Rock Island Trail Forum

Hi, I always find these forums so informative and helpful...thanks to all who contribute!

My husband and I are starting to plan a West to East ride from Sedalia to St Charles later this year....hopefully some of this crazy COVID stuff has calmed down by then. Plan would be to park at the Kirkwood Station, and take the Amtrak across to Sedalia where we'd like to start the ride. Looking for the options to get back to the Kirkwood Amtrak Station (for our car) once we pedal back to St Charles.

Suspect here may be shuttles or other options. For those that may have experience with this, please send us some options...thanks!

Actually, looking at the Amtrak schedule, the Amtrak does not run from the Kirkwood Station to Sedalia as I thought. Only the Missouri River Runner train out of the Gateway St. Louis Station runs to Sedalia.
So, I guess my next question would be what options are there to get back from the St Charles area of the trail to the Gateway Station in St. Louis?

Thanks...Pat

Amtrak is only running one train a day between St. Louis and Kansas City right now. Normally, there is a morning and an afternoon train - they both stop in Kirkwood. By the time you are ready to travel, they may be back to a normal schedule .... or not. No way to know.

Which is the preferred way to cycle?

I prefer west to east starting at Clinton or Sedalia. It's slightly more downhill especially when dropping down into the Missouri river valley at Boonville. Also there's a much better chance for a tail wind going that direction.

In my opinion the only downside is that you are riding into the sun if you like to get on the trail early in the morning.

Most people ride west to east due to slight elevation drop and normal wind direction.

Buckle up for a science discussion. I am kind of a geek about this!

There is an insignificant elevation drop West-East (the grade is a fraction of a percent). You are far more likely to notice the hills between Sedalia and Boonville than any gain/loss of elevation.

A bigger factor can be the wind, which is very unpredictable. The textbooks talk about the "prevailing Westerlies", but those are trade winds. Here in the Midwest, we like to be different! Our winds come from every direction, but the most common is out of the South (and bringing up lots of Gulf moisture). Just today alone, the wind shifted from East to Southeast to South and now to West. So you really can't count on a consistent direction. And when the South wind hits the river bluffs along the Katy (Rocheport and eastward), it splits it. So you can have it in your face and a half mile later, it is at your back.

If you are interested in wind directions for your area, look up "wind rose", which is a graph that shows the predominant winds for select cities. Here is one for Jefferson City, about mid-point of the trail (scroll down to the bottom). https://www.meteoblue.com/en/weather/historyclimate/climatemodelled/jefferson-city_united-states-of-america_4392388

As you can see, by far the prominent direction is from the South, followed by the Southeast.

Another interesting fact is that the resistance caused by wind is a cube of the speed. So if you are riding into a 5 mph headwind and later it becomes a 10 mph headwind, then you are facing 8 times the resistance, not twice, as you would expect (take the factor and cube it, in this case, 2^3=8). Certainly starting off your day into a strong wind will make for a tiring day.

The best way to plan/prepare is to assume that the wind will be your enemy for part of the trip. Also note that the winds in Missouri are much calmer from about June 1 to September 1, as the jet stream moves farther North during the summer.

Thanks to all for the information!

Yes, the campgrounds are open. Cabins are also available. Please call in advance to check on availability. 660-525-2032. Thanks!

We stayed in the small cabin May 14. We came off the Katy trail after a full day of riding; tired and hungry. We were overjoyed to find cheese,sausage, crackers and fresh fruit waiting for us. Keep in mind, this establishment is not a bed and breakfast, so this was extra special and much needed for us as most places were still closed due to the pandemic. The room had everything we needed and had so much character. We remarked later that it really added to making our ride unique. I could be wrong but I believe it’s the best price you’ll find in Augusta too. Our hostess was great!

We stayed in the small cabin May 14. We came off the Katy trail after a full day of riding; tired and hungry. We were overjoyed to find cheese,sausage, crackers and fresh fruit waiting for us. Keep in mind, this establishment is not a bed and breakfast, so this was extra special and much needed for us as most places were still closed due to the pandemic. The room had everything we needed and had so much character. We remarked later that it really added to making our ride unique. I could be wrong but I believe it’s the best price you’ll find in Augusta too. Our hostess was great!

Hey Katy Riders! I just wanted to check in and give you an update on our current operating status. We are OPEN for business and noticing an uptick in riders checking into the hotel...finally!! We are so excited to see you all! We are still offering carry out/room service from our onsite restaurant and bar. We have drastically reduced pricing on our menu to help during these tough times. We also as always offer our special KATY Trail discount for rooms of 20%. Our bike washing station is open in our parking lot and we also have a select number of repair tools available as well.

Remember we are less than 1 mile from the trail.

Be safe and enjoy nature. We look forward to having you stay with us.
Hotel Bothwell
103 E 4th St Sedalia, MO 65301
660-826-5588

This is one of our favorite stops on the trail. This historic hotel is very bike friendly. They offer self serve laundry, a nice bar and restaurant and comfortable rooms. The hotel is centrally located downtown. It doesn’t get any better.

