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Southwest / Re: Want to do pavment free ride with camping, does this exist in Texas?

« on: May 24, 2012, 09:40:16 am »

There definitely aren't as many options as if you lived in the mountains, but there are a few. Here are some I'm familiar with:

• The closest thing to you will sam Sam Houston national forest. There are hundred of miles of forest service roads in there that could be strung together into a few days of riding. There are also about 70 miles of single/double track on the western side (with Huntsville state park) that are shared with ATVs and dirt bikes.
• There's Big Bend [ranch] state park (not the national park). A few documented trips: http://whileoutriding.com/2012/02/15/back-in-the-chihuahuan-desert-bikepacking-in-big-bend/, http://www.bikepacking.net/forum/index.php?topic=1777.0. This is on my to-do list for the near future.

[li]Then there are the endless miles of dirt roads in the rural Texas counties, unless you're strictly opposed to doing dirt roads. I did a 3ish-day Waco-Abilene-Waco route and made state parks my nightly destinations. The dirt roads around Houston are probably going to be boring, so I'd recommend starting somewhere a little more interesting. North Texas (Denton and beyond) have some amazingly beautiful hill and grassland dirt roads. West of the central texas I-35 corridor is also quite beautiful, hence my starting in Waco. Once you get past I-35 most of the roads other than the state highways become dirt and are quite desolate. They definitely satisfy my craving for desolateness.
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Happy riding,
Joseph