Thursday riding
These rides are scheduled for the folks who are registered for the Chihuahuan Desert Dirt Fest. Rides are presented in conjunction with Desert Sports, Big Bend National Park, the Big Bend Trails Alliance, the Big Bend Ranch State Park and Lajitas Golf Resort. Helmets are mandatory. Every minor should bring their own adult.
On Thursday there are LOTS of options for different rides so keep on scrolling down for lots more info!
OLD ORE ROAD in Big Bend National Park: meet at 10am at the North End of the Road.
This is an absolutely gorgeous Park road that skirts the edge of the Alto Relex in it’s descent to the River and the Langford Hot Springs. The Ride will begin at the North end of Old Ore Road and finish with a well earned soak in the hot springs. Folks will need to think about shuttling cars from the top to the bottom: but we’ll work out the details later. Folks will also have to take care of their own entry fees into the Park.
Both the longer ride and the shorter ride will begin at the north end of the road. Park just off Dagger Flats Auto Trail, about a quarter mile from the blacktop. Long Ride tours all the way down to the blacktop (32 miles) and goes right to the Hot Springs Road turnoff. Short ride out to McKinney Springs campsite and back. This ride is an out and back ride. For more information about how the whole vehicle thing can work and the possibilities for having your vehicle shuttled click [here]
But Wait … there’s more!
… the fine folks at the Big Bend Ranch State Park are joining in with the Celebrations and are hosting three rides from the Barton Warnock Center. They are also waiving all day use fees for the entire three days. Hats off to the folks at Big Bend Ranch State Park!
> CONTRABANDO TRAIL SYSTEM The scuttlebutt about the Big Bend Ranch State Park as a mountainbiker’s mecca has really increased this year. Check out the Park’s own website where there is lots and lots of information about mountainbiking: including a video about riding, downloadable maps of the park and the trails, and a PDF of the Guidebook for Bicycling in the Park.
>> Longer Ride: RINCON LOOP meet at Barton Warnock Center at 9:30am. 30+ miles. Ride the singletrack on the way up to the Fresno/Whitroy mines, up Fresno Creek and around Chimney Rock to loop back to the mines and zoom back down to the Warnock Centre.
>> Shorter Ride: DOME TRAIL meet Barton Warnock Center at 10am. 20+ miles. Ride to the new Waterhole Trail and the Dome back to the Camino Viejo trail and more singletrack options.
…also on Thursday the first of the 2-day EPIC Option trips starts out as well. Check out more info about the 2-day EPIC Option on it’s own page.
Trail Access during this event:
The fine folks at Big Bend Ranch State Park are waiving all Day Use fees Thursday, February 16 through Saturday, February 18, 2012. Trails are open from dawn to dusk. Helmets are mandatory. And feel free to drop by the Barton Warnock Center and tell them thanks!
The trails on the Lajitas Property are open for public use every day from dawn to dusk.
A few practical notes about riding out here in the Chihuahuan Desert.
- HELMETS are mandatory at all time that bicycles are being riddden. Butt on bike, Helmet on head, smile on face.
- WATER: it is a desert out here. Bring water. Drink water. Bring more water. Drink more water.
- CACTUS: there are A LOT of spikey things out here that want to give you a flat. Most local riders use some type of sealant in their tires (Slime, Stans, Latex etc.) and carry at least TWO spare tubes (with sealant, too!). There are very sharp rocks out here as well and many opportunities to be going very fast so a tire boot is not a bad idea, either.
- TUBELESS TIRES: many folks run tubeless out here and love them and have great success with keeping air in their tires. BUT many folks also have frustrating days. Even if you are running tubeless make sure you carry spare tubes.
- WEATHER: can change quickly. Be prepared.