If you only get to Rocheport once, come in October. The little river town sits below limestone bluffs that turn amber and gold in the fall, the Katy Trail runs right through the middle of it, and the wine harvest is on up at Les Bourgeois. Here’s how to make a fall day or weekend of it.
The ride, and the color
The stretch of the Katy Trail between Rocheport and McBaine runs about nine miles along the north bank of the Missouri River, tucked between the bluffs and the water, with a canopy of color overhead from September into late October. It’s one of the prettier stretches of the trail, and it’s flat and easy whether you’re on a bike or on foot.
Start at the Rocheport trailhead at the foot of First Street and ride west to the tunnel, less than half a mile out. It’s the only tunnel on the whole 240-mile trail: 243 feet cut through the limestone bluff for the MKT railroad, blasted through in 1892 and finished in 1893. It stays cool and dark even on a warm fall afternoon. Bike rentals, coffee, and a scratch-made breakfast are waiting at Meriwether Cafe and Bike Shop right at the trailhead.
If you’d rather see the valley from above, the steep path up to the overlook on the bluff gives you a wide view over the bottoms and the river. For wetlands and birdwatching, the Diana Bend Conservation Area sits along the trail just west of town, bounded by the river and Moniteau Creek, with a wildlife-viewing blind at the base of the bluffs.
Harvest at Les Bourgeois
Fall is harvest season at Les Bourgeois Vineyards, on the bluff above town at 14020 W Highway BB. The winery holds its Crush Festival in September at the A-Frame, with a grape stomp, harvest energy, and the river view that explains why people drive across the state for it. The A-Frame stays open through October, which means cool evenings with a glass of Missouri wine and the last of the color fading out over the water. Les Bourgeois also runs harvest dinners at its Blufftop Bistro, and those tend to book up well ahead, so reserve early if you want a table.
A fall weekend
Give it a full weekend if you can. Saturday morning: coffee and a walk on the Katy Trail while the mist is still on the river. Afternoon: the tasting room at Les Bourgeois, a charcuterie board on the blufftop patio. Evening: dinner at the Bistro, reserved ahead. Sunday: browse the shops and galleries along Second Street before the drive home. Rooms at the local bed-and-breakfasts fill fast in October, so book several weeks out if you want to stay over.
Color usually peaks around mid-October, but the season holds from September through November. The trail gets quieter, the air turns crisp, and Rocheport, all 200-some residents of it, feels like exactly the kind of place worth the drive.