Trail Description:
The main 12 mile loop is long and covers the gambit of uphill and downhill. It gets real sandy (and we do mean REAL SANDY) in the summer (June-Sept.) if its been dry. Also, you're going to cross the riverbed in the bottom of the canyon several times so you can get wet if it's been raining. (Also, the river bottoms are REAL SANDY whether they are wet or dry.)
The best parts of the trail are the descents into the bottom of the canyon and all the fast singletrack. The two climbs that take you back to the pavement and parking lots are murderous. (In fact only a few expert level racers have ever made both climbs.)
The trail is not exceptionally technical but it is long, rocky, loose and bumpy. (and VERY SANDY) This translates into a really fast ride and you can really get some speed built up when conditions are right.
Finally, there are also some other trails found in the Caprock Canyon state park. These include a rails to trails ride that will take you through an old railroad tunnel. If you ask at the main gate the Rangers will tell you where to go.
How to get there:
Quitaque Texas is located in the panhandle of Texas and is basically in the middle of nowhere. Luckily this means that the trails are generally unused and free of traffic.
The park is 3.5 miles north of State Highway 86 in Quitaque on FM 1065.
Additional Notes:
A local bike club from Quitaque holds an annual race in the park and does a great job.
| Posted by: Ty on 3/22/2009 |
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The trails at the state park suffer because of the lack of usage. This is something that we can fix. This is a great park that has a large amount of area and a lot of good trails. The upper and lower canyon trails feature many creek crossings with hard peddling through sandy bottoms. The fastest trails are the Canyon Rim Trail and Eagle Point Trail. Each are several miles, but can be done in about 1/2 hour from the right direction. Start at the lake on Eagle Point and you will have a fast downhill with good speed. Be sure to bring flat protection. In this part of the world, that's just part of it. Cactuses don't have to be a threat. Use either Slime or bib mouses. Don't forget to stop at the natural bridge on Eagle Point and at Fern Cave on the Upper Canyon Trail. I have never seen Fern Cave without water. This is one of the most beautiful parks in America.
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| Posted by: russell on 4/5/2008 |
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i didnt check out the single tracks that the caprock park, but i did do the rails to trails or the amount tha twas still being maintained.from south plains tx to turkey it was a great ride. no tech trails on this trip but a lot of good scenory.sweet brigdes to cross and a 700 foot railroad tunnel. you will need mutipurpose xc tires for this. i rode my race tires and the lava rock ate the rear tire up.i recommend this trail to anyone who like to get away and enjoy the outdoors.
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| Posted by: sue on 10/6/2005 |
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I wish I knew which trail you were talking about! The trail we took (Canyon Rim Trail) ended up being a HORSE trail. 2 of our bikes got flats, front and back from all the millions of stickers. We pushed most of the way, and ended up in the equestrian parking area. Yes, it is totally beautiful in Caprock Canyon, but do NOT go on the trail we took. There are other trails on the scenic drive that looked more promising. Unfortunantly, we wasted nearly a whole day pushing our bikes out of this trail and didn't have time to do anything else.
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| Posted by: Joe on 9/12/2005 |
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This trail was a VERY sandy!! walked a lot of the trail cause your bike cannot make it through all the sand. This trail does have some nice drops though that do allow for nice speed.
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