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Reply to K.C. to St. Louis
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Dave E from St. Paul, MN on 3/12/2018 9:25:42 AM:
I'm going with a couple of buddies by bike from K.C. to St. Louis in May, using mostly the Katy Trail. On the Katy Trail forums, it is highly recommended to NOT try going from K.C. to Clinton at the beginning of the Katy Trail, mostly it seems because the roads can be a bit treacherous.

Instead, I'd like utilize the Rock Island trail to Windsor, and connect to the Katy Trail there. Do you have recommendations about starting in K.C. proper and getting to the Pleasant Hill trailhead? Alternatively, we could start from the southeast suburbs of K.C. to make the trip a bit less treacherous. I saw on these forums a suggested route from Lee's Summit to Pleasant Hill.

I'd be open to roundabout suggestions that increases biking enjoyment, even if they lengthen the trip quite a bit. Thanks for any advice you can offer.

Dave

 
LS Rider on 3/12/2018 2:09:24 PM:
There is a lot to consider if leaving from Kansas City proper. The city runs from the airport to north of Grandview. Are you camping or staying at B&B's/motels? It is around 68 miles from Lee's Summit to Windsor. Depending where you start in Kansas City will make a huge difference on your first day distance.

I prefer trail riding but the road riding isn't bad to Pleasant Hill. I use that as a training ride on my road bike. Look down into the forum and look for Alex Pirnie's Facebook directions. They are spot on and will get you to Pleasant Hill safely.

 
Dave E from St. Paul, MN on 3/12/2018 3:46:16 PM:
No camping, just hotels/motels/etc.

I guess it makes sense to start from Lee's Summit, but I was just hoping maybe I could find a commuter line or some other pleasant way to get out of central K.C. to the southeast suburbs.

 
Mark from Lee's Summit on 3/12/2018 10:58:55 PM:
If you want to start from the center of Kansas City or if you want to start from the Kansas State line just to say that you biked across the entire state, then there are some nice paved trail options from Kansas City to Lee's Summit and then onto Pleasant Hill, but they are not continuous and they weave around somewhat. For me, the starting point often revolves around where I leave my car and if I am taking the Amtrak train back to it. If you are leaving your car and taking the train back to it, then Lee's Summit is the best option for sure. Please note that bike tickets are very limited on Missouri's Amtrak and those tickets have become very popular in the spring and fall. When I biked through Wisconsin last spring, I actually liked breaking up some of the gravel riding with days along the city paved trails.

 
LS Rider on 3/13/2018 12:02:56 PM:
You can take Amtrak from Kansas City to Lee's Summit and Mark is correct about limited bike spots. I believe it is 4 spots per train. I also would research where you will spend the night as not every town has a place to stay. Windsor is limited with less than 20 rooms. Clinton, Sedalia, Boonville, Columbia, Jefferson City, Washington and St. Charles has plenty of rooms but other towns not so much. Also be aware of where to eat and get water. It is a great ride.