MountainBikeTx.com

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45+ miles

2-5

jeep road; singletrack

loops

TPWD (park)  |  TPWD (park - detailed)  |  TPWD (Contrabando Trail)
TPWD (Fresno-Sauceda Loop highlighted)  |  Big Bend Ranch Biking Guide

$3 per person 13 and older/day use (May through October)
$5 per person 13 and older/day use (November through April)
(annual pass available for $70)

Contrabando Trail  |  Encino Mountain Trail  |  Fresno-Sauceda Loop
Horsetrap Mountain Trail  |  Oso Loop  |  Llano Loop

• Bike rental
• Lodging (see TPWD website for details and rates)
• Camping (see TPWD website for details)

TPWD website

(432) 358-4444

Big Bend Ranch offers cyclists spectacular views along the Rio Grande as well as jeep tracks and a trail network through the park’s rugged grandeur. ~TPWD

In-depth review courtesy of Texas Parks & Wildlife magazine (click)
~ Karen Hoffman Blizzard (Nov 2009)

  “A huge day in the saddle and super challenging,” says IMBA board member and Mountain Bike Hall of fame inductee Hill Abell. “Even the most accomplished 4-wheeler would have second thoughts about traversing the rugged doubletrack segments, and you’ll witness incredible geography throughout the ride.”
  This burly loop offers a blend of singletrack, creek beds and 4x4 roads, with frequent, often steep, climbs and descents. The riverbed sections vary from hard-packed to sandy and soft, with highly technical sections. There are significant archeological and historical sites along the route, including abandoned cinnabar mines, deserted homesteads and Native American pictographs.
  Even super-fit riders will be tested by this Epic, but if you finish and still want more, it’s possible to access the Lajitas trail system from the eastern end of the loop, providing an additional 20+ miles of fast, flowing singletrack. The western side of the park offers 150 miles of additional trails and old 4x4 roads. “You could spend weeks exploring all the riding options,” says local advocate Jeff Renfrow, who serves with the IMBA-affiliated Big Bend Trail Alliance. “The Epic is just a small portion of the riding in the park and it’s all on the east side — there are huge areas that not even the locals have explored by mountain bike. You can’t say that about many places these days.”
~ International Mountain Bicycling Association website (Nov 2010)

Great ride report and lessons learned (click)
~ Texitaliano (Jan 2011)