. MOC (Missouri Central) only owns the line to Pleasant Hill, MO. The line north of that (railroad west), through Lee's Summit, Raytown, and onto Leeds, is still owned by the Union Pacific Railroad. It is highly unlikely they would ever part with this 25 some odd miles, as it is a win, win, win situation for them at this time. They win now, because the line is being leased to two utilities (fiber optic and water). The second win is by keeping it the way it is, they prevent another railroad from getting the line if they put it up for abandonment. The third win is, if the line is, a very highly unlikely event, should ever be reopened someone else would have to foot the bill. There also could be a very slight, and extremely remote chance UP would reopen it, if they ever opt to double track the main line. In short, the line between Pleasant Hill, and Kansas City, is owened by the UP, not the MOC.

As I understand it, there is an alternate plan to get from KC to Pleasant Hill that involves securing the easements/Right-of-way that would not be dependent on getting another rail line. Though that may prove to be quite a challenge, there are plans being made to do this.



Step 1 is to get the Ameren Right-of-way from Windsor to Pleasant Hill, and apparantly there was some funding that was set aside in prior years to construct the route to KC via a railbanked line. I would think that securing the Ameren Line would at least allow for opening up the route to Pleasant Hill from Windsor, which would at least give someone coming from KC a much shorter trip.

steve k,



you are correct - i know Pleasant Hill has a bike route in the works for their town, and there are many completed, and planned bike routes in and around KC. The MetroGreen group has detailed plans - http://www.marc.org/metrogreen/

I can get you from KC to Clinton on mostly state hiways and county roads. You would avoid the "high speed" roads for the most part.



I am not familiar with KC, so you’re on your own getting to Belton and MO 58. This is where the KS MS 150 has started in years past. If you can get to Holmes in KC, it turns to county road D just south of 150, then you pick up MO 58 (east), through Belton to county road J (south)to Hubach Hill Rd (east). Then you pick up MO 58 at Mo 291. Take MO 58 (east) through Pleasant Hill, Strasburg, Kingsville to Holden. Pick up MO 131 (south) to MO 2, jog west a little to County road B (south). Here you have a couple of options:



1)Follow B to Urich and pick up County Road K (south out of Urich) to MO 18. Go east on 18 to Clinton.



2)Turn onto County Road N (east towards Blairstown) go to Norris and take County Road O (south) to the outer road just north of MO 7. I would not recommend MO 7. It is still a divided 70mph hiway at that point.



2b) You could follow N to MO 13 (south), but this is a very busy road as well. I have been on it before but it was pretty scary.



If you have access to a DeLorme Missouri Atlas & Gazetter (under $20 at Wally-World), you can follow these directions pretty closely. I would avoid MO 2 between MO 131 and MO 13 as the hills are KILLER. My wife and I did them on a 105 (actual temp) day during the MS150 a few years ago (not pretty).



PM if you have questions. I have ridden nearly all of the route I described.



Tom

Thanks for the route tom I am planning a trip for june ,from OP start on a sunday morning less traffic . first ill take mission road south at some point ill hook up to your route thanks .

Does anyone know if the St. Charles based Katy Trail Shuttle (katytrailshuttle.com) is still in business? We used him two years ago to go to Kirkwood Amtrak, and he was efficient, friendly, and low-cost. I have e-mailed him 3 times this week with no response. Yellow cab is an alternative, but costs twice as much.

for shuttle service from St. Charles to any point on the Katy Trail or The train stations in St.Louis or Kirkwood, call Lococo House ll, Bed & Breakfast we are reasonable priced. we require a nights stay along with shuttle ----- www.lococohouse.com or 636-946-0619

Why do I have to call long distance to get your price list?

Because it would defy the sound logic of the reasonable and prudent business person to be up front and open with potential clients so they could know what costs were to be incurred while using their services. I have asked Mz Lococococo to give us a clue here when posters ask for costs of their services and she will not do so. It is rather annoying to see people ask and ask and ask....and to see her paste and paste and paste her phone number for you to call. She does though advertise on this site and as she pointed out to me, has the the right to (annoy) continue to paste her number for you to call for more information. She also pointed out that it was my loss if I were to decide to stay elsewhere in St. Charles. I have stayed elsewhere. I have lost nothing. Do as you like, but for me....I'll go where they can tell me what the goods and services cost. Otherwise, I'm lead to believe that we all get charged differently depending on some contingency such as the monthly light bill......or that Alfred Tennison Thomas (AT&T)Locococo really was the architect of the Locococ House.

