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Reply to April 2017 Trip Report
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Gary from Colorado on 4/26/2017 8:28:37 AM:
Following is a trip report from my wife and I of our first ride on the Katy Trail.

April 18, Clinton to Sedalia: Nice farm country scenery. I had read notes on the forum that this section could be skipped but we enjoyed it. Stayed at the historic Hotel Bothwell, nicely remodeled and comfortable. There was an interesting looking brew pub near the hotel called Fritters, but we opted to eat at the hotel dining room.

April 19, Sedalia to Rocheport: More trees and creeks than the western part of the trail. Stopped for lunch at Katarina’s Cafe in Pilot Grove. Stayed at Schoolhouse B&B in Rocheport, it’s a very nice B&B with a lot of interesting displays on the history of Rocheport. The proprietors were helpful and drove us to dinner at a local winery.

April 20, Sedalia to Bluffton: This was our long day, 70 miles. Very pretty section of the trail. There are not a lot of options for food and water besides Boonville and Jefferson City. The Jeff City airport is close to the North Jefferson trailhead, I would have liked to try the airport restaurant for lunch (http://www.nicksfamrestaurant.com/). Stayed at Doug Rendleman’s Bluffton Barn, a rustic bunkhouse. Doug is very helpful and great to talk to, we spent a couple of hours talking fishing, hunting and cycling.

April 21, Bluffton to Augusta: The trail stayed close to the Missouri river in this section. We ate a good lunch at the caboose at Marthasville. In Augusta, we stayed at the Swan haven Inn, a very tidy and comfortable B&B about 1 mile from the trail. The proprietor drove us to dinner and prepared the best breakfast of our trip the next morning.

April 22, Augusta to St. Charles: After a rainy night, it cleared up and we had a pleasant ride to St. Charles. There are many options for food and accommodations in St. Charles, but my brother lives there so we stayed with him and finished our ride there.

Notes:
Our entire trip was planned using this website, thank you to the administrator and forum-posters! Contact information for all of the accommodations mentioned above are on the website.
We did not carry any camping gear, just our clothes, toothbrushes and a few snacks.
The dogwood trees were in full bloom, very nice.
The trail was in excellent condition for the entire length.
We had read that the section between Clinton and Sedalia was unpleasant, but we found it to be enjoyable.
We each had two water bottles, but I was glad I carried a 2liter MSR dromedary water bladder for a reserve.
There are only a few miles of very gentle grades on the trail. The only hills we climbed (short and easy) were in towns along the way, Boonville, Augusta and St Charles.
We want to do it again!

 
Devin from St. Louis on 4/26/2017 10:33:30 AM:
Great compliments, especially from a Coloradan. Glad you enjoyed it! I feel like the Katy Trail just epitomizes the feel of Americana. You just kinda feel the history of exploration, Missouri River communities, the railroad history, the patches of forests that used to be larger, the farming communities... I met an odd guy at Cooper's Landing a few years ago that told us a bunch of local ghost stories... kinda an odd story, but added to the vibe of being on the trail.

Anyway, I keep wanting to go to Colorado for a biking trip (saving $$$ and getting time for a CO trip is a hurdle though). I haven't researched any trails our there, but do you have any favorites that are nice, long, and trek-ish like Katy out there? Thanks Gary!

 
Orlando Cyclist from Orlando, FL on 4/30/2017 9:37:16 AM:
Thank you for your daily itinerary. We will do almost the same ride in late June and stay in some of the places you mentioned (we already have reservations). Thanks also for the lunch recommendations, we will definitely use them.

If you ever plan to be in Orlando, look us up for ride information. We have lots of trails Statewide most of which are paved.

We do have some concerns about the flooding and trail conditions but that just adds to the excitement, right?