Agreed, one of my favorite places. Stayed there yesterday on my way through on the trail. Dinner was takeout only but it was fantastic. Salad, salmon, potatoes, asparagus and chocolate desert with a great bottle of wine.

We are so glad to hear how much you enjoyed your stay with s, we hope the rest of your trip was equally enjoyable! Thank you for mentioning laundry, I always seem to forget about that. :-)

Are the campsites open currently?

I am starting on Sunday and going west. Plan on staying in Washington on First day. Cheapest nicest place to Stay. First time and need some help.

Is there a question there somewhere?

Hiking or biking?

Trip planner has tons of information. Keep looking on this forum, Youtube and FB.
I've been planning for over a year and will finally take my first overnight in a couple weeks. Hoping the Grandson goes with.

is there a bike path that goes from the Katy train into Washington,MO ?

The bike path does not go into Washington. I rode from Katy Trail to Washington a couple weeks ago. The road to Washington was busy but there was nice wide shoulder all the way to Washington. The trail does have a couple detours that took me on some less than desirable roads.

Is there a trail from the Trail to Herman ?

You also have to ride the road from Katy Trail to Hermann. Road has nice shoulder. You can jump on a trail to get across bridge but bridge also has a wide shoulder. Looks like they are working on a trail to the Katy.

Two riders planning an all trail ride from St. Charles to Clinton during the last week of May. I've got lodging for each night, but are there trail closures along the way?

There are two closures that require detours via MO Hwy 94.

The first is west of Rocheport. The bridge at 38°59’31.03”/-92°36’58.16” was washed out, and most likely will not be repaired this summer.

The second detour on 94 is around a rock fall west of Portland.

If you use Strava, you will be able to find me and my Katy Trail ride of October 2019. At the very least you can see the map of my ride, and if you like you can down-load my GPX files.

Some people are uncomfortable about riding on MO Hwy 94, but I am primarily a road cyclist, and my brother and I had no difficulty with either detour.

Thanks!

Hello Dear riders! Yes the trail is open and our trailhead in McKittrick has been busy. Joeys Birdhouse is open for business serving safely breakfast in your room with no shared public spaces. Come Visit soon. Happy spring

Hiking the trail from Machens to Clinton, starting in a few days. Looks like the beginning of the trailhead at Machens is closed down. Any suggestions best place to start our hike.

St. Charles is where most east to west trail users start.

Yes this is true, but the hike from st Charles to Machens is really worth the effort! I hiked from Clinton to Machens loved every moment!!??

You can start at Machens if you want. You will just need to have someone drop you off (there has never been any parking at Machens). A half-mile after you start, you will encounter a large washed out area. Easy for you to hike through (about 50 ft). A little tougher for cyclists.

If you want to park, then Black Walnut is the first place on the Eastern end. But like others said, St. Charles is the best place to park if you want your car to be safer.

Start in Black Walnut ??

It’s approximately 5 miles from Machens, it’s the last spot you can park a car , before Machens.

My family is doing an overnight trip from Hermann to the 64/40 bridge. I want to leave a car near our endpoint and am looking for advice for a safe place to park a car. For example, is there a suitable lot at Missouri Research Park? How about on the Chesterfield side? Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

The chesterfield side has an outlet mall you can stash a car for 24 hours at.

I would be cautious about this right now, the parking lot is (last weekend) closed and blocked off.

Looking for the best 100 mile stretch of the Trail..We wanna do a out and back(200)...In July or August coming from Minnesota..We prefer woods to open plain..hills are welcome :)...Just started to plan this and thought I would ask before I dig deeper....If anybody has any questions about Minnesotas 2 longer paved trails Paul Bunyan and Mesabi,both 100 or so miles of paved trail ask me anything...Thanks in advance..Steve

My vote would be Rocheport to Marthasville. A couple of sections of open farmland but mostly covered with several sections along the river.

I have many folks stay, and return to stay, as they love that Windsor is the crossroads of the Katy and new Rock Island section. They stay two or three nights and can have 3 day rides to Clinton, Sedalia, and out the Rock Island into Amish country. We have the outdoor Amish produce auction, beautiful City park and lake, and never know when you'll see bald eagles fishing. Tree canopy over much of the trail, open stretches, wood bridges, and deer, red fox and turkey on the trail.

Lol, there will be no hills :D


I did the full thing in 2017, if I were only doing 100/100 I would go from Booneville to Marthasville and back. That'll be a little more like 110-115 each way, but beautiful parts of the trail.

I had planned on doing the entire trail starting May 11. I set this up before the pandemic. I would like to still go but would like to know if it’s a good idea or not. I was worried mainly about there being places open for food in these small towns and also the depots and historic places. Does anyone know current situation?

