Rock Island Trail Forum

Going to ride from Clinton to St. Charles on 9/29 - 10/1 (Saturday - Monday). How would you experienced KATY veterans rate the difficulty (assuming good weather) of this? We are experienced road & mountain bikers (put in about 5,000 miles/year). Will carry light loads and stay in B&B's, not camping.



Also, any suggestions on equipment that may be out of the ordinary?? Thanks for your input.....Chris

Hi, I'm hardly an experienced veteran, but did just ride the middle 112 miles of the trail. This was my first ride, so I may have a unique perspective. I thought the trail was very easy to ride. Downside is that there are no hills, so you have to pedal constantly. Up side is there are no hills... (I have heard there are a few inclines on the part from Clinton to Rocheport that I did not do). We thought we could do 70 miles a day if there hadn't been heat. We did at most 46 miles a day from 6:15 am until 11:00 am, due to 105 degree heat.



If you are used to lots of miles, and don't have to race the heat, you may be able to do 80-90miles a day.



The hard part is finding a place to stay where you want to stop, that also has food open. My suggestions would be staying in Booneville or better yet, Rocheport (90 miles the first day). The next leg has few places to stay. Steamboat junction has great air-conditioned cabins $30 with no plumbing, but showers in the campground, $75 for full plumbing and kitchenette. McKittrick had places to stay, but you need to be shuttled for food. Peers is very small, but you can stay in the upstairs of the general store...



Lastly, if you could it may be better to do Friday, Sat, Sun instead of Sat, Sun, Mon because MANY places are closed on Mondays. There are places open, but not as many, and you may have to wait for places to open...



Just some suggestions. The trail is great, and the people along the way are awesome! Have fun!

If you ride 5K miles per year, the KATY will be a walk, er ride, in the park. Michele is right on about riding on Mondays. Better call ahead for your prospective dining and lodging. Browse this old thread for ideas about what to pack.

Hi ChrisN, I made the same trip last year but just from Sedalia not Clinton.



In the morning, get a good breakfast and hit the trail ASAP. MO can be hot in Sept. and ya never know when its gonna rain. Hydrate often.



If not camping, you should be able to get enough gear for 3 days in a seatpost pack. A Camelbak may work for you but remember you'll have a pack on your back all day. Hydrate often.



Stop and enjoy the sights along the trail but not too long cause you gotta ride 70+ miles per day. Plan for the unexpected. Oh yeah, Did I mention Hydrate often.



Have a great ride, Paulie

The Katy is pretty low on the difficulty scale. If you aren't familiar with the towns along the way, use this site to familiarize yourself with what each town has to offer. For example: there is a grocery store a few blocks south of the bridge in Boonville that I've ridden to several times because the sunglasses broke or I needed something that I forgot to pack. It made the trip much more enjoyable because I knew to go out of my way to it. Because lots of places are closed on Monday.....I usually try to carry $5 to $10 in quarters to play Mr. Vendo when that's all that is available. And I always have emergency numbers (listed on this website) programmed in my cell phone, as well as the numbers of my lodging destination. I stap my Camel to the top of my trunk bag and drink from it when I stop after the bottles are empty or to refill a water bottle....I can't see that thing generating extra heat strapped to me all day.

5000 MILE RIDERS WILL HAVE NO PROBLEM. I RODE TRAIL IN 05. I WOULD SUGGEST CLINTON TO BOONEVILLE: BOONEVILLE TO HERMAN: HERMAN TO ST. CHARLES. ACCOMDATIONS HOTELS AVAILABLE AT THESE PLACES.



A RIDE LATE IN THE WEEK WOULD BE WISE....TRAIL A LONELY PLACE MON-TUES..... I SENT A BOX OF CLOTHES AHEAD TO MY HOTELS BY UPS WITH A RETURN LABLE FOR DIRTY STUFF TO GO BACK.....WORKED OUT GREAT. GIVE THE MOTELS A HEADS-UP.



MADE TRIP ON A TREK 2300C ROAD BIKE WITH 28 MM TIRES. NO PROBLEM. COULD BE A LOT EASIER TO TAKE AMTRAK TO SEDALIA AND START FROM THERE. SEDALIA TO CLINTON ISN'T THAT INTERESTING. YOU CAN LEAVE A VEHICLE AT THE ST. CHARLES TRAILHEAD (GIVE POLICE A HEADS-UP) AND CATCH AMTRACK OUT OF ST. LOUIS STATION (CASINO SHUTTLE TO A HOTEL AROUND LAMBERT AIRPORT-METRO LINK TO DOWNTOWN IN AM) HOTEL RATES IN HERMAN AND BOONEVILLE VERY REASONABLE.



