To get there from the Central Texas area (Temple/Belton/Killeen), take I-35 north to Waco. Take the Hwy 31 exit, and head northeast. Take 31 all the way to Tyler. When you get to Tyler, look for Loop 323 and take a left (north). At the north side of Tyler, head north on FM 14. You'll go across I-20. Just a mile or two more, and you'll see the entrance to Tyler State Park on your left. It will take you about 3-4 hours to get there from our area.
You'll pay $3 per person to get into the park. Buy a bike trail map for a quarter; it will give you an idea how the trails are laid out. Drive on into park, keeping the lake on your left. Turn right into the Blackjack Camping Area. There's a circle drive, with a covered picnic pavilion, with concrete tables/benches, in the center. There is at least one BBQ grill. There is also a little toilet house with flush toilets and sinks.
Right now (fall/winter) is the best time to go. I was there Sunday, Nov. 29th for the Gnarly Dog Time Trial, and the trail was in perfect condition - only 2 wet spots. The time trial series is hosted by the Tyler Bicycle Club, and a friendlier group of folks, you would have trouble finding elsewhere. Check out Tyler Bicycle Club on the web.
The trail heads off in a few different directions from Blackjack; our time trial started where our course finished, went around the pavement past the bathroom, and darted into the woods just past the fenced off electric area. Ok, so if you're standing in the middle of the pavilion, looking at the bathroom, turn your head to the right and you'll see a trail - this is where we started the time trial (on the pavement), and the trail we came out on to finish. So if you're standing on the pavement, with the trail to your right, you'll be looking toward the bathroom. Start riding in this direction. You'll see a trail go off to your right before you get to the bathroom... then go past the fenced off area (electric something-or-other), and you'll see another trail dive into the woods. Dive in!
Now you're on the trail to fun. From here, follow the direction arrows. D & E are the longest way around. I've only been there once, and I rode the "sport loop" with a friend as a pre-ride for the Gnarly Dog Time Trial. I didn't make it all the way, however... and I didn't make my race. I broke 3 spokes. :(
We followed the B loop to the C loop. The C loop will come back to the B loop, and take a left - take it. If you take a right, you'll end up back on part of the trail that you've already covered. If, by chance, you break 3 (or more or less) spokes and need an "out", soon after you take that left you'll come back out beside the main park road that you drove in on. Take a left on the pavement if you need to cut your ride short and get back to your car. Ask me how I know. Ha. First, we went left... and thought it was the wrong way. So we turned around. Then I realized we were *definitely* going the wrong way, so we turned around again. Hint: if you climb a big-a** hill, you're going the right way!
Getting back to Blackjack in a timely manner didn't matter to me anymore (I had to release my rear brake and twist the broken spokes around non-broken spokes just to get my wheel to roll), but my friend had a race to ride! He was already close to the top of that hill the first time I thought we were going the wrong way. O:) Sorry, Rick!
Not only did Rick make it back in the nick of time to register (no need to warm up!) and race, but he ended up beating most of the locals on their own trail! He was the 5th to take off (1 minute intervals between racers), and the first to come out of the woods. Official placing: 2nd, a mere 24 seconds behind 1st place.
Ok, that little segue taken care of, let me talk a little about the trail itself. Fabulous trail. It has elements I haven't seen anywhere else in Texas - but HAVE seen in places like California! If you've ridden the trails at Lincoln Parish Park in Ruston, Louisiana, you've ridden the closest cousin to the Tyler trails. These trails, in contrast to Ruston's pine needle-covered trails, are covered mostly in copper and red oak leaves now. But they both have the same hard-packed sand trails, with partially hidden rocks and roots for technical support.
You'll climb; you'll descend. You'll twist and turn through narrow tunnels of trees - those of you using those longhorn handlebars may think twice before squeezing through some of these bar end-grabbing spaces! I like my bars short, and I even found myself hunching my shoulders a couple of times, trying to narrow my bars! ;)
We did walk a time or two. Some of the technical elements, combined with either climbing or descending turns will catch the first-time Tyler rider unaware and unprepared! But I have no doubt that the entire trail is completely rideable for the experienced rider. You'll want to slow down in places that are obscured by leaves - rocks and roots and rain-eroded gullies are common. And yet, it is a very fast course, in spite of the jarring you will encounter due to the rocks and roots - like Ruston. A heart-rate elevator if I ever rode one!
You won't have to wait until you're almost done with the ride to get back out to a road sooner than I described if you have to. The park encourages mountain biking, and has several evacuation routes planned. Take a look at the sign board at Blackjack (at 10 o'clock if you're standing in the pavilion looking at the bathroom) for their rules of the trail, and definitely follow IMBA's rules of the trail. I didn't see any signs of horses, and didn't encounter any hikers (in fact, driving in, I saw a sign that specifically said "No Walking/Hiking"!), but there are other cyclists out there, and they'll be going both slower and faster than you. All the people we encountered (members of the Tyler Bicycling Club and Plano Cycling and Fitness Team included) were as Texas-friendly as they could be. The TBC members even invited us to share their picnic lunch after the time trial.
If you're interested in the Gnarly Dog Time Trial Series, visit the web site above, or call Tyler Simpson at Tyler Bike 'N Sail (a Trek dealer) at 903-561-4810.
Have a GREAT RIDE!!!