Jean and I had first discovered Missouri’s Katy Trail in 2000. Typically, driving to Iowa to visit family we pulled off the road at rest areas or small parks to walk and stretch our legs. One year we saw signs for the Katy Trail as we cruised along I-70. Once home we did some research and found it was the country’s longest developed rail trail, now 237.7 miles long. Best of all the section we’d seen from I-70 at Rocheport was reputed to one of the trail’s most scenic, and was just a couple miles of the interstate.
We
rode the trail leading out of Rocheport in 2000, 2004, and 2009 riding east to
the spur to Columbia and west through the MKT Tunnel to the conservation area. Katy
was the best developed, maintained, and most fully serviced of any rail trail
we’d seen and for our 2010 trip we decided to try a longer section of it as a
bikepacking trip.
We knew the Rocheport section would be the highlight of the ride and had good places to eat and sleep, so we planned our overnight there, reserving a room at the Katy Trail Bed and Bikefest. We knew we should be able to ride ~40 miles a day easily, that would let us go east 35 miles to North Jefferson. Going west it was 49 miles to Sedalia, but from the Dufur guidebook that town looked fun enough to be worth the extra miles. We also arranged for a shuttle using one of the providers listed in the guidebook. This would be our third bikepacking trip, and though this didn’t make us jaded veterans, we felt ready for the challenge of another overnight ride.
6-5-2010
The
previous day we’d left Knoxville and drove west four hours to stay at Cadiz,
Kentucky on I-24. The next morning, we drove another 375 miles over about 6 and
a half hours to the North Jefferson Trailhead (MP 143.2). This was a tough spot
to find, but was signed off US 54 and just south of the junction with US 63.
However, to reach it required driving past a different trailhead for a spur
trail off the Katy. Our driver from Victory Shuttle was late, and first went to
the spur trailhead before finding us sweltering in the 90F heat at the TH. We
managed call him by cell phone (those things can be useful sometimes) and give
him the right directions to our trailhead. The shuttle vehicle didn’t have a
bike rack (how can this be for a bike shuttle?) so we ended up attaching
our bikes by a rat’s nest of bungees to a wheelchair rack on their van. We left
an hour later than we planned, but that would only cut into the rest time we
wanted in Sedalia.
Our bikes and gear.
Sedalia,
though was fantastic. It is the home of the Missouri State Fair and also has a
Scott Joplin Festival, so there are plenty of services for tourists. Based on
the guidebook, we had gotten a room at the Bothwell, a 1927-era renovated old
railroad hotel, that reminded us of the Golden Hotel in O’Neill, NB from our ride
the previous year on the Cowboy Trai. The Bothwell though was much grander, we
had a corner room. The hotel had valet bike parking (not many do) and there was
a brew pub only a block away. 
Bike check in at the Bothwell.
We
spent the rest of the evening walking around town and taking pictures of the
hotel in the perfect evening light. I wasn’t sure if I’d ever be able to get
Jean to leave the hotel.
Jean at the Bothwell.
6-6-10
We
ate breakfast at the Bothwell and then had a short ride to the trailhead. The
museum there was unfortunately was closed on Sundays. Using the guidebook and
trail brochure sure helped our planning, but one small issue was that places
were often closed when we arrived. Our book was a few years old (and I know how
things can change once they get in a guidebook) and it often seemed the small
stores etc. were only open when their owners had extra time for them. At least
we learned quickly to carry extra food and drink. The trailhead building (MP
227.1) was beautiful and looked packed with displays, but we could only take a
few pictures and move on.
The
first bit of Katy used city streets through town, but in a mile or so we were
back on the railbed. Katy has a well compacted gravel surface over the
abandoned railroad line. The whole trail is well signed and maintained. After
struggling to ride on the Cowboy Trail the previous year it was a joy to speed
down the manicured surface of the Katy, often even fast enough to catch a
breeze. The whole trail east to Booneville at MP 191.8 was mostly a well shaded
strip between farms and ranches. There were no really great views, but it was
mostly pretty countryside.
