Ridenfool Posted December 21, 2018 Share Posted December 21, 2018 (edited) A welcome distraction if you are passing through, or in the area and want to ride. A 15+ mile loop netted 2000' of ups and downs, some windy trail, some tech, some connectors on decaying retired Corp of Engineers park road (kinda reminded me of the Madrone at Canyon Lake in this respect). A longer loop would easily be possible and the park literature indicates 50 miles of trail exist. There is a lot of signage, some of which didn't match the park trail map, and, there were some spots that didn't have signs and could use a marker. TrailForks is your friend. Water was available from taps at several places along the way. The park is shared with hikers and equestrian users, though some of the horse trails run parallel to purpose built MTB trail where the critters aren't allowed. I didn't see any sign of horses, but there are sections with grazing cattle that were unfazed by my passing. Several restrooms have showers and some of the facilities are heated (which was nice for a December ride). I'd hit it again if I found myself in the area. Edited December 22, 2018 by Ridenfool 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Tip Posted December 21, 2018 Share Posted December 21, 2018 Cool, thanks for the input. We are going out there after Christmas. Is there some easy stuff that my not so much of a mountain biking wife would enjoy? We were going to go to Palo Duro on a big swing around, but the forecast calls for lows in the 20s and highs only in the mid 40s. Nope! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fontarin Posted December 21, 2018 Share Posted December 21, 2018 There's some easier stuff out there, but there might be a few sections she'd walk. What kind of stuff at Walnut is she comfortable riding? Note: The entire park will be closed on the following dates:. *From 2 p.m. on Jan. 4 until 8 a.m. Jan. 7, 2019.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fontarin Posted December 21, 2018 Share Posted December 21, 2018 Looking at my rides out there, I'd say Tasajilla Flats trail (there might be a little walking here. There was one steeper descent that she'll definitely want to walk if beginner. Tasajilla Flats -> Nature Trail -> paved to Chaparral Trail back to red Arroyo Another option would be an out and back on chaparral - > Winding snake and back. It's been over a year since i've been there, and i've only been there 3-4 times, so trying to go off memory. If you can scout it out first it might be a better idea. If you're on the north side, the Dinosaur Trail was pretty easy. There might be one or two walking spots on Rocky Creek to Shady connecting back to the parking lot. If I recall correctly (and I only rode this once like 3 years ago), there's one steeper climb and a few small ledges. I recall I was racing this during a 6 hour race and I quit after two laps because honestly it was super boring. Dino is mostly in a huge field. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Tip Posted December 22, 2018 Share Posted December 22, 2018 7 hours ago, fontarin said: What kind of stuff at Walnut is she comfortable riding? She's pretty comfortable in the parking lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ridenfool Posted December 22, 2018 Author Share Posted December 22, 2018 I didn't get up to the North end, but it has a few green trails that might be gentle. There's miles of paved park road and a lot of retired Corp of Engineers asphalt roads, but the COE roads aren't on the park map. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAF Posted December 22, 2018 Share Posted December 22, 2018 33 minutes ago, Ridenfool said: I didn't get up to the North end, but it has a few green trails that might be gentle. There's miles of paved park road and a lot of retired Corp of Engineers asphalt roads, but the COE roads aren't on the park map. There's a TMBRA race out there now - I scored it this past year. Come join me next year! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fontarin Posted December 26, 2018 Share Posted December 26, 2018 On 12/21/2018 at 7:08 PM, The Tip said: She's pretty comfortable in the parking lot. Not much at SA then. Possibly the Dino trails up north. I know there were some easier south trails but can't think of which exactly are the super easy ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Tip Posted January 23, 2019 Share Posted January 23, 2019 (edited) Post trip report: We ended up not riding. We got there and a huge storm was blowing in. 40 mph winds. Then it blew that hard the next day. So we just hiked around as much as we could. We have been to a lot of state parks. This was NOT a favorite. The dried up lake and the scruffy trees were sort of depressing. It's not desert exactly, so it doesn't have that Big Bend "other wordly" appeal. The trails we saw were not that exciting looking either. Sure if you are passing through give it a shot. But we don't think it's worth a specific 3 1/2 hour drive. Edited January 23, 2019 by The Tip Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barry Posted January 25, 2019 Share Posted January 25, 2019 On 1/23/2019 at 2:26 PM, The Tip said: It's not desert exactly, so it doesn't have that Big Bend "other wordly" appeal. The trails we saw were not that exciting looking either. Certainly not "other-worldly," but more like..."post-apocalyptic." And I largely agree with your assessment. But I have made the special trip out there several times just to ride when the Austin local trails were getting rain and SA area was not. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ridenfool Posted January 25, 2019 Author Share Posted January 25, 2019 In my book it was quite a bit better than not riding at all. The park facilities are just accommodating enough, and town is close by. There are worse trails to ride. It is what it is scenery-wise for being located in that netherworld which exists on the periphery between the Hill Country and the Permian Basin. If that is where you find yourself, I'd say make the best of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fontarin Posted January 25, 2019 Share Posted January 25, 2019 Yeah, scenery is kinda meh, but it's a decent place to camp when Austin is wet since the rocky trails dry pretty fast. There are lots of trails, but once you get deep in the park some of them were kinda overgrown. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kpomtb Posted January 29, 2019 Share Posted January 29, 2019 On 1/23/2019 at 4:26 PM, The Tip said: Post trip report: We ended up not riding. We got there and a huge storm was blowing in. 40 mph winds. Then it blew that hard the next day. So we just hiked around as much as we could. We have been to a lot of state parks. This was NOT a favorite. The dried up lake and the scruffy trees were sort of depressing. It's not desert exactly, so it doesn't have that Big Bend "other wordly" appeal. The trails we saw were not that exciting looking either. Sure if you are passing through give it a shot. But we don't think it's worth a specific 3 1/2 hour drive. You should have seen the lake a few years ago when it was completely dry. The trails are actually holding water in places right now that I don't ever remember in the past. The state park trails are more xc oriented, a few areas are a little more technical. The park is or was working on a re-nativization program and sprayed all the mesquite a few years ago, so most of it is standing dead wood. The goal is to return it to the grassland prairie that was here before the cattle drives brought in the mesquite. Just about every plant has a thorn on the end, so make sure your sealant is fresh. Maybe not the most exciting trails, but a nice area and a 25 mile loop is easy to do. We also have another area to ride that is a combo of jeep trails, motorcycle trails and a couple of short trails built for cycling. More tech out there if that's your thing. This is my home trail, so reach out if you're in the area. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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