Rock Island Trail Forum

Is there any chance that the Katy trail would be paved, say from Weldon Springs to St. Charles? This would huge for road cyclist who can't take their bikes on the trail in its current state. It could be a great expansion for the greenway system.

It would be cheaper and easier for YOU to buy a Mt. Bike....

My vote on paving is EMPHATICALLY NO!
Some day it might happen, but no time soon (and that is a good thing).

I ride my road bike on the Katy Trail all the time. Of course, my tires are wider and not designed for road racing. And that is a key point - most people do not want racers on the Katy, as it is a state park that works great for tourism, recreational cycling, family outings, walkers, runners, and other users.

Every couple of years this question comes up. At one time, I calculated the cost to asphalt the entire Katy at around $20 million, or about $85,000 per mile. That might be feasible for the very popular Eastern portion, but would be wasted in a lot of other areas. But there are major problems with paving. Here is what I wrote two years ago:
The maintenance of an asphalted (or even oil-and-chip) trail the length of the Katy would be astronomical. Here in Illinois, on our wonderful paved trails, the tree roots are pushing up the asphalt in hundreds of places. They would not be noticed on a gravel trail because the gravel flows around them. But on these asphalt trails, they become teeth-chattering bumps and are dangerous. To repair these, the asphalt must be cut out with a saw and then patched, or at the very least, ground down. If you ride the Hennepin Canal Trail (105 miles), you will see the result of good intentions (paved surface) gone bad (no maintenance). It would have been much better to leave it in limestone gravel.

Just completed cycling Sedalia to Defiance on 1 October over 6 hot days; I'll post more when I get the chance.

I am also against paving or tarmacing. I have cycled in France on tarmac trails and it's easier than gravel, of course. But it has to be maintained and after a while it starts to feel less trail and more road - loses some of the feeling of being off the beaten track.

In UK we have some good shortish rail trails which have gravel like the the Katy or the Allegheny Passage. They make for good riding.

We thought that the work to repair the Katy has been amazing. The trail surface still seems a bit rough (and that excludes the Coopers Landing to Hartsburg section which we avoided), but largely as you expect in autumn - twigs, walnuts, stones here and there, leaves starting to fall.

Maintenance on asphalt trails would be a lot more expensive. Plus, it would attract people going wayyyy too fast.

Your road bike will probably fit some fatter tires that will make the gravel doable for you.

I like BikerBoy's answer. I ride on the same trails that he does over in Illinois and the cost of creating asphalt trails and maintaining them is huge.

However there's an answer. It's a well know opinion in the cycling community that the optimum number of bikes is N+1 where N is the number of bikes that you have now. In other words, buy a bike that works better for the Katy Trail. A relatively cheap hybrid is a great bike for the Katy. If you want to go upscale, cyclocross or gravel bikes work very well. I went from a hybrid, to a touring bike (both with 700x32 tires, to now a gravel bike that has fat 650b x 47 tires. A dual suspension, knobby tired mountain bike is probably overkill, but still would work.

My brother and I just rode from Clinton to St. Charles last week.
I lost my prescription Ray Ban sunglasses somewhere. Possibly between Augusta and St. Charles. They are gold and black in a soft crescent moon shaped black case with red lining. I would appreciate someone answering this post if they found them. They were very expensive.

Hi Mason, I am curious to hear what complications concerning trail conditions, detours, etc. you encountered during your ride from Clinton to St. Charles. My brother and I are riding the same beginning next week.

Does anyone have a feel for how long it may take for the trail to be in decent condition? I'm planning a July 2020 ride from Grafton,IL to Kansas City. Hopefully the majority of the trip will be on KT and Rock Island.

By next year everything should be in good shape except maybe Machens to St. Charles. There's good roads from Grafton to St. Charles with not too much traffic.

Of course all bets are off if there's another big Missouri River flood in 2020.

I was up in Jeff City last week. The guy who owns the bike shop said the trail is rideable now. There are some rough spots, some very easy detours, some sandy areas, and other minor problems, but people are doing thru trips now. You may want to have some larger tires on your bike (rough gravel road capable) for some spots.

A couple weeks ago we rode your route backwards, from Sedalia to St. Charles, then rode to Golden Eagle & Brussels ferries, crossing to Grafton. A few detours but no problems. Our report is somewhere below.