This is such a great forum with such a wealth of info regarding the Katy from all who ride and post.

Just want to say Happy New Year to all and here's to many happy miles on the Katy this coming year!

Yes.....what MAH said! Every trail should have a website like this with posters that are so willing to help a fellow rider out.

2007 was a great cycling year for us. We enjoyed many miles on the Katy together, and we did our first Century ride in September. Ms. Treks very first and my first since I was 17. We also enjoyed three days of the Tour of Missouri in Kansas City, Jeff City, St. Charles, and St. Louis. If you didn't see any of it this year, make it one of your New Years Resolutions to see part of the tour in 08 (tourofmissouri.com).

Another good resolution is to click on the Performance Bike and/or Nashbar logos on this website when you need to online shop for bike gear. Linking through this site helps support Ray and his wonderful efforts to support all of us who use this site. (And.....just to keep me from getting flamed for advocating shopping online...you may also want to support your local bike shop if you have one). :)

Thanks Ray, the info on this site is priceless. And I used your other site when I rode the C & O canal trail back in Sept. And no flames from me Trek, your advice is always right on the money.



HAPPY NEW YEAR



Paulie

Most of the pictures I see show a trail with little or now shade.

Does anyone what percentage of the trail is shaded? And where

are the shadiest parts of the trail? Thanks, Margaret A.

the shaded areas are just here and there. i have rode under shaded canopies between hartsburg and north jefferson, between mcbaine and hartsburg, and a little shade by new franklin, and a little canopy of shade east of sedialia. there is also some shade outside st. charles. thats is all i have ridden. hope this helps. happy bikin.

It really depends on the time of day and the time of year. I would say that at least 70 percent of the trail is shaded. When you cross the river bottoms away from the bluffs, you will have little tree cover.

Good answers above.



If you want to find out how much tree cover is on a particular section of trail, you can see actual photos by using the Google map of the Katy Trail.





You'll see the trail mapped out as a red line. Use the +/- controls on the left to zoom in, and you can use your mouse to "click and drag" the map as you follow the trail.



Finally, click "Hybrid" in the upper right corner. Now you are looking at actual satellite photos, so you can see which sections have lots of tree cover and which have no trees (if you zoom in close enough). Many of the satellite photos were taken during winter so that roads would be more visible, but you can still pretty well tell where the trees are, even without leaves. If you lose track of the trail (the red line), just zoom out until it shows up.

Nice job with that link Ray. The hybrid view is excellent. As you eluded to, the trail seems to be a bit more shaded in areas than the photos indicate.

Bring a hat, you'll need it.

I and a group of my student friends are planning on a trip on the Katy trail from Washington, Mo to Sedelia, Mo. We are trying to budget our trip for a week. How much would be reasonable per person when accounting for food and stays? Would B&B negociate on group prices?

The $64 question.....How much money do I need? That all depends on your tastes and needs as it does everyday. Use this website to determine the distance you are going to travel each day and then lodging options there. Lodging costs vary from a few dollars a nite on the honor system at the Turner Katy Trail Shelter (hostel) to over $200 at Hermann Hill Bed and Breakfast in Hermann. Of course the same goes for eats. You can eat lunch for $15 to $20 at Les Bourgeois in Rocheport or for $1.50 for a can of tuna and a few crackers. Only you know how you like to travel.....so only you can decipher how much money you will need. If money is an issue to make the trip, I'd consider a few less days out to travel Washington to Sedalia.....riding the whole trail to get more bang for my buck.

Just messing around with "google earth". Went to Jefferson City and located and followed the trail. Pretty neat. The pictures can answer a lot of questions. Want to check out the bridges Hermann, Jefferson no problem.

If you are looking for a B&B don't miss this place. It is easy to get to, the host is nice and the house has quite a history!

If you are looking for a B&B don't miss this place. It is easy to get to, the host is nice and the house has quite a history!

We stayed there in 1998 with the previous owners and it was awesome. The history, gorgeous room, and fantastic breakfast was worth the price. We stayed in the huge Kate Kinney nursery suite- plenty of room for 4 of us.

We stayed there in 1998 with the previous owners and it was awesome. The history, gorgeous room, and fantastic breakfast was worth the price. We stayed in the huge Kate Kinney nursery suite- plenty of room for 4 of us.

