Reply to Katy going to flood in St. Charles?

OK this is just wrong. This Friday is my birthday and I was going to ride from St. Charles to Augusta, camp at Klondike and come back Saturday. I just read that the Missouri River is going to rise by as much as 17 feet by this weekend and reach levels not seen since '95. They say parts of Hwy 94 in Defiance will be under water. Uhhhh, are my plans shot?

From stltoday:

<
Zerr said the Katy Trail, ravaged in 1993, probably would stay dry.>>

Hwy. 94 is lower than the Katy in places as I have seen sections flooded in both the Defiance area & Treloar on the highway many times, with the trail remaining dry. Klondike Park is certainly not going to flood, but if you want to camp there, I would call and see what they say. I believe that Park is run by St. Charles County.

Here's a link to the St Louis Post-Dispatch article about the upcoming river crest. The tone of the article goes back and forth between alarming and reassuring. The key quote, which stevek posted, is that they predict the Katy Trail will be safe. But if you're planning a trip in the near future, keep a close eye on the news.Those of you out near or on the trail, please let us know what you see (if you're not too busy filling sandbags).

Here is a link to the NOAA site where you can watch the river levels. It also tells you what is
happening when the river reaches various levels...including what parts of the Katy Trail are
flooded at what stages (at least it does for the Jeff City area). The MO is out of its banks
around here in the KC area and I was told that I-29 was closed at Craig yesterday due to
flooding of the MO (that is north of St. Jo). Here's the link:

http://www.crh.noaa.gov/ahps2/index.php?wfo=lsx&view=1,1,1,1,1,1

What about other parts of the trail? Is there danger of flash flooding or flooding along creeks, etc.?

From the MO DNR website on 5/7 http://www.mostateparks.com/katytrail/conditions.htm

There are washouts between MM 174 (two miles west of Huntsdale) to MM 181 (three miles west of Rocheport). The trail is still passable but is very rough in those areas. Trail users should exercise extra caution.

On Weds., May 9, the trail will be closed from approximately MM 136.5 to MM 137.1 (east of Wainwright) for culvert replacement. Trail users should watch for the detour onto Hwy. 94.

helpful links, thanks

According to this article from the Columbia Missourian newspaper, Katfish Katy's and Coopers Landing are now closed:http://digmo.org/stories/2007/05/09/bracing-high-water/Also, the DNR suggests avoiding the Rocheport area, where sandbags are being placed along the trail.

Yeah, the water is surrounding Cooper's Landing and there is sandbagging in Hartsburg and Rocheport. I have heard that Huntsdale should be OK, but that the campground at Katfish Katy's is underwater.
The Columbia Daily Tribune website should also be helpful. It is columbiatribune.com

Hi all. Rocheport is HIGH & DRY! Current estimates predict that the Mo River will not even come within 1-2 feet of crossing the trail. In other words, other than some sandbags/flood preparation, the town is UP & RUNNING. All B&Bs, restaurants, businesses, etc. are GOOD TO GO! Most trail sections are bikable although a short stretch through town here does have sandbags covering one half of trail's width. Current river predictions having river levels quickly subsiding after Sunday. There's still plenty of biking to be done in the local community and some areas of the Katy Trail near town. We'll all be back to normal by next week. Please spread the word!!!! Thanks!!!!! The comment "The MO DNR recommends avoiding Rocheport, where sandbagging is being done on the trail" should read "MO DNR recommends avoiding 2,400 feet of trail in Rocheport, where sandbagging is being done. The rest of the town is fine!" Most people don't realize that 99% of our town is NOT in the bottom -- in other words, other than sandbagging a few low lying houses on the edge of town on Moniteau Creek, life here is continuing as is. Any questions please check back here. This weather offers a really great opportunity to bike a bit and bring your canoe or kayak. The local wetland areas are flooded with a few feet of water, and you will have a once in a lifetime chance to paddle areas not normally accessible, through cottonwood forests and towering river birch. No river current, no worries. I'll try to post once a day for the next two weeks. In two weeks this will all be behind us. Please come see us! Thank you! Brett Dufur, Mayor of Rocheport and author of The Complete Katy Trail Guidebook

good luck, 5/12 we'll be finding out for ourselves what conditions are like west of defiance and will post update pm.

Trail was perfect. Klondike was cool. Folks weren't kidding about that hill. Made it though.