Katy Trail Home  The Katy Trail and Rock Island Trail Rock Island Trail Home

Reply to 1st time on Katy


Cancel and Return to Forum
Scroll down to see the discussion
All submissions are reviewed for appropriateness. We reserve the right to remove or edit any comment that we consider incorrect, misleading, or inappropriate, at our sole discretion. Please remember that this is a family-friendly website.
Subject:
Reply to 1st time on Katy
Your Name:

This does not have to be your real name. It could be a "screen name", your initials, or just leave blank.
Your Hometown:

Optional - it's just interesting to know where people are from
Email Address
Comment:
So we know you are a human, please answer this easy math quiz:
1 + 4 =
Gene from St. Paul, MN on 7/26/2015 7:03:10 AM:
Hi all. I have never biked the Katy, do not know the area, and my wife and I plan to bike about 100 miles on our anniversary in early November over a 3 day time period. Any suggestions on the best areas to bike, where to stay, eat, etc.. Sorry for the broad question, looking for ideas and advice.

 
Hank on 7/26/2015 7:59:33 AM:
You have a wide range of options. West side of trail: Start in Sedalia, night 1 in Boonville, night 2 in Columbia (via MKT connector) night 3 in Jefferson City.
East side of trail: Start in Jefferson City, night 1 in Rhineland, McKittrick or Hermann, night 2 in Augusta, night 3 in St. Charles.
Early November can be a nice time to ride, or can be quite chilly. Can't control the weather.

 
MidSouth from Rogersville, MO on 7/26/2015 11:09:08 AM:
You also need to decide if you want to do an out & back 100 miles or 100 miles one way and arrange for some type of shuttle to return to your car.

 
Scott from SW MO on 7/26/2015 11:23:35 AM:
I believe water is shut off November 1 so that is nice you need to make plans.

 
Scott from SW MO on 7/26/2015 11:25:26 AM:
Well iPhone sucks.

Nice should be issue.....

 
gene from st. paul on 7/26/2015 3:52:12 PM:
Thanks for the comments. I think we will take Amtrak and leave car in Jefferson City or Sedalia and bike back to car. will bring plenty of water. I understand it may be chilly but warmer than Minnesota.

 
Cathy from Jefferson City on 7/26/2015 7:49:13 PM:
Another thing to look at is bathrooms. DNR turns off the water and locks bathrooms 11/1 each year. However, the last couple of years they have put portable toilets at some trailheads. They also keep the bathrooms that are like outhouses (I think they call them vault bathrooms) unlocked. In the last couple of years you can check on this website or the Katy Trail State Park website to see which trailheads have some kind of bathroom after 11/1/15.

If you take Amtrak to Jeff City, I believe they will allow you to park your car in a secure lot near the train station while you are on the Katy Trail. The lot is in the vicinity of the Capitol and Capitol Police probably drive down there. Sedalia may have a similar parking situation, but I don't know. You don't want to park at the N. Jefferson Trailhead, as it is not visible from any road and there have been reports of thefts there in the past.

Also, some businesses in the small towns may not be open like they are during the busy season. But just call ahead so you know where you can find a place to eat. Some are open year round. You and your wife will have a great time. That's a wonderful way to celebrate your anniversary.

 
Hank on 7/27/2015 6:43:17 AM:
If you are doing 100 miles out and back then I would start in Sedalia, night 1 in Boonville, ride to Rocheport and back day two, night 2 in Boonville, then back to Sedalia. Hotel Frederick in Boonville is awesome and would be my choice.

 
Donna Miller from Shawnee, KS on 7/27/2015 8:05:32 AM:
Depending on your physical condition and your bikes, Sedalia to Boonville might be a stretch. It's uphill. I'm not in bad shape, but don't do a lot of distance riding on consecutive days. Thirty-five miles a day on my heavy hybrid bike was definitely pushing it.

If you feel comfortable with the distance, Sedalia to Hermann is a nice ride. We did that over four days and then took the bikes on the train from Hermann back to Sedalia. Hermann would be a lovely overnight for your anniversary -- great B&Bs and some nice restaurants.

 
Gene from St. Paul, MN on 7/27/2015 11:25:41 AM:
Thanks for the great advice. I'm thinking I may come a week early, end of October so more services are open. Alos thinking I may do a shuttle as I am a bit worried that the Sedalia to Boonville ride may be a bit tough and based on review of other posts sounds like Rocheport to Augusta is the nicest ride. Not much between Sedalia & Boonville.I'm thinking of starting in Rocheport, stay in Jefferson City or Hartsburg Day 1, Rhineland or Hermann Day 2, and than depending on how we feel stick around hermann for a day and get a shuttle back from there or bike to Marthasville or Augusta. A couple of key issues I'm dealing with are 1. I don't want to book hotel/B&B in advance as I want us to have flexibility to be spontaneous, 2. Shuttle - how do they work, seems like there are a number of shuttles so should not be a problem booking one last minute? Is last weekend in October a busy time? I assume things would slow down by than?

 
Trek on 7/27/2015 12:08:32 PM:
It can be difficult to book lodging in October. Fall tree color, MU football, etc. can make places fill up fast. I like the freedom to be able to be spontaneous also, but it's not always wise in October along the Katy. We have though, spent several Halloween's on the Katy and had the trail mostly to ourselves.

 
MidSouth from Rogersville, MO on 7/27/2015 12:55:15 PM:
Shuttles are not all that easy to book at the last minute either. Best to contact a few of them to see it they may be available during the time frame and area also. Most do as a sideline, not full time.

 
CG from Bellevue, Ne on 7/27/2015 1:21:15 PM:
Gene, my family and I just returned from vacation on the KT. We stayed in Hartsburg at the Globe Hotel B&B. Mark and Leah are the new owners there. We had no expectations of our stay but we were "pampered" with many niceties as a 4 or 5 star hotel...our kids commented not 5 minutes after we got settled. We also stayed in McKittrick/Herman at Joey's Birdhouse. Joey was accommodating, delightful and served up a great breakfast and conversation. Wherever you stay, enjoy!

 
Don from Ellisville, MO on 7/27/2015 3:19:55 PM:
Gene, I echo Trek's comments about planning ahead for October. On the weekends the wineries around Augusta and Hermann get very crowded (for good reason). Around Columbia, there's MU football. However, I have found that Mon-Wed nights during October has some availability.

 
Gary from Near Tebbetts on 7/30/2015 6:05:06 PM:
I agree that October requires more planning on your proposed route due to things like the Hartsburg Pumpkin Festival and Hermann October Fest (check out their websites) in addition to a lot more people on the trail due to the cooler weather and getting in the last rides of the year before the trail heads shutdown. I disagree with some of the others about the Sedalia to Boonville section, although there are no river views except for the bridge over the river at Boonville, it still is one of my favorite parts for its diversity of scenery. To each his own I guess.

 
Hank on 8/1/2015 6:18:46 AM:
I HIGHLY recommend you have lodging reservations. Though I am very much a spontaneous type person, it is not practical for the Katy.

I also disagree on Sedalia to Boonville. Lovely ride in my opinion with great diversity.

As noted by others last weekend in October is high time on the Katy.


 
Gene from St. Paul on 8/1/2015 8:35:02 AM:
Thanks so much for all the advice I think we are going to stick with early November and definitely will book in advance a lot of wonderful places to stay. We will be staying in Rocheport Herman and Jefferson City.