The Historic Katy Trail in Missouri

An Easy Ride along the Missouri River

From Rails to Trails

The Katy Trail is a rails-to-trails project that transverses Missouri in an east/west direction.

In the summer of 2013, I rode my bicycle across Missouri and then back again on the Katy Trail. The ride was fairly easy, the trail was in great shape, and the views were spectacular.

Having spent many hours on busy roads doing cross-country tours by bicycle while cars and trucks whizzed by me at 70 miles per hour, I was excited to ride a trail that was completely devoid of automobile traffic.

That summer, I rode the entire Katy trail from Clinton, Missouri to St. Louis and then back again.

A Comfortable Ride

For comfort, I switched to a recumbent bike. The unique style of a recumbent not only has the major benefit of reducing back and butt pain, but it is also much more aerodynamic than an upright bike. I love my recumbent.

The Origins of the Trail

The trail is named for the railroad that once went from St. Louis through Kansas and down to Texas. It was called the M-K-T (Katy) Railroad.

The remnants of an old railroad track, the 225-mile Katy Trail mostly follows the Missouri river. As a result, the grades are fairly flat, so it makes a nice bicycle trail.

The surface of the trail is made from crushed limestone, but it is packed tight so it is not like riding on loose gravel, more like a hard dirt road.

The Beginning of the Ride

The first day of my ride started with an early morning four-hour drive from Wichita, Kansas to Clinton, Missouri, with my bike loaded on a carrier on the back of my car.

As happens often at the beginning of a long ride, I had some nervous energy derived from the anticipation of the unknown. I was a little worried about the crushed limestone surface.

However, I was excited to start another tour. To navigate during my drive, I followed my Magellan GPS. It kept pronouncing Missouri as “Misery”. I hoped this wasn’t to be prophetic. It turned out that I had nothing to worry about.

I arrived in Clinton, Missouri around 11:30 am and went straight to the Clinton Community Center next to the trailhead, where I would park my car and leave it for the duration of the ride. From there, I unloaded my bike and road straight to the trailhead and began my ride.

None of my fears about the ride were warranted. The limestone surface was made up of very small pieces that were tightly packed. It was much like riding on a dirt road but with no dangerous sandy or soft patches.

It was different, however, than riding on a paved road. The surface never allowed for much roll or coasting. The trail ate up any momentum right away, and when you stop pedaling, you stopped moving.

Besides no automobile traffic, one of the biggest advantages of riding on the Katy is the grade. Because it follows the river and railroads always tried to choose routes that were fairly flat, there are very few hills to be climbed.

Nature Everywhere

Wildlife was abundant and although I was going slow, I don’t think this vulture was waiting for me to keel over.

I was not the slowest one on the road, however, and I had to stop and let a turtle cross my path.

Since I had spent half my day driving to my destination, I only did 36 miles that first day. The route was a mixture of wide-open expanses and beautiful tree tunnels created by a canopy of trees that kept one mercifully out of the hot sun.

I loved the luxury of riding in shade. It didn’t happen too often on other tours, but the Katy would prove to be under trees for much of its length.

Preserved History

The second day, I road 58 miles from Sedalia to Huntsdale. Again, the ride was filled with plenty of tree canopies which blocked both the sun and wind.

Along the route, you find many remnants of the old M-K-T railroad days, such as old telegraph poles and train stations. The old depots have been preserved wonderfully.

Beauty Everywhere

30 miles into the ride, the views along the trail really got pretty. Close to Rocheport, the Missouri river flanked one side of the trail, and tall cliffs cut out by the river over millions of years flanked the other side.

At one point, I thought I saw another bicyclist in the distance. As I approached the bicyclist, he just kept staring straight at me.

Finally, I realized it was a deer staring at me and trying to decide what kind of animal my bike was. Seeing nature up close is my favorite part of riding my bicycle.

Bluff, Bluffs and More Bluffs

On the third day, I road 62 miles to Bluffton, Missouri. The ride consisted of many more beautiful tree tunnels, river views and amazing cliffs.

Although nature is mostly what captured my attention, one oddity made me stop and take a picture.

Someone had erected a half a dozen old boats resulting in a strange sight that resembled some sort of midwestern Stonehenge.

A Historic Route

While riding the Katy, one’s mind often drifts back in history as one could imagine Lewis and Clark traveling down the river as they started their exploration of the West. Missouri has done an excellent job of placing historic markers throughout the trail and preserving many of the artifacts of a bygone time.

Across Missouri

On the fourth day, I rode 63 more miles into St. Charles, a city right outside of St. Louis, finishing my trek across Missouri.

The trail opened up a bit and, at times, left the shady cover of trees to wide open areas. As always, I saw plenty of wildlife. At one point, an animal crossed my path that I couldn’t identify. I am still not certain what it was.

So Good I Did It Twice

At the end of the day, I found myself in St. Charles, Missouri and at the end of the trail. My car, however, was a couple hundred miles behind me. So, after a night’s rest, I turned around and rode the trail from east to west.

You would think it would be boring to ride back down the same route you had just completed. But the Katy Trail never disappoints. I saw many more views that I had missed the first time.

The Katy Trail ended up being one of my favorite places that I have ever ridden. I would highly recommend it for experienced riders and novices alike. You can park your car and ride it just a few miles or you can cross the entire state of Missouri. It is one of those destinations that I don’t mind going back to again and again.

If you liked this story, here is a link to another tale from a bike ride that I did years ago.

Here is a story of the first time I rode up a mountain

Or, at a much slower pace, here is a tale of me crossing another state.