At 240mi (385km), the Katy Trail is America’s longest and, arguably, pre-eminent rail trail. Its cutesy name comes from the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad, or MKT. (There’s a separate urban Katy Trail in Dallas on the same route.)

The route’s popularity makes this a well-served touring destination. Towns and villages along the way are used to providing for cyclists, and you’ll find bike shops, campgrounds and cycle-friendly cafés beside the trail. (Plus plenty of breweries and wineries, so don’t set too ambitious a schedule.)

The scenery is much better than you’d expect for a long-distance rail trail. It runs alongside the Missouri River for most of the way. Expect high bluffs and migrating birds, freight barges and hardy kayakers, small-town architecture – and very few bridges.

The surface is crushed limestone throughout. This generally makes for easy cycling but be wary of riding it after heavy rain. It’s popular all year round, but the early autumn (late September/October) is the finest time to ride for the natural colours and forgiving temperature. May is also popular though watch out for thunderstorms.

East of Sedalia, the route is easy to access via Amtrak trains. (The westernmost end from Clinton to Sedalia isn’t near any railway stations.) You’ll need to reserve a bike space in advance. There are also several road shuttle operators who will ferry you and your bike back to your start point.

You can add another 70mi (120km) of rail-trail riding to your route by taking the companion Rock Island Trail from Windsor to Kansas City, and there are ambitions to build still more connected trails.

An excellent homebrew website, Bike Katy Trail, has tons of practical detail and is regularly updated with contact details for businesses and services along the way.

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