THIS ALL WORKED OUT FOR ME. BEER AVAILABLE AT TOWNS ALONG TRAIL....VERY IMPORTANT.

JB

http://paltnether.blogspot.com/

This is a link to that same trip. We did it in two days. Three days is much smarter.

I rode it last October in 3 days. Clinton to the Globe Hotel in Hartsburg. A pretty long 114 mile day. Took it easy day 2 - 50 miles to the Dollhouse BB in Rheinland. Finished it up with 67 miles to St. Charles on day 3. Worked out perfect for me.



I too ride about 5000 a year and purposely wanted to get in a century. I rode a cyclocross bike with somewhat knobby 700 x 32 tires and thought they were just right. Have ridden several other times on the KATY (including two other one day century rides) with the same bike/tire setup and thought they worked great.



I'm jealous - I wish I was joining in the ride.



I am also gathering bits and parts to build a bike that will be single speed/fixed gear specfically for a ride on the KATY. Probably won't get to use it until next fall but it is a fun project/challenge to start thinking about.



Enjoy your ride!

Hi...did the trip in three days in 2005...Thur to Sat...gave me Sunday to recover...Clinton to Rocheport first day, to McKittrick on second, and St. Charles third day...each day around 7-10 miles shorter than the last...loved it. Hard work for a desk jockey, but with nothing to do but pedal for 8-10 hours a day, very do-able.

El Toro - Great idea! SS or Fixie...if you do send it in to the comment forum.

OK, I'll bite -- why is a single-speed/fixed-gear bike a "great idea" for the Katy? I'm a bike novice, so don't know much about these things, but I did do a 110-mile Katy trip last year & I'm glad I had my 21 gears. Just curious!

I don't know if it's a great idea or not. It's just one of those fun challenges. I think the KATY is flat enough that with some training one gear would be enough and I'm crazy enough to think it would be fun.



There are folks who just completed the Paris-Brest-Paris ride (1200 kilometers in 90 hours or less) over VERY hilly terrain using both single speed and/or fixed gear bikes.



Good idea or not - just the challenge.



Plus...I love to tinker with bikes and bike parts.

Had I not just sold my fixed gear bike, I would have ridden that. Trail is plenty flat.



Thanks to everyone for the comments, especially the head's up on Monday closures. My buddie can't take Friday's off, so we're forced to go Monday. Sticking with Clinton to Booneville; Booneville to Hermann; Hermann to St. Chuck should enable us to find food/lodging. Will certainly look into it further.



For anyone interested, I'll post a report after the ride. Thanks again...Chris

My son and I were hoping to go out for a ride/camping trip on the 22nd of Sept from Rocheport East. It would be great to see lot's of people out and about. Is this time of year a pretty busy season for trail use?

I was on the trail in that area this past Sat and there were lots of people from Rocheport down to around McBaine. Right now it looks like the weekend will be a cool sunny fall day...perfect for riding. If you're down by McBaine (about 9 miles down) when time to eat, Lucy's Bar and Grill has wonderful cheeseburgers and fries. They are just down the road off the trail. If you look west, you can see it when you cross the road. If you're down by Coopers Landing (about 14 miles down), he does Bar-B-Q on weekends and the Thai place is open also...very good.

Have fun!

I am so jealous. I have other committments this weekend, and I enjoy then a lot, but WOW! I want to be out on the KATY. Have a great time.

We stayed at Birk's this past July and had a wonderful visit. The breakfasts were terrific, the room very comfy, and the hosts especially friendly.



After we stayed at another B&B in St. Genevieve, we appreciated our stay with Rick and Diane even more.

We stayed at Birk's this past July and had a wonderful visit. The breakfasts were terrific, the room very comfy, and the hosts especially friendly.



After we stayed at another B&B in St. Genevieve, we appreciated our stay with Rick and Diane even more.

How did you get from the trail to Hermann? Did you just bike it or did you use a shuttle? We are staying in Hermann in a couple of weeks and were wondering how much problem it will be getting from the trail to the BnB.

