On a beautiful November day we 65 yr olds started at Augusta trailhead, and rode about 10 miles to Washington MO on the south side of the MO river for lunch and shopping. (Its a great little town, with Amtrak service and some lodging options within half mile of downtown) I wanted readers to be aware of the hazard of biking between Washington MO and the closest KATY trailhead at Dutzow MO. Although there is a new highway bridge crossing the MO river at Washington with a protected bike lane, this Dutzow-Washington route requires biking on a narrow shoulder of a very busy highway 47 for 3 miles. I recommend as an alternative, using the Augusta Bottoms Road for about 3 miles, which connects the north end of the river bridge with the KATY trail at mile 70.5, approximately 3.5 miles east of Dutzow. For those coming westbound from the St. Louis area, this road is a great shortcut to Washington. For those coming eastbound from Sedalia/ Boonville/Jeff City, this route will add about 3.5 miles to your ride to Washington, but may save your life. This makes it easier to incorporate AMTRAK into your plans, where you can ride the train and bike the KATY between river towns Washington, Hermann, and Jefferson City and the town of Sedalia where no river crossing is needed. You can cross the river safely at Jefferson City by protected bike trail from North Jefferson trailhead. Between Hermann MO and the McKittrick trailhead, the river bridge has a protected bike lane, but you have to bike about 1.5 miles on a wide paved shoulder on highway 19. As of this writing, there is only one eastbound and one westbound AMTRAK train per day between St. Louis and Kansas City that stops at the above-named towns, but when the COVID issue gets resolved, AMTRAK could resume 2 trains per day each way. I believe the AMTRAK charge for hauling a bike is an additional $10 above your ticket price.

Nice pathway, beautiful tree lined path, however, as of October 2020 a big part of the trail was washed out. You can walk through the forest to get through but if you’re on bikes the sand makes it really difficult.

I’ve read some of the bad reviews but I feel this route about more than the issues with the pavement. If you ride this on Sunday morning in the fall at seven in the morning there is very little traffic, a lot of wildlife (mainly birds) and the view of the river is amazing too. Also if you want a beverage or food bring a lock and go to one of the many bars or restaurants.

I love riding this trail and the whole MCT system. Goshen is beautiful, interesting, and a perfect way to spend the day. Make sure you grab a map at the trailhead or keep one on your phone because none of their trails are marked well. Pay attention to forks in the road so you know which one to take to get back (or just do one of the seven loops). Trails are flat and fun. I’ve ridden during the week and on the weekend, and while the weekend was more crowded, there are so many trails so spread out that I never had a problem. Really fantastic ride!

I recently got to experience the MCT trails for the first time. They are AMAZING! I’ve ridden several of them, and my favorite so far is Goshen for it’s beauty and interests along the way. The trails are paved (with a few short exception areas), well-maintained and mostly flat and easy. For those going for distance, you can certainly ride all day throughout the system. The only negative point is the trails are not marked well at all, which is shocking given how nice they are. At each junction, there is sometimes a faded marking on the pavement and usually a trail map, but the first time I got lost as did a friend so be aware of which trail you are on and bring extra water/snack in case you get lost and it takes you longer to get back. There are free trail maps at the main building on United Drive in Collinsville can’t wait to check out more of these trails!

Scenery was marginal at best until the 3 or so miles near SIU edwardsville

Nice ride for clocking in some miles (over 25 miles), and fine for both faster and slower riders. Isolated, but that’s part of the appeal. You won’t find places to grab a snack right off the trail, but it made a great first longer ride for me. Really satisfying view at the end and some very short hills that made my legs work toward the end. I hit construction north of the Arch, but was able to jump on after. Minor headache all things considering.

Rode this trail from Hartford to Alton because it was paved. This is not a good trail compared to rest of the MCT system. A mile or so span around Hartford has large cracks with weeds growing which is dicey. And by the river, it’s very rough from flooding. It’s also not scenic and you get the aromatic smells of the refineries in the area! I had a good workout but don’t recommend.

We rode this for the first time today & loved it! The parking in OFallon was easily accessible and the paved path was well maintained for the full 19 miles! Enjoyed stopping at Global Brew Tap House on the return..it was right off the trail in Edwardsville. Only improvement would be to add restroom facilities. We saw 2 porta-potties (not well kept) but that was it!