I've been riding the trail from Columbia for about 15 years. The trail floods and is damaged regularly, it seems to me. This year was way worse than normal of course! But bottom line, July would be flood season, for sure ... so just have to wait and see.

Wanting to have a home base and just do very short day trips which include lunch stop. Any suggestions from those who are familiar with the trail. Where would the best home base and the best short (scenic) trails to hit? I was thinking about starting a Defiance as it seems to be the starting point with the shortest area between trail heads or towns. Comments or suggestions encouraged Please!

I would lean more towards Hermann. It is a more centrally located on the eastern half of the trail so it would give you more options for your day trips with shorter drives. It also has the advantage of more dining options in the evening.

I am from Columbia and know the trail from Rocheport to Cooper's Landing (just W of Easly) and then the MKT connector into Columbia. Columbia has nice and quite extensive trail system around town. Rocheport has at least one place to eat on the trail, and a bluff-top winery (hard to ride to if not experienced, IMO). Beyond that, there are no places to eat or get refreshments (reliably) anywhere on the Katy between Rocheport and Cooper's Landing. Cooper's Landing is no longer reliably open this year ... it had extensive flooding, and the new owner simply is not manning the store (literally) during regular hours.

Bottom line, a person could spend a whole day riding around on the Columbia semi-urban trails and have a ton of options for eating and sleeping. Those trails are lovely, wooded, affairs with cool bridges over Ozark streams with some foot and bike traffic, but not a ton. If staying in Columbia, Rocheport and back is roughly a 40 mile round trip. If you could make that distance, going there, eating, and coming back is quite a lovely ride. Columbia to Cooper's Landing and back is roughly 35 miles, but again, nothing to eat along the way.

Is the entire trail accessible?

No.

Or detours clearly marked or is it just a guessing game?

There is info at the top of the homepage for this great website (bikekatytrail.com), including a link to the state parks page with more information:

https://mostateparks.com/advisory/80026/current-trail-closures-and-alerts-katy-trail-state-park


There is also a new link from this set with updates from trail users:

https://bikekatytrail.com/trail-condition-report.aspx

Thank you for the info.

see my post from Sept 3rd with GPX files and comments




Karl Brand from Missouri City, TX on 09/03/2019 06:39 AM

this sunday oct 6th planning a ride- is the trail open from Portland trailhead to the Mokane trailhead? thanks for any info.

I don’t believe they have cleared up the rockslide west of Portland. The detour involves riding on Highway 94 for a half mile or so. I don’t like riding on roads but this was pretty short and I didn’t mind it. That said, this is Octoberfest and the traffic to and from Hermann is pretty heavy on the weekends so you’ll have to decide what your comfort level is.

Just finished a two day cycling trip with my 11 year old son. I was a little nervous bringing him into the Mokane Bar as it looks a little "shady" from the outside. Rick provided some of the best customer service I've ever experienced and I noticed that he was being careful with his language around my son - a courtesy I've learned not to expect from people anymore, but one that I greatly appreciated. The mushroom swiss burger, the onion rings, and the breaded chicken sandwich were all excellent. My son and I left there and rode stuffed, rested, and happy all the way to the hostel in Tebbetts. Rick said that he can work with really large cycling groups whenever they call and arrange things ahead of time.

That's one of the best burgers along the trail in my opinion. Shady yes but great place to grab lunch.

Yep, a great place to have lunch. Don't judge a book by its cover. :)

Stayed at the Hotel Bothwell as we did 10 years ago, after day one of riding the trail through to Machens. The Hotel is historic and clean, and staff were very accommodating. Fancy though it is, they welcome bike riders, store their bikes and even have a bike wash station. Enjoyed dinner at Fitters Fifth St Pub - CJ was great and shared the establishment's history. Nice free hotel breakfast got us started in the morning. Close to the trail and reasonably priced, we highly recommend.

The Bothwell is our choice as well....Ditto your remarks

Similar to the Rocheport-Hartsburg section, this stretch bore the brunt of the flooding and will continue to be affected with rising waters and rainfall. Still, each section has its highlights.

The detour through Klondike Park is well marked and provides a spectacular view of the lake that would be missed from the trail. After Weldon Springs, a large tree blocks the trail but riders can walk around it. Four miles past the St. Charles trail head, the trail is closed and would be completely impassable in wet weather. The Black Walnut trail head is open but just before Machens, a literal canyon is under repair. As noted on the Closure page, the trail essentially ends at the 36 mile marker.

