Best section of the Katy Trail?
 

I'll have two days to ride the Katy trail next weekend.

What 100 miles is the most scenic.

You'll hear various opinions but it is NOT the most western part towards Clinton.

That section has it's charms but I'd agree. Booneville to St Charles is probably the best.

Looks like no rain this week so the trail should be in good shape, hopefully. It seems that many people like the Boonville or Rocheport to Jefferson City section. It runs along the river more on this section with bluffs much of the way, the scenery is nice. I would say Boonville to McKittrick (Herman) might work, it's about 90 miles with Jefferson City at about the mid-point. But coming from up north maybe an out and back from St. Charles would be more appealing to you.

In case you don't know already, the water is turned off for winter at the trail heads and you should call ahead if you plan to stay at a B&B. Campgrounds also have the water off until the first of April. Services in general are pretty lean this early. Hope this helps, Good luck!

Not to be negative, but I'm thinking the trail would be a little soft this time of year.

I rode it in 2007 and I remember it not being the most amazing experience. The trail was not very scenic or supported except near major cities/towns. Even then, as others have noted, you need to plan ahead as water could be off, stores/restaurants may not be open on certain days, and so forth.

Here's the first entry from my journal on the Katy Trail - http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/p..._id=58713&v=3t

+1 on Booneville to St Charles being the most scenic.

My wife and I rode it last May and thought it was a great experience. I think it depends on how you like to tour. We cycled out of our driveway to the nearest Amtrak station, took trains to Sedalia, cycled to Clinton, then back to St Louis. A couple days we rode 50 mi, but other days we'd make side trips, or just hang out and experience some town all day. There are some very challenging ( for us at least) climbs out of the river valley. The Katy Trail is 230 mi. Our total trip was about 400 mi.

I'd second the idea of checking ahead for services, especially if you're considering inn-to-inn in the off season.

Concur with Booneville to St. Chuck. I've ridden the trail end-to-end the last two years and plan on doing it again. Registration for the DNR's supported ride in June starts on March 1st.

http://mostateparks.com/2013-katy-trail-ride

Boonville to St Charles is about 150 miles. That length does contain some of the best stuff. But it also contains some of what some people refer to as the Katy Tedium. If I had to pick 100 miles it would be hard, but if you started at Boonville or Franklin, that would but Marthasville at about 100+ miles. Starting in Boonville lets you cross the river, then go through the tunnel at Rocheport. from there its varied, I like the long lonely stretches for just pedaling and thinking.
From Marthasville on there is some pretty stuff, but if you are wanting 100 linear miles then thats what you get.
You have no doubt seen the Katy website, but heres a link to the milage charts. You might be able to suss out whats open and whats not by clicking on the towns info. http://www.bikekatytrail.com/mileage-chart.aspx

And I actualy really like the clinton to Boonville section, its just really rural MO. Once getting Breakfast at a diner in Windsor I listened a horse sale, a guy arranging with a fellow to loan him a combine harvester for the week, and watched another trail rider talking to himself and stuffing chunks of toast into his water bottle... Thats a memory, if not a scenic one.

Agreed Shipwreck, In particular Sedalia to Boonville has a more 'out in the wilds' feel, making it my personal favorite part of the trail and it actually has some noticeable grade to part of it.:eek: The 90 or so miles between Sedalia and Jeff City do have the most varied and scenic terrain of the trail. Would be an excellent ride for nearly 100 miles.

Question; Why would someone stuff "chunks of toast into his water bottle"?

I took my first ride on the Katy Trail yesterday just after sunset. I'm staying at the Wingate in Weldon Springs. It's just off of I64 and is between St. Charles and Defiance at mile 56, about 16 miles from St. Charles. Access to the trail from the hotel on bike was easy and immediate, just a short ride on pavement to the water treatment plant on Busch Greenway. All of this is on the western border of the Missouri Bluffs Golf Course.

The trail is firm and smooth. I'm 210 lbs using 700x32 tires and the gravel never felt soft or loose. Riding at sunset was great with no traffic to think about and plenty of wildlife on and near the trail. I'll stay here several days a month during 2013 with a new work assignment.

It will be dry this week and the weekend will be cold with weather near 30f. I have cold weather clothing. I'm planning on riding from the hotel to beyond Treloar at mile 84, whis should provide a 80 mile round trip. Sunday, I'll ride to St Charles and might go to the Alton Bridge at the Mississippi River.

I think that possibly he had some mental problems. If I had run into him at a campground I would have been a little nervous. The thing that really makes it stick in my mind was the way everyone was ignoring him. I tried to be extra normal to the waitress(as normal as you can be wearing a bright yellow shirt in a small town diner while on the end leg of a thousand mile bike ride)to make up for the wierd guy in the corner.
Funny thing, his bike and gear seemed much more expensive than mine. Maybe he had figured out some super hydration trick with toast, I don't know.

Couple years later on a super lightwieght trip I stopped at a blueberry stand and bought more blueberries than I had cargo room for(durned ultralight kit). So I stuffed a bunch into my water bottles, and drank blueberry water untill I stopped and finished them. Made me wonder about my sanity...

I like stopping at the The Augusta Brewery for food and a beer or two. Augusta is a great place if you like wine.

If you want to do some hills, there's Schluersburg Road just outside of Augusta. It was used in the King of the Mountains points competition for the Tour of Missouri one year.

I have a cue sheet for a hilly road ride that starts out of Defiance on the KATY. If interested email me at oclv5200@hotmail.com .