rperkins146

I am planning on taking a 4 day trip on the Katy trail this October 6-9. Never done this, but want this to be the first trip. I am planning on starting on the East end of the trail (St Charles area). I am looking at camping. The temperature history is 54°F to 73°F . I have the bike, Ortleib panniers, and a tent.


I have a start to a plan, and want you all to scrutinize it or give me tips or suggestions. I plan for this to be an enjoy the sights trip, not a hurry to each destination trip.






My beginning plan:
10-6 - leave St Charles
bike 38 miles - camp at Marthasville


10-7 bike 65 miles - camp at N Jefferson
turn around to head back to vehicle


10-8bike 76 miles - camp at Augusta


10-9bike 26.9 miles - return to truck


my thoughts that might get questioned...
Should I plan any days at B&B's? (what is the typical cost)
Is 76 miles too far for a day? I ride that far easily but haven't done this touring.


what places along the way would you suggest eating at?
what stops along the way are a must?

spinnaker

Ping @robow. He is pretty much an expert on the Katy. I think he is from your neck of the woods too.

Grocery

I would not sweat about details to be honest. There are enough options if you want to camp or hole up in a motel somewhere. Katy Trail / Rock Island Spur Towns and Services is pretty good resource to see what's where. You can totally do 70+ miles a day as it's pretty much flat and road surface is not that bad. Not as fast rolling as on tarmac, but it's smooth enough.

Sandygirl

I used to ride ( recreational..not camping) the Katy when I lived an hour from there. Loved it. Tho you will run into a lot of families and tricycles as you start from St Charles...but you will soon surpass them as head further out on the trail. I always enjoyed the rides. I would get to marthasville then turn back. Day ride.

Enjoy!
Sandy

boomhauer

October is the best time of the year.
Your plan is perfect. I wouldn't change a thing.
76 miles with gear is fine. The terrain is perfectly flat along the Missouri river.
There is a nice brewery in Augusta. I've eaten there several times. You can walk up the steep hill to your camp site.

Tourist in MSN

If you are new to this and it sounds like you are, an out and back trip can be a good idea. Then if something is not quite to your liking, it is easier to bail out by turning around earlier.

Katy was my second tour. I started by taking Amtrak from Kirkwood to Sedalia, then to Clinton and back East. And finished up with 20 miles through city streets during rush hour (which was less than pleasant) to get to our vehicle in the Amtrak parking lot at Kirkwood.

I do not know if Sedalia to Kirkwood would exceed your goal for daily distance, but if you wanted to make this a one way trip, Amtrak makes that an option. But this option would not give you the contingency of being to bail out early.

mstateglfr 

76mi of loaded riding, on a steady incline, rolling on crushed limestone, is a lot.

Its totally doable, but its a lot. Just be aware thst 76mi with those considerations is mire energy output compared to 76mi of paved path on a day ride.

East to west is a steady climb. So heading back to the stsrt should prove easier.

boomhauer

The 76 miles is DOWNSTREAM

The gravel is well compacted. It's the easiest 76 miles you could ever hope for.

robow

Since I was pinged and the OP is from the Soy Bean City (my birthplace), I'll add my 2 Lincolns. 76 miles may or may not be problematic depending on your fitness and how wet the substrate is. IMO a mile on wet crushed limestone is far more taxing than a mile on decent pavement, especially when loaded down. My average speed will drop 1-1.5 mph on the trail. Sept./October is my favorite time to hit the Katy climate wise but with one caveat, many of the small mom and pop B&B's and diners start closing or limit their hours after Labor Day or by mid October so call ahead and take plenty of provisions.

As to where to eat, how do you feel about Thai food served Midwestern style? Also, there's a golf course not too far off the trail and somewhat hidden but if you can catch it right, the old man on the griddle serves up a mean burger at the pro shop.

A couple of us are talking about doing it again this fall now that it has been lengthened by connection to its new sister trail but we generally take Amtrak and ride just one way. Have fun, take pics, and let us know how it went.

CliffordK

It has been a while since I was on the trail, but as mentioned, I did find my speed would drop some with trail riding vs pavement. There was a section where the road went parallel to the trail, and I would occasionally hop off the trail for a reprieve (although I was honked at by the cars )

I remember some pretty good winds around Augusta/Marthasville, but I don't remember which direction they were blowing. Anyway, pay attention to the prevailing winds with your planning.

I don't drink, but I think there are some popular vineyards around Augusta.

I assume most of the small towns have restaurants. I did eat in a nice little restaurant maybe 1/4 mile off the trail in Defiance. I think Marthasville had a caboose turned into an ice cream stop, for a good stop.

