Our October 2017 trip to bike the Katy Trail across parts of Missouri continued with a 9.9 mile segment from New Franklin east to Rocheport. This part of the trail along the Missouri River bottom land has long tangent sections with a few sweeping curves. The route passes through farms and along the edge of the Davisdale Conservation Area before passing under US 40 and over Salt Creek. The trail then hugs the base of 150 foot high cliffs before ducking into a short tunnel, the only one on the Katy, and arriving in Rocheport.
While there is more shade along this section than the open farmland between Boonville and New Franklin, there are still long stretches without much shade at all. All the grade crossings on this section are with gravel county or field access roads. The one major highway passes over the trail and Salt Creek by way of a bridge. The tunnel is straight with a good surface. While helpful to allow other trail users to see you, a headlight is not needed to see the surface of the tunnel. Other than crossing the Salt Creek levee, the trail is level with a total elevation change of about 10 feet over nearly 10 miles. The trail was in great shape with a smooth crushed limestone surface.
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| Bonne Femme Creek bridge |
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| View upstream |
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| View downstream |
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| Typical trail conditions |
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| Cattle grazing on a hillside |
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| Wide open spaces |
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| Farmland along the trail |
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| 1921 clay-tile elevator in Pearsons |
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| Beside the Salt Creek Levee |
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| Bridge from Davisdale camper parking area |
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| Primitive campground at Davisdale |
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| One of the few tunnels of vegetation on this section |
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| US 40 overpass |
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| Bridge over Salt Creek |
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| Biking below the bluffs |
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| One of several caves in the bluffs |
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| Looking back as the afternoon sun highlights the limestone |
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| Another cave |
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| Straight up |
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| The only tunnel on the Katy |
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| Looking back at the tunnel from the Moniteau Creek bridge |
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| The creek flows along the base of the bluffs |
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| View downstream |
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| Rocheport City Hall and public restrooms |
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| Autumn colors are highlighted above the trailhead parking area |
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| Looking back at the trailhead and City Hall |
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| History |
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| Sights along the way |
Entry to the park is free. The trail is open from sunrise to sunset for walking and bicycling.
The section of the park from Boonville to Machens is part of the Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail.
The Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail website is https://www.nps.gov/lecl.
The Katy Trail State Park website is https://mostateparks.com/park/katy-trail-state-park.
Excellent help to know what this section has to offer. I appreciated the photos and the description of the scenery one can expect.
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