donheff

My wife and I are driving from DC to Vail in late July with stops in St Louis and Denver to see family. We are planning to go for a leisurely trip with a couple of stops along the way for rail-trail out and backs (20-30 miles) I'm curious if any of the board members are familiar with some of the stops we are considering and have recommendations on where to ride. We also welcome alternatives near I-70 that members feel are particularly good for this sort of stop over. So far we are looking at a stop in Xenia Ohio for the Little Miami Trail. Next we will meet family in St Louis for a day or two and would then like to ride a bit of the Katy Trail. I don't know what would be the best section of the Katy to choose. Would it be good to ride it one day from near St Louis and stay in town with my relatives or is it nicer somewhere further west? In that case we could ride it on the day we are leaving St Loius and stay somewhere along the trail or further west that night. We are driving to Denver for more family after that.

bjjoondo 

If you have the time, check out the Mineral Belt Trail in Leadville, CO. It's not long 12 miles but it's beautiful and perfectly paved! The Vail Pass Trail is nice and the 84 mile long Rio Grande Trail from Glenwood Springs to Aspen (or the other way) is nice to. FYI.

superdex

When you stop in Denver, you can go in any direction on MUPs for miles. Here are 10 out of literally innumerable options: https://www.strava.com/local/paths?p...cling&hl=en-GB

In Vail, take the opportunity to climb the beast of Vail pass. Much different coming from the west than from the east: https://www.strava.com/segments/2248299

Hondo Gravel

The Katy Trail intersects I-70 near Booneville and Rocheport there is an opportunity to do a few out and backs from there.

Greenhil

If you have time, stop in Council Grove KS. It’s a bit south of I 70. There’s a beautiful stretch of the Flint Hills Rail Trail running east from there. Once in the plains states you don’t have to stay on the interstate to make decent time. The towns are far enough apart and the speed limit is high enough that you can still cover ground but you’ll see a lot more.

bocobiking

I think this distance is only a little over 40 miles. One of my and my wife's favorites.

Wildwood 

Katy Trail is best with tires a bit wider - I'd say 28s min, or wider to be safe in wet and/or soft spots.

Good flat road riding east of the Mississippi River in Illinois, slightly North & East of St. Louis. (forget the BF member from there).
I used to love the 20-30milers in west St Louis county, but that's down I-44 a bit.



Just spent some time in Grand Junction. Enjoy CO mtn highs!

groth

Having your bikes with you on a long road trip is great. Back in 2017, my friend and I did a 6000 mile road trip from NJ out to Wyoming to see the eclipse. It was a big loop going through the Dakotas on the way out and Missouri on the way back. Occasionally, we'd find a parking area in a small town, get the bikes and go for a 5 miler. In St. Louis we did a short, but nice ride in Castlewood State Park. In Wooster Ohio, we did a 20 miler - she was familiar with the area. The best use though was in Yellowstone. We wanted to see the "Artists Paintpots," but the line of cars waiting to find a parking spot was so long it was backed up onto the main road. So we continued on down the road, found a pull-off and rode the bikes back a little less than half a mile and around the cars!

zjrog

I grew up just east of Council Grove area. Left for the Navy 38 years ago and never looked back. But in the last two years, I've been wanting to make that trip, and ride some areas like that rail trail, and further south like Admire. The Dirty Kanza runs through that area. I'm never going to make that ride, but I'd sure like to ride the area... This does encourage me to take a bike next time I travel that direction.