Ride one of the longest paved bike trail systems in the USA for 3 or 5 fabulous days.We feature mostly car-free riding along 9 scenic trails in addition to 15 miles at the beginning of the KATY trail all while staying in a highly-rated hotel you can call home for the duration of your trip. No packing and repacking or hopping from city to city. Stay in the area’s best “foodie” location in the St. Louis region, eating at many of the fine restaurants that call Edwardsville, IL home.
Ride along and across the Mississippi River, the Missouri River, the bluffs overlooking the fertile valley home to America’s breadbasket and the largest producing Horseradish farmers in the county. Spend the day in Old Town St. Charles as well as an old river town in Grafton, IL. Travel down Route 66 and see the architecture and towns that called this great route home. See where Lewis and Clark launched their epic journey and visit the museum. Sip wine while watching the river run by or sit back and take in the great sunsets overlooking the river. Keep an eye out for deer, turkey and other wildlife on the tree covered paths.
Our staff will ensure every detail is covered as you travel along these paved tree-lined paths across the MCT. All lodging, meals*, SAG drinks/snacks and transportation during the rides are included in our package, just bring your gear and bike. Let us know if you need to rent a bike and we can suggest a great rental location. Leave your cares behind and let Crossroads handle the rest with this first-class bike tour that will bring you to the sights and smells of nature’s beauty you have been waiting for.
Custom bike tour departures available for groups of 2 or more.
*Dinner recommendations are provided but not included in pricing
tour highlights
- One of USA’s best kept secrets of paved trails covering 160 miles of Rails-to-Trails riding
- View the confluence of the Mississippi, Missouri and Illinois Rivers and their bluffs
- Scenic views every day to fill you photo album
- Beverages overlooking the Mississippi River
- See nature first hand with deer, turkey, rabbits and squirrels
- Car-free riding covering most of the entire routes
- Fully guided and SAG support along the trails
- Great accommodations to provide the relaxation you desire
- One hotel to call home during your stay, unpack and relax
- Experience unique small towns offering us their vintage Midwest charm
lodging options
- Holiday Inn Express – Edwardsville, IL
3 day itinerary
Spring 2020 Dates
April 3-5
April 21-23
May 18-20
June 10-12
June 24-26
Fall 2020 Dates
August 25-27
September 9-11
September 22-24
October 20-22
Day 1 – MCT meets KATY Trail (42 miles): Ride along and across the Mississippi River to where the Missouri meets the “Big Muddy”. We ride to the beginning of the KATY trail where few people ever reach (Machen, MO) then travel 15 miles to St. Charles. Spend the day in Old Town St. Charles and see the old State Capital and the historic buildings that are brought back to life in this vibrant antique and entertainment area. After lunch and time to see the sights we head back to our hotel via our tour van.
Day 2 – MCT Loop (36 miles): Spend the entire day on the beautiful tree lined paths of the MCT Trail. Travel many miles on isolated paths flowing from one town to the next watching for deer, turkeys, and other wildlife in the area. See horseradish fields, covered bridge, World’s Largest Catsup Bottle, public botanical garden and have lunch at one of the area’s best craft brewery and distillery.
Day 3 – Mighty Mississippi (34 miles): Today we see the Mighty Mississippi up-close and tour the Lewis and Clark museum at the beginning place of their journey. Ride along the banks of the river to Alton, IL, one of the oldest river towns in IL. Then proceed along limestone cliffs at the water’s edge viewing the soaring birds overhead and the slow moving barges in the river. Explore Elsah IL and then on to Grafton for the rest of the day. After your ride, take in the best views of the confluence of the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers high above on the beautiful cliffs surrounding this quaint town. After seeing the sights we head back to our hotel via our tour van.
