Family Friendly Off-Road Touring? Katy Trail

[indysteel]

DH and I did an end to end tour of the Katy in September of 2011. We used a tour company called Independent Tourist that moved our luggage from point to point. They also made all of our B&B/hotel reservations.

At the risk of offending anyone who really loves the Katy, my husband and I were pretty underwhelmed. The trail itself is nice. I wouldn't call it the most scenic area I've ever seen, but it was fine. It's mostly flat, although the section from Sedalia to Booneville has a bit of a grade. You'll feel it, especially if you're towing something. There are long stretches of the trail where there aren't a lot of services. The trail runs through some pretty depressed areas, and I found it more than a little unsettling and sad. We stayed in some towns where there were few places to eat, especially if you arrived--as we did--on the day that a lot of places are closed (Sundays in Sedalia and Mondays in Rocheport). We were sometimes lucky to find any food. Healthy food generally wasn't even an option. We did like Hermann and Saint Charles, and we loved our B&B in Rocheport.

I'll be honest that I think the upper end of your mileage goal is overly ambitious. We rode 40ish miles a day and that was more than enough--and we weren't loaded or towing anything. Granted, we did it in September and had less light to work with, but I wouldn't have wanted to ride much more each day, even with more light. It just felt slow going at times. If we'd had to battle summer heat, I think we would have been even slower.

I say all of this knowing that a lot of people have done the Katy and loved it. You and your kids may have a completely different take on it.

[limewave]

indysteel--I appreciate your honest review of the trail! Hmmm, I'll have to keep researching trails . . . . see what I can come up with.

[indysteel]

Please don't let me totally dissaude you. I want to emphasize that other people love the Katy. But still, I have to wonder if there are other places to go that might be more scenic and interesting for you and the kids. Do you plan to camp?

[tulip]

My first thought was that while YOU might be able to handle 50-60 miles a day, your kids might go bonkers. It might be better to keep the mileage shorter and incorporate more stops and fun things.

[indysteel]

Maybe this will give you some ideas.

[Sky King]

Great idea Indy, and with a fully supported family tour there would be other families so the kids would probably enjoy meeting other kids, who knows could be life long cycling buddies in the making.

another idea is to check out something like cycle oregon weekend - not a tour but another great way to spend time on bikes with the kids and perhaps DH

Maybe this will give you some ideas.

[indysteel]

Limewave, even if the family tours themselves don't appeal to you, you might find some great route information to work with. Idaho, in particular, is quickly moving up my list of places to go.