Katy Trail - Getting to the trail from Amtrak station



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Eldho Thomas

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I am planning to take Amtrak to Hermann and ride the Katy to St.Charles.

Can anyone help me with info on getting to the trailhead from the Amtrak station. Is the bridge
across Missouri bikeable ? I had read about shuttles that drop you at the trailhead. How frequently
do they run and where do they start from ? How much do they cost ?

Thanks for any info.

Eldho Thomas.
 
Eldho:

I am not sure exactly where the Amtrak station is, but I believe it is fairly close to the Hwy 19
bridge which unfortunately is the only link across the Missouri River between Jefferson City and
Washington. There has been talk of replacing the bridge, but the last time I was up that way
(several years ago) Hwy. 19 is carried across the river via a very narrow bridge - no bike lane,
breakdown lane or shoulder - I would ride across it in the middle of the lane and chance hacking off
a few motorist in lieu of getting run into the railing. I am not sure about any shuttle service,
however it would be worth checking with the Herman Chamber of Commerce. The Trailhead is just north
of Herman at McKittrick. Hope this helps.

"Eldho Thomas" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I am planning to take Amtrak to Hermann and ride the Katy to St.Charles.
>
> Can anyone help me with info on getting to the trailhead from the Amtrak station. Is the bridge
> across Missouri bikeable ? I had read about shuttles that drop you at the trailhead. How
> frequently do they run and where do they start from ? How much do they cost ?
>
> Thanks for any info.
>
> Eldho Thomas.
 
"Todd Blackwell" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> Eldho:
>
> I am not sure exactly where the Amtrak station is, but I believe it is fairly close to the Hwy 19
> bridge which unfortunately is the only link across the Missouri River between Jefferson City and
> Washington.

Yes, it is. From the Amtrak station, you will have no problems finding the bridge.

I crossed the bridge both ways about 3 years ago (to have lunch in Herman while riding the trail).
It has no bicycle facilities and you will not find the crossing a calming experience, but it's not
really something to have a lot of concern about. I saw no signs about any shuttle services, and have
never seen any listed on the KATY brochures. There's a couple of KATY web sites you may try for
current info.

> Trailhead is just north of Herman at McKittrick. Hope this helps.
 
In message <334446e230e8a37a4edea6d2998c0c63@TeraNews>, "Mike Kruger"
<[email protected]> wrote:
> "Todd Blackwell" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> > Eldho:
> >
> > I am not sure exactly where the Amtrak station is, but I believe it is fairly close to the Hwy
> > 19 bridge which unfortunately is the only link across the Missouri River between Jefferson City
> > and Washington.
>
> Yes, it is. From the Amtrak station, you will have no problems finding the bridge.
>
> I crossed the bridge both ways about 3 years ago (to have lunch in Herman while riding the trail).
> It has no bicycle facilities and you will not find the crossing a calming experience, but it's not
> really something to have a lot of concern about. I saw no signs about any shuttle services, and
> have never seen any listed
on
> the KATY brochures. There's a couple of KATY web sites you may try for current info.
>
> > Trailhead is just north of Herman at McKittrick. Hope this helps.
>

Just be sure to avoid the morning rush hour and evening too.

Last year during the KATY ride we had to be out and riding by 7:00 am or we would not have a escort.

But you will like the breweries.

Russ

--
railtrails the cat's meow!
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"Mike Kruger" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:334446e230e8a37a4edea6d2998c0c63@TeraNews...
> "Todd Blackwell" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> > Eldho:
> >
> > I am not sure exactly where the Amtrak station is, but I believe it is fairly close to the Hwy
> > 19 bridge which unfortunately is the only link across the Missouri River between Jefferson City
> > and Washington.
> >
> I crossed the bridge both ways about 3 years ago (to have lunch in Herman while riding the trail).
> It has no bicycle facilities and you will not find the crossing a calming experience, but it's not
> really something to have a lot of concern about.

A few years ago, my then-14 y.o. daughter & I were standing at the S. end of the bridge, forlornly
looking across, trying to decide if we had the guts to try to cross amongst the morning "rush hour"
traffic. A motorist pulled over and asked if we'd like him to drive behind us with his flashers on
to help us across (Well, heck yes!). Gave me a pleasant feeling about the area that I maintain now
years later!

Jack Walen Grand Rapids, MI
 
Thanks for all your inputs ..

I finally did that crossing last Sunday (5/11/2003) at around 10am. The traffic wasn't bad. About 4
or 5 cars passed me on the left. The day I chose turned out to be a very windy day. It was real
scary when I reached the middle of the bridge. I was riding in the middle of the lane. The wind was
so strong that it would push me to the right edge of the lane which was very very close to the
railing which was only about 3-4 ft high. The river was all muddy and fast. If I knew it was going
to be that scary, I would have taken a shuttle across. I found out that there are a few shuttle
services that will take you to the trailhead for around $5.

Rest of the journey was eventless. I reached Defiance (42 miles) by around 4:30pm.

Thanks again for the help.
 
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