The town has the basic services you need when riding, making it a great base to start your Davis Mountains Scenic Loop adventure. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Get our weekly newsletter, filled with good reads, news analysis—and updates on special events. on Sunday morning, April 5th, will start at the Prude Ranch and wind through the mountains of the Scenic Loop. This scenic loop through Davis Mountains traverses an ancient volcanic playground, commonly referred to as the “Texas Alps.”. Just outside Smithville, in the storied Lost Pines Forest (steadily recovering … Davis Mountain State Park has a good campground -- glad I stopped. . My heart rate was already over 140. Loop together hike and bike trails at Davis Mountain State Park for a full day exploring the great outdoors. I go to Fort Davis pretty much annually (to the Texas Star Party at the Prude Ranch) but would live there if I could. Cyclefest is a “must do” for every cyclist. The 76 mile route is the complete scenic loop through the Davis Mountains. In spite of a rule of his that if you were absent 5 or more times you would fail, I got an A in his class. (For five other favorite rides across Texas, click here.). A side trip goes to the highest point on the Texas Highway system, on TX 78, then the drive on 118 continues until daylight runs out. Scenic drives abound all over Texas, including as far west as Fort Davis. Our first pedal covered thirty-plus scenic miles in Limpia Canyon, where alligator juniper and piñon pine shade Highway 118; our second day dropped from high passes beyond the telescope-topped Mount Locke, sailing us onto the high plains. Dennis’s wife, Debi, joined us for the first day of the cycling journey, while my wife, Christina, provided shuttle service to and from the junction of highways 118 and 166, which overlaps the Texas Mountain Trail, one of ten scenic driving routes that are part of the Texas Heritage Trails Program. Davis Mountain State Park has a good campground -- glad I stopped. 73.4 miles: 1 hours, 24 minutes. Explore Texas by motorcycle on the Davis Mountains Scenic Loop Added January 3, 2017 Located about 210 miles east of El Paso, Texas, the community of Fort Davis anchors this West Texas scenic loop. Some hills. It was very rare to see a Professor of his stature teaching a freshman course with 300 students, mostly it seemed to me they were giggling female freshman sorority pledges with no interest in much beyond getting their MRS while at The University of Texas. CPSC, SNELL OR ATSM HELMETS MUST BE WORN AT ALL TIMES. Seventy-five miles long, the drive leaves Fort Davis on Texas 118, proceeds up Limpia Canyon past Mts. This loop covers 75 miles through “Texas’ Alps” in and around Davis Mountains State Park. The Davis Mountains Scenic Loop is the highest public highway in Texas, featuring panoramic mountain vistas, vibrant flowers, and even grazing wildlife! In several cycling guides I have read descriptions of another loop of similar length, passing through the towns of Fort Davis, Alpine and Marfa. Then came that second descent. Still, we concluded day one in fine fettle, Dennis having led the way for the first 31 miles, with me in second place, Alan following, and Debi bringing up the rear. The Ft. Davis Drug Store and the hand-squeezed limeades are not to be missed. 308 likes. Click to enlarge. And well!! I was trying my best to catch them before they reached the Chihuahuan Desert floor. Perhaps Dr. DeFord’s influence is why I plowed off into the internet to learn more about the geology of Sawtooth Mountain. For certain breeds of cyclists (read: fitness freaks and hard-core masochists), the high-altitude Scenic Loop, which follows Texas Highway 118 past Davis Mountains State Park to its intersection with Highway 166, where we hit speeds of over 30 miles per hour on that descent, offers a magnetic challenge. For certain breeds of cyclists (read: fitness freaks and hard-core masochists), the high-altitude Scenic Loop, which follows Texas Highway 118 past Davis Mountains State Park to its intersection with Highway 166, where we hit speeds of over 30 miles per hour on that descent, offers a magnetic challenge. Almost 40,000 acres burned across the area, including 3,000 acres of Nature Conservancy land, searing the forest understory along the highway. Tour routes. I found an announcement of his passing, in 1992, written by the then-President of The University of Texas at Austin. And thank you for the kind strokes. I was the last in a three-man parade stretched along Texas Highway 166, the state’s highest public highway, near the end of our two-day, 76-mile ride on the Fort Davis Scenic Loop. It acts as a travelor’s guide when I make these trips. Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. A few miles out, the Observatory came into sight perched high above and ahead. Cyclefest is arguably the best and most scenic Bike Tour in the state of Texas with beautiful vistas, easy novice routes and challenging hills. This Year It Will Do So With More Vigor. This peaceful drive on the Texas Mountain Trail’s SR 118/SR 166 ambles past grassy grazing lands, past an oak-canopied creek and over dusty hillsides. A couple of miles later, the climbing began in earnest. Time to take a sweeping right turn and start climbing. The Fort Davis Scenic Loop Only try this 75-mile barn burner if you’ve got quads of steel, or break it into a two-day journey. These fellow retirees had ridden from Seattle to San Diego to Fort Davis and were preparing to depart for Alpine to visit friends then onwards to New Orleans, Florida and eventually to their home in Connecticut! Looking back, about 2 miles after leaving the observatory. Fort Davis is cooler than here, due to being 5,000 feet altitude in the Davis Mountains of West Texas. It … The Hill Climb, on Sunday, has two distances. My elevation leaving the state park was about 5,200 feet and the elevation in the parking lot at the Observatory Visitor’s Center, about 12.5 miles of riding away would be about 6,200 feet. Actually it is about the ” PETROLOGY AND GEOCHEMISTRY OF SYENITES OF SAWTOOTH MOUNTAIN“  and is by Judy Ann Vincent who was a Master’s student at Texas Tech when she wrote her thesis. The Hill Climb, on Sunday, has two distances. Sorry, we’re unable to find an account with that username and password. Nice drive both up and down the loop. Fort Davis to Alpine; then Marfa; and back to Fort Davis. One prime spot to see the best of West Texas is via the Davis Mountains Scenic Loop. In 10 miles I had dropped over 1,100 feet to just over 5,100 feet. Breathe in the mountain air and experience the same sensation that the young men of the CCC did. The Catrike and I are about in the center of the picture looking and feeling pretty small. On map, shows road dead ending about 50 miles from Marfa, but continues as gravel road around Chinati Mountains, thru Pinto Canyon, Chinati Hot Springs which is an interesting place in middle of no where, I was just smart enough to be intrigued that he always welcomed me and he seemed to enjoy not only covering the basic materials that are part of any freshman class, but also then led me off into the science of physical geology. There are several pull out … Mostly rolling hills with a few climbs. However, when slogging through Ms. Vincent’s Thesis, my mind kept drifting back to those classes 45 years ago. I was the last in a three-man parade stretched along Texas Highway 166, the state’s highest public highway, near the end of our two-day, 76-mile ride on the. We three pedaling musketeers, though, were committed to the full 76 miles, and soon we were underway, skirting the towering rock piles pointing toward the incomparable looming teeth of Sawtooth Mountain, rising 7,686 feet above sea level. The park has more than 2,700 acres, not to mention the picturesque Skyline Drive Trail. Travel to Fort Davis; State Park entrance fees Tentative Camp Schedule Friday 7:30 AM- Morning swim at Balmorhea springs; 2:00 PM- Bike up the McDonald's Observatory Hill Climb ; 5:00 PM- Drive or hike to scenic overlook in State Park; 7:00 PM- Dinner at Blue Mountain Bistro Saturday. I have ridden that scenic loop and all around the Ft. Davis, Marfa, Alpine area, to Presidio, Lajitas, Terlingua, Big Bend. It is certain that once I found myself over my head deep in geology, my mind turned directly to Dr. DeFord. I got to wondering about the geology of Sawtooth, so when we got back I did some Googling and found a master’s thesis on the geomorphology of Sawtooth Mountain. Things to Do in Fort Davis, Texas: See Tripadvisor's 7,024 traveler reviews and photos of Fort Davis tourist attractions. Don