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Scott from Florence on 11/25/2014 7:22:00 PM:

Looking to ride the trail from St Charles to Clinton and back. Our group consists of above average riders and will take place in September. Can it be done comfortably in 3 days, or should we make it a 4 day adventure?

MidSouth from Rogersville, MO on 11/25/2014 7:43:53 PM:

Only you can judge how comfortable it will be doing 150 miles three days in a row. How many days in a row can you do 175 miles on pavement?

ArkyKenny on 11/26/2014 4:57:11 PM:

Supporting/elaborating on what MidSouth said: 150 a day on the Katy a day is both easier and harder to do than pavement. It is flat, but there is more rolling resistance from the surface, you will probably have a larger/heavier/slower bike (plus gear?) than you would normally ride on asphalt, wind problems are more manageable than open road, but you don't have any rest breaks because there are no hills to go down, etc. All that to say, most folks think the equivalent of a century on asphalt is doing about 80-90 on the Katy. For most folks, even strong riders, it's easy to average 12 mph, but tough to average much more than about 15 mph. IF you consider yourself strong riders, I'd say plan on 13-15 mph avg speed and make your plans from that.

El Toro on 11/26/2014 10:00:07 PM:

I would agree with ArkyKenny on this one. My assessment would be the same. I regularly ride 100 miles and longer on asphalt (with much more roll than the KATY) at 15-17 mph. 80-90 miles on the KATY at 12-13 mph is a day's work for me. My longest day was 115 miles and I was tired.

Pseudio on 11/27/2014 7:11:13 AM:

If you are going out and back, and are average riders, which would mean 50-60 miles basically a day, 4 days each way is more realistic.

Anon on 11/27/2014 10:56:16 AM:

Four days would still be a challenging ride. If you're doing the trail for the first time, you'll probably want to do it as fast as you can to just accomplish it. But you might not get to enjoy it or its amenities. In some ways, a six day ride has its advantages: rest periods, great views and food. Good luck on your ride either way.

Don from Ellisville, MO on 11/28/2014 9:08:22 AM:

St. Charles to Clinton and back is 450 miles. That's a lot to consider doing in 3 to 4 days, especially if you're trying to go this time of year. I generally ride the whole trail in 4-6 days, depending with whom I am riding. The difference in pace (and enjoyment) between 4 days and 5 days each way is pretty dramatic. At least for me, I reserve the Katy as my enjoyable ride of the year. On other rides, I like to go faster and take in less of the beauty.

Rory calhoun from Weatherby Lake, Mo. on 12/8/2014 12:14:39 PM:

Add in moisture which widens the difference of pea gravel & hard surface. Anyhoo, drove down yesterday and out to Calhoun on pea gravel & back on #52 just to check both the trail and the difference. Both roads dry. Modest effort 10 on gravel was 15 on #52. So there's that. A more realistic consideration is where you will sleep over and back as it needs to match your itinerary with available campgrounds as none are part of the trail, with no allowable camping on the trail, accommodations are nearby the trail.
There is a posted thread in this comment bracket which addresses that question and the most knowledge gleaned here would likely make your journey enjoyable whether you travel 50 or 150 a day. Hey, take notes and Reese Witherspoon can play your part in the movie version.

Rory calhoun from Weatherby Lake on 12/8/2014 12:36:59 PM:

Doh! (Shoutout to Homer Simpson). Planning 150 mile days prolly means U R staying in hotels & B&B's so prolly no panniers and no "Reese" backpack. So U can do eet! What's the worst that can happen, ignore that last sentence and wear gloves nice wooly socks

Jim from St Thomas on 12/8/2014 7:58:25 PM:

A group of us did Clinton to St Charles in 2 days a few years back. I wasn't dead at the end of it but I definitely knew I had done back to back centuries on chat. If I was going to do an out and back I would do a 4 day ride. My stops would be Hartsburg or Coopers Landing the first night, Clinton the second night and JC the third night.

Brigteq from Tulsa on 2/14/2015 4:25:06 PM:

I've done the Katy three times. The first time in 2003 Clinton to St. Charles and back fully loaded recumbent with two long rain days. I would estimate sixty miles fully loaded would be equivalent to a century on pavement running lite. I jumped to a county road once speed increased from twelve MPH to seventeen MPH immediately. Take your time and enjoy the ride. The 2003 trip was four days each way.

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