Kirkwood, in St Louis County, is not on the Katy Trail (not even close).
It's approximately 15 miles away from the eastern end of the trail.
It can be reached by bike, but only by riders who are comfortable cycling on busy streets.
Follow this link for details on how to get from the
Kirkwood (St Louis County) Amtrak station to the Katy Trail by bike.
Shuttles are a great alternative for getting from Kirkwood Station to the Katy Trail (see
The Shuttle Option section below),
for those who'd rather do their pedaling on the trail.
If you park a car near the Kirkwood station during a trip, be sure to ask a station employee for an overnight parking
permit to place on your dashboard.
Washington is about five miles from the
Dutzow trailhead
(but we have a better recommendation for getting there from the trail, on the
Washington MO page.
Hermann is about three miles from the
McKittrick trailhead, and Jefferson City
is just a mile or so from the North Jefferson trailhead.
The
Sedalia Amtrak station is not directly on the Katy Trail; you'll need to travel about 3/4 mile to get there.
From the train station, you'll head south on Ohio (750) about 1/4 mile to 3rd Street. Then head east on 3rd Street;
after about 1/2 mile you'll see the old Katy Depot, which is where the trail is located.
Amtrak does not serve
Clinton, the western-most point on the Katy Trail.
Riders who really want to take the train and want to ride the entire trail will have to take the train to Sedalia,
then ride out-and-back to Clinton.
The trail distance between Sedalia and Clinton is 35 miles.
To avoid double-travelling the Sedalia-Clinton section, some riders may opt to take the train to
Lee’s Summit
and connect to the Rock Island Trail to Windsor.
Or, take Amtrak to Warrensburg and then ride on the country roads and highways to Clinton.
Here's a search of forum discussions involving routes from Warrensburg to Clinton.