Bynum, Pingback: Cycling – 2011 Real Ale Ride – goin’ up… and down… | Don Bynum's Blog. ( Log Out /  I was 55 miles into a ride, much of it in tough mountain terrain, thinking how easy it was gonna be to get back to Fort Davis. About 11 miles round trip. The ride consists mainly of Highways 118 and 166 of which the is called the 75 mile Scenic Loop drive, for … But first we saw lots of great scenery, part of the Garmin Cycling Team, a young couple cycling east and went down and then back up 300 feet a couple of times. This ten-day, van-supported trip explores the wild and picturesque terrain of the West Texas Big Bend region. I like it a lot. A noncompetitive fundraiser for area emergency services, Cyclefest typically attracts as many as four hundred riders; it hosts its forty-second annual ride September 15 and 16. Locke and Fowlkes and the McDonald Observatory and then into Madera Canyon and a quiet, pine shaded picnic area. Cycling – Tour de Longneques 28 July 2012, Sailing – 2012 Shreveport YC Sunfish Regatta, Cycling – 61 miles of Wildflowers on March 24, 2012, Cycling – Turning a Tadpole Trike into an Offroad Sandhog, Map – Bluffton to Fall Creek winery – 14.4 miles, Map – Inks Lake State Park to Longhorn Caverns – 12.9 mi. It is really an interesting looking piece of geology. Crossroads of history. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Just How Many Texans Are in the Marvel Universe Now, Anyway? Maybe I was just numb but this climb seemed pretty gentle. When back at the lodge I had ridden 78.1 miles in 8 hrs 53min. In order to move my mind on, I finally decided to see what I could learn about Dr. DeFord via Google. Having had a nice descent, I now got to have a humdinger of a climb back up to about 6,200 feet. Map – Llano to Castell and Back via RR152 – 37 mi. Cycling – The Fort Davis Scenic Loop (78.1 Miles +5,000 Feet), pretty golly let’s brake a bunch descents, PETROLOGY AND GEOCHEMISTRY OF SYENITES OF SAWTOOTH MOUNTAIN, Daily News Roundup March 29th – Texas Bicycling « Texbiker.net, Cycling – Beware the Rides of March! Click on picture to enlarge. I later encountered the fourth rider, who yelled out greetings and told me he’d had a flat and was chasing his team members. Peggy had always been nearby with the truck, in case I needed it. This is just the start of this climb! The elevation at the stop at the McDonald Observatory Visitor Center is noted. This loop covers 75 miles through “Texas’ Alps” in and around Davis Mountains State Park. It looks sorta big in this picture. Click to enlarge. Loop together hike and bike trails at Davis Mountain State Park for a full day exploring the great outdoors. The route map and elevation profile below show why admonitions of ride difficulty would be commonly issued. The closest gas stations are in Fort Davis, so be sure and have a full tank before setting off. About 5 miles in the distance and 1000 feet up, my first stop. ( Log Out /  Ray, I would go for the road bike. Start on Texas 118 in Fort Davis. Some nice small stores and restaurants in Fort Davis. We knew that once we left the Observatory, the next store, cafe or head would be over 60 miles away in Fort Davis. Thank you, Don, for that account of an exciting ride, and the excellent photos and videos you made of the trip. In turn, as my thighs began to burn on the near-constant climbs, I held tightly to the idea that, until 1947, when the loop’s construction was complete, many travelers used muscle power as I was doing now. Fort Davis. In addition, the Davis Mountains provide some of the most beautiful and challenging cycling routes in Texas. Hwy 17 – The 3rd, and wildest, descent of the Fort Davis Scenic Loop. Sawtooth Mountain, soaring to 7,490 feet, loomed over us on TX166. ACTIVE is the leader in online event registrations from 5k running races and marathons to softball leagues and local events. Stage three on Sunday morning, April 5th, will start at the Prude Ranch and wind through the mountains of the Scenic Loop. A road rider’s dream come true, this tour offers low-traffic byways, an abundance of stunning scenery, and ample opportunities to discover the secrets of Big Bend National Park, the Chihuahuan Desert, the Davis and Chisos mountain ranges, and the Rio Grande Wild & Scenic River. When I arrived at the Courthouse Square in Fort Davis she