Explore the best rated trails in Wheatland, MO, whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Katy Trail State Park and Rock Island Trail State Park . With more than 4 trails covering 326 miles you're bound to find a perfect trail for you. Click on any trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
I rode the Katy Trail the first week of October, 2025. I rode west to east, starting in Clinton and ending in St. Charles. My trip took 5 days. I was supported by my wife from our vehicle, so I didn't camp. We stayed in hotels each night. Here are my observations:
1. The trail is clearly the "crown jewel" of rail trails due to it's length. While the trail was in great shape with no detours (wonderful!), your view is either one of riding in a wooded area, with stone rock walls on one side for a good portion which gives you a great visual, or riding next to cornfields or soybean fields and Highway 94 traffic noise. In preparing for the ride, I was left with the impression that the Katy "followed the Missouri river". While it might follow it on a map, it was visible from the trail for less than 10% of the ride from Clinton to St. Charles.
2. One of several reasons I kept reading about why to ride west to east was the prevailing westerly winds. I didn't get those winds until the last day. The first four days had winds coming in from the east, or northeast. Although the wind speed was only noticeable on two of the days, don't expect that you'll have the wind at your back. You might....you might not.
3. Another reason I kept reading on why to ride west to east was the "high point" of the trail was approximately 25 miles west of Clinton near Green Ridge. While that is true, don't get fooled by thinking "its all downhill from there". My second day I rode 57 miles from Windsor to Boonville (my first day was just 17 miles from Clinton to Windsor because we didn't arrive in Clinton from Chicago until almost 5pm). I use the the All Trails app, and the second day, despite reaching the "high point" early in the ride that day with very little noticeable climb, my app showed 1,476 feet of total elevation climb at the end of the second day! I could tell the ride from Sedalia to Pilot Grove was a good climb that stretched for over 23 miles. Once you pass Pilot Grove, the trail mostly feels either flat or slightly downhill.
4. The mileage markers run from east to west in ascending order. So if you start from the west, the mile markers will be in descending order. They are well marked every 1 mile. I found it very useful to bring a paper map with me that showed the mileage to the next trailhead, which usually had at least a place to stop and rest. Not all trailheads have bathrooms or water, so check ahead if you're depending on the trail to provide you water. There isn't cell phone coverage on 100% of the trail, so a paper milage map is a must!
5. Unlike the GAP trail (which I HIGHLY recommend riding!), the towns right on the Katy don't have a lot of services/food with the exception of Sedalia. You can access downtown Sedalia easily from the Katy Depot trailhead. There are some GREAT towns, like Hermann, but to access them you have to ride off the trail for several miles or more on winding or busy roads with cars. Dutzow, Rocheport, Augusta (and a few others) have one or more coffee/sandwich shops on or close to the trails, but they aren't open every day of the week, so check ahead on hours of operation for where you think you will find food/drink. If you have a vehicle supporting you, I highly recommend staying at Hermann Hill Hotel and Spa (a 10 minute drive from the McKittrick trailhead). Hermann is a really remarkable town surrounded by great wineries. We had breakfast the next day at Stomp'n Grounds Expresso Cafe. A MUST stop!! The food, coffee and staff were excellent!
The Augusta trailhead has a great winery called, ironically, Augusta Winery! It's only .25 miles from the trailhead and well worth the stop! Be aware that you have a short but steep hill to climb to get to the winery from the trailhead.
All in all, I found riding the Katy from Clinton to St. Charles to be a great accomplishment for me. I had a Trek gravel bike with 35mm tubeless tires. I found the 35mm tires to be just fine on the Katy. I had no mechanical or tire issues. I witnessed a number of road bikes with what looked to be tires in the 20-something mm range. Now, I don't think they were doing the entire trail because they didn't have any gear on them, but using a narrower tire on a gravel bike is just fine for the riding the entire trail. The trail had not gotten any rain the previous week, so IT WAS VERY DUSTY!!! Plan on cleaning your chain at least once or twice to keep it performing well. Good luck and be safe!
This is a very nice trail with some challenging portions. Like most rail trails I would recommend using a bicycle with wide tires, 35mm up. The paved portions between Springfield and Willard and the section between the Bolivar Trailhead and the La Gemme Petite Prairie area are fine for road bikes.
Best Time to ride: I would say fall is the best. However, as this trail has plentiful tree cover it is not that bad in the summer.
Best Stops: Willard is absolutely wonderful. Great pizza place right across from the trailhead. The HOBO HAVEN Stop I thought was pretty cool.
