Stretching across the state of Missouri for nearly 250 miles, The Katy Trail State Park is one of the nation's longest, most inviting and scenic trails in the midwest.  Like other converted railroad lines, The Katy gets its name from the former rail corridor that linked Kansas, Arkansas and Texas, originally known as the MKT.  The trail begins just outside St. Louis in the suburb of St. Charles and winds its way for just over 150 miles along the great Missouri River until it parts company near the quaint river town of Boonville.  From there, it wanders past farms, fields, wetlands and prairies until it dead-ends just outside of Clinton, Missouri near Kansas City.  The kiosk in Clinton both welcomes and bids farewell, depending on the rider's chosen starting point.

My adventure began just ourside St. Louis, in St. Charles, as I decided to head west, following the route of Lewis and Clark.  Scattered along the trail between the grassy areas and the river were small markers indicating the various encampments the Corps of Discovery.  It is nearly impossible to ride through the many shaded and thickly forested parts of the trail along the river and not feel some vague connection to those courageous explorers.  Most areas along the river have changed dramatically in just the past few decades.  But occasionally, one may pass an unexpected outcropping of rocks or a curious bend in the river and visualize the landscape ahead just as did Lewis and Clark.  The trail is both epic and intimate all at once: inspiring the imagination while inviting meticulous examination.

Heading west out of St. Louis, the trail gradually deviates from its urban setting and leads into dense woods along the Missouri River.  Soon the trees thin and the path traverses a series of sizable farms as you pass the quirky villages of Weldon Springs and Defiance.   As night begins to fall the red, glowing foothills of the Ozark Mountains emerge along the southern horizon.

Many of the small towns nestled along the Missouri still remain old fashioned whistle-stops.  Washington, Missouri boasts an attractive and historic main street complete with locally named storefronts and coffee bars.  Although the Katy Trail lies two miles outside of town there is a paved spur trail nearby called The Rotary Riverfront Trail that is well worth investigating.  Past Washington, you pass a series of small rural townships (some just intersections) and trailheads with such colorful names as Dutzow, Marthasville and Treloar.  The trail here becomes more and more scenic and the number of fellow riders decreases.   Many different species of snakes and critters rest while warming themselves across the white limestone trail.

Soon you enter the outskirts of one of Missouri's most attractive small towns, Hermann. The town is situated at the very heart of Missouri's hilly and oddly underrated wine-making region and offers relaxing opportunities to tour one of the many nearby wineries.  Between Hermann and the capitol of the state of Missouri, Jefferson City, the trail meanders through an epic succession of picturesque farms, woodlands, savannas, glades and wetlands.  One of my favorite stops was hiking the steep trail to take in the impressive views from atop the 300-foot bluffs at the Grand Bluffs Conservation Area.

Moving on, the trail follows alongside prodigious cornfields and eventually passes through the charming village of Hartsburg.  The town prides itself on a popular weekend pumpkin festival held each year in October that transforms the local population from the usual 100 residents to over 30,000!  From Hartsburg you head towards another worthwhile spur trail, the 18-mile roundtrip MKT Nature and Fitness Trail that starts at the kiosk near McBaine and ends at the edge of the college town of Columbia, home of the University of Missouri.  Back on the Katy, the trail still beckons west as you pass under the massive white sandstone cliffs near the attractive town of Rocheport.  This locale features some of the most impressive sights along the Katy.  Here is where the midwest begins to take on the attributes of THE WEST.  Along these cliffs are numerous secret caves where Native Americans once hid and the Corps of Discovery rested along their route.  The river is wide here and flows majestically past you as your pace and heart-rate seem to naturally accelerate.

The river town of Boonville is where the Katy deviates south and away from the Missouri River. 
This is a good place to get your bike checked out and, if like me, get a flat tire repaired.  Chuck's Bikes is the perfect spot.  Chuck is a retired machinist and devotes what should be his retirement years to bike repair while designing and building custom recumbent  bicycles.  The shop is a block back from the river behind a casino.  Further along and still heading a bit south, the trail leaves the "big city" and veers towards an area of sprawling farmland and working farm towns.  Eventually you approach the town of Sedalia which boasts a beautifully restored train depot and rail museum right along the trail.  The museum is a must-see and rewards the visitor with fascinating information and history of the Katy Railway.  From Sedalia the rider has a chance to reflect as you lazily pass under the long stretches of arched canopies of tress.  Don't be surprised to see, as I did, whole groups of wild turkeys roaming the area.  Soon a small wooden sign appears and notifies the rider that you are now passing an area of restored wild prairie with its diversity of plants and trees.  And then, before you've had a chance to prepare yourself, a characteristic Katy Trail kiosk informs that you are now at the end of the line.  The trail literally dead-ends into a perpendicular street.

The Katy Trail is unique among the nation's great rail-to-trails in its scope and diversity.  It serves to remind and reassure all who journey along it that despite continuous impediments and changes in American society, the family farm somehow still survives.  I think Lewis and Clark would take comfort in that.