Reply to 1st timer

My husband & I would like to try a trail ride this fall. Any suggestions on length of ride,sections of trail to ride with hotel,food suggestions or hints would be appreciated.
Also, do you find it better to do 1 way or round trip rides?

My b/f and I went from Sedalia to St. Charles in 6 days. We like to take our time and enjoyed our ride. The best section was from Rocheport to Jefferson City. We stopped in to have lunch at Dotty's Cafe in Huntsdale (excellant). Capital Plaza Hotel in Jefferson City sent a shuttle to pick us up at N. Jefferson T/H. They were prompt and accomodating. In the morning the front desk asked us to at least give them a 15 minute heads up when we would be ready to head back to the T/H. We loaded up and went from Jefferson City to Mckittrick.

The length that you can ride depends on you! The distance I ride is much longer what others like to ride.....and I'm sure that some riders wouldn't bother loading the bike to ride such a short distance! Consider how often you ride......how far you ride when you do.....thats probably a good distance for you to ride on the Katy!

This site is a very good tool to help you determine where to go and what to see and do. Only you know what you like! The Mileage Chart is very easy to use and can help you determine distances between trailheads, rest stops and places to eat.

All that aside.....and I know we all differ in opinion.....I am partial to the Rocheport area. It is very easily accessable from I-70, has a very nice bike shop with a very friendly owner and staff, has several nice places to eat (the view from the winery is great as well as the food!), has some very nice B & B's, and the scenery is some of Missouri's best from open fields, wooded hills, limestone bluffs, to the mighty Missouri River.

See ya on the trail!

From St. Charles to Clinton, May 29-June 4, 2005

1) It’s fun to adventure from east to west as Lewis and Clark did when they headed out; however, I recommend if you’re doing the whole trail that you start in Clinton. The stretch between Clinton and Sedalia is the straightest and has the least varied scenery, so I think it’s better to do that section when you’re fresh and the trail itself is novel.

2) If you plan to picnic, buy your lunch supplies at the first store you see, maybe even before you leave the town where you spent the night. The KATY goes through very rural countryside, and stores are limited. Towns are miniscule, many virtually abandoned after the floods of ’93 and ’95.

3) If you have a cell phone, definitely bring it. Although Cingular makes it almost impossible for a Verizon user to make calls in some parts of the trail, generally our cell phone was a tremendous convenience in calling ahead to reserve B & Bs.

4) The trail is level and easy to ride. The heat makes the biggest challenge, seconded by wind. Get up early and get started before that midwestern climate starts beating on you too much.

All of the replies add up to good suggestions and thus the only thing I can add is that all along the trail although there are many listed places of business for eating and lodging, but staffing can at some towns be "iffy". Rocheport is absolutely wonderful....just don't go through there on Monday's expecting to eat or have service at the Bicycle shop...unless things have changed since the Dalton Boys ride of '02. I would bypass Coopers Landing, go just a little bit further to Wilton and camp there. One thread that I totally agree with is if you are going self-contained then do shop for food at grocery stores when you get the chance as most of the small towns don't even have a convenience store. I personally like the "out there" nature of the KATY...just be prepared when it comes to re- provisioning, lodging, etc. My brothers and I were totally self-contained so when it rained we hoveled under a bridge. KATY Roundhouse Campground is too good for words. Jefferson City (Capital of Missouri), has a couple of hotels/motels which if you are going to get a room, will come get you on the KATY (bridge across Missouri River on Bike so-o-o-o not recommended), take you back, and usually include ammenities just by virtue of you being a KATY cyclist/hiker. Those ammenities as I recall hink) an included continental breakfast, and coupons for discounts at restaurants, and even tickets to movies. Enjoy the Voyage Mark of the Dalton Boys

Yes.....a few years have past since the Dalton Boys rode through. Air yer tires up and come on back....we're still have'n fun up here!

The Trailside Cafe and Bike Shop is under new ownership....this being his second season.

They are open everyday.....hours and services at http://www.trailsidecafebike.com/

Thanks, Marty and Joe. We really enjoyed reading your account. You may recall that we ran into you as we were riding from Clinton to St Charles. We had a great time too. I like your description of Doug's place. Here is our e-mail address; let us know if you're planning any more long-distance rides. smcg21@hotmail.com.

My wife and I just returned from our first trip on the Katy. We too wondered about a lot of the same things. We called and emailed a number people. Final Decision: to rider West to East for the winds and to start at Sedalia and go to St Charles (total 190 miles). Since it was our first trip without kids in YEARS we didn't mind spending some $$ so we stayed in great B&Bs the entire route. Itinerary: Sedalia (Bothwell) to New Franklin (Riverscene) 40 miles, to Rocheport (Yates House) 12 miles (a VERY short day but we wanted to spend some time in Rocheport), to Jefferson City (Hotel De Ville-no B&Bs) 44 miles, to McKittrick (Meyer's Hilltop Farm) 42 miles, to Augusta (The Red Brick Inn) 34 miles, then the last leg was 27 miles back to our car in St Charles. It was a wonderful trip!

I ride about 150 miles a week here at home but my wife is totally new to cycling and this was fine mileage for her (It did get a little harder in the rain as the rolling resistance goes up). We took our road bikes but with 700x32 Conti Top Touring tires, Spinskin liners, and Thorn Proof tubes and we had NO flats. We had all our stuff in just rear panniers since we were not camping. We both had a wonderful time, even with three days of rain. Victoria is ready to go again and that says a lot for the itinerary. All of the trail is an easy ride and the people were great!