Biking

Bring your road bike or your mountain bike along, whether you're visiting the City of El Paso, our smaller cities, or the roads and trails of our state and national parks!

Texas Highways includes TWO premiere Texas Mountain Trail rides
in their Top SIX in Texas!

#1 Panther Junction to Santa Elena Canyon, Big Bend National Park
"This is the most glorious ride you can do in Texas."
#2 Davis Mountains Scenic Loop, Fort Davis
"A fantastic ride offering gorgeous scenery and a generous sprinking of Texas history..."

NEW! Cycle-Friendly Accommodations!
The Texas Mountain Trail is happy to list places offering bicyclists special services--we welcome you to West Texas! Services may include: in-room storage of bikes, packed breakfasts and lunches for day-long adventures, weather info, shuttle services, cycling itineraries or maps, info about cycle shops/repairs, etc.

Hyatt Place El Paso Airport, 6030 Gateway Blvd. E., El Paso, TX 79905
Phone 915-771-0022, Fax 915-771-0599, hyattplaceelpasoairport.com
Cycle-friendly features include: oversized guest rooms for safe storage of bikes, purchase freshly made breakfasts/lunches/snacks packs for cycling adventures , complimentary shuttle to airport and within 3 mile radius, 24 hour fitness center, outdoor pool, laundry/valet services, and more. Download Hyatt Place flyer, page 1. Download page 2.

Gage Hotel, 101 W. Hwy 90, Marathon, TX Phone: 1-800-844-GAGE, www.gagehotel.com
Cycle-friendly features include: oversized rooms for stowing bikes; pool/fitness center/spa services; daily pasta and vegetarian dishes, organic salad ingredients grown in garden onsite; snacks/packed meals and emergency bike repair at French Co. Grocer around the corner. Very safe location, gateway to Big Bend National Park. See flyer for more services.
Download Gage Hotel flyer.

Chisos Mountain Lodge, in Big Bend National Park. Phone: 432-477-2292 or 432-477-2291, www.ChisosMountainLodge.com or www.foreverresorts.com
Cycle-friendly features include: motel and stone cottage lodging in the heart of Big Bend National Park; in-room storage of bikes; full dining options plus possible pre-ordered pack lunches for early morning departures, convenience store. Easy access to trails and scenic roads. See flyer for more services.
Download Chisos Mountain Lodge flyer.

Big Bend Resorts and Adventures, Hwy 118 and Hwy 170, P O Box 227, Terlingua, Texas 79852, Phone: 432-371-2483 Local or Central Reservations: 1-877-386-4383
www.bigbendresortadventures.com
Cycle-friendly features include: convenient location to Big Bend National Park and Big Bend Ranch State Park and on-site trails; clean, comfortable rooms; on-site café for breakfast, lots of grab and go snacks for rides plus box lunches to go; on-site parking for bikes and towed vehicles; and more.
Download Big Bend Resorts and Adventures flyer.

Hotel El Capitan, 100 East Broadway (located two blocks north of I-10 exit 140A), Van Horn, TX 79855, Phone: 432-283-1220 or 877-283-1220, www.hotelelcapitan.net
Cycle-friendly features include: in-room storage of bikes, guest laundry, weather information, regional touring information, wi-fi in lobby, early breakfast service and late departure by arrangement. Gateway to scenic cycling route on Hwy 54 and Guadalupe Mountains National Park.

Also in Van Horn, check out cycle-friendly Cornerstone Crossroads coffee shop  http://cornerstonecoffee.webs.com/ (they'll let cyclists fill hydration packs and water bottles with filtered waters and non-cycling buddies free wi-fi!), Linda's Beauty Salon 432-283-1333 (free indoor bike parking.  Call for appointment) 

Old Schoolhouse Bed & Breakfast, 401 N. Front Street, P.O. Box 1221, Fort Davis, TX 79734, 432-426-2050; Hope’s Ranch Guest House, 1100 Cemetery Road, P.O. Box 1221, Fort Davis, TX 79734, 432-426-2050 www.schoolhousebnb.com (Two properties, same owners.) Hopes Ranch is self-catered.
Cycle-friendly features include: A host who is an avid cyclist in the area, and his wife, who understands the kind of breakfast cyclists need. Familiar with well-known and less familiar, lightly- travelled routes. Secure bike storage in garage; cleaning rags for your equipment; a limited supply of bike tools and parts for emergency repairs along with the expertise for most repairs; flexible hours for breakfast service; excellent quality mattresses; off-street parking within our fence; in-room, free wireless internet connections; weather reports; potential late check-out (with prior arrangement).

