Originally Posted by
GadgetGirlIL
Greetings Missouri folks!
Do any of you have firsthand knowledge of the Katy Trail conditions, specifically the section between St. Charles to Portland? A dear friend is celebrating his 79th birthday and would like to do an out-and-back on the Katy Trail of ~80 miles (total) to celebrate. He isn't having much luck getting reliable information about conditions and any detours. Here is the RWGPS link I put together.
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/31201308
I'm from northern Illinois so am not much help. We are driving over from Granite City, IL.
Thanks in advance!
Here's couple of great resources for the Katy Trail.
https://bikekatytrail.com/forum.aspx
https://bikekatytrail.com/trail-condition-report.aspx
From what I gather, St. Charles to Portland is in pretty good shape. There is one detour through Klondike Park which is between Defiance and Augusta. The detour is hilly and has some rough gravel. I recommend being very careful and slow on the descent out of the park if you are going from east to west. It's very steep and there's some sand at the bottom. I've both walked and biked the detour at Klondike Park.
Near MM 97 there is a report of a bridge out however
Case Road makes for a nice detour around it.
Another option would be to ride the excellent Madison County Trails that are close to Granite City. Most are asphalt, but there's a few that are crushed limestone. Actually I bet that your bicycling friend knows all about them already.