I'm back to report that the food at Rumples was great! The full menu offered pasta, steaks, seafood and sandwiches. Being a burger lover, I had the "Awesome Burger" with seasoned fries. Awesome indeed! Menu prices were very reasonable and the 3 local micro-beers on tap added some adventure to my Awesome Burger. Rumples is the only place we know that offers O'Fallon Gold wheat beer ( a perfect beer 10). Topping it all of was the jazz and blues band squeezed into a small corner near the bar. We had an incredible evening at Rumples.

I'm back to report that the food at Rumples was great! The full menu offered pasta, steaks, seafood and sandwiches. Being a burger lover, I had the "Awesome Burger" with seasoned fries. Awesome indeed! Menu prices were very reasonable and the 3 local micro-beers on tap added some adventure to my Awesome Burger. Rumples is the only place we know that offers O'Fallon Gold wheat beer ( a perfect beer 10). Topping it all of was the jazz and blues band squeezed into a small corner near the bar. We had an incredible evening at Rumples.

Thank You so Much for your positive comments on Rumples Pub.

It is the support of people like you, who keep returning to Rumples

that keeps us going. I Sincerely Thank You Again! Brenda, Owner

Thank You so Much for your positive comments on Rumples Pub.

It is the support of people like you, who keep returning to Rumples

that keeps us going. I Sincerely Thank You Again! Brenda, Owner

We are planning a small group (4-6) trip in late October, riding rental bikes from Sedalia to St. Charles with a 2-day stop in Columbia. What do you recommend for low-cost lodging in Columbia? We want to do a day hike in Rock Bridge Memorial State Park. We will probably hire a shuttle service to get us around the area, if that's the best option, (pick us up at the end of the spur trail, take us to lodging, take us to State Park the next day, back to spur trail).



Another question concerns getting from the Kansas City International Airport to the Amtrak station. Is there a shuttle bus and what is the cost?

Sounds like a fun trip.

Here's a discussion from a few months ago, about where to stay in Columbia: http://www.bikekatytrail.com/talk.aspx?thid=1684.

Regarding your Kansas City question, I would try the KCI Shuttle at http://www.kctg.com/kcishuttle/hotels.html. Their website does not specifically mention Amtrak, but it does mention the downtown & Crown Center hotels, so I would imagine that they serve the train station as well.

Good luck and have fun!

The Amtrak station in KC is just across the steet to the north of Crown Center in Union Station. If they have service to Crown Center.....you're there.

We had a wonderful time last night at the mother-in-law house

We had a great dinner it was all home made. and the show was wonderful it was a great time we laught all night I would recommend this place to everyone it was well worth the money and we plan to go back again

We had a wonderful time last night at the mother-in-law house

We had a great dinner it was all home made. and the show was wonderful it was a great time we laught all night I would recommend this place to everyone it was well worth the money and we plan to go back again

A buddy and I are planning a cycling trip on the Katy Trail. We'd like to ride for part of the day and enjoy the company of our wives, who do not ride, for the remainder. Would it be practical for non-cyclists to parallel our travels via roadways and find interesting things to do along the way? Would it be practical for us to meet up at the end of at least most days? Our ideal scenario would probably involve an early start, riding for 4-6 hours, meeting our wives at the daily destination to share the remainder of the afternoon and evening.



Any comments are greatly appreciated.

I would say yes, depending on how creative your spouses are. If they have a vehicle, they will have a means to go places that are farther away from the trail, thus providing more entertainment and experiences. At the same time, some of the small towns like Hermann, Rocheport, & Booneville, have their own things to offer. I would recommend that you get Brent's book - available on this site. That gives you an idea of towns near the trail and what is available. I would think they could easily find a day's worth of things to do and see in Columbia, Hermann and St. Charles. And you could even consider meeting for lunch and then again later in the day at the place you intend to stay. This site has great recommendations for B&B's. Be aware that many stores and cafes are closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. Plan accordingly. Good luck. Its great fun.

Go for it! Your wives will find lots of things to do (and buy) in the towns that Jsample mentioned, plus Sedalia, Washington, and Augusta. Also, if they like visiting wineries, there are lots of those, from Rocheport all the way to Defiance.

My wife and I did just that in July and I was walking. We met for lunch and at the end of the day. With a vehicle in support, you go farther off the trail in the evenings if you so desire, or back-track. We spent two nights in Hermann.

But.....why on earth would the wives not ride? Spend a few bucks on a long bike and take 'em with.



Do the math....the potential is there that they'll spend more skip'n from town to town buyin up stuff than the cost of the long bike anyway.

