State Park Ranger Picks for Family-Friendly Biking

This month take your family biking in a Texas State Park!

Ride together along shaded creeks, limestone bluffs and stream beds while pedaling through prairies, deserts, fields or forests. Texas state parks offer varying levels of difficulty on both paved and unpaved trails — from easy, flat trails for less experienced bikers to challenging, rocky trails and switchbacks for more experienced cyclists.

Visit the Biking activities page for a list of biking trails in Texas State Parks, along with trail ratings and descriptions. 

Austin-Area Park Ranger Picks 

• Buescher State Park - Enjoy a scenic 12.5 mile ride through the Lost Pines on the paved Park Road 1C, between Bastrop and Buescher State Parks.
• Colorado Bend State Park - Access 26 miles of multi-use trails over varied terrain. Watch a video of Mountain Biking at Colorado Bend.
• McKinney Falls State Park - Try 3.5 miles of paved trails or 4 miles of multi-use trails for mountain-biking. 
• 16 other Texas State Parks are in the Austin area.

DFW-Area Park Ranger Picks 

• Lake Mineral Wells State Park and Trailway - The park's 20-mile trailway follows an abandoned railroad path, making it a car-free trail for biking. The grades are very flat and curves are very gentle, making it popular for all ages and abilities - on mountain bikes or road bikes. The route cuts through farm and ranch land, connecting the town of Weatherford to the downtown district of Mineral Wells. 
• Ray Roberts Lake State Park - Greenbelt Corridor - The corridor is a 20-mile, multi-use trail system with 10 miles of hard-surface trail open to bikers. The trail has three trailheads and meanders along the heavily-wooded banks of the Elm Fork Branch of the Trinity River.
• Tyler State Park - Tyler is one of the top mountain-biking destinations in Texas, offering challenges for all levels. The Pineywoods terrain includes hills, loops, and wildlife viewing opportunities.
• 23 other Texas State Parks are in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
  

Houston-Area Park Ranger Picks 

• Brazos Bend State Park - Only 15 miles from Houston, this park offers thirty-five miles of biking trails. Family-friendly gravel trails are good for less experienced riders, but there are trails for all levels. Watch for wildlife while riding along the Elm Lake Trail, which borders a marsh on one side and a lake on the other. Check out this Brazos Bend biking video.
• Galveston Island State Park - Four miles of easy multi-use trails provide bicyclists with opportunities to see wildlife (birds, ducks, raccoon, armadillos, marsh rabbits) and experience spectacular ocean views.
• Lake Livingston State Park - Pedal your way around this scenic park (only 50 miles from Houston) on five miles of easy trails. Lake Livingston is one of the state's largest lakes at 84,800 acres. Bike rentals are available.
• 5 other Texas State Parks are in the Houston area.

San Antonio-Area Park Ranger Picks 

• Government Canyon State Natural Area - You’ll find it all on the 36+ miles of trails - scenic valleys, woods, canyons, meadows, creek beds and a lot of Edwards Plateau limestone. There are numerous front country and back country biking trails, and trails range in length so that bikers can create routes that work best for them. Watch this biking video shot at Government Canyon. 
• Guadalupe River State Park - Only 30 miles from San Antonio, this park recently opened a 5.3-mile trail to mountain biking. Its many multi-use loops provide scenic views and varied rides. This beautiful park has 4 miles of Guadalupe River frontage. 
• 20 other Texas State Parks are in the San Antonio area.        

Check out a video roundup of what it’s like to bike in a variety of state park settings

Tune up for the Chihuahuan Desert Bike Fest featuring ranger-led rides through the Big Bend Ranch State Park trail system, including the EPIC ride, Rincon Loop, Contrabando Loop, and the new Rock House and Geocache rides!