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Pages on this topic: Overview, Tour of the KATY Trail -- End to End, Tour of Tunnel Hill State Park, Tour of the Natchez Trace Parkway, Tour of the Illinois and Michigan Canal, Grand Tour of St. Genevieve, Tour of Lake Michigan Coastline, Tour of New Orleans, Fall Tour of the KATY Trail.

Extended Vacation Tours, 2010

Tour of the KATY Trail -- End to End

Tour #1: June 6 through June 13, 2010
Tour #2: June 27 through July 4, 2010

This tour remains very popular, and the original session (June 6 through 13) is full. We added a second week (June 27 through July 4), so call and sign up soon before it fills up also.

The KATY Trail End to End is an eight day, 225 mile cycling tour across the middle of Missouri, following the state’s namesake Missouri River, riding on a converted railroad right-of-way that is the second ever trail inducted into the Rail-Trail Hall of Fame. We stop in numerous small towns along the way, ride through scenic farmlands and river valleys, and explore the cities of Jefferson City (the state capital) and St. Charles (terminus of the trail, starting point for Lewis and Clark’s Expedition in 1804). Highlights of the tour include the wineries in Hermann and a tour of the Winston Churchill library and Museum in Fulton, Missouri. This version of the tour adds an extra day and the Clinton to Sedalia section of the trail, giving you a little more time to experience for yourself why the KATY is one of the most popular bicycle vacation destinations in the United States.

Itinerary

Day 1: Sunday, June 6th/June 27th – Train to Sedalia. Meet at the Touring Cyclist warehouse at 7:30 am for departure to the Amtrak station in Kirkwood at 8:00 am. Those coming on the tour from out of town can leave their cars in the Touring Cyclist warehouse locked parking lot. The train leaves at 8:55 am and arrives in Sedalia at 12:00 noon. Upon arrival at the hotel we check out the bicycles. This afternoon we will ride through Sedalia to see some of its well preserved buildings, many of which are listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Day 2: Monday, June 7th/June 28th – Cycle from Clinton To Sedalia (35 miles). In the morning we travel by van to the Clinton trailhead, then cycle back to Sedalia. The ride from Clinton is along gently rolling hills and open prairie (many sections being restored to the native, pre settlement condition). One of the few towns in today’s route is Windsor, near the half-way point of the ride. It is an interesting small town to explore, with several choices for lunch on Main Street, just four short blocks from the trail.

Day 3: Tuesday, June 8th/June 29th – Cycle from Sedalia to Boonville (38 miles). We depart as a group at 9:00 am for the trail. The first stop is the Sedalia KATY Depot, which is a great group photo opportunity and has a well stocked souvenir shop. Then everyone rides at their own pace. There will be two water stops: just outside Sedalia and at Pilot Grove. Tonight’s hotel is the Isle of Capri Hotel and Casino in the heart of downtown Boonville. The hotel is on the waterfront, right off the trail, and near the (ex-)train depot and the Boonville Tourism Office. A walking tour of historic downtown Boonville after the ride is highly recommended.

Day 4: Wednesday, June 9th/June 30th – Cycle from Boonville to the North Jefferson Trailhead (49 miles). Today we cross the Missouri River and start our journey down its river valley, starting from the hotel directly onto the trail. The Missouri bridge at Boonville is new and has a bicycle lane completely separate from car traffic. There are two water stops today, at Rocheport and McBaine. Meet at the North Jefferson trailhead by 4:00 PM for van transport back across the Missouri river to Jefferson City and tonight’s hotel.

Day 5: Thursday, June 10th/July 1st – Free day in Jefferson City. Today we explore Missouri’s state capital. The Statehouse is a replica of the national capitol building, and we’ll tour it at 10:00 am. In the afternoon we will shuttle 23 miles to Fulton, Missouri, to visit the Winston Churchill Memorial and Library at Westminster College. The library is housed in a 12th Century church that was transported from the middle of London to Fulton and restored in the 1960s. The museum, built to memorialize Churchill’s famous “Iron Curtain” speech, is possibly the best in all of Missouri.

Day 6: Friday, June 11th/July 2nd – Cycle from the North Jefferson trailhead to Hermann (43 miles). We meet after breakfast for van transport across the river back to the trailhead. There will be water stops at Tebbetts, Mokane, and Portland (the recommended lunch stop, 27 miles into the ride). We end the ride in Hermann, a picturesque German community with more than 150 historic buildings, world class wineries, museums, shops and galleries. Hermann is about two miles off the trail, connected by a bike path along Highway 19 and another new bridge with a nice, separate bike lane. The hotel is just one block off the river and one block to the left of the main street, right in the heart of downtown. Get to Hermann early to leave time for a walking tour of town. At 5:45 pm we will shuttle to the Stone Hill Winery for a tour, wine tasting and dinner.

