Katy Trail (Missouri)

[Butch1979]

Looks like we are going to spend some time biking on the Katy trail in June of this year. We plan on taking our time and covering about 30-40 miles per day because we'll have our 3 year old with us on the back of my Surly Big Dummy.

We are going to stay in cool bed and breakfasts and lodges hopefully.

Has anybody put any miles in on the trail? I'll keep everyone posted with our plan and timeline in case someone wants to replicate it in the future

http://www.bikekatytrail.com

Cheers

Butch

 

[p nut]

Never been there, but hope to some day. Looks like a very ideal place for family bike touring. Is your 3yr old in a Yepp seat? I thought about taking off the Yepp Maxi for our 2.5 year old and replacing it with the Hooptie when she turns 3. Then she can sit by her big sister and the lower COG will be welcomed by me.

 

[Butch1979]

She is still chilling in the Yepp, not sure when we will move her to a hooptie setup. I kind of like having her secured at the moment. I am afraid she might just jump off if not LOL.

Keep you guys posted on this trip, putting together timeline now.

Butch

 

[fortel]

check these links:

http://www.bikekatytrail.com/

http://mostateparks.com/park/katy-trail-state-park

I live in Jefferson City and ride the sections east and west of us pretty extensively.

West of Rocheport the trail is largely away from the river and out in the open. From Rocheport east the trail is in the Missouri River bottoms and is at times sandwiched between the river and the bluffs. Generally lots of shade along the trail due to the canopy of trees. Surface is crushed stone and generally pretty smooth unless it is a freshly repaired section which may have some larger gravel mixed in. I run Continental Travel Contacts in a 38 width on my Tricross. Anything bigger is not really needed but 23-25 road tires are too wimpy. Anywhere in between and you should be fine. Be aware of rolling off the trail surface, in sections the honey locust trees and their wicked thorns will do a number on your tires. There is also plenty of poison ivy along the sides of the trail but does not need to be a problem since the trail is 10 feet wide or so. There's plenty of room to ride side by side as long as you aren't meeting oncoming riders, then its the normal drill of dropping back single file until clear. Same way with passing slower riders - simply call "on your left". You will encounter, especially if its a weekend, recreational (using the term pretty loosely) riders who don't understand these riding rules so a smile and a little patience goes a long way with them. But most of the time you will have long stretches of solitude.

The links above will give you a pretty comprehensive list of food, water, lodging/camping resources. At Jefferson City, you can take a spur trail from the Katy trailhead and cross the river and ride into town. There is a great bike shop - Red Wheel - just a few blocks down from where you cross the river into town if you need repairs or bike supplies.

Each trailhead location generally has water and restrooms, some have bike tools and air available also.

The Katy is a great rail-to-trail conversion, and if the proposed Rock Island Line gets converted, would give us almost 500 miles of connected rail-to-trail riding. How cool would that be. If you have any other specific questions I would be glad to try and answer for you.

 

[fortel]

Couple of more bits of info.

http://www.bikekatytrail.com/katy-trail-bed-bikefest.aspx
This site experience frozen pipes over winter which flooded the house and is currently being repaired. It may or may not be back in service by June. I work with the owner and will ask him status next time I see him. Owner says repairs are mostly done and the site will be back in operation by early May.

http://www.bikekatytrail.com/rivercene-mansion-b-b.aspx
My wife and I stayed here a couple of years ago. Its an amazing old house and the owners are nice. It is a bit of a ride if you wanted to go into Booneville from the house though.

 

[Butch1979]

Fortel

Great info! Thanks for all this. We are in the beginning stages of putting this one together. We will likely ride the entire 200+miles depending on time. We are working now to develop an agenda.

I'll hit you up if we have any specific questions.

Butch

 

[Butch1979]

So we've booked the train ride to Sedalia where we will start this venture. We are biking to Herman and plan to accomplish this in 3 days with 2 overnight stays outside of Sedalia.

Suggestions on towns we should stop in?

 

[fortel]

Splitting Sedalia to Hermann into 3 days/2 nights, I would suggest Rocheport for night 1 and Jefferson City for night 2.

Day 1 will largely be away from the Missouri River and more rural/agricultural in feel. Rocheport is a neat little village and has B&B's just yards from the trail, and Les Bourgeois Vineyards and Winery is not too far up the paved road from town, info on it at missouriwine.com.

Day 2 would be the most scenic with the Manitou Bluffs just downriver from Rocheport. You will be near or along the river for most of this stretch to Jeff City. Lots of opportunities for stops on this stretch. At the North Jefferson City trailhead you take the connector spur trail across the river into Jeff City. Cliff Manor B&B is just a block from the Connector Trail trailhead and overlooks the river and the state capitol bldg. http://www.cliffmanorinn.com/ Paddy Malone's is an Irish pub and grill about a block away and Red Wheel bike shop is another block or so down towards the state capitol. There are also a couple of hotels close by if that works better.

Day 3 runs through the Missouri River bottomland with bluffs to your left and the river to your right although most of this stretch the river is out of sight on the far side of the bottomland. Hermann is a scenic town with quite a few wineries. Again, you will leave the Katy and cross the river to get into town.

Feel free to PM me if you need help with specifics or have other questions.

 

[Butch1979]

Day 1 lodging LOCKED in Rocheport, owner of this B&B literally wrote the book on the trail

http://www.katytrailbb.com/rocheport_katy_trail_bed_breakfast_columbia_missouri_attic_suite.htm

Now working the lodging in Jefferson City.

Excited about this trip. Really looking forward to the Amtrac ride to Sedalia.

 

[fortel]

Your Rocheport B&B host is a co-worker of mine. I think you will enjoy your stay. Again, if you have any other questions give me a shout.

 

[Butch1979]

Your Rocheport B&B host is a co-worker of mine. I think you will enjoy your stay. Again, if you have any other questions give me a shout.

Awesome! His place looks great and the price is really reasonable. We are excited to get the trip going.

 

[Butch1979]

Trip is just around the corner! Stay tuned for pics and trip report. Putting the finishing touches on all of the gear and starting to pack.

 

[Butch1979]

Hearing some rumblings about possible flooding on the trail at the moment. We are still going to attempt the ride with plans to jump off if necessary and just cycle direct to the towns we have reservations in.

 

[fortel]

Just got back from 9 days in South Dakota and saw this post. Here's what I can share right now -

Keep checking this link, if they close any part of the trail it should be posted here:

http://mostateparks.com/page/57948/trail-conditions

Right now at Jeff City the river is above flood stage (and is expected to rise another 5-6 inches) but well below the levee tops. The forecast for the gauge at Jeff City is that the crest will happen Wednesday and then levels will start falling. Saw a friend yesterday while out on a short ride to shake off the return trip drive. He and his wife had ridden from Jeff City up to Hartsburg and back Saturday. He said the side creeks that cross under the trail were very high but not up to the trail bed. There was more rain in the west half of the state and streams are pretty full. But barring anymore heavy rain things should be fine.

 

[fortel]

http://mostateparks.com/advisory/62709/portions-katy-trail-state-park-closed-due-flooding

Right now there are several sections of the trail affected by the Missouri River flooding. The revised crest at Jeff City is for tonight or tomorrow morning and then a slow fall is predicted after that. MO State Parks does a pretty good job of keeping their advisories updated so I would keep checking the links I included in this and the previous post. Hope all works out for your trip.