Advice for rail-trail distances

[ExBrit]

I'm planning a trip on the Katy trail in MO next year and I'm looking for some advice.
It looks like it's always raining or snowing in MO. If I ride in spring, which month would have the least chance of rain without risking snow? How does early April sound?
I normally ride 90-100 miles a day on pavement when touring, but I've never done extended cycle touring on rail trails. I expect it will be more effort. What daily distance should I aim for on gravel? I'm thinking 60-70 miles a day.

I've watched a lot of YouTube videos on the subject but they're riding 30-40 miles a day which seems too short.

I attached my proposed itinerary. Any observations from someone who has done this would be greatly appreciated.
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/46659272

Thanks

 

[Mike Ayling]

Look for reports of Katy Trail tours on Crazyguyonabike and Cycleblaze.
Both these sites allow you to contact the authors to discuss the riding conditions that they experienced.

 

[brommieinkorea]

The Katy trail is mostly gravel, although lots of sections are crushed so very smooth (comparatively). That said, when it rains it'll be a little muddy, and most people are accounting for this crappy surface which is much slower. Many rail trails ,in more civilized areas, have a good asphalt paved surface, the last place I would choose for a high daily mileage tour is the Katy. Early April is gonna be rainy in Missouri, not a lot of snow in the south. May could be rainy, but it will be much warmer. June through August will be hot (the British isles do not get Missouri hot). September starts fall and it should be dryer but can still be pretty hot. October will start to cool down, doubt you'll see snow in Missouri until late November.

 

[HobbesOnTour]

I am not ...

someone who has done this

But I did read up about it some years ago.

How does early April sound?

Honestly, you're going to get very little response here for a route in Missouri. I'd suggest the touring section of BikeForums in the US. And as above CrazyGuyOnABike will have a whole load of journals and comments. Wouldn't recommend the forum though.
What I do know is that weather can seriously disrupt travel there.
Season choice might depend on if you're camping or not.

I normally ride 90-100 miles a day on pavement when touring, but I've never done extended cycle touring on rail trails. I expect it will be more effort. What daily distance should I aim for on gravel? I'm thinking 60-70 miles a day.

Out of the box thinking. If you're doing something different why not consider doing it in a different way? Instead of focusing on distance, look instead at what you can do/see/visit.
My experience of similar conditions is that speed is difficult because of surface, other travellers and the fact that there is little to no traffic so a different riding style is possible.
I'd imagine that the route presents the opportunity of a more 'social' experience with other travellers than road touring in the US.
If clocking up big distances is important to you, what about treating the route as an outline and visiting other places off the trail?

I've watched a lot of YouTube videos on the subject

I'm not a fan of videos but as mentioned above CGOAB gives the opportunity of contacting the authors directly (or reading the questions and answers of others that did).

For me, a huge advantage of such a route is that it is so liberating. There's (generally) no dangerous traffic, there are lots of specific services within easy distances, there are other people to mix with doing similar things. We can switch off and just 'be'. There's a fabulous experience waiting to be enjoyed.

 

[ExBrit]

I am not ...

But I did read up about it some years ago.


Honestly, you're going to get very little response here for a route in Missouri. I'd suggest the touring section of BikeForums in the US. And as above CrazyGuyOnABike will have a whole load of journals and comments. Wouldn't recommend the forum though.
What I do know is that weather can seriously disrupt travel there.
Season choice might depend on if you're camping or not.

Out of the box thinking. If you're doing something different why not consider doing it in a different way? Instead of focusing on distance, look instead at what you can do/see/visit.
My experience of similar conditions is that speed is difficult because of surface, other travellers and the fact that there is little to no traffic so a different riding style is possible.
I'd imagine that the route presents the opportunity of a more 'social' experience with other travellers than road touring in the US.
If clocking up big distances is important to you, what about treating the route as an outline and visiting other places off the trail?


I'm not a fan of videos but as mentioned above CGOAB gives the opportunity of contacting the authors directly (or reading the questions and answers of others that did).

For me, a huge advantage of such a route is that it is so liberating. There's (generally) no dangerous traffic, there are lots of specific services within easy distances, there are other people to mix with doing similar things. We can switch off and just 'be'. There's a fabulous experience waiting to be enjoyed.

Thanks, I'm reaching out everywhere. I've spoken to MO natives, called owners of trail hostels, and other tourers I know. There are some remarkably knowledgeable members on this forum, so I thought I'd reach out here as well.

 

[HobbesOnTour]

Thanks, I'm reaching out everywhere.

This will probably sound obnoxious but is there any chance that you're overthinking a +/- 250 mile rail trail?
My understanding is that most people choose this as it's relatively safe with respect to traffic, not demanding in terms of climbing and has services at intervals not common for many U.S. tours. In other words, it's popular because of it's suitability for a certain type of bike tourer, which you don't seem to be.

I think you're in California so the logistics must be quite challenging too, for what is, it seems, a relatively short ride.

Thinking out of the box, the Natchez Trace (444 miles) or the Blue Ridge Parkway (469) miles might be better suited to your style of on-road, longer distance touring? They might be better judged too in relation to weather. There should be a write up on a Springtime trip down the NTP showing up soon in the Travelogue section. The NTP can be extended to run on to New Orleans. From Nashville to New Orleans on a bike? That sounds pretty cool if you're in any way inspired by food, music or both!

 

[ExBrit]

This will probably sound obnoxious but is there any chance that you're overthinking a +/- 250 mile rail trail?
My understanding is that most people choose this as it's relatively safe with respect to traffic, not demanding in terms of climbing and has services at intervals not common for many U.S. tours. In other words, it's popular because of it's suitability for a certain type of bike tourer, which you don't seem to be.

I think you're in California so the logistics must be quite challenging too, for what is, it seems, a relatively short ride.

Thinking out of the box, the Natchez Trace (444 miles) or the Blue Ridge Parkway (469) miles might be better suited to your style of on-road, longer distance touring? They might be better judged too in relation to weather. There should be a write up on a Springtime trip down the NTP showing up soon in the Travelogue section. The NTP can be extended to run on to New Orleans. From Nashville to New Orleans on a bike? That sounds pretty cool if you're in any way inspired by food, music or both!

I am definitely overthinking it. That's just my way. I'm an engineer. Enough said!