How did you get from the trail to Hermann? Did you just bike it or did you use a shuttle? We are staying in Hermann in a couple of weeks and were wondering how much problem it will be getting from the trail to the BnB.

if you stay at Birk's Gasthaus, they will come and get you from the trailhead. Just call ahead. But if you stay elsewhere and the innkeepers don't provide transportation, the new bridge is open and its far better than before. You'd really have no trouble riding from the trailhead into town.

if you stay at Birk's Gasthaus, they will come and get you from the trailhead. Just call ahead. But if you stay elsewhere and the innkeepers don't provide transportation, the new bridge is open and its far better than before. You'd really have no trouble riding from the trailhead into town.

We just returned from our second stay at Birk's. This is the best place in Hermann. Rick and Diane are wonderful hosts, and Rick's breakfasts will take you pretty far down the trail. This is what the bed and breakfast experience is all about!

We just returned from our second stay at Birk's. This is the best place in Hermann. Rick and Diane are wonderful hosts, and Rick's breakfasts will take you pretty far down the trail. This is what the bed and breakfast experience is all about!

No problem getting across the new bridge at Hermann. Probably less than a half mile from trail across the bridge. Once across plenty of bed and breakfast available.

No problem getting across the new bridge at Hermann. Probably less than a half mile from trail across the bridge. Once across plenty of bed and breakfast available.

This place is a MUST. The staff catered to us, and to our bicycles (we were riding the Katy Trail). The room was one of simple elegance with an historic feel to it. I highly recommend it!

This place is a MUST. The staff catered to us, and to our bicycles (we were riding the Katy Trail). The room was one of simple elegance with an historic feel to it. I highly recommend it!

The staff at the Hotel Frederick could not be more friendly and helpful. The hotel itself is a pleasant step back in time.....our compliments to the owner on the renovation. The combination of Glens's Cafe and the hotel is something that Boonville should be well proud of. Job well done!



We checked in on Saturday of Labor Day weekend and had the pleasure of dining at Glenn's that evening. Early the next morning we hit the trail for an out and back century ride. As we arrived back at the hotel that evening, we were greeted with doors opened for us to the hotel and to the bike storage room. Soon to follow we were each given a cold bottle of water. That treatment is a far cry from the staff at Hotel Bothwell in Sedalia last June laughing when I had to ride my bike down the street to go buy a corkscrew because one of their prior guests had stolen theirs and they just hadn't gotten around to replacing it yet. I would have expected an apology because they couldn't produce a common bar type item for a guest, instead of being laughed at because I had to buy one. We can say that we've stayed at Hotel Bothwell....but we'll be returning to the Hotel Frederick.

The staff at the Hotel Frederick could not be more friendly and helpful. The hotel itself is a pleasant step back in time.....our compliments to the owner on the renovation. The combination of Glens's Cafe and the hotel is something that Boonville should be well proud of. Job well done!



We checked in on Saturday of Labor Day weekend and had the pleasure of dining at Glenn's that evening. Early the next morning we hit the trail for an out and back century ride. As we arrived back at the hotel that evening, we were greeted with doors opened for us to the hotel and to the bike storage room. Soon to follow we were each given a cold bottle of water. That treatment is a far cry from the staff at Hotel Bothwell in Sedalia last June laughing when I had to ride my bike down the street to go buy a corkscrew because one of their prior guests had stolen theirs and they just hadn't gotten around to replacing it yet. I would have expected an apology because they couldn't produce a common bar type item for a guest, instead of being laughed at because I had to buy one. We can say that we've stayed at Hotel Bothwell....but we'll be returning to the Hotel Frederick.

Hi again, We really LOVED our trip on the KATY. What a great park! We were thinking about doing another trip, maybe on a different trail. Is there anything else in the midwest or the country like the KATY? We were definitely spoiled with this trail!

Yes! Check out trailsfromrails.com and traillink.com.



You have a very nice little trail just south of you in Illinois. The Tunnel Hill State Trail. It's 47 miles from Harrisburg to Karnak. It has some interesting Cypress swamp on the south end, several gentle bends, rail tressles (one that is near the tree tops and nice in length), and a nice long, cool tunnel north of Vienna. We rode it this spring and saw several deer, a bobcat, and a mature bald eagle among many other birds. It was definately worth the trip for us....would be very beautiful in the fall.