All of my riding on the trail was with my road bike, and the surface was fine with narrow tires.

boomhauer

If you feel that 76 miles is a bit more than you can chew then you could stay at the bicycle hostel in Tebbetts. It's free and in October it won't have many people. There are at least 12 sets of bunk beds and a shower. There is a place to eat next door (maybe open that time of year). I've stayed there twice. It's nice.
This would shorten your second and third day by 10 miles.

robow

Hey Boom, to my knowledge, the hostel has never been free. Though often there is no one overseeing the place, the fees are generally on the honor system.

Katy Trail Turner Shelter | Conservation Federation of Missouri

Tourist in MSN

I thought it was free when I stayed there in the fall of 2010, but that was 6.5 years ago and it is easy for me to forget where I spent a few dollars after that much time has passed.

Dan Burkhart 

Iv'e only done a couple of short rides on the Katy, a 40km out and back from St.Charles, and a ride from Boonville in December a few years ago. The trail through Boonville was so soft, I got a major workout with a 10 mile ride. My 27 x 1 1/4 tires were leaving ruts.

rperkins146

after reading some of the comments, and talking to a fellow rider this morning who has made a few trips on the Katy trail, I am likely going to Amtrak and ride West to East.






first new question: Since I am now planning to Amtrak and ride one way West to East, where to Park? I expect to get off near St Charles but that is negotiable.




New plan to scrutinize:


10-6 Amtrak to (Clinton?)
ride 61 miles to Pilot grove - camp


10-7
ride 49 miles to Hartsburg - camp


10-8
ride 76 miles to Marthasville - camp


10-9
ride 32 miles to St Charles - drive home

mstateglfr 

Ok, the 65mi ride west, so upstream would apply to what i said.
I will still say that 76mi can be a lot on that trail. Just depebds on the day's conditions.

Tourist in MSN

In 2010, I got on Amtrak at Kirkwood. The Amtrak staff told us where to park the vehicle, which was across the street from the station. That was years ago, parking was free but I have no idea if it is still free. They take reservations and there is a limit on how many bikes on each train. We carried our bikes onto the train at the conductors direction.

Rode the train west to Sedalia and got off there. Biked east. On our last day, biked about 20 miles on city streets back to Kirkwood in the afternoon.

You should check and see if Amtrak still has parking at that station before you try it. I do not recall why we started at Kirkwood, we probably looked at a map and concluded it made sense.

robow

You can park your car at the St. Charles trail head and ride over to Kirkwood to catch the Amtrak and take it to Sedalia (right on the trail) and start riding back from there. It is extremely important that you get your Amtrak tickets in advance along with the ticket for your bike as they only allow 4 bikes on a train and those spots can go fast.

The other option is drive to Portage De Sioux, MO and park at the marina and then ride down to the St. Louis Amtrak and begin your journey that way. If you do the latter, then you'll get a chance to ride the eastern section of the trail, St. Charles to Machens and end up only a couple of miles away from your parked car. Below are a couple of my routes from both parking areas to both Amtraks.

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/12321263

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/12321040

robow

Sorry I missed this before but Amtrak does not follow the Katy Trail completely, and therefore does not go to the trailhead at Clinton. It either takes you further north to Warrensburg, MO or you can get off at Sedalia where both Amtrak and the trail intersect. To get to Clinton, if you so want to ride the entire trail, will require a shuttle over to Clinton or you can make the 30 mile ride from the Warrensburg Amtrak stop. Of course you can get off at Sedalia and ride west to Clinton and then back or just start your ride at Sedalia. IMO, the crummiest and most boring part of the Katy is the Clinton to Sedalia portion anyway.

lanahk

Ooh, my neck of the woods.

If it doesn't rain heavily around your ride, 76 miles is doable. If we get some of those 4" rains we've been getting, the trail will be mushy for a couple of days. If you are in reasonably good shape, you won't have a problem.

B&Bs are expensive. If you need a break from the tent, consider a hotel in Jefferson City.

zebkedic

I would agree with what everyone else said about Amtrak. Ride train to Sedalia, decide if you want to shuttle over to Clinton or not. Riding west to east is an easier pedal in my experience. For whatever reason, the ride east to west is a marginal grade up, barely noticeable but it does exist. Your planned stops are pretty good. Camping locations are outlined on their web site. The Katy Trail Turner Shelter is pretty decent and cost is $6 per person on the honor system usually. As said above, if it rains, the trail can be soft in some locations, but overall, its a great ride and i think you are picking a perfect time of year.

- Cpt. Bob

Squeezebox

The Katy in Oct. means Octoberfest. Lots of drunks on the road, even daytime. Particular near Herman and Augusta. Stay off highway 94.