Mountain Biking, Ranch Style

Been a bit of a slowdown in blog entries lately; the holidays, bad weather and things like work taking a chunk out of the fun and games. We’ll try and get things rolling again in the new year.
Here in central Texas hill country, there are a lot of open spaces, but most of it is private property, mainly large ranches. There are ranches that still raise cattle, ranches that offer “canned” hunting and most recently, ranches that offer prime trail riding to off road cyclists. Recently, I had the chance to check out Reveille Peak Ranch outside of Burnet, Texas; a little less than an hour from Austin. Being used to the wide open mountains and forests of the Pacific Northwest, I didn’t know quite what to expect.
First thing; it was 70° and sunny the last week in December, not bad conditions for a day of bike riding. It costs $10 a day to ride at RPR, but along with the great riding, there is a fishing lake, a swimming lake, restrooms with showers and a pavilion where you can kick back and have a bite to eat and relax, so it’s worth it. Also, plenty of parking and a friendly staff to get you out on the trails.

There are 65 miles of trails on the ranch; singletrack and doubletrack/dirt roads, so there is something there for riders of every skill level. There is also a pump track and Super D course. I rode a bit of the Super D; it is a very challenging and technical course, better bring your “A” game for this trail. The trails range from decomposed granite singletrack to technical rock riding. Not exactly Utah slickrock, but plenty challenging none the less.

The trails on the lower section of the ranch are decomposed granite, which may be the best kind of trail material there is. Quick to dry out after rain, not too slippery, not too dusty when it’s dry. Stay on the trail and don’t test the puncture resistance of your tires on the cactus though.

Most of the ranch is open prairie type terrain, but there are plenty of wooded areas.

There aren’t any mountains here, but there is a few hundred feet of elevation gain. The lower trails are decomposed granite, the higher you go, the granite is not decomposed, it’s just plain granite.

There are large chunks of rock offering all kinds of technical riding opportunities.

Riding the rocks is a different challenge from riding on trails. The rocks here are grippy, not as smooth as desert slickrock and a good place to challenge your bike handling skills and test your bike’s suspension.

The upper trails are challenging and super fun. If you can clear all the sections here, you’re a pretty good rider. Great place to challenge yourself.

At the top of Inspiration Point, you get a good look out over Lake Buchanan and central Texas hill country.

After that, it’s downhill via the super challenging Super D trail or one of the easier downhill runs back to the pavilion. Maybe a quick lunch and back out on the trails.
Definitely will be coming back here.