Scenery: Missouri at its best. Forests, prairies, rolling hills, rivers, cattle ranches, lush meadows and grasslands. This trail crosses 16 bridges which are really cool.
Challenges: The north end of the trail, past the small village of Wishart, has had some washouts and the repairs are rough gravel and at times loose gravel. This portion of the trail up to the asphalt portion is kinda rough so take your time and keep your eye on the trail surface. The next big challenge is in Bolivar where the trail is interrupted by a 4 lane freeway. Please don't try and cross this. It is dangerous and the median is very wet and muddy. I have mapped a SAFE detour that avoids the non-bicycle-friendly portion of West Aldrich Road. You can view it here on Ride with GPS: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/52840487 . The Trail Link trail guide says they have a detour, " see below", but there is nothing there. This detour uses roads with nice shoulders and quiet residential streets.
If you are staying in Bolivar, I stayed at the Best Western Plus and wholeheartedly recommend it. Cyclist-friendly folks and a nice hotel with a great restaurant next door.
Summary: This is one of the most scenic rail trails in Missouri and well worth a visit.
Interesting to see the water level in Hartsburg creek and the flood levels recorded on the bridge
Stopped by and rode part of this trail while on a trip to Florida. What an awesome trail. Most of our trails in Florida are paved so I was a little hesitant of the gravel but it was no problem. Huge rock bluffs, the river, wineries breweries and eating establishments, it’s awesome, who could ask for more. Rode 23 miles from Defiance to Marthasville for lunch and back. We’ll be back to do more in the future!!
If you appreciate multi-day riding, site seeing, camping or “glamping” (BnBs, Hotels…etc.) the Katy Trail is one that doesn’t disappoint. Less than 3000’ feet of elevation, with the largest gradient being about 2%, this is a flat, fast, and easy to pedal trail with crushed hard packed stone comprising over 95% of the trail surface. Road bikes with larger tires (35-40mm) tires can be used on this trail. Lots of great place to stop, eat, and see along this historic byway. If you haven’t done the Katy, add it to your list!
We rode from KC Sport Complex to Windsor as the first leg of our Katy Trail ride at the end of April. The 14 mile stretch from the stadium to the end of the first segment in Lee's Summit is the most groomed. You should absolutely stop at Crane Brewing about 4 miles south of the stadium for the first beer of the ride. If you have the ability to be shuttled across the break from Lee's Summit to Pleasant Hill (or just north to Pleasant Hill Lake), do so, otherwise you are riding on busy streets with little or no shoulder. The small portion of the MOPAC trail is very well groomed. The Medford trailhead is great with water, shade, and a toilet. Definitely stop at the store in Chilhowee. Trailhead in Leeton had water, shade, and toilet (though the toilet had been vandalized with a lot of graffiti).
The biggest issue of the ride was the trail condition. Rain from the previous week had flooded portions of the trail south of Medford. The material being used to replace the washout is very, very soft. Couple that with some rain the previous day and the last half of the trail was like riding through peanut butter. We were making about 2/3 the distance per hour we anticipated and the constant churn to keep moving was exhausting.
Overall it was a good ride, but the conditions did put a damper on things for a while and could definitely turn a fun family ride into a slog.
10/2020. I parked at the Lee's Summit Amtrak station and started on the Rock Island trail. It's an easy grade, mostly straight, crushed limestone trail and you can see miles ahead which I find less than entertaining. Camping at the Roundhouse in Rockwood was my highlight and the scenery changed to rocky walls lining the trail. Pretty area. The west half has frequent water and toilets, then the water just stops. The tiny towns don't advertise at the trail heads so there's a lot to be missed unless you do a lot of planning. There are sections without cell service, so finding food, detours, and camping/lodging can be tricky. Town signs indicate camping is available ....somewhere.... with no further directions.
Love riding the Katy, can't wait to do it again.
Would be great if it wasn't for the dogs and their owners. I carry an air horn on the bike, they didn't like that at all.
I originally liked this trail once I followed it out of Ritter Springs, (which has questionable hours) and to the east. I enjoyed the trail with the wide open landscapes and fun bell you could ring. Then I reached a part where I had to go through the creek. I found this impossible due to the depth of the water.
Rode out from bolivar. Out about 8 miles a dog chased me hard. On the way back same fellow. Would love to ride to springfield spend the night and ride back. But agreasive dog and no place to overnight park makes this a nogo for me
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