Pilot Grove to Boonville - Katy Trail State Park

After stopping in Boonville, Missouri in August 2017 as I wrote about here, we returned to Boonville in early October with our bicycles and two vehicles so we could shuttle ourselves along the Katy Trail without having to backtrack. The afternoon of our arrival, we left one vehicle in Boonville and took the other one and the bikes south to Pilot Grove with the plan to ride our bikes back north and then retrieve our vehicle.

To reach the Pilot Grove trailhead from Boonville, head west on Interstate 70 to exit 98 and head south on Missouri route 135. Continue south on MO-135 for 6.3 miles to a 4-way stop in downtown Pilot Grove. Turn right on Highway M, also marked as Roe Street. Turn in to the large, paved parking area about ½ block on the right. Besides parking, the trailhead also offers interpretive signs, sheltered bench seating, a water fountain, restrooms, and a bike repair stand with tethered tools. Note that the water is shut off between November 1 and April 1 to prevent frozen pipes.

Pilot Grove is at mile 203.3 and Boonville is at mile 191.8, a distance of 11.5 miles. We planned to stop short of the Boonville trailhead at the Boonville Industrial Drive access trail at mile 194.4 for an 8.9 mile ride. Gravel parking for up to three vehicles is available at the access trail. There are no other facilities at the access trail, but a truck stop, hotels, and fast food restaurants are only about 3/4 mile up the gravel access road and Fuqua Drive.

We rode the remaining 2.6 miles to Boonville the next morning. Except for a couple of short segments, the trail is tree-lined and shady. However, several of the trees happen to be black walnut and had already dropped their fruit. The billiard-ball sized, green, fleshy husks covering the walnuts made biking a bit more of an adventure than we were anticipating as we tried to avoid sliding on them. In addition, there were a few places with long longitudinal ground cracks down the center of the trail. As they weren't in either of the bike lanes, they generally weren't a problem. Known hazards on the trail are well documented on the park's website.

Along the route

Pilot Grove trailhead

State Park sign at the parking entrance

Restrooms and water fountain

Bike repair stand

Typical trail conditions

"Sit A Spell" bench

Farmland near the halfway point

Sweeping curves

Entry to the park is free. The trail is open from sunrise to sunset for walking and bicycling.

We found the http://www.bikekatytrail.com/ website to be a valuable resource in planning our trip.

The Katy Trail State Park website is https://mostateparks.com/park/katy-trail-state-park.