My husband and I, our bikes’ saddlebags stuffed with spandex, sunscreen and other essentials, ditched our car at the Amtrak parking lot and pedaled to the Gateway Arch to begin our weeklong cycling trip across Missouri’s midriff.
While tourists craned their necks to look at the city’s stainless steel landmark, we scanned the horizon searching for the St. Louis Riverfront Trail. This ribbon of pavement skirting the Mississippi River would lead us to other paths that would bring us to the real starting point of our two-wheeled adventure: the 238-mile-long Katy Trail.
We asked a man standing in the arch’s shadow if he knew where we could find the riverfront path.
“Right there,” he said, pointing to the Mississippi, “under the water.”
Recent flooding had swallowed the trail, forcing us to go off script and improvise a workaround to Mother Nature’s monkey wrench.
Anyone who’s taken enough long-distance bike rides knows that these kinds of hiccups — from bad weather to flat tires — are part of the experience. They also know the experience is too rewarding to let a few roadblocks stand in their way, especially when it comes to something as special as the Katy Trail.
Celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, Katy Trail State Park is built on an abandoned stretch of the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad, aka the Katy. It ranks as one of the country’s longest rails-to-trails conversions, second only to the much less developed John Wayne Pioneer Trail in Washington state.
The Katy bisects central Missouri, weaving its way through Daniel Boone and Lewis and Clark country, past rolling farmland, forests, tallgrass prairies and some of the prettiest scenery shown off by the Show Me State.
Massive limestone bluffs and the Missouri River in the Rocheport area flank the most picturesque part of this crushed limestone path, whose flat surface makes it manageable for just about any cyclist. A 7-year-old and an octogenarian were among the 350 folks who did Missouri State Parks’ annual Katy Trail Ride from Clinton to St. Charles around the same time we rode the trail in June.
The proximity of food and lodging along the Katy makes it ideal for a car-free, multiday getaway, whether you’re looking to camp (no thanks) or spend your nights in quaint B&Bs and historic hotels (yes, please).
Cyclists make up a good percentage of customers for the area’s B&Bs, whose owners are used to dealing with bikers’ special needs.
When we pulled up to the Lindenhof Bed & Breakfast in Augusta after a particularly hot day, the innkeeper greeted us with cold towels, ice water and a hose to clean our muddy bikes.
The owners of High Street Victorian B&B in Boonville helped do our laundry, fed us a breakfast big enough for the Tour de France peloton and sent us on our way with a baggie full of homemade cookies.
We treated our tired muscles to a specially designed Katy Trail massage at the luxurious Hermann Hill Vineyard Inn & Spa, perched high above the rows of Norton grapes blanketing this wine-growing region.
Maxine, a grandma who rents rooms in her house in Sedalia for $50 a night, did us a solid when she heard we were headed to dinner at Kehde’s Barbeque after 58 miles in the saddle.
“Take my car,” Maxine said. “I’m sure you don’t want to get back on those bikes tonight.”
We devoured a delicious platter of Kehde’s spare ribs and brisket in the restaurant’s restored 1920 Pullman train car, which seemed fitting for a rails-to-trails vacation. And so did spending one of our nights in a refurbished caboose in Calhoun.
It took us four days to bike the entire trail when we first did it in 2007. Rookie mistake. This time we tacked on an extra three days for more sightseeing and the aforementioned Mother Nature monkey wrenches, which came in the form of a washed-out section of trail at the east end and an overnight storm that resulted in an obstacle course of fallen trees blocking our path to the finish line. Like in St. Louis, we dealt with these setbacks by finding alternative routes on the road.
Those extra few days also came in handy because Katy’s grown since the last time we saw her. A 13-mile extension added in 2011 bumped the eastern terminus from the cute city of St. Charles to a hard-to-find trailhead in rural Machens, north of St. Louis. Unless you’re a purist who insists on doing The Whole Darn Thing, cycling the trail’s 190-mile stretch between St. Charles and Sedalia, 94 miles southeast of Kansas City, Mo., is the way to go.
I happen to be one of those purists, which is why our last day of biking took us 39 miles southwest of Sedalia all the way to the west end of the trail in Clinton, where we snapped a few selfies before doubling back to Sedalia, Amtrak’s westernmost stop on the Katy.
After 357 miles of cycling in seven days, we wheeled our bikes aboard Amtrak’s Missouri River Runner and rode the rails back to St. Louis, happy to let the train do the work.
Lori Rackl is a freelance reporter for the Chicago Tribune.
If you go
Biking the Katy Trail
We biked nearly 40 miles — sometimes on busy roads — from Amtrak’s long-term parking lot in St. Louis to the trail. An alternative is to leave your car in St. Charles at a B&B or by the trailhead at Frontier Park. (Let the St. Charles Police Department know if your car will be in the park overnight; 636-949-3300.) Get a ride from a shuttle service or B&B owner to Amtrak’s Kirkwood station in suburban St. Louis, take the train to Sedalia and cycle back to St. Charles. Amtrak allows a limited number of bikes on trains for a small supplement. Make a reservation at www.amtrak.com.
The trail is well maintained, but that didn’t stop us from getting a flat tire. Bring a repair kit and plenty of water; services vary at the 26 trailheads and towns along the path. Many restaurants close early and aren’t open Mondays and Tuesdays. Call ahead.
About the weather
While Chicagoans may be bracing for winter in October and November, temperatures along the trail then may be perfect for cycling. October highs at the midpoint in the trail are near 70, and in November they are still in the mid-50s. Add in the fall colors, and you have one heck of a fall trip.
Where we stayed
Frenchtown Inn in St. Charles. Rates start at $110; 636-493-6318; www.thefrenchtowninn.com.
Lindenhof B&B in Augusta. Rates start at $125; 636-228-4617; www.lindenhof-augusta.com.
Hermann Hill Vineyard & Spa in Hermann. Rates start at $216; 573-486-4455, www.hermannhill.com.
Cliff Manor Inn in Jefferson City. Rates start at $79; 573-636-2013, www.cliffmanorinn.com.
High Street Victorian B&B in Boonville. Rates start at $119; 660-882-7107, www.highstreetvictorian.com.
Cruces’ Cabooses in Calhoun. Rates are $100; 660-694-3506, www.crucescabooses.com.
Maxine’s Rooms for Rent in Sedalia. Rates are $50; 660-826-9351. Hotel Bothwell in downtown Sedalia is a popular option. Rates start at $85; 660-826-5588, www.hotelbothwell.com.
Visit www.bikekatytrail.com and www.mostateparks.com for trail conditions and other info.