My personal favorite stay during our six day adventure. Ken and Melissa were excellent hosts. Greeted with cookies and cold beverages.
Breakfast was fantastic! Enjoyed the upstairs porch and garden patio in the evening. Priced right. Will definitely return!

Stayed at the Slate Creek Farmhouse, a working farm with a delightful host. Stocked kitchen and nice amenities. Peaceful!

Trail is in good condition through this stretch. Closure page indicates storm damage at Case, Treloar and Augusta Bottom Rd but all navigable at this writing. Easy detours at bridge replacements.

We found that there are detours around areas where it’s indicated on the site that there are none, but since they route you onto highways, they’re not approved – understandably for liability reasons.

Trail conditions much better on this stretch but still a work in progress. Short, manageable detour at Portland.

Kudos to the MO Dept of Natural Resources and all the volunteers who have worked tirelessly to restore the trail. Thanks too to those keeping up the Closures and Alerts page. Accurate and up to date.
https://mostateparks.com/advisory/80026/current-trail-closures-and-alerts-katy-trail-state-park

Is there available parking at Clifton City where one could park without fear of being towed to start biking here?

Beautiful day with excellent trail conditions (mostly!) and fabulous scenery through Cooper’s Landing. There were three significant detours on today’s route. The first, just out of Boonville across the bridge, was fairly easy. The second, about 10 miles in, required a few miles of travel on Hwy 40 without ample shoulder to Rocheport. As posted all over this forum, the 5 miles of trail after Cooper’s Landing through Easley to Wilton was challenging with sand and gravel. We made it through but at this point where the trail was closed, we snagged a ride for the last 4 miles since we were lucky enough to be supported.

Stayed at the Boonslick Guest House after Day 2 on the trail. A step back in time, this amazing second floor home over a first floor business was comfy, heartwarming and spacious, with a room in back for bike storage. Enjoyed Greek food at The Palace just two doors down and the fridge/pantry were well stocked for breakfast. Outstanding price and close to the trail, we highly recommend.

Great place.

Trail in this section is in good shape! A bit sandy, as expected in the equestrian portions. Cool to see the connection to the new Rock Island Trail in Windsor. Will continue to update throughout the week on our way to Machens.

Thank you for your updates! I will be following these. I am responsible for planning a trip for 6 of us in mid October, and a bit anxious about it going well ! Two couples from S.CA and we from Utah..... One couple have never experienced a multi day cycle tour.

We plan to post daily. Hope you find them helpful!

Did three day ride with group of 8 over the weekend - Sedalia to Rocheport/ Rocheport to Jeff City/ Jeff City to Hermann. Great ride overall.

Start with the easiest section - Jeff City to Hermann. Trail was in great shape, just a couple places with some big ruts. The detour for the rockslide, at MM 118-117, was short and easy - just go south at the gravel road, east on 94 for a half mile or so across a bridge, and then back on the trail.

Sedalia to Rocheport - great shape until the detour at Boonville. The Boonville detour isn't bad - once you are over the bridge, short ride on 40, the gravel road turnoff come up quick, and then back on the trail.

The second detour, as has been said here, is gnarly and dangerous. Pop out the gravel parking lot on road 445 to Highway 40, and go east. Then you are on a busy highway, with little shoulder (and what there is has car rumbles), going up a huge hill. It stinks. Luckily cars gave us plenty of room. We elected to get off of 40 and hit the gravel road 440 into Rocheport, which though less trafficky, did have a pretty large hill at the end. This is the detour we all hated, and would've been worth a shuttle.

As far as Rocheport to Jeff City, as everyone knows there is a several mile section of trail after Cooper's Landing that is currently closed. We met a few people who arranged shuttling around it.

Since it is closed, we certainly couldn't advocate going through the trail in defiance of park regulations. Interestingly, though, we did talk to another, similar group of 8, who did brave the trail through the closed sections. They found about 20% sandy sections where they had to walk, 20% kind of overgrown sections which were still rideable, and 60% or so of just decent trail. Most of the sandy sections were said to be after Cooper's Landing. Overall, they said, it was not very hard, certainly not dangerous, and overall kind of a fun adventure to go through that section of trail. Lucky people, those 8.

For our 8 (who certainly didn't go through the closed section, and made some other arrangements which currently escape my recollection), the trail from Rocheport to Cooper's Landing was just perfect, shady and beautiful and wonderful. Hartsburg to Jeff City was in fine shape too.

