Barnwell Mountain

[Navaho]

Anyone ride Barnwell Mtn regularly?

[Hemibee]

I don't know if you would call it regularly but Woodsguy has been know to ride there. You might PM him.

[Teeds]

I should be payin more attention ...

I completely missed this thread ...

Moving here from the TAT thread ...

Barnwell Mountain Recreational Area (http://www.texasmotorizedtrails.com/mc/page.do?sitePageId=90171&orgId=tmtc) - 1,800 + acres of OHV fun in East Texas that is owned by the Texas Motorized Trails Coalition (http://www.texasmotorizedtrails.com/).

We have over 120 miles of trails and roads on the property at this time.

Sorry to thread jack, but are the trails here fun on something like a KLR? Is there camping?

There are trails that can be ridden on a KLR, but that is a tad big for much of the stuff. There are roads on the property as well.

Now, one thing I have been meaning to do is chart some DS rides in the area that begin and end at BMRA. Would that be of interest and if so, how long?

As far as camping goes, we have lots of primitive camping spots and some with electricity for RVs.

We don't have cabins ... yet.

We do have hot and cold showers, but are soon going to be building a new set of modern showers and toilets near the pavilion.

[Teeds]

Anyone ride Barnwell Mtn regularly?

There is