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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 Art installation is on the Katy trail just west of Matson. They are spectacular!
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!
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.
Rode from Frog Hollow hiking trail parking lot W. Nice paved trail, but needs better signage. Also dangerous road crossings especially by the two schools alongside the trail. Tried heading E, first took paved trail along creek and ended up near High School. Returned to parking lot, then had to cross busy 6 lane road (painted crosswalks and signs to yield to cyclists) but cars weren’t slowing down. The next crossing was a busy highway with too much traffic due to rush hour. We turned around and went back to our vehicle and left.
Rode the trail the first week in October! Perfect weather, beautiful tree tunneled trails most of the way. Don’t have any more to add than has already been said. Only improvement would be more guaranteed water at the depot stops. Good job Missouri and Thank you!!
I've been looking at riding the entirety of the KATY for a few years as a milestone ride for myself. I was able to check this off of my bucket list over the Labor Day week of 2024. Given the length of the KATY Missouri does an outstanding job keeping it in such good condition despite the Missouri River posing a flood risk. There were two very small closures along the entire trail that were well marked and required a very short on road detour to bypass. I completed the trail in five days of riding.
I utilized a shuttle service at Bike Stop Café in St. Charles to take me to the Western Terminus at Clinton. I highly recommend Bike Stop Café as you can leave your car there during your ride and the owners are great people! Riding from Clinton to Booneville is definitely the hardest part as there are long sections of rolling hills that are barely perceptible to the eye but you will feel them as you have to pedal harder. Sedalia provides a good option to stay the night with many places to eat and sleep. I also stayed in Rocheport, Hermann and St. Charles all of which provided many dining options and were beautiful places to stay.
I completed the trail on a gravel bike and only had one flat during the entire ride. Most people along the trail were very friendly and the sense of community you have in riding such a trail is really felt over the course of many days. During the few times the trail is in an urban area it is extremely well marked and almost impossible to loose. Any time there were even slight washouts or rough trail the areas were well marked.
The KATY is not the most breathtakingly scenic trail I have ever ridden but its combination of length, multiple towns along the way and its great overall condition earns its place in the Rail Trail Hall of Fame
Rode from Sedalia to Hermann. Nice trail, mostly shaded. Most scenic section is around Rocheport. Sedalia to Boonville section has a slight elevation and goes on for a few miles. Most towns along the trail are small and there aren't many services (water, restrooms, etc.). Enjoyed riding the trail (marked it off my bucket list), but at times it became a little boring seeing nothing but trees and rocks. Like I said, it is very scenic, but 130 miles of the same scenery......
I rode the Katy trail from Clinton to St Charles in 5 days . I started before Mother’s Day and completed the ride after. What a lovely gift to myself. The trail is well maintained, easy to follow, and I always felt safe riding alone. The towns on the trail are very accepting of bicyclist . Make sure to refill your water bottles every chance you have, especially towards the end when closer to St Charles there are fewer fountains. I look forward to riding this again !
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