Learn About Nature on “Wild on the Katy” - Katy Trail Ride 2007

First posted on 03-19-2007

The native plants and animals along Katy Trail State Park will be highlighted on the seventh annual Katy Trail Ride—“Wild on the Katy.” This year’s weeklong bicycle ride on the 225-mile Katy Trail State Park will take place June 18 through 22. Applications are now available for bicyclists that would like to participate in Katy Trail Ride 2007, a ride on the nation’s longest developed rail trail.

The ride is sponsored annually by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources and the Missouri State Parks Foundation. This year, Toyota is being introduced as a corporate sponsor and official vehicle of the ride.

Katy Trail Ride 2007 is a 243-mile, scenic bicycle ride from Clinton to St. Charles and includes an 18-mile ride into Columbia on the MKT Trail. Katy Trail Ride 2007 will allow bicyclists to experience the entire Katy Trail State Park, which takes travelers through many of Missouri’s rural communities, alongside open fields and between the Missouri River and its bordering bluffs. Daily mileage ranges from 28 to 66 miles.

Participation is limited to 300 people and the deadline for registration is May 15. The registration fee includes breakfast and dinner daily, outdoor camping spaces each night, portable hot showers, gear shuttle, sag support and a Katy Trail Ride 2007 t-shirt and water bottle. Evening activities and daily trivia questions will highlight many of the plants and animals seen on this scenic five-day ride.

Transportation between St. Charles and Clinton on June 17 or June 22 will be available along with roundtrip transportation from Columbia to Clinton on June 17 and St. Charles to Columbia on June 22 for an additional fee. Day trips are available for bicyclists that would like to participate in this scenic ride but don’t have five days to spare.

For more information about the ride or for an application, call the Department of Natural Resources toll free at 1-800-334-6946 (voice) or 1-800-379-2419 (Telecommunications Device for the Deaf) or visit the Web at http://www.katytrailstatepark.com.