Cherokee cycle park worth the drive?

Can any one give we the low down on Cherokee cycle park? We are thinking of coming down from Dallas and find a motel/hotel in the area and making it a long weekend.

We are use to riding at Red River Cycle park with all its diversity, does this place have a lot of good riding? is it overly crowded? is there enough to do for 2 full days of riding?

thanks

Re: Cherakee cycle park worth the drive?

Definitely not overcrowded. The trails are of two types. One where they allow quads and are a bit wider. They are nice for beginners and the quads have built up some natural berms in the flatter corners which makes them fun. The other type trails are bike only and are tight single track. Bar banging tight.

Overall though all the trails flow well. You get into a rhythm for a while of more sweeping curves, then you get a bunch of tighter ones, then back to the others. So even though the transition from one section to another, each flows well.

What they don't have is a lot of elevation change. They make the best use of what they have though. If you like lots of ups and downs and rocks, Boulder Creek west of Austin is the place to go.

Cherokee does not have the diversity of RRMT and if you try to compare them to one another you will find Cherokee lacking. If you want to try a new area and take it for what it is, then you can have a good time. I like both and can enjoy both of them for two days riding. Then again Cherokee is a lot closer to home than RRMT and easier to get two days of riding in. Like Rusty said, Cherokee is not over crowded.

The trails are better marked at Cherokee and for the most part flow better than the trails I've been on at RRMT. There are sections of Cherokee that I like better than RRMT and vice versa. Not trying to sound like a wise "mule" but the best way to find out is to try Cherokee for yourself.

I'm sorry, for some reason I thought the question was about Crooked Creek. So scratch the part about the quads making the trails nice.

Cherokee has some more elevation changes than Crooked Creek, but still not a lot. I don't think it flows as well, but they have been working on that over the last 6-8 months and it is better. The big thing about Cherokee is there is sand. If it rains a day or two before you go, it is awesome to ride. Don't worry about standing water as there are only a couple of puddle areas. Sand firms up and is great. Does get dusty when it hasn't rained in a while.

I think I saw the Dallas area in the original post and figured the Crooked Creek near Waco was where you were headed. Cherokee's a bit further for you, but probably only 30-40 minutes.

Thanks for the info...any other place's you guys might suggest that offer good riding, we are far from being novice's and love a good challange

Umm, Crooked Creek? The place I accidentally reviewed the first time. Boulder Creek west of Austin by Marble Falls has elevation changes and rocks. Probably the most technical place around central Texas.

WoodButcher said:

Umm, Crooked Creek? The place I accidentally reviewed the first time. Boulder Creek west of Austin by Marble Falls has elevation changes and rocks. Probably the most technical place around central Texas.

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Funny Rusty, when I read your review of "Cherokee", I thought, "that sounds more like Crooked Creek", and actually double-checked to see if that's what we were talking about

Cherokee is pretty good, being that it's semi-convenient to Austin, but to be honest, I prefer to drive to SHNF; about the same percentage of sand, but 3-4 times as many miles of trails.

Now, the place Rusty accidentally reviewed is one of my favorites, despite the lack of elevation change. It flows so well, you just find your groove and have a ball. Nothing really challenging unless you accidentally get on "Crippling Creek" after a big rain, like my buddy Tony did . Other than that, the challenge is trying to blaze though the tighter trails without taking any trees with you. The place is a hoot.

Like Rusty said, Boulder Creek is probably the the most challenging place in the area. It's a really nice park too.

Well, I could go back and edit the thread title...

aircrftmec said:

Thanks for the info...any other place's you guys might suggest that offer good riding, we are far from being novice's and love a good challange

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You might look at Barnwell Mountain as another riding spot. SHNF is also good, not really challenging but good.