A few other notes - we saw the Big Bur Oak Tree, it is right off the trail and worth a spot. 35th on Main in Hartsburg and Katarina's Cafe in Pilot Grove were great lunch spots. Abigail's in Rocheport was on point as usual, and Central Dairy in JC did not disappoint.
The Mokane Market made very serviceable sandwiches for our last day.

Enjoy your riding

Just road Clinton to St Charles. Just east of Coopers Landing was tough. We took the River road for 5 plus miles. It was very rough gravel road. In hindsight, probably should have shuttled around it. The trail was completely gone.

So helpful Lee Summit Biker and KC Gary. Leaving Boonville tomorrow for Hartsburg. Sounds like we'll have to be creative.

DOES ANYONE KNOW IF THERE IS PARKING AT THE TRAILHEAD IN DEFIANCE? IS IT SAFE TO LEAVE YOUR CAR THERE FOR A FEW DAYS? HOW FAR IS IT FROM THE AMTRAK STATION IN WASHINGTON AND CAN YOU BIKE IT? THANKS

SORRY... MEANT DUTZOW

Nice trail head at Dutzow with lots of parking. Fills up on weekends but you can always find a space.

It is about 5 miles from the Washington Amtrak station to the Dutzow trailhead. It is easier to cross the MO River now on the new bridge (not sure if bike lane is open yet, but shoulders are very wide). However, you would then have 3-4 miles along a busy Highway 47 with a narrow shoulder. Some people can handle this, while others would be uncomfortable. There is an alternative route along Augusta Bottom Road (from near bridge to trail crossing between Dutzow and Augusta), but it is not a great option either (gravel with a fair bit of traffic as well).

Trail in this section is in good shape as well and so beautiful! Many creeks and bridges - even saw an otter in Shaver Creek. No detours or closures. Lots of small limbs and black walnuts on the trail, but you can easily navigate them. Don't miss the old Katy railroad bridge just past the Boonville trail head by the Isle of Capri parking lot.

Whoops - should mention the Sedalia reroute. If you're accustomed to riding on roads for 2-3 miles, you'll be fine. If not, have someone drop you off where the trail picks back up. There's decent signage to guide you.

Is it allowed to park long term (7 days) at the Pleasant Hill Trailhead?

That's what the trailhead lots are for, parking for trail users.

Staying that long, you should alert the local police/sheriff that your car will be there. Otherwise, it may be towed.

The signs that were put at trail entrance points as the construction was finished now all say "Trail Closed". Anyone know why? There are no barriers to the entrance points and there are many riders and walkers on the trail but the sudden appearance of those signs are worrisome. Does this have anything to do with the pending legislation?

*Correction: Pending lawsuit NOT legislation!

I would also like to know the reason for these signs.

I was on the RIT yesterday 5/4/19 starting at the Northern most trailhead at Brickyard Rd. The Trail Closed sign was still up. I went South two miles and didn't see any construction. The trail under the bridge was wet but that was it. I also saw several cyclists that went farther South than I did but no one reported construction. They mystery continues ...

The signs have been removed and the trail is open at least to the park in Lee's Summit.

Stayed at the Parkfield Inn Clinton the night before hitting the trail through to Machens. The Inn was clean, modern, comfy and spacious. Enjoyed dinner at El Camino Real directly behind the Inn and the free breakfast got us started in the morning. Bring your swimsuit - nice pool and hot tub. Reasonably priced and close to the trail, we highly recommend.

My itinerary requires me to camp in the Manchens area. Can you camp at the Machens Trailhead? If not, is there somewhere on or near the trail in that general area where I can camp? I don't need any facilities, just a place to pitch my tent for the night and then be on my way in the morning.

There is no camping right at the Machens Trailhead (there is not much there at all). Based on a quick google maps search, there is a private campground at Portage Des Sioux, which is only a few miles away.

Bear in mind, the trail received extensive damage toward the eastern end, with several miles closed from Machens to close to St. Charles. There are some less-traveled roads that you could take in the area, but the trail itself is closed in this area.

Which sections of the trail are closed? Where are there bike shops that rent bikes that are close to the trail?

There's a link for trail conditions somewhere at the top of the screen that's supposed to show the latest trail conditions.

Towns and Services shows bike shops. Call them to see if they rent or if they know who does.