DMEC Lodge and Expeditions, one mile south of the Scenic Loop and Fort Davis on Hwy 118, Phone 800-403-3484, www.dmectexas.org
Cycle-friendly features include: comfortable cabins and healthy meals (at a great price) for your cycling group, sag support and shuttles, pre-arranged water stops, snacks or meals delivered or served on your route, skilled bike mechanic and wilderness first aid responder, and more. Download DMEC flyer.

Stone Village Tourist Camp, 509 State Street, Fort Davis, TX 79734, 432-426-3941, www.stonevillagetouristcamp.com Renovated 1935 tourist court located in the middle of Fort Davis. Cycle-friendly features include: in-room bike parking; choice of motel-style rooms, suites (w/microwave and refrigerator) and modernized open air camp rooms with securable screen doors; wi-fi; next-door access to natural foods grocery/deli/bakery; pool.

Antelope Lodge, 2310 W. Highway 90, Alpine, TX 79830, 800- 880-8106 or 432- 837-2451, www.antelopelodge.com Cycle-friendly features include: rustic casual 1949 motor court cabins, each with mini-kitchen with 2 burner stove, mini-fridge, microwave and coffee-maker; in-room or sheltered outdoor bike parking; outdoor fire pits, BBQ grills and picnic tables; free wi-fi; cable TV; coin operated laundry on site available after 5pm.

Here are some helpful links on our site and others:

Races and Special Events

Hammerfest and Cyclefest in Fort Davis
Peyton's Bikes of Midland and the Permian Basin Bicycle Association organize two Fort Davis events a year, the Fort Davis Hammerfest Race in April and the Fort Davis Cyclefest Tour in September. Check here for more information on these classic events in the beautiful mountains around Fort Davis and the legendary Scenic Loop!

Marfa 100, Marfa, Saturday, September 25, 2010.  A non-competitive bike ride to benefit Marfa Public Radio and LiveSTRONG.  For more information, click here.

Chile Pepper Challenge 2010, El Paso, Sunday, September 26, 2010
10, 34, 66 and 100 mile routes, http://www.elpasobicycleclub.com/home.html

Wheels for Meals, Fort Davis to Valentine and back, Saturday, October 2, 2010.  A non-competitive bike ride to benefit the Jeff Davis County Food Pantry.  For more infornation, click here.

Biking Routes, Links and Resources
Other links and resources to enjoying the Texas Mountain Trail region on your bike!

• Big Bend Ranch State Park Biking Guide - a great 68 page guide to mountain biking in the largest, most remote state park in the state!
• Big Bend National Park rides — a wonderful resource for riding in the national park! Includes descriptions, distance/time required, and difficulty!
• Desert Sports — outfitter offering guided trips specializing in mountain biking, but also hiking, river running and more, based in Terlingua
• Texas Mountain Biking page for the Big Bend Region
• Big Bend Mountain Biking Trails on trails.com
• Davis Mountains Education Center/Davis Mountains Lodge and Expeditions, just off the Scenic Loop in Fort Davis. Offer special cycling support for groups wanting to experience the Scenic Loop and other rides in the Davis Mountains. They will plan and facilitate customized trips for youth and school groups, Elderhostel, reunions and other group retreats.
• Davis Mountains Fitness and Training Camp — a week of biking, hiking, running, yoga, etc. for folks of all activity levels and ages at Prude Ranch near Fort Davis. Offers sag support on daily rides in the Fort Davis area, including the Scenic Loop
• Borderland Mountain Bike Association web site
• El Paso area bike routes and runs — on Map My Run
• El Paso Area Mountain Biking — on trails.com
• Link to downloadable bike maps — recreational, mountain and road routes in the El Paso area, from UTEP's Center for Environmental Resource Management.

Want to cycle cross-country?
Our region is part of the Southern Tier route, which runs from San Diego to St. Augustine, supported by the Adventure Cycling Association. To learn more about the route, click here! The route includes Marathon, Alpine, Fort Davis, Van Horn, Sierra Blanca and El Paso!

Touring Cyclists
Long stretches in the region have no services.  If you're a touring cyclist and want information/assistance in navigating the long stretches of road, we may be able to help.  Contact us at: info@texasmountaintrail.org (several days in advance is best).  Currently, we may be able to connect you to local support for:
--Van Horn to Marfa (possibility of camping/water/restrooms/arranged meals)  Need to contact us approx. one week before your trip.

Photos courtesy, Beth Nobles, Bart Childers and Don Baumgardt.

(This page is currently under development. Please check back!)