Wisconsin has some really good state trails.

http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/land/parks/specific/findatrail.html

The C&O Canal Trail will take you from Washington D.C. to Cumberland MD. And if you got the time,(and the legs)you can continue on The Great Allegany Passage which will take you all the way to Pittsburgh. I think the total mileage is about 330. I've never done these trails myself but plan to make trip in four days this fall.



Also, the Virginia Creeper is very nice. From Abington VA to Whitetop Mt. is only 35 miles but well worth the trip.



Paulie



Paulie

The Rails to Trails Conservancy has a guide...Traillink.com, which lists most all in the US including Alaska, and a separate menu for International Trails as well. You can tailor your search by surface type, distance etc. All in the website is not entirely true...for a more accurate assessment click on the "Trail Website" menu of the trail your researching....great little tool for looking at Rail Trails. PS - just for grins go to the International Rail Trail menu and look up the Otago Rail/Trail in New Zealand, you know for that grand pie-in-the-sky trip you've always wanted to do once in your life. Regards....Mark of the Dalton Boys

michele,



i just got done riding, or should i say attempting to ride the virignia creeper trail. look for www.vacreepertraial.com creepertrail.com and such. the most popular part is from whitetop to damascus. you are shuttled if you choose, from damascus to whitetop and ride back down. wonderful scenery, the majority is down hill, three little cafe's to snack at plus an old railroad station and one replica. lots of trestles. well worth the time to go there. the trail from damascus to abingdon is not as popular, but from the literature i've read, just a nice. hope this helps. also, no hotels in damascus, only b & b's, but very reasonable and right down the street from the bike shops.

http://www.greatriverroad.com/Footpower/vadalbene.htm



Runs from Alton to Pere Marquette State Park. Some of the trail is on the wide shoulder of the highway. We parked at the casino in Alton, rode to Pere marquette and camped & rode back to Alton the next day. Other trails link this with downtown St. louis.

I've ridden the Wabash Trace that runs from near Omaha (Sioux Falls, Iowa) south to the Missouri line and a small town named Blanchard. Not many services at all at Blanchard, especially if the gas station closes early. It's 65 miles one way. A buddy of mine and I did it down and back in a day, but I wouldn't recommend it in a day. Turned into a long day. Pretty, but I, personally, like the KATY better.



The Prairie Trace (I think that is what it's called - I'm having a brain cramp and can't remember) trail is about 35 miles long and heads south out of Ottawa, Kansas down through Garnett and on to a very small town named to Welda. This fall is it to open another 15 miles south to Iola. A nice ride, but not as developed as the KATY, in my opinion.



If you get off the trail there are several spots to eat, buy refreshments, etc. in Garnett. I think it is a neat little town.



There's my 2 cents.



Enjoy!

Forgot to add - Minnesota is full of biking trails. 100s of miles of them paved if you prefer a road bike. The Munger Trail comes to mind - just north of the Twin Cities on up to Duluth.



Also - the Mickelson Trail in South Dakota is another neat trail through the Black Hills.

Regarding the trail you mentioned near Garnett, KS -- it's the Praire Spirit Rail-Trail -- you might want to call ahead if you go, because their web site (http://www.prairiespirittrail.org) warns that flooding has caused the closure of a 2 1/2 mile mid-trail stretch. I've been to Garnett many times & the paved section of the trail near town and the restored depot there are very nice. I haven't ridden the remainder of the trail, though.

Thanks for reminding me of the name of the trail near Ottawa/Garnett. Couldn't think of it for anything.



I just got a newsletter from that trail and - you are right - there is a bridge out because of flooding. It's going to be a while before it is fixed. Based on this week's newsletter, there is a marked detour on gravel roads around that section of the trail. I have NOT been there to ride it or verify what the roads are like (i.e. traffic, hills, gravel, etc.)

It's still under construction, but MN is putting in a trail along the north shore of Lake Superior, from Duluth to Grand Marais (about 90 miles, I think). Some sections are complete, and it is truly spectacular--it's a paved trail, and not a rail trail, so it's going to be fairly hilly. It's called the Gitchi-Gami trail. MN has several other long distance bike trails, like the Willard Munger Trail, south of Duluth. I'm sure the state DNR or someone has a list of them all.

