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Reply to Amtrak to Machens
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Kat from NWA on 8/12/2015 1:47:40 PM:
Has anybody rode from Alton, IL, (Amtrak station) to Machens?

 
Kat from NWA on 8/17/2015 12:22:09 PM:
So is that a no? Is it a bad idea? Or maybe just get a ride from the station to near the trailhead?

 
kevin from Jeff City on 8/17/2015 12:39:30 PM:
I've ridden from Machens to Alton, but not to the train station.

Riding on 367 is ok, as long as you don't mind people whizzing by you at 60mph. There is a broad shoulder there and on the bridge. Depending on the time of day, there could be a bit of traffic in Alton.

I'd say it is very doable. It's about 15 miles, so it would take you an hour or so, depending on freight train traffic. When I got to Machens, there was a very long coal train between me and Hwy 94, so I had to wait for it to move, but other than that, you should be fine.


 
Kat from NWA on 8/17/2015 12:50:26 PM:
Thank you! Trying to decide whether to add that to our ride or get a shuttle. Any suggestions on who to call about a ride to near the trailhead?

 
Ray (webmaster) on 8/17/2015 1:11:54 PM:
I've never done it, so I can't offer first-hand info, but I've heard of people using one of these two way:

1. Kevin's route above: Ride south from Alton, take hwy 367 across the river and to West Alton. Then ride hwy 94 to Machens. Be aware that Hwy 94 is a 2-lane with very little shoulder and fast-moving cars.

2. Head north from Alton along the river road, I'm guessing 15 miles or so, to the Brussels Ferry. Then ride through some hilly terrain to the Golden Eagle Ferry, which takes you over to MO. Then ride some country roads with very little shoulder (mostly hwy 94) to Machens. Besides using the Brussels/Golden Eagle Ferries, Google Maps also shows a Grafton Ferry, which would be much shorter. But I have no knowledge of this ferry so cannot tell you for sure if or when it runs.

In either case, you would need good maps and GPS to find Machens. It's at the end of a little country road, which turns to gravel, and then you have to walk along railroad tracks for a short distance. There are no signs directing you there; officially there is no parking there (although you'll often see a couple cars parked nearby).

More often, Amtrak riders use the downtown St Louis station, or Kirkwood station. From these stations, you would ride to St Charles, and then do an out-and-back to Machens if you really want to do the whole trail. There are some pages within this website that spell out routes from those Amtrak stations to the trail (linked from this page: http://www.bikekatytrail.com/amtrak-katy-trail.aspx).

Sorry I could not offer better details, but good luck!

 
AF Rider from O Fallon IL on 8/17/2015 2:53:31 PM:
I rode from Alton to Machens a couple years ago--actually from O'Fallon, IL to St. Charles, MO, with Alton to Machens being a part of it. It is not difficult to do, and I just followed the secondary roads south of 94 rather than taking 94 (Saale Rd to Feltens to Dwiggins, etc. before re-joining 94 for a mile into Machens). I did it with no GPS and a hand-drawn map. Traffic on the secondary roads was not bad, and the roads were fine, but I had to use my dog spray for the first time to dissuade a farm dog. Toughest spot is just south of the bridge; although there is a named trail in that part, it was overgrown and had debris and broken glass in parts--I had a hybrid bike with decent tires and did fine.

 
AF Rider from O Fallon IL on 8/17/2015 3:16:05 PM:
Just an addition to my post above: after crossing the Mississippi at the Alton Bridge, there was a trail named the "West Alton Trail," which paralleled Hwy 67 into the small town of West Alton. You can find it on the map for the Madison County Trails (mcttrails.org).

 
Don from Ellisville, MO on 8/17/2015 7:22:42 PM:
I think it would be better to ride from the Amtrak station to College Ave to IL-140, down to the Clark Bridge, which has a bike lane. Then you only have to ride a little while on the fairly fast US-67 before you can take the back roads to Machens. I've ridden from the bridge before and it's no big deal.

But if you're riding Amtrak on the Missouri side, it's probably easier to get off in STL and ride down to the riverfront and take the Madison County Trail system up to the Clark Bridge.

 
Hank on 8/17/2015 8:11:24 PM:
It is no problem to ride from Alton to Machens. Simple: Ride from Alton to Grafton via Great River Road bike lane, take Grafton Ferry to Missouri side, ride secondary roads through Portage Des Sioux to Machens. I've done this, very easy riding and no need to ride Hwy 94 in Missouri at all. You can plan the route using Google Earth.

 
dennis on 8/17/2015 10:32:35 PM:
Just a note about the Grafton ferry: the ferry only runs Friday through Sunday.

Otherwise, the above Alton, Grafton, ferry route sounds like a pretty good low stress route.

 
Don from Ellisville, MO on 8/18/2015 6:53:26 AM:
I've taken the ferry before and it is fun, but just note that the route you described is about 10 miles longer than just crossing the Clark Bridge.