Day 7: Saturday, June 12th/July 3rd – Cycle from Hermann to Augusta (34 miles). Water stops are at Treloar and Marthasville. The recommended lunch stop is the Dutzow Deli, which has the best food on the trail and superb chili. The main attraction of today’s ride is our destination, Augusta, a quaint little town of 210 residents and dozens of B&Bs. Plan to arrive here early in time to wander around town, visit the several wineries (especially Mt. Pleasant Winery), the excellent microbrewery (Augusta Brewing Company, right at the trailhead), and the numerous shops that cater to visitors. Meet at 2:00 pm at the Augusta trailhead for a shuttle to nearby Washington, MO and tonight’s lodging. (Washington is across the Missouri River from the trail, and the bridge here is too dangerous for bicycles.)

Day 8: Sunday, June 13th/July 4th – Cycle from Augusta to St. Charles (27 miles). One water stop today at Weldon Springs. Today we ride into St. Charles, the first state capital city of Missouri, to end our tour. St. Charles sits on the Missouri River and was the jumping off point for Lewis and Clark’s expedition to explore the West in 1804. Frontier Park on the riverfront commemorates that event and is the terminus of the KATY Trail. It is where we meet the van at 3:00 pm to be transported back to the Touring Cyclist warehouse in Bridgeton and our cars.

Provided in the tour

The tour package includes train fair from St. Louis to Sedalia, seven nights in hotel rooms (double occupancy), breakfast each morning, seven evening meals, museum tickets, support vehicle, luggage and bicycle transport each day, transport to and from the KATY trailhead when needed, mechanical service, water stops with fresh fruit and cookies, KATY Trail maps and information. Three support personnel will accompany the tour: the tour leader, the tour director, and the support vehicle driver. These three are very experienced and will ensure you have a great time on the tour!

If you are coming from out of town and flying to St. Louis, our store/warehouse is only ten minutes from the airport and we will be glad to pick you up and deliver you back to the airport at the end of the tour.

Cost of the tour

The tour package costs $925.00 per person, double occupancy. The single supplement is an additional $120.00. We also optionally provide rental bicycles for $100.00 for the week. The bicycle is a Fuji Crosstown 2.0 hybrid bicycle, with suspension front fork and seatpost suspension, a very comfortable seat, water bottle, rear luggage rack, and bell.

How to sign up

Reserve a spot on this tour with a $200.00 deposit. The balance is due 30 days before start of the tour. Full refunds for cancellation are available up until 30 days before the start of the tour. Within 30 days of the tour refunds are available if anyone is still on the waiting list. The tour can accommodate up to 25 people. You can phone (314-739-4648) or fax (314-739-4972) credit card information for payment, or mail a check to this address:

The Touring Cyclist
attn: KATY Trail 2010 End-to-end
11816 St. Charles Rock Road
Bridgeton, MO 63044

Tell us which tour you are signing up for (KATY Trail End to End), and give us full contact information including an email address.

If you have questions, contact Donald Humphries for the answers: 314-739-4648 or [donaldh AT touringcyclist.com].

The KATY Trail

The KATY Trail is a Missouri state park that extends more than 225 miles across almost the full width of the state, from Clinton in the west to St. Charles in the east. It is a rails-to-trails conversion, built on the former corridor of the Missouri-Kansas-Texas (MKT) railroad. When the railroad ceased operation on this route in 1986, the state acquired the right-of-way through the National Trails System Act, which allows for “rail-banking” railroad corridors for possible future reuse, and meanwhile permits those corridors to be used for parks and bike paths.

The KATY Trail is the longest rails-to-trails project in the country. The trail is flat and scenic; the section from Clinton to Boonville runs through prairie farmland, while the section from Boonville on to St. Charles follows the north bank of the Missouri River. The trail is paved with crushed limestone (chat). Almost any bicycle will work on the trail, but hybrid bikes are the best choice.

Riding the KATY takes you through some of the most scenic areas of the state. In the Missouri River valley section you’ll often find yourself with the river on one side and towering bluffs on the other. The trail travels through many landscape types including dense forest, wetlands, deep valleys, remnant prairies, open pastureland and gently rolling farm fields of corn, soybeans, wheat and other crops. The fall is colorful with rich red, orange and yellow leaves from Sugar Maple, Sumac and Bittersweet trees. With such varied and rich habitat, wildlife is abundant, especially birds. Red-tailed hawks and turkey vultures are common, and bald eagles can be seen in late fall and winter.

The trail is rural. It passes through numerous small towns that rose and fell with the fortunes of the MKT railroad; many of those towns are rising again with the business brought in by users of the trail itself. The center section of the KATY passes through “Missouri’s Rhineland”, a region heavily settled by German immigrants before the Civil War. The section of trail from St. Charles to Boonville is part of the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail, and the entire trail has been designated a Millennium Legacy Trail.

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