Reply to First time Katy trail

Thinking of biking the katy trail end of sept or first of Oct. Would like to do the whole trail at a moderate pace, how many days should I plan? Is it best to go east to west or vice versa? Thinking of B&B's and camping along the way. Any tips and advise would be great, as this is my first bike trip.

How many miles a day are you comfortable in riding in a day on packed gravel? The first time we rode the entire trail we took a week, with a day off in Hermann. Usually the wind is not a factor in deciding which way to go, it is a little downhill going west to east once you reach Boonville. Also need to figure out how you are going to get back to where you started.

Probably 25 miles a day (guessing). Was planning 5-7 days for the trip. We could take Amtrak to Sedalia, start there, then end in jeff city and take Amtrak back to kc.

Actually start in Sedalia and then bike to Washington mo, need to find the Amtrak stops. I don't want to miss out on to much of the trail.

Very doable.

DAY ONE: Amtrak to Sedalia, then ride to Pilot Grove (25.7 miles)

DAY TWO: Pilot Grove to Rocheport (25 miles)

DAY THREE: Rocheport to Hartsburg (24.7 miles)

DAY FOUR: Hartsburg to Tebbetts (22.4 miles)

DAY FIVE: Tebbetts to McKittrick (30.4 miles)

DAY SIX: McKittrick to Dutzow (26.8 miles)

From Dutzow I recommend getting a shuttle to take you across the bridge to the Amtrak station in Washington. Take Amtrak back to KC.

What would be the recommended stops if we wanted to start Sedalia and end at St Charles?

Day one: Pilot Grove
Day two: Rocheport
Day three: Hartsburg
Day four: Tebbetts
Day five: McKittrick
Day six: Dutzow
Day seven: St. Charles
That's pretty similar to the previous suggestion with an end at St Charles.

mf, if you've read other comment threads on this forum you know this, but just to be sure, I'll repeat it here. If you are planning your trip for Sept. you should make reservations now. In some places you won't have a problem getting a place to stay. For example Sedalia has a lot of places to stay, in Tebbetts you can stay at the Turner Shelter which is a self check-in hostel type place. McKittrick is close to Hermann so if you can't get a room at Jody's Bird House you can ride over a bike safe bridge to Hermann and find a place there. But other places like Hartsburg and Rocheport have few options. Sept. is a very popular month for biking the Katy Trail. Plus if there is a home game for MU, everything within 20 miles gets booked (SEC fans follow their teams and fill up the hotels and B & Bs wherever they play).

And you probably know this, but use this website to find the services you need. Click on one of the tabs at the top of this site for Towns and Services or Trip Planner to find B & Bs or other accommodations in the towns where you plan to stay.

Finally, others have posted recently about planning trips in the fall. You could probably read those comment threads and get some good pointers. Have a great trip.