was around on the south side of it waving me over. Since in area, consider Pinto Canyon ride. When I was a senior at The University of Texas, I finally got around to taking freshman Geology and had the extraordinary good fortune to end up, through no fault of my own, in a class taught by Dr. Ronald DeFord. The 75-mile loop around Jeff Davis County known as the Fort Davis Loop is a frequent choice by riders. I flew along at 20, sometimes as much as 28 mph, heading for Fort Davis. Mostly rolling hills with a few climbs. William, Unless you are about 107, you are a bunch younger! Cyclists take on the grueling Davis Mountains route to experience awesome views and thrilling descents. nice trip and thanks for sharing the trip wth us. Texas Parks – Longhorn Caverns State Park, Video of 46mph Catrike descent of The Beast of Park Road 4. With four thousand feet in overall elevation gain. LOL Love the photos. The high and dry peaks of the Davis Mountains make for some of the darkest and clearest night skies in the region. This is really amazing country.”. Climb to Vista Point is gradual and not too rocky. The terrain was gently rolling and climbed from about 5,100 feet to just under 5,900 feet. This drive begins at Fort Davis, and follows TX Highway 118 to the McDonald Observatory. The climb just before the second exciting descent. I have posted a video of this descent on youtube. Thanks largely to the Nature Conservancy, which owns the 33,075-acre Davis Mountains Preserve (including Mount Livermore, the tallest peak in the range, and Madera Canyon), more than 100,000 wildland acres have been protected from development. Somewhere below me, my companions, Dennis and Alan, were speeding ahead. It was easy to enlist my friends Dennis and Alan after they heard about the extraordinary, if sweaty, adventure I envisioned. Mountain Trails Lodge and Outdoor Learning Center, one mile south of the Scenic Loop and Fort Davis on Hwy 118, Phone 800-403-3484, www.mountaintrailslodge.com 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 … than on to Ruidosa,Texas. I think my angle of climb was greater than what most World War Two Fighters could maintain. Mostly rolling hills with a … Violent volcanic activity formed the Davis Mountains 35 million years ago. 1 min read. View is spectacular as are those along entire loop. Initial climb may discourage some but Sheep Trail Loop portion is fairly flat. Change ), Cycling, Sailing and Surviving in the Texas Hill Country. (Not Supported) 27 mile – Out and back along the Loop Route, rolling hills. Would this ride be better on a Moutain/trail bike(Lower gear on up hill but heavier, steadier, slower, disc brakes on the down hill) or road bike ( lighter on the uphill, faster, easier on the more gentile parts)? Chug up Limpia Canyon, all the way to McDonald Observatory. So this one is for you Gil! If you are an existing subscriber and haven't set up an account, please register for an online account. Most people never get to any of those areas because they’re not on the way to anywhere. Dragons Back. Surrounded by the breathtaking beauty of the Davis Mountains high in the Big Bend region, this one-of … Click to enlarge picture. I’m training to do this ride, but have a question. In late March and with the serious drought in place the grasses are just golden, with little green. Oh, right, I did that on the BMW R1100RT motorcycle! The area has many attractions ranging from abundant wildlife to beautiful alpine areas in the Davis Mountains, which extend to the west and north of Fort Davis. Every one of those write-ups, except a brief section in a Texas Parks and Wildlife brochure,  noted that there was also The Fort Davis Scenic Loop but cautioned that only riders in exceptional condition should attempt it due to the amount of climbing involved. Those were just fun, even with one taking me to nearly 37mph and with some braking to slow for the sweeping turn onto TX166. Descent #2 is noted. Starting just over 6,230 feet above sea level and 35 miles into this epic ride, I went careening down 3 miles of sweeping turns, using lots of brakes to stay below 40 mph. Couldn’t have asked for a nicer place to begin and end than Indian Lodge. The 74 mile route will have a neutral start through Ft. Davis then race around the loop to “Heartbreak Hill”. This is a slow drive up