Every year, hundreds of cyclists point down the Katy Trail for the Big BAM — Bike Across Missouri, presented by Missouri Life — a fully supported, multi-day ride across the trail’s full 240 miles, and Rocheport is one of the stops every rider passes through along the way. Outside has named Big BAM one of the best-supported bike rides in the country, and it’s easy to see why: luggage transfers, a support vehicle, lunches, and live music each evening. E-bikes are welcome, and you can join for a single day, a few days, or the whole crossing.
Big BAM’s fall edition runs October 11–17, 2026, right when the bluffs along the trail are turning color. Registration and the full day-by-day route are at bigbamride.com.
If you’ve never heard the term “century ride,” it just means 100 miles in a single day — the classic benchmark for serious cyclists. The Katy Trail’s crushed-limestone surface and nearly flat grade (it follows a former railroad bed) make it about as close to perfect century terrain as you’ll find in the Midwest: less than a few hundred feet of elevation change over a full day in the saddle. At 240 miles end to end, it’s the longest developed rail-trail in the United States, and the stretch through Rocheport is the one riders talk about longest after they’re home.
Here’s why: just west of town sits the stone railroad tunnel, built in 1892–1893 — the only tunnel on the entire Katy Trail. The last trains ran through it in 1986. Emerging from that cool dark onto the limestone bluffs above the Missouri River earns a photo stop every time. The natural rally point in town is Meriwether Café — good espresso, solid food, and a patio that puts the river right in front of you.
Multi-day riders have real options for staying over. The School House Bed and Breakfast is two blocks from the trail, the Amber House is trail-adjacent, and the Trailside Suites at Les Bourgeois put you at the winery’s base with the river below. Whether you’re riding the whole crossing or just catching the Rocheport section on your own this October, this is the trail mile that earns its reputation. See you at the tunnel.