Chris my wife and I ride together but it would be pretty simple to do what you have in mind. Booneville, Rocheport, Jeff City,Herman, Augusta, and St Charles would provide perfect places for your wives to enjoy the day while you guys are riding. All of them have B&B's, resturants, and different types of shops your wives would enjoy. Each city is unique in it's own way. You can use the info on this site to plan your whole trip. I also agree with Trek, they are going to miss out on a great time riding the trail. It is pretty easy to ride. You can rent bikes at several different stops on the trail so maybe you can talk them into riding a section with you. Have a great ride.

"Spend a few bucks on a long bike and take 'em with"



Yep......nothin' adds a little spice to your marriage like puttin' your non-cycling spouse's butt on a bicycle seat for 4 days.

Cripes! For only 4 days.....that leaves 361 days to find other ways to spice it up after that ordeal.

I'm sure that the memory of those 4 days will continue to add "spice" for quite some time.

To experience one of Mark's blueberry pancakes is to die for. And Kim makes the most wonderful homemade granola.(If you're lucky ,you might get some just for a snack). Kim and Mark are the neatest couple and they will make you feel right at home. I love to swing under the giantic tree and enjoy the most beautiful view. I know you'll enjoy many returning visits as I do. Give them a call and tell them Karleen highly recommended them.

When you don't tell us where the swing is, we can't come swing with ya Karleen. And we certainly can't call Mark and Kim to claim our prize by dropping your name. Oh well....we have your word that something is good somewhere. Thanks for the endorsement!

It looks like Karleen was talking about Sedalia House B&B, so I added that to the subject of this thread, just to clarify things.

I inspected/checked out the hostel on my Thanksgiving ride. Will stay there next time. Warm, dry, hot water, clean, an excellent adventure. All you need is a sleeping bag and pillow. WH

I inspected/checked out the hostel on my Thanksgiving ride. Will stay there next time. Warm, dry, hot water, clean, an excellent adventure. All you need is a sleeping bag and pillow. WH

Here's an excellent writeup about the Shelter in Tebbetts.

Here's an excellent writeup about the Shelter in Tebbetts.

The wineries in the area are WONDERFUL but you need to know that they close at 6:00 pm or so (around dark) and when we arrived we were only allowed into one of them for about 20 minutes. The other winery would not allow us to taste or to drink so close to closing time. Be sure and tour them earlier in the day.

Rode the reverse direction from Chain of the Rocks Bridge to the Arch, and then Bike St. Louis Trail to Forest Park. From Forest Park, we took the advice of a Big Shark Bike Shop employee at took Skinker, Delmar, Midland, Adie, Fee Fee, Westport, then Marine Drive. All of it was incredibly easy. Traffic was courteous, Midland Drive was four lanes but deserted on a Monday early afternoon.

Much smarter to avoid the hill out of Creve Ceour Park. Going down late in the afternoon was fine, but coming up slowly with traffic unable to see you, take the other route suggested below. WH

The Bridge is very very easy. Thanks.

Hermann is a very interesting town, and the bike access across the river is a piece of cake. There is now a dedeicated bike lane separated by a iron railing ob the bridge across the river.



WH

Rode the bridge in the rain during Thanksgiving. The Bike lane is only on one side of the road and so you have to drive facing traffic. a little intimidating. Okay, but certainly the least pleasant part of the whole Katy trail ride. However, Jefferson City has a lot of hotels and other services.

Stopped for lunch during the week of Thanksgiving. Barb and her family were very welcoming. The $5 lunch was precisely what we needed. Next time I will rearrange my trip so that I can stay there overnight. I'd try to reach Barb the store and room owner at 636 932 4655 or 636 932 4110. WH

Dave and Jacqui's Had an excellent bar food meal in the evening during the Thanksgiving Bike ride. I think this was the only food available in Defiance this late in the season and late in the evening.

Stayed at Elysian Fields B&B during a Thanksgiving week bike ride. The hostess and host were fantastic. Very accomodating. Would recommend them in a heartbeat.

Has anyone done this coming from Kirksville? Where would be the best place to get on the trail? I'm moving there in a few months, looking for some good trails, and this sounds really awesome. Thanks!

63 highway to Columbia might be your best bet for biking to the Katy trail if thats what you

meant. I have ridden highway 63 the 95 miles to kirsksville and its more than rideable. Stay

on the shoulder and be very careful around on and off ramps and you will be fine.



Call the non-motorized transportation office in Columbia at 573-442-7189 if you want

anymore help.