At
Clifton City we saw their old jail building, then took a side path to check out
a quarry just north of town. We’d had the start of the trail to ourselves but
east of Clifton City we began to see more other users. One rider we met turned
out to be the first guy who ever rode the entire trail in a day. It was amazing
that he would still be out riding the same trail all the time, but I suppose he
still loved to spread the story of his ride. Another item of interest was a two
seat, side-by-side mountain bike that passed us on the edge of town. 
Side-by-side bike on the Katy Trail.
At
Pilot Grove all that was open for lunch was a convenience store, so we pushed
onto to Booneville. 
In Pilot Grove.
At
Booneville the trail picks up the Missouri River to follow it to St. Louis. The
visitors center was open, and they gave us information on four options that
were open for lunch. We stopped at the Katy Caboose Museum, but passed up a
casino on Main Street. We chose the
Riverside Café for lunch and got a good burger and chicken sandwich in a place
packed with locals at 2PM. We were well above the river, but could see the
highwater mark from the 1993 floods painted on the wall. The Booneville Railroad
Bridge wasn’t open for bikes yet, so we used a bike lane over the newer highway
bridge. 
Crossing over I-70.
Just
across the river is New Franklin (MP 188.2). The next 5-6 miles east were stark
with no shade through fields on either side. But approaching Rocheport were
cliffs along the river that broke up the scenery, and the trail was better
shaded. We rode through the now familiar MKT Tunnel into town. After yesterday
90’s, we were glad to have temperatures in the 80’s for our ride. When we
arrived in Rocheport both my GPS and the bike odometer read 51.6 miles, but I
could tell during the ride by looking at the mileposts that my odometer had
been reading about 3% too high. 51.6 miles might have been an all-time high
mileage day for Jean and I, even including our road biking trips.
High water mark in Booneville.
We
ended up in the Jefferson Room of the Katy Trail B&B for the night. We immediately
hit the Trailside Café for ice cream and then went to room to clean up. The
room itself was small but there was a spacious public area, and I think we were
the only ones in the building. They also had a
nice porch where we watched swallows maintaining a nest under the eaves.
We had neighbors in the surrounding building and swapped strategies for
shuttles and Amtrack for riding other sections of the Katy with them. 
Our B&B in Rocheport.
Katy Trail, Sedalia to Rocheport, 51.6 miles
6-7-2010
We
had another cool morning and coupled that with an early start. Temperatures
would be in the 80’s and it was overcast. The trail east of Rocheport is some
of the trail’s most scenic, with high limestone cliffs along the Missouri, and
an abundance of interpretive panels about the Lewis and Clark expedition. We
spotted Pierced Rock Natural Arch at MP 166.9. We passed a campground at
Huntsdale that looked nice but had lots of mosquitos. The bugs would plague us
the rest of the day, to the point we had to be careful in choosing our break
spots. 
Interpretive panel along the trail.
Most
of the ride was in and out of agricultural fields, with less shade than
yesterday. But we had occasional river views. The towns along the trail were
smaller and generally without services. The campground in Coopers Landing
looked run down. But the big attraction in Coopers Landing is Boathenge where
six boats are half buried Stonehenge style along the river. Nothing in Hartsburg was open but
we had enough snacks to make do for lunch. Claysville had a store, but it was
only open on weekends.
McBaine.
We
were riding around 10 mph, and probably averaged 10-13 mph over the whole ride.
I got a GPS track of our entire route. Jean spotted some indigo buntings and we
saw both a box turtle and a mud turtle. We really enjoyed the trail. It was
easy cruising, and we could ride comfortably side by side and be able to chat. 
Jean at Boathenge.
By
the time we reached our car at the North Jefferson Trailhead (MP 143.2), and within
sight of the dome of the state capital, we were both a bit stiff from all the
riding. But our fannies had taken more of the brunt than our legs. We were both
looking forward to our next ride on the Katy. Maybe we could use Amtrak for a
shuttle ride to finish the east end of the trail, or ride from Sedalia west to
Clinton to finish the west end. 
Trestle bridge.
After
the ride we used US 63 to drive north to Ames, about 280 miles from Columbia
and 4:45. 
Capitol from North Jefferson Trailhead.
The
Katy Trail now connects to the 47 mile long Rock Island Trail. For the latest check
https://bikekatytrail.com/