CHECK OUT THE NORTH BEND TRAIL FROM PARKERSBURG,WV TO OUTSIDE OF CLARKSBURG, WV. 75 MILES IN LENGTH WITH 13 TUNNELS! THEY HAVE A WEB SITE.....NOT AS SMOOTH AS KATY TRAIL.



OF COURSE, GREAT ALLEGHENY PASSAGE FROM PITTSBURGH TO DC IS AN OPTION. WEB SITE ATA (ALLEGHENY TRAIL ALLIANCE)

anybody ever try the Cowboy Trail in Nebraska? It is very long---longer than the Katy. I was wondering if it's basically ok to camp on the side of the trail. The official website doesn't list camping locations. Also the Mikkelson---camp anywhere?

I've never ridden the Cowboy Trail, but I did consider & research it a little. However, it's not longer than the Katy - yet. Their web site says:



"When finished this hiking, biking, and equestrian trail will stretch 321 miles across Nebraska. ... Over 161 miles of trail are now open, including a continuous 143-mile stretch from Norfolk to Ainsworth. In 2007 an additional 30 miles will be added connecting Valentine to Norfolk."



There's only one review of it on TrailLink.com, but I'm sure other sites have more. This forum's for Katy discussions, so you might want to Google around for those other discussions.

yeah, it's not open all the way, but if you read the rails to trails website it's possible to just go out on the highway which runs parallel and ride the spots that aren't open yet. Also if you go all the way to the western end you are fairly close to the Mikkelson trail in South Dakota. One couple said they did the Mikkelson, rode on highways to the Cowboy Trail and did the whole Cowboy Trail. As far as camping on the Cowboy Trail, one of the links says there is camping possible in several towns but doesn't go into detail.

I'm also looking for paved or "skinny-tire" (road or recumbent) friendly trails. my standard is the combo "Centennial/Trail of the Couer d'Alenes" in Spokane and nearby Couer d'Alene Idaho. 60 and 75 miles respectively with 90% paved pedestrian/biker/hiker only trails.

I'm looking for similar U.S. or foreign trails amenable to skinny tires. All suggestions and contact sites welcome.



Gramps (65 and going strong).

See you on the trail

Gramps, check out www.mnbiketrails.com/main.aspx?SectionID=3&TM=44243.84 Trails are paved. We rode Cannon Valley and Paul Bunyan Trails plus downtown Rochester (riverside trail) is great.

Hope to see you on our Katy Trail.

Gramps, we have Tour Easy Recumbent bikes with skinny road tires. We are going to ride the Katy Trail. To make sure we don't have problems we are going to put Marathron 700 x 35 on the rear and Marathron plus 20 x 1.35 on the front. These should fit inside our fenders and fit on the rim. If you go to wide it won't fit inside the fender. We will see how it goes in a couple of weeks! But if something like that would work for you it would open up a lot of trail riding for you.

We recently had the pleasure of staying at the Briar Rose Inn Bed & Breakfast. Jeanette and Randy are wonderful hosts and the bed and breakfast is awesome! Breakfast was delicious and filling. We will be sure to make this our home away from home the next time we are in the area and we would highly recommend that you do the same! Click the link to check out their place for yourself. www.briarroseinnbnb.com

We recently had the pleasure of staying at the Briar Rose Inn Bed & Breakfast. Jeanette and Randy are wonderful hosts and the bed and breakfast is awesome! Breakfast was delicious and filling. We will be sure to make this our home away from home the next time we are in the area and we would highly recommend that you do the same! Click the link to check out their place for yourself. www.briarroseinnbnb.com

We are interested in going to Tightwad when we are on the Katy Trail. What roads would be the best to take for us bikers?

I would not recommend the roads. A lot of hilly Narrow Black tops with no shoulders. Not a bike friendly environment.

The bank has closed too, so you can no longer open an account on the Tightwad Bank. Not much to see there anyway...other than a "city limit" sign on either side of the blink of an eye.

I've never known Trek Biker to give bad advice. By the way, what/where is "Tightwad"? I just thought that was my nickname at my local bike shop.



Paulie

When you come into Windsor you will take Y hwy which will turn into P and that will take you to tightwad, but the roads are not biker friendly

Thanks so much for the good advice. Will not waste time and risk injury to get there. You guys are great!! Lynn