the mountain which is a scenic loop. The Limpia Hotel is a great place to stay and the restaurant is very good. Bubba. Location : Fort Davis, TX. With some great views all the way up and while on top and on the trip back down. Don. This 100-mile route is the creation of devoted cyclists in the state’s river region. Then I got to practice my uphill technique. Hey, get out of my parking spot! Click to enlarge. Fort Davis Loop The Davis Mountains near Fort Davis, Texas, provide spectacular vistas. Many signs of fires along the way. I rolled up to the park entrance with enough energy left to take a picture then go on the half mile or so over to Indian Lodge. Elevation profile for the ride. TX 118 Fort Davis to I-10, Van Horn. Have driven the loop many times but I’m not (yet?) USA Cycling sanctioned stage race through the mountains of Fort Davis, TX held each spring, the last weekend in March or first weekend in April. Hit pavement again, north to Candeleria, which use to be way to reach Capote Falls, highest in Texas, but think closed now. Find what to do today, this weekend, or in January. As I was about to leave the parking lot, I encountered a couple getting ready to depart on a heavily loaded tandem bike and stopped to visit. Would be great, though. Thanks for the story! Or head south out of Ruidosa to Presidio. I have burned an estimated 3,968 calories. I want to do that loop! Race Distances: CPSC, ANSI, SNELL OR ATSM HELMETS MUST BE WORN AT ALL TIMES. But I was not to be denied. The annual Cyclefest Bike Tour and Hill Climb is held in the scenic “Texas Alps” of West Texas in Fort Davis, Texas. Some think the sparse appearance is ugly, but they’ve never seen it just after a rain, or as the sun rises or sets. Initial climb may discourage some but Sheep Trail Loop portion is fairly flat. Only try this 75-mile barn burner if you’ve got quads of steel, or break it into a two-day journey. This scenic loop through Davis Mountains traverses an ancient volcanic playground, commonly referred to as the “Texas Alps.”. It was a descent for me, but a climb for this couple. So what happened to 2012 and how is 2013 going? Fort Davis is the starting point for one of the most scenic and un-crowded I knew that once to Fort Davis I had 4-5 miles to get back out to Indian Lodge and knew that was going to involve some hills of suffering, but hey!, that is only a few miles. Out on the prairie and turning east about 48 miles into the ride. In deference to the June heat, we rode out early each morning to finish by lunch. And the entire area is a photographer’s paradise as your writeup and Peggy’s photos demonstrate. “It’s just incredible,” says Jasha Cultreri, a cycling enthusiast and geophysicist from Midland, who chairs the Permian Basin Bicycle Association’s annual Cyclefest. https://www.texasmonthly.com/travel/cycling-fort-davis-scenic-loop/, This article originally appeared in the September 2018 issue with the headline “Chasing a High in the Texas Alps.”. Observatory entrance. Otherwise, try again or reset your password. View is spectacular as are those along entire loop. Although smaller than Mount Livermore, which stands at 8,378 feet, Sawtooth is a jaw-dropping Texas peak. I was not a student of significant dedication and often skipped Dr DeFord’s class, so that I could go to his office and discuss the material I knew, from others in the class, was being covered. If you have the time, it’s worth turning up the radio and driving the whole 75-mile circuit, which circles back to Fort Davis along highway 166, through the rolling, mountainous landscape. Some might argue that a bicycle is an imperfect conveyance to the high country of West Texas, but on day one, as we passed the horse corral at historic Prude Ranch (which is the Cyclefest start and finish line), I reminded myself that modern highways across America often follow ancient footpaths. Fort Davis HammerFest. What a tour. However, we might vote to change the schedule at the meeting on Wed., August 7 th. What I appreciate are the references to the local businesses. Subscribe or link your existing subscription. Dragons Back. The cottontail was on a suicide mission, hopping onto the pavement just as I tucked into my racer’s crouch on the steep downhill of Bear Mountain, in West Texas. 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