5 DAY ITINERARY
Spring 2020 Dates
May 11-15
Fall 2020 Dates
October 5-9
Day 1 – Route 66 (44 miles): Tour starts at 9:00am at the host hotel: Country Hearth and Suites, Edwardsville, IL. From there we will head up to Hamel and Staunton, IL, both towns on Old Route 66, for a look at the 1930’s style buildings along the old historic route. Travel along the Rails-to-Trails paved path to Staunton and have a homemade lunch. Then back on the trail to Hamel for a drink at Tourist Haven. We meander back to our hotel in Edwardsville looking for deer that roam the farm fields as we go.
Day 2 – MCT meets KATY Trail (42 miles): Ride along and across the Mississippi River to where the Missouri meets the “Big Muddy”. We ride to the beginning of the KATY trail where few people ever reach (Machen, MO) then travel 15 miles to St. Charles. Spend the day in Old Town St. Charles and see the old State Capital and the historic buildings that are brought back to life in this vibrant antique and entertainment area. After lunch and time to see the sights we head back to our hotel via our tour van.
Day 3 – MCT Loop (36 miles): Spend the entire day on the beautiful tree lined paths of the MCT Trail. Travel many miles on isolated paths flowing from one town to the next watching for deer, turkeys, and other wildlife in the area. See horseradish fields, covered bridge, World’s Largest Catsup Bottle, public botanical garden and have lunch at one of the area’s best craft brewery and distillery.
Day 4 – Mighty Mississippi (34 miles): Today we see the Mighty Mississippi up-close and tour the Lewis and Clark museum at the beginning place of their journey. Ride along the banks of the river to Alton, IL, one of the oldest river towns in IL. Then proceed along limestone cliffs at the water’s edge viewing the soaring birds overhead and the slow moving barges in the river. Explore Elsah IL and then on to Grafton for the rest of the day. After your ride, take in the best views of the confluence of the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers high above on the beautiful cliffs surrounding this quaint town. After seeing the sights we head back to our hotel via our tour van.
Day 5 – Small Town USA (35 miles): Final day’s ride takes you back to the farmland and bread basket of the USA with visit a small farm town founded by a Ship Captain that was captured by pirates. Ride through tree canopy trails then see corn, soybeans and wheat growing in open fields. The ride concludes back in Edwardsville for lunch at another great restaurant. Our tour concludes, plan on departing around 1:30pm.
TOUR INFORMATION
Trip Length: 5 days
Nights Lodging: 4 nights
Daily Mileage: 34-44 miles
Total Mileage: 191
Minimum Age: 21
Tour Rating: Active
Check in Location: Edwardsville, IL
Trail Type: Rail-to-Trail
Pricing
PP Double Occupancy
$1190**
Single Supplement*
$400**
*This is required if you are traveling solo or if you are traveling with someone but require separate beds.
Bike Rental
$120
**10% discount for parties of 4 or more
DIFFICULTY LEVEL: ACTIVE
The MCT trails are mainly smooth blacktop with an occasional crushed limestone section. We travel on rails-to-trails paths for most of the rides but might have to use the road to meet another trail. We are riding 23-44 miles per day for 5 days in a row. The length of the ride and endurance make this demanding however we stop to view the beautiful scenery so the riding is not rigorous. Since this is a Rails-to-Trails ride, there are no steep hills to climb, but the longer miles will appeal to stronger, more experienced riders.
Suggested bicycle: Touring bikes, road bikes, mountain bikes or recumbent bikes are all suited for these trails.
Suggested tire size for this tour: Due to the hard smooth surface, any tire size will work on these trails.
The trip ends on Friday, we plan to be finished biking and lunch around 1:30 pm.
If you are flying, you fly in and out of the St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL), depart no earlier than 5:00pm. We will arrange for your hotel on Sunday, prior to the start of the tour. You will be charged for this extra night stay.
If you are driving, meet us at our hotel at 8:00am, the ride will begin at 9:00am. You can leave your car at the hotel for free parking for the entire ride. We will check into the hotel at the conclusion of our first day’s ride.