Go Back  Bike Forums > Community Connections > Regional Discussions > Texas
Reload this Page >

Best 15+ mile road bike trails in DFW area?

Notices

Best 15+ mile road bike trails in DFW area?

Old 04-12-15, 11:49 AM
  #1  
Member
Thread Starter
 
jaranth's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: DFW area, Texas
Posts: 40

Bikes: 2015 Trek Domane 5.2, 2003 Trek 6700 MTB, 1972 Raleigh Sprite 27

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Best 15+ mile road bike trails in DFW area?

Hi folks,

I live smack dab in the middle of DFW. I've been on Trinity Trails (a lot), River Legacy Park, and many other smaller trails.

Recently, I've been trying to up my distance, but it seems that it's getting harder to find good bike trails at longer distances. Of course, I can follow paved roads, but I prefer the less-traveled, more specialized bike trails.

So, I'm looking for suggestions for good routes with few cars (or none), in or within 50 miles of DFW... any suggestions welcome!
jaranth is offline  
Old 04-12-15, 12:37 PM
  #2  
Senior Member
 
nkfrench's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Fort Worth, TX
Posts: 1,846

Bikes: 2006 Specialized Ruby Pro aka "Rhubarb" / and a backup road bike

Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 7 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 13 Times in 4 Posts
My usual place to ride is on the park roads around Lake Benbrook. It's a road but there is a $1 daily park pass (or $30 1-year pass) to get in.
There are very few cars and lots of cyclists. Speed limits are low. There are virtually no pedestrians or dogs.
From the ballfields at Dutch Branch park (plentiful parking) through the roads to SH-377 is a 17-mile out-back.

For extra miles: The park roads branch off from the Trinity Trails (trailhead at Art Cowsen). There are also some cyclist-favored rural roads if you're willing to take the shoulder of SH377 about 1/2 mile to McDaniel road and then on Kelly Road to FM1187 and back (35 miles), or continue from FM1187 (shoulder, high traffic) to Aledo-Iona road back to RM2871 shoulder to return through the neighborhood bike routes to your starting point (26 miles).

Dutch Branch park is accessible from IH820 from either the SH-377 exit or Winscott exit. Or drive over from I35W to FM1187 to SH377. It is behind the YMCA.
nkfrench is offline  
Old 04-12-15, 01:02 PM
  #3  
Uber Goober
 
StephenH's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Dallas area, Texas
Posts: 11,758
Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 190 Post(s)
Liked 41 Times in 32 Posts
First off, you can't find good trails if they don't exist. There are a number of trails in the area, but they are limited in extent, and once you exhaust those, you're done.
You might check out the Campion Trail up on the north side of Irving.
Plano has several miles of bike trails, but they tend to cross busier roads, so you ride a couple of blocks and stop and wait.
You can start up at the north end of the White Rock Creek Trail off of 635, ride down to White Rock Lake, around the lake and back up, for maybe 20 miles or so. You can ride from White Rock Lake on the Cottonbelt Trail on towards downtown Dallas. The White Rock Creek trail goes under roads, with few if any stop signs. The Cottonbelt Trail has several stop signs/stop lights at busy roads, which are irritating. All are paved.
The Lake Mineral Wells State Trailway might be of interest to you. It's all gravel, not concrete.
Garland has a few miles of bike trail, but not really enough to be worth traveling out here for, handy if you live here.
I think North Richland Hills has some bike trails, but never have ridden on them.
On Google maps, there's a "bicycle" option which will make bike trails show up.
Check where your local bike clubs and bike-shop rides go, and you may find some less-busy roads. (Or, maybe not!) But worth checking.
Some routes that are just fine on a Saturday morning are not so hot on a rush-hour weeknight.
__________________
"be careful this rando stuff is addictive and dan's the 'pusher'."
StephenH is offline  
Old 04-12-15, 02:33 PM
  #4  
Senior Member
 
texbiker's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Kingwood, TX
Posts: 1,039

Bikes: Cervelo Caledonia Rival AXS eTap, Blue Norcross AL, Lynskey Helix

Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 105 Post(s)
Liked 103 Times in 81 Posts
Have you been to White Rock Lake? It can get crowded at times but some days it is not so busy. Links to other paved trails.
texbiker is offline  
Old 04-13-15, 12:01 PM
  #5  
Member
Thread Starter
 
jaranth's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: DFW area, Texas
Posts: 40

Bikes: 2015 Trek Domane 5.2, 2003 Trek 6700 MTB, 1972 Raleigh Sprite 27

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
@nkfrench:
I used to live in Benbrook, and that area was my default biking area... beautiful area, I wish I still lived there! Anyway, I've been all over the lake, and the areas around the YMCA... It sort of connects with Trinity Trails, too (via a city park and about 2 miles of road), so it's good for medium distances say, around 50 miles if you use up every nook and cranny. I haven't done the part you mentioned that includes Aledo, because of the roads but I guess I should give it a go.

@StephenH:
I haven't been on the Mineral Wells/Weatherford trail because of the gravel, but I've heard it's packed gravel and a road bike can do it (I'd probably use my MTN bike though)... what's your opinion?

Though I've been to White Rock Lake, I did not know about the trail leading to/from it. I'll do some more research. I've been on the other trails you mentioned... with one exception: Campion Trail... never even heard of it! On Irving's website, they say it's ultimately going to be 22 miles... I live very close to there, so I shall try that current stretch ASAP!

@texbiker:
I've been to White Rock several times in the past and it was always really crowded, at least on the weekends. I guess the main reason I haven't checked out other Dallas trails is because it's *Dallas*... I mean, aren't all the Dallas trails jam-packed all the time? I've shied away from Big D because of that perception (and the drive it would take for me to get there).

Thanks for the replies!

Last edited by jaranth; 04-13-15 at 12:15 PM.
jaranth is offline  
Old 04-13-15, 01:02 PM
  #6  
Uber Goober
 
StephenH's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Dallas area, Texas
Posts: 11,758
Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 190 Post(s)
Liked 41 Times in 32 Posts
I mostly ride on roads, only did the Lake Mineral Wells trail one time, that was on my Worksman cruiser.
The Katy Trail tends to be crowded with joggers/walkers, or was last time I was there, that's why I didn't mention it.
On the route around White Rock Lake, I normally use the roads about 3/4 of the way around, and use the trails otherwise. The sections of trail that people don't normally ride on are bumpier and narrower. I'm usually out there on weeknights or Sunday afternoons, and crowds aren't usually too much of a problem.
__________________
"be careful this rando stuff is addictive and dan's the 'pusher'."
StephenH is offline  
Old 04-13-15, 01:07 PM
  #7  
Senior Member
 
nkfrench's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Fort Worth, TX
Posts: 1,846

Bikes: 2006 Specialized Ruby Pro aka "Rhubarb" / and a backup road bike

Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 7 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 13 Times in 4 Posts
fyi, the Trinity Trails have been expanded so they connect all the way up from Art Cowsen trailhead to the lake roads, all of it MUP and none on-street between there and Bellaire Drive on-street bike lanes.

My bike club has done several Friday all-day rides where we took our bikes on the TRE to Dallas West End, then took the various bike trails and a few easy streets up to Richardson then Plano; then we took the Dart Red Line back to West End for supper before heading home on the TRE. White Rock Lake is on the route and there is another Dart station nearby. The train is a $10 one-day pass usable both on TRE and Dart. It's much easier than driving over. I wish the TRE ran on Sunday; and we avoided the morning rush hour on the TRE.

Last edited by nkfrench; 04-13-15 at 01:12 PM.
nkfrench is offline  
Old 05-16-15, 09:50 PM
  #8  
ride lots be safe
 
Creakyknees's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Texas
Posts: 5,224
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 13 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
Originally Posted by jaranth
.... the Mineral Wells/Weatherford trail because of the gravel, but I've heard it's packed gravel and a road bike can do it (I'd probably use my MTN bike though)... what's your opinion?

I've done it on a road bike, no problem.

For mtb, also look at the NETT:
Northeast Texas Trails Coalition | Biking, Hiking, Walking, and Equestrain trails in NE Texas

And for mtb also check out the Ray Roberts Greenbelt. I've done it on a roadie but there are some large gravel chunky sections. The trails, paved and dirt, continue inside the state park "Isle du Bois" unit.

You'll see on google maps a path from Denton, along the dart rail toward Corinth. That one's pretty straight and boring to ride but the park at Corinth has some fun easy mtb singletrack. A the Denton end there are some fun funky bars and restaurants.
Creakyknees is offline  
Old 05-16-15, 09:57 PM
  #9  
staring at the mountains
 
superdex's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Castle Pines, CO
Posts: 4,560

Bikes: Obed GVR, Fairdale Goodship, Salsa Timberjack 29

Mentioned: 6 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 394 Post(s)
Liked 197 Times in 112 Posts
once you're out of town a little, enjoy the roads and go as long/far as you like. north, like McKinney, Denton, etc....
superdex is offline  
Old 05-17-15, 07:00 PM
  #10  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Irving, TX
Posts: 358

Bikes: Schwinn Paramount

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
Originally Posted by jaranth
I live smack dab in the middle of DFW
White Rock is one of the best bets in the city. I haven't done it in awhile but I think it's all still in the same condition. Used to be 9 miles per lap, you can do as many laps as you want.

Campion trail in Irving is possible but it isn't very long round trip, maybe 13 miles. In that area you can get on Royal Lane and head west towards Grapevine. Once you get in the area of Freeport Parkway there are a lot of other roads you can loop around on to get more miles. With a little creativity you can get 30 miles or more, just watch for girls in Toyota's. Contact me directly and I can give you more details.
bjtesch is offline  
Old 08-13-15, 08:10 AM
  #11  
Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: NTX
Posts: 42
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Thread revival!
North Richland Hills was mentioned. The Cottonbelt Trail (Tarrant co) runs parallel to the rail line the Tarantula uses and runs continuously from Haltom to Grapevine. There are stops at cross streets but most are quick. The biggest drawback is probably that it's dead straight and quite flat.
Ubermich is offline  
Old 08-18-15, 09:16 PM
  #12  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Plano, TX
Posts: 186

Bikes: 87 centurion ironman expert, 86 team fuji, 90 litespeed tachyon, 87 bridgestone rb2

Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 5 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
I ride the the trail that starts at bob woodruff park, Plano go north and under 75, then it connects with the blue bonnet trail, take different forks around the area. On my saturday ride i can rack up about 50 miles on these trails. Part of this trails can be busy with people sometimes and there are stretches that you have to cross streets every few blocks but i feel safer on here than on the street. This upcoming weekend ill be trying rides in the country roads north into Mckinney and beyond.
dohc97 is offline  
Old 08-19-15, 04:08 PM
  #13  
Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 36
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
I've done the Mineral Wells Trail round trip from the Weatherford Trailhead many times. I really like the ride. I did my first really long ride there, as it was my goal last Summer to complete the round trip(about 40 mi). I did it on my mountain bike, as that's all I had then, but with the right tires it could be done on a road bike. Actually I rode on worse trails this summer in Colorado on my road bike. Only advice I give if you go this time of year is pretty obvious, take plenty of water. Fill up opportunities are kinda sparse if you just set out with a couple of bottles.
technobuyer is offline  
Related Topics
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
09box
Northeast
2
09-14-18 08:35 PM
bunkerman
General Cycling Discussion
10
08-08-17 06:13 AM
cole.callahan
Northeast
7
05-07-17 12:06 PM
fritz1255
Northeast
9
06-27-16 07:20 PM
RaceVW14
Road Cycling
41
02-20-13 12:03 PM

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.