Plenty of rides out of Rocheport head east toward McBaine, and it’s a lovely nine miles. But the ride west is the one with a destination at the end of it: 13.5 miles of trail under the bluffs and across the bottoms, a crossing of the Missouri River itself, and a restored railroad depot in Boonville waiting on the other side. Early fall, with the heat gone and the color starting, is about the best time there is to do it.
The numbers
The Rocheport trailhead sits at mile marker 178.3, at the foot of First Street. The New Franklin trailhead is at 188.2, and Boonville’s depot trailhead is at 191.8, according to Missouri State Parks and the Katy Trail’s own trail guide. That’s 13.5 miles one way, 27 there and back. The trail is flat crushed limestone the whole way, so the distance is the only real work. Budget a relaxed morning for the ride out and a longer one for the ride home.
Rocheport to New Franklin
You’re in the good part almost immediately. Less than half a mile out is the Rocheport tunnel, the only one on the entire Katy Trail, and past it the trail runs west along the foot of the bluffs with the river on your left and passes beneath the Interstate 70 bridge. West of town is Diana Bend Conservation Area, 1,343 acres of wetland and bottomland run by the Missouri Department of Conservation, with an accessible wildlife-viewing blind at the base of the bluffs right by the trail. It’s worth five minutes on the way out and five more on the way back; the birds change with the hour.
From Diana Bend the trail runs on toward New Franklin. The trailhead there has parking, restrooms and water in season. Top off your bottles; it’s the last trailhead before Boonville.
Across the river
The old Missouri-Kansas-Texas line crossed the river on its own lift bridge, but the trail doesn’t. It crosses the Missouri on the bicycle lane of the highway’s Boonslick Bridge, then drops you into Boonville. It is the one stretch of the ride where you share space with car traffic, so take it steady and keep right. The view from the middle, with the whole width of the river under you, is the best on the ride.
Nearby is the old Katy Bridge, the 1932 lift span the town fought to save. Since 2016 you can walk out 250 feet onto its restored south end from the Boonville riverfront. It doesn’t cross the river yet, but it’s worth parking the bike for.
In Boonville
The trail ends its leg at the restored MKT depot, which houses the chamber of commerce. Boonville Tourism lists restrooms, a small free museum, trail maps and snacks there, with a visitor center next to the trail. If something on the bike has gone wrong, F & L Bike Shop is at 411 East Ashley Road. Downtown Boonville has places to eat within an easy ride of the depot. Check hours before you count on any of them.
Getting home
You have two choices. Ride back, which doubles the distance but puts the bluffs on your right in the afternoon light. Or leave a car in Boonville and start from there, or book one of the shuttle services Missouri State Parks lists on its trail services page. Book ahead, especially on fall weekends.
Before you go
The trail is open sunrise to sunset. Missouri State Parks shuts off trailhead water and closes the restrooms from November through March, leaving portable toilets, so from November on carry everything you’ll need. Check the park’s trail conditions page before you leave, because flooding and repairs can close sections, and this stretch runs through river bottom. Our Katy Trail at Rocheport guide covers tires, repair kits and trail manners. After the ride, Meriwether Cafe is still right at the trailhead.
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