Missouri is slowing opening back up. Whether that's a good idea, time will tell. Many of the small towns are closed up on Monday's and Tuesday's during the best of times. The pandemic may have caused some businesses to close for good.

If I were you, I'd probably delay the ride until things get better. I've planned on doing the entire trail in late June, but might wait until Fall.

We also currently have reservations for a tour of the complete trail in mid-June. We are now re-thinking that plan. It's a shame - we had booked this tour for last year and got flooded out. But, if it's not safe and the towns and facilities aren't open then, we'll try for the fall.

I am starting the trail on the 10th in pleasant Hill and working back home past Machens in Illinois I made my arrangements this last week. Many of the towns restaurants are closed. The hotels and b&bs I am staying at will provide breakfast and I plan to hit a couple stores and stations along the way. It will take a bit of planning ahead to make sure I have the food worked out but I do the trail a couple of times a year for the trail itself. I’m sure it will be quite for a lot of the rural sections. I would stick with your plan if the places you are staying are still open and maybe ask them for local advice.

We sadly just postponed our trip until next summer- We had planned to go the 9th to the 19th and since we have 13 people we thought it would be hard to change accommodations if some of the campgrounds we were planning on were closed- I also thought the local people might not appreciate a larger group like ours coming through- I think it might be okay for those who just have 2 people or so. We are sad but hope to come next year. I also really enjoy the interaction with local folks on a bike trip and thought people might not be open to that this year. We are bummed as we had planned the trip- but who would've guessed way back in the fall- you just never know.

Richard, tell me about your ride? What lodging do you recommend for 2, husband and wife? We may take 3 nights on the trail and stay in comfortable places. No camping!
thanks for your input

Russ,
I have done it East to West but prefer West to East. I have used shuttles to as transport to Clinton but am taking the train to Lee's Summit near Pleasant Hill for the Rock Island piece that I added. Generally speaking I like the Clinton to Sedalia section for the open prairie. From Rocheport to St Charles the trail runs alon the river so you get a great view. I usually bike 40 to 50 miles a day so I'm pretty much taking my time. I like staying in the B&Bs for the most part but stay in the local hotels as well. I like staying Sedalia, Rocheport, Jeff City before Victoria's on the River closed, Hermann, St Charles, and Augusta. There are a lot of wineries in those areas. The website is excellent for planning your trip and places to stay and eat. I like doing a ride in the fall as well if I can time it right.

I started my trip today. Started in Lee’s Summit and biked on roads to Pleasant Hill. I should have payed more attention to the road type since more than half the distance was gravel. It made for rough biking to Pleasant Hill. The access from the spur to the trail is very confusing because they skipped connecting the two and it’s not clear to get on the highway the exit on the trail in town. The day was wonderful with beautiful landscape. The are some marked spots with washouts from heavy rain but slowing down and watching for the rough spots was key. I stayed at the comfort inn in Lee’s Summit and Fitzgerald’s B&B in Windsor. I was pleased with the B&B. I got a whole floor with kitchen, laundry, front room, full bath and two beds for $60. They were very helpful and the place was very clean. Not so much for Comfort Inn. Restaurants were either closed, closed early or take out only due to Covid 19. The practices of masks and hygiene were all over the map as well but I’m from Illinois and both States are just know partially reopening so it makes sense there might be confusion. No bugs to speak of on the trail, lots of flowers blooming. It was a windy day and started off about 43 degrees so I had to dress in layers but by afternoon I think it was in the high 50s. My app said 60.3 miles for the day and it felt like it but was good. Heading to Clinton then back up to Sedalia tomorrow.

Sounds alot like our ride, we started in higginsvile and had around 50 miles of road before we got to the Rock island spur, can't remember where we got on but it was about 10 miles from Windsor, then we hit Clinton and overnighted in Windsor, short day and stayed in Sedalia to avoid rain a few days ago, next stop was boonville, and today we are in Hermann. The mornings are pretty chilly and lucky me I lost my puffy down jacket on trail sometime yesterday

I’ll keep an eye out for the jacket.

Hi all, I've only done sections of the trail, but this year I have been planning to bike from KC to STL, camping along the way, as soon as things open up in St Louis (my wife is going to meet me there for the weekend)

-Can you comment on the bathroom facilities along the trail? Are they all open and stocked with TP?

-Is restaurant take-out (and gas stations) basically the only meal purchase options? (Or are some restaurants open for dine-in?)

-Have you noticed any temporary "No Camping" signs put up in places (like public parks) that previously allowed camping?

Thanks for pioneering the trek for those coming after you this year :)

Just finished Pilot Grove to New Franklin, got a ride then rode Rocheport to McKittrick (5/10 to 5/12). All camping was open. Hostel at Tebbetts was open. Only restaurant open was in Rhineland. Did not see any other places (gas stations or B&B's) that were open.

Thanks, how about bathrooms along the trail, are those open?