Rock Island Trail Forum

First time trying the Katy bike trail..would like a starting point for a two female beginners. What two or three towns would you suggest we bike to/through? Thanks!

It is according to which end that you want to start on. You for sure don't want to start in Clinton. Roacheport east is very nice.

The most scenic and popular portion of the trailseems to be from Rocheport east (or actually southeast). Make certain you see the tunnel on the west side of Rocheport first. Check the milelage calculator on this site to estimate how far you can go but in general barring a strong headwind, the trail is very easy.



The McBaine trailhead is another good place to start as it gives you the option of going north, doubling back then heading south then doubling back again to your car all the while remaining within the very scenic areas and Hartsburg to the south is a good place to eat lunch. I would echo webmaster Ray's comment elsewhere on this site that is is best to park your car in the middle of your ride if possible. Note that McBaine is harder to get to in a car but the trailhead also gives you the option of riding the portion into Columbia.

Rocheport usually wins the prize. Depending on how far you like to ride.....Booneville to Columbia is a good ride(Also, Columbia to Rocheport/McBaine). Although, not the Katy, I appreciate the spur to Columbia. It too is scenic, and lodging near I-70 is a short distance north on Stadium Blvd. from the Martin Luther King Trailhead.

r h, the three previous replies are absolutely correct. rocheport east has to be the prettiest part of the trail. st. charles to augusta is also a very nice ride once your out of the immediate st. charles area. which ever way you choose, be safe and happy biken. enjoy the Katy.

How many miles a day do you want to achieve? If 50 miles is a good weekend ride for you may I sugest starting in Hartsburg and riding to Rocheport, spend the night at a B&B then head back the next day. You can leave your car in the public parking lot next to the cycle shop.

gee..for us, 50 miles to and from for 2 days may be just what we do for a little 2 day thing..we're not serious bicyclist..at least not YET..we're planning a trip in September or October and as soon as our weather breaks here in Ohio, we're planning on "training" ..I personally would like to try as much as possible..but we'll see how our training this summer goes first :) Reading these posts are very much helpful and any suggestions are greatly appreciated. I've hiked sectionally in the appalician mountains but never biked..

Here's a suggestion: Start in Columbia (trailheads at Flat Branch Park, Forum Blvd, and Scott Blvd) ride to Boonville, and return with a stop for lunch at Les Bourgeois (has a spur trail with a bike rack at the bottom, and I recommend walking over trying to ride it). Do check on overnight parking, though, because i don't know if there are any rules about that) Les Bourgeois closes at about 3:00 on Sundays. Or similar, starting in Hartsburg instead of Columbia. Or Start in Boonville, and do the same in reverse.

Start in Hartsburg, ride to Coopers Landing (about 10 miles), have some thai food for

lunch. Ride back to Hartsburg, stopping in Wilton along the way to look at artwork for

sale, have dinner in Hartsburg and spend the night at the Globe. Next morning, ride the

other direction and go to Jeff City (again, about 10 miles), Stop in Claysville for lunch on

the way back (call and make sure the place is open), then back to Hartsburg.



Then, your next trip go Hartsburg to Rocheport, spend the night, then come back to

Hartsburg. An advantage to starting in Hartsburg is there is a place to stay, a couple of

places to eat and most importantly, Hartsburg Cycle Depot where you could either rent

bikes or else have them check out your bike to make sure it is trailworthy. There is also a

place to park your car overnight in the lot next to the bike shop.

I am a beginner bike and am wanting to dothe Katy Trail. How is the trail with regards to hills and flat areas?

Start in Columbia and ride to Rocheport. It's the most beautiful stretch, especially in the fall. Theres a bookstore they make the Katy Trail Guidebook. You can get it online and choose some place else if you are in another part of the state.

Can you give me information on the trail from St. Charles to Defiance. Is this a wooded area? or is it community/urban setting? Will we be crossing roads, major ones? Thanks

Sometimes fun to do when ya wanna know stuff like this.....go to Google Maps and key in Defiance Missouri for the location. You can choose between street, satelite, or hybrid views. Hybrid view shows both road and satelite views. If you zoom in enough, the Katy Trail is named in the road and hybrid views.....so you shouldn't miss it.

the trail from st. charles west is not exactly wooded entirely. there are some slightly wooded areas, but the start of the trail from st. charles is in town on the river front, passes a park, then the casino, then some homes, then a sand quarry area, around the st. charles family arena, then through a slightly wooded area, ride next to the missouri river for a bit, then across some bottom land, cross green bottoms road and then it's mostly fields on one side for a while, then cross another road. havent been past this far yet. from st. charles to this point is 10 miles m/l. defiance to weldon springs is a nice little ride, mostly surrounded by a row of trees, but no major wooded area.

might want to check out what tek biker said. i'm cetainly goin to. except for the mile or so from st. charles, it's a pretty nice ride.



what ever you do, have fun, be safe. happy bikin.

Frank's description took you almost to the point where highway 40 crosses over the trail, which is 11 miles from the downtown St Charles trailhead. From highway 40 to the Weldon Spring trailhead is another 5 miles. This section is wooded and has a "remote" feeling (once the buzz of hwy 40 traffic fades away). Also some nice views of the river.



The street crossings between St Charles & Defiance are pretty minor. Mainly it's Greens Bottom Road, twice, but that's usually not a very busy road. Needless to say, however, you should always proceed cautiously at any road crossing.

We are planning entire trail starting in Clinton. Want to spend 2nd night in Rocheport. I think we want to ride a bit further than Sedalia on 1st day-or- at least to eastern side of Sedalia. Otherwise 2nd day ride of 50plus miles may be a bit too much for my companions. ( I think I can handle it but they are anxious aboutit ). Can anyone recommend place to stay in East Sedalia or slightly beyond ?

Thanks !

I'd check out the Hotel Bothwell. It is about 5 blocks from the depot in old downtown Sedalia, which is in the northeast end of town. There are no services beyond the Sedalia depot until you reach Pilot Grove.

We biked the Katy last June and found 40-50 mile days quite do-able. It's a gradual downhill, after all, from Clinton to St Charles, and that helps. There's a great downhill from Pilot Grove all the way to Booneville, naturally, because that's where you join the Missouri River. We had hybrid bikes.

Sedalia House B&B is on the East side of Sedalia, as I recall, and they will shuttle you to Griesen Road in the morning if you want.

Hotel Bothwell. You need to call about the restaurant because it is only open on certain days. If it is closed you can get a cab to McGruder,s. It has very good food. There is also a bar across the street from the Bothwell but the smoke is so thick that I can't go in.

The Sedalia House B&B is @3 miles from both the Greisen and Beaman trailheads. They cater to KATY trail riders with snacks/beverages when they arrive, a garage to park bikes overnight, and a full breakfast tailered to their needs. Shuttles are also available to and from the trailhead, as well as into town for dinner.

There's some great bed and breakfasts all along the trail. Get the Katy Trail Guidebook for lists of towns along the Katy and lodging, dining close to it. It's real helpful.

A couple of people mentioned Hotel Bothwell in Sedalia - here's a link you can use to check availability and rates there.

Also, here's a list of all B&Bs along the trail. If you decide to go beyond Sedalia, there are a couple of places to stay in Pilot Grove (about 25 mile past Sedalia).

Greetings Earthlings. Some of you may remember a post for two from me about our ride plans for this past week. Well, we took off from home as planned. Checked into our B&B in Hermann, everything going as planned. We spent the night, rode around Hermann the next day, visited a couple of wineries and shops and in all had a great time. This was Saturday. Sunday was much the same as Saturday, only colder. Then we watched the weather. We were planning to head out on the trail Monday morning. Then the sleet started. That's ok, we'll just stay an extra night and roll out on Tuesday. Then the weather service issued a winter weather advisory for that whole area. I looked at my wife, she looked at me, and I said, "How bout we call the kids to come pick us up before it gets any worse?" She agreed, and we got home about 6 a.m. Tuesday morning. Loaded up the next day, and went to Hot Springs, Ar. Got snowed on there too.



Oh Well, maybe next time.

Welcome to Missouri. I think we had an entire year of seasons in one week...one weekend it

is in the 80's and we have hail and tornados and the next they are predicting 12 inches of

snow. It's a mad, mad, world. But, it sounds like you had a great time for a while. So, try

again. Who knows what will happen next!

We enjoyed the weather last week. There were bouts with some intense cold headwinds that cut us down, particularly on the unsheltered highway-tracking sections of the trail. We also got some sleet but nothing too intense. For the most part, it was above freezing, which makes it much easier to stay warm.



Fresh snowmelt made the trail very sticky in spots, however. The condition of the trail changed dramatically after passing Jefferson City. We were westbound, which is definately uphill.

Matthew,



I was just wondering where you started. We were in Hermann on Saturday, Sunday and Monday till we bailed. I'm glad you got to do your ride. We were also going to ride west, and our plan was to ride from Hermann to Jefferson City on Monday. We opted not to do that and wait till the next day since it was sleeting when we got up and had most of the night before. When the TV station in St. Louis predicted 6-8 inches of snow for Tuesday, we chickened out completely. I hear that it didn't happen, but was really cold. Oh well, there's always the Memorial day weekend. We may try again then.

Weather....discretion is the better part of valor. Because my sister lives in Overland Park, KS. and brothers in Jeff City, Lake of the Ozarks, and St. Charles I watch the weather up there and remember well that week. Baling was better....better to ride again. Hey could have ended up like a small version of the Donner Party where you were looking uncomfortably at each other (as potential food). So when (not if) you do the KATY send in progress reports, impressions for they are great reading! Regards......Mark of the Dalton Boys

One small comment to the directions "Kirkwood to the Page Extension Bridge".



fter getting to Olive from Mason Road, instead of turning right on Fee Fee, I would continue a little bit west and turn right on Creve Coeur Mill Rd. Creve Coeur Mill Rd gets directly to the Creve Coeur Lake Park.

I've been riding my bike on sidewalks and in local parks for years. That was until I biked from Columbia to Boonville and stopped in Rocheport to eat at the winery there. There's a great book store there, Pebble Publishing. They had a great variety of biking and hiking trail guidebooks, plus one for Missouri Wine Country. They lists camping spots, bed and breakfasts along the ways. You can rent a bike near the trails and near many wineries. pebblepublishing.com for guidebooks, but I'd recommend going there. Oh, and they do guided canoe floats too.

What are your thoughts on best direction to ride,according to prevailing winds?

The answer is: it depends.

Where and when are you going to ride? Decide for yourself from the wind rose data at:

ftp://ftp.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/downloads/climate/windrose/missouri/

Everyone I know that has done the trail end-to-end has gone West to East. The slight average downhill (even though it doesn't feel like you're going downhill) is probably the determining factor.

Prevailing wind is hit or miss, but the trail is definately downhill going east. You notice it when you work against it. We also had either no wind or headwind on our east-to-west trek. I'd definately do it west to east unless you are looking for more of a challenge.

My girlfriends and I always have a great time dancing to the Wonderful Bands that are hired to entertain. It's always an upbeat place to hang and relax! You are guaranteed to forget your troubles and have a Great time!!!

~The InkLady

My girlfriends and I always have a great time dancing to the Wonderful Bands that are hired to entertain. It's always an upbeat place to hang and relax! You are guaranteed to forget your troubles and have a Great time!!!

~The InkLady

I know camping on private property is like asking the Spinal Tap guitar player about his axe. Don't even look at it, don't think about it----but are there any spots that are private property between Pilot Grove and Rocheport, where they will let you camp for a small fee?

There used to be a campground at New Franklin...not sure if it is still open or not. When I

was looking for places to camp, I called the local chamber of commerce, or city hall or a trail

friendly business and just asked and was quite successful in finding places to camp. Folks

are usually happy to help out. I know in Hartsburg, the city park is available for camping.

KATY Roundhouse in Franklin:
http://www.bikekatytrail.com/site.aspx?sid=20

Here's a list of all camping options along the trail: http://www.BikeKatyTrail.com/planner.aspx?chkCampground=on

Note that camping is available at the Katy Roundhouse this time of year, but restrooms and shower facilities are not. Bobber in Boonville caters to RVs but allows tents - you may want to call to see if they're open this time of year.

I just returned from the trail on a ride from Clinton to Hartsburg. It was a good time but too cold and the wind was in our faces the whole time. Three of us rode from Clinton to Sedalia the first day. I was suprised at how good the trail was. It was cold and the wind was in our faces and it made it a hard ride. We stayed at the Hotel Bothwell as we always do. It is very nice. The next morning we left for Hartsburg. It had very hard, steep grades. The wind was in our faces and the trail was soft in a few long places. We had a waffle at the hotel before we left and expected to get something fruther down the trail. By the time that we got to Rocheport we were out of gatorade and needed something to eat. We were very weak. We were told that Abigail's was open and they had good deserts. She wouldn't serve us. She said that they don't serve anything from 2 to 4. There were still

several customers in her place when I went in. I told her we were hungry and very week, but she didn't seem to care. She had pieces of pie in her display case that she could have wrapped to go but they weren't offered. One of my friends went back in to ask if she would fill his water bottle. She did but he said that she acted like she didn't want to. We found some gatorade at the antuque store next door and left Rocheport. My friends and I are clean cut men with familys and we range from ages of 43 to 63. I will never understand why someone with a business in a tourist town that makes much of its income off cyclist would treat cyclist with such disregard. This was the only bad thing that happened on the ride and we decided not to let her ruin our trip. We will just spread the word about Abigail's. We spent that night in Hartsburg at the Globe Hotel. Jeanette was very nice and we had a good nights rest. The total of the day was 78 miles. It was too far for one cold day with the wind in your face. The next time I will try to split it up into 50 mile days.

I'd mark that one up to experience Mike....and plan ahead better next time. It looks like you passed an opportunity to refuel with drink, etc. when you were in Booneville and then expected someone to take care of you later because you didn't plan well. Did you offer to buy the pie or just expect her to read your mind? Come on now....how about some personal responsibility here!



I'm not defending the worker at Abigails...she may have been rude. But she has the right to run her business with the hours that she sets and I doubt that she can read your mind when you want pie. More times than not....Ask and you shall recieve.....Don't ask and you get to blame someone else and complain later.



I imagine there is a lot of money that comes to Rocheport from cyclist like you and I. I would also guess that there is alot of money that comes to town from those who have never been on a bike. I've spent money in Rocheport as a cyclist. I've also spent money there as the parent of a college student at Central Methodist up the road. Ex MU basketball coach Quin Synder had been known to eat at the Trailside Cafe...probably because Rocheport is a quiet getaway and a short drive. I don't imagine he rode his bike from Columbia in his dress clothes. Go to the Bistro on the hill and see how many patrons are wearing bike garb.....not many. I'm sorry, but I just don't buy the idea that Rocheport needs to cater to me as a cyclist as if I provide "much of" their "income."



It sounds like the bad thing was your lack of planning for an off-season ride.....not the hours or service at Abigails.

I asked for anything to eat. That meant anything. This is my 4th time to ride the trail. It was planned but I didn't plan on not being served. As I said, I explained to her that we were hungry and weak. She apparently didn't care. There wasn't any mind reading necessary.

Their hours are posted on this site as:



Hours: Lunch W-Sun 11-2, dinner W-Sat starting at 5:00

Reservations required for dinner



Part of the trip plan should be survival (Plan B)and/or arrival during open hours. It appears you planned on someone serving you outside of their hours. Thats a planning problem.



Off-season....peak season (when things may be booked or sold out) plan ahead.....have a contingency plan. It's not always someone elses fault.

I never knew that I had to do micro-research into every business along the trail. I was raised that you don't let people starve. If you have to bend the rules to help someone you do it. I respect their business hours but you help people in need. It is apparent that you are friends or family with these people. I only know about mine and my friends experience with them on the 18th of March. Enough said. This was my 4th ride on the trail since 2001 and they have all been good experiences except this one. Enough said. You can have the last word.

Best to you.

Mike, I'm sorry you had an unpleasant experience in Rocheport. I agree with the point that Trek Biker made that businesses have the right to set their hours, but it sounds like the person at Abigails could have handled it a little better by suggesting some alternatives for you and your freinds. I highly reccommend Les Bourgeois Wineries bistro; it is worth the climb up the hill, and I've eaten lunch there several times while riding the trail. It is shame someone in Rocheport did not direct you to it.

I am not related to anyone in Rocheport or friends of Abigail folks. I just fail to see that poor planning on my part or yours needs to be blamed on someone else.



We are all human and we make errors in judgement that causes ourselves folly. When I do....I own it instead of blaming someone else that I don't know.

Thanks savage 24. I will be going through Rocheport within the next month. I will take your advice. Sounds like a good place. I will pass the word. Thanks again.

You are right Trek Biker. We shouldn't have come to their door expeciting something to eat or drink. Even though we had hit our sugar low. I am sure that at Christmas when you see homeless you blame it on them. I will plan our trip better next time. I just never realized that there were people in Missouri that would turn people away. I will pray for you.

Mike, Just don't go to Rocheport on a Monday, as many businesses are closed (including the bistro). If you are going to be on a bicycle there are two ways to get to the bistro: There is a private trail from the Katy that leads up to the bistro that has lots of switchbacks and is too steep to ride - there is a bike rack at bottom at the Katy trail where you can lock up your bike. I prefer to ride the main road south out of town up the hill to the bistro - it is very steep at first and some people will walk there bikes but once you get around the first curve it levels off a bit and is not so bad.

You've all made some valid points, but I'm afraid this is about to degenerate into a flame war (some might say it already has), so I am going to close this topic. If you have something that really needs to be added to this discussion, please send to me directly.

This serves as a warning to trail riders that it's a good idea to be over-prepared, especially this time of year when many businesses are still closed for the season or operating on limited hours. You can't always count on a particular business being there for you, unless you have called them ahead of time and gotten their assurance that they will be open at a certain time. Some have even been known to close early if business is slow. Again, this is less of a problem in May-October.

And hopefully this discussion also sends a message to any business owners about the impact of one small act of customer service - an opportunity to either earn a customer's loyalty and have them tell the world how great you are, or to earn their scorn and have them tell the world how bad you are.

Sorry to hear about this low point of your ride Mike, but hopefully the rest of your trip made up for it.

I am interested in pulling a Forrest Gump and fast hiking the Katy trail. I have some experience doing ultralight hiking and I am looking for advise from anyone who has done this,or advise from anyone who thinks I have lost my mind? Do you know any one who has done this, what is the fastest it has been done etc...

Has anyone found a place to camp near Clinton? I have a group of 4 riders that are starting in Clinton, and plan to camp the whole way.



Thanks

The City of Clinton has a lovely community center, just across the street (more or less) from

the trail head. Call them and ask if you can camp on their grounds. I was able to do that a

few years ago, then you have access to public bathrooms and showers. It worked out well. I

don't have the numbers any more, but I am sure if you searched on City of Clinton you could

get the number from City Hall. Finding places along to the trail to camp can be challenging,

but doable...I did it. Have a great time!