Dean Posted January 4, 2021 Share Posted January 4, 2021 Hi bikers, I am new to the site, had a question about riding locales. Just got back into riding after 20 yrs with a new bike with all the trimmings (pads, gloves, etc). I was wondering if anyone could advise on trails/riding experience on Miller Springs Nature Center (Temple) and the Fort Hood trails (BLORA). Since I am getting back into this, I am not ready yet for black or black diamonds, mostly green-ish, greenish-blue and blue. Spider mtn is on my radar but not yet. Thanks, Rider side up. Dean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
St.Bernardo Posted January 5, 2021 Share Posted January 5, 2021 Last time that I road Blora was ~5 years ago. It hadn't seen much use and was a little over grown. Don't know anything about Miller. Dana Peak at Stillhouse Hollow Lake seems to be the place to go up that way. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tree Magnet Posted January 5, 2021 Share Posted January 5, 2021 Haven't been to BLORA in probably 5 years either. However, I hear great things about Dana Peak and Stillhouse Hollow lake. Cameron park isn't too far from you either and it's a good time (see other thread). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AustinBike Posted January 5, 2021 Share Posted January 5, 2021 Dana Peak is great. I've heard bad reports on BLORA lately, most have said that it is overgrown and it feels like nobody is maintaining the trail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chongo Loco Posted January 6, 2021 Share Posted January 6, 2021 I don't think anybody's regularly maintained BLORA in 15+ years. Even then it was a PITA if you didn't know the trails. They had the signs on posts that the longhorns like to use as scratching posts so they'd get knocked all around. It was hilarious that you'd go into the building to pay and if you weren't paying for lake / picnic access they'd look at you with this whatever good luck with that attitude. LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Tip Posted January 28, 2021 Share Posted January 28, 2021 I was reading the Dana Peak Facebook page and there was chatter about work days to maintain the BLORA trails. People were talking like it was getting enough traffic. I didn't have time to check it out while we were up there but all that chat makes me want to try it out. We did ride Miller Springs Nature Center. I had never heard of it but we were camping right across the road from it so it was a low investment to check it out. It turned out fun enough that I say it's definitely worth a drive to try it out. When I looked at the Strava Global Heatmap right before we started exploring I knew I wasn't going to be disappointed because there was lots of recorded traffic. It's different and very scenic. It's only 20 minutes from Dana Peak which is the other good place to ride in the area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barry Posted January 28, 2021 Share Posted January 28, 2021 11 hours ago, The Tip said: I was reading the Dana Peak Facebook page and there was chatter about work days to maintain the BLORA trails. People were talking like it was getting enough traffic. I didn't have time to check it out while we were up there but all that chat makes me want to try it out. Using Strava's Heatmaps (and trying to maintain zoom level for apples/apples), BLORA isn't getting near the traffic of Dana Peak, but it gets a lot more than Thumper, for example. So folks are riding there a bit. Probably just the locals. At only 18 miles from Dana Peak, so it may be worth checking out with a quick trip if, for example, some folks tried to fill 2-3 days of riding with Dana Peak. BLORA: Miller Springs looks more popular, but smaller: Thumper is ice-cold: One hot snipet of Dana Peak for comparison: Heatmaps are fascinating. I also found a bunch of squiggly lines just south-west of DP...Google maps shows it to be CTOR (CenTex Off Road), a private motorcycle park that doesn't allow bikes (according to their FAQ). So either bikes are riding there, or folks are recording motorcycle rides as bike rides--which isn't that uncommon. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
June Bug Posted February 20, 2021 Share Posted February 20, 2021 On 1/27/2021 at 9:32 PM, The Tip said: We did ride Miller Springs Nature Center. I had never heard of it but we were camping right across the road from it so it was a low investment to check it out. Where did you camp? Is there an RV park or some type of tent camping? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Tip Posted February 20, 2021 Share Posted February 20, 2021 3 minutes ago, June Bug said: Where did you camp? Is there an RV park or some type of tent camping? Live Oak Ridge, an Army Corp facility. A very nice RV park. Nice bathrooms too. Our little RV doesn't have a shower so that's important to us. https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/232626 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
June Bug Posted February 20, 2021 Share Posted February 20, 2021 Thanks! ACOE campgrounds are typically very nice. Is Miller Springs Nature Center confirmed for mountain biking? All the online reviews refer to hiking and trail running. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Tip Posted February 20, 2021 Share Posted February 20, 2021 1 hour ago, June Bug said: Is Miller Springs Nature Center confirmed for mountain biking? All the online reviews refer to hiking and trail running. Look at Barry's heatmap of it above. Those are mountain biking heatmaps. So it gets lots of mtbers. There are some sort sections that I don't think anyone could ride, at least up, but it didn't diminish the experience too much. The campsite is very convenient to BLORA too. We didn't get a chance to check it out though. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
June Bug Posted February 20, 2021 Share Posted February 20, 2021 Thanks! I'll put it on the list for a weekend getaway! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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