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Caprock Canyons State Park
9 reviews
2.33 of 5
The lower canyon trail, "main trail" (about 6.5 miles) is mostly a single track trail cutting through the bottom of the canyon. The course is circular and returns back to the parking lot from the South. This is nice because there is no back track or shuttle required. The North route has a nice rolling down-hill prelude to some grulling up-hill climbs. This is also the general course used for their annual Quitaqua Quest, an IMBA santioned race. Towards the end of the trail you will find a nice drop and steep down hill, really the only "dangerous sections. Depending on which direction the trail is taken, there is a very senic climb with the bike on foot. (bring a camera)
You will have to stop at the Ranger station to pay your daily fee. The fee is not much and well worth the view. Ask the attendant for a map, you'll need it if you have never been. There are several routes to take and several different trails.
Summary: i hit this trail after week of monsoon rains hit the hi plains. as I drove to the park, pastures looked more like south lousisiana than west texas. so when i rode the sandy trails were well drained although still damp. i rode the whole system, no need to dismount except at a few creek crossings. i don't want to extrapolate to hi summer, but i would think it rideable on 95% of trails. any and all creek crossings have a 10-15-yd sand trap. some rideable, others not.
canyon rim (2.5 mi) is sandy ST as it leave from Honey Flat, beginner trail until it descends down to creek and windmill(.5mi). this drop renders it a intermediate trail.
mesa trail climbs and drops thru 2-3 mi of rock and sand. intermediate.
lower canyon trail (4 mi) follows creek bed, crossing and recrossing 9 times. on 2 occasions you ride down the creek. this is where you will dismount /remount as sand traps lurks on approach to creek bed. intermediate climbing/drops (+/- 2 mi) adjacent to North Prong campsite/pkg. lot. intermediate overall.
upper canyon is CLOSED TO BIKES.
what i liked is :
1) do it as a loop with 2.5 mi return on pavement-with drop outs to road at several points.
2) great vistas of land , lots of land, 'neath the stary, stary skies
Signage is good , in disagreement with previous review. quite good free map available. pdf at website.
take lots of water - no water until return to honey CG.
Other recommended trails in the same area: palo curo trial system
Summary: I have only been here once, but I was pretty dissipointed. The place is beautiful! But it is not made for mountain bikers at all. There was maybe 1 good mile on the whole trail system. The rest of the milage followed a riverbed in the base of the canyon. If you like riding in thick sand, go for it. But I wouldn't recommend this place for a mountain biker.
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Summary: I rode Caprock for the first time last weekend. I started out at Canyon Rim trail which is beside the Honey flat camping area. It was good single track with some sand for a couple of miles maybe, and ended with a pretty good doubletrack downhill with lots of rocks and washouts. This took me to a small river bed with a windmill. I proceeded across the river bed and went up what I believe was the Messa trail. This is when I got lost. The freakin signs are all faded out and you cant read them at all. I had a map, but still couldnt find my way. I could back track to the Canyon Rim trail from where I came, but I wanted to ride the Lower canyon trail and whatever else I could find. Well, needless to say, I got tired after going in circles for about an hour and finally decided to just go west on a trail I couldnt even find on my map. I knew this would eventually take me to the paved road that takes one from the park entrance all the way down into the canyon. Once I got to the paved road, my camelback was nearly out of water, I was getting scorched from the blazing sun, and my wife was expecting me back like 2 hours ago. So I just put it in granny gear and pedaled my sun burned, sand drenched butt back to camp. If the signs wouldve been readable, and I knew where I was, I wouldve had alot more fun. But it was still ok. But I will not go back until some sign maintenance has been done. Oh, yeah, I almost got bit by a 3-4 foot rattler that was sun bathing in the middle of downhill singletrack. I guess it just wasnt my day, I dunno!
Recommended Route: Who the hell knows, you cant read any of the trail signs!
Other recommended trails in the same area: Any that are appropriatley marked!
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Review Date September 29, 2003
Overall Rating 3 of 5
Aerobic Difficulty 3 of 5
Technical Difficulty 0 of 5
Ridden Trail: Once a year
Reviewed by: K2 Kid
,
Cross Country Rider
Summary: I love to read the reviews of the young buckos. I'm 40something and go to Quitaque once or twice a year. This is a "take your pack and lunch" kind of deal. If you ride it all, it takes 4 or 5 hours and your butt will drag. Learn to eject at high speed as your nose wheel buries in the stream bed sand. You cross stream beds at least 15 times. Nothing fancy. Not as fast and exciting as Palo Duro but a good days exercise. Take the pack, the camera and some lungs for the climb out. Mini Grand Canyon views. Hot as hell in summer. Ride this in the fall.
Recommended Route: I like to start by the little lake just past entry station and drop in. Going that direction, it is a mother of a climb out.
Other recommended trails in the same area: Palo Duro Canyon State Park. Very fine single track. Blow beets on the climb back out though if you park too high. Drive all the way in to the main trailhead.
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Review Date November 24, 2002
Overall Rating 3 of 5
Ridden Trail: Ridden Once
Reviewed by: Thad Carey--TNC
, from Hawley, TX, USA
Summary: I agree with Lon from Canyon, TX. This trail system is a very decent ride. There are some fairly fast decents and fairly challenging climbs. There are not a lot of rocks on the actual bike trails in this park. This is West Texas, and most of our trails in the area are rocky as heck. This is a fun and decently fast trail. I'd rate the big ruts and some ledges as the most technical parts of the ride here. It's not too difficult. The mention made by other raters about lots of sand--jeesh, that's not much sand. Whoever set up these trails only crossed some creek beds and fortunately didn't run you in it for any distance at a time. The scenery is great, and there are no big crowds--very pleasant.
Recommended Route: At Honea Flat campground, take the Canyon Rim trail 4 miles north to Mesa Trail loop. Turn off Mesa Trail loop on a connector to the northern section of Lower Canyon Trail heading west. Intersect Canyon Loop trail and go south to rejoin the southern section of Lower Canyon Trail and head east. At just a little over a mile, you're paralleling the park road. Get on the road and almost immediately get on the Eagle Point Trail and head south. You'll dead end onto the park road at the south end of Honea Flat campground, where you started and where you parked your vehicle. This route covers all of the interesting features of the park and creates a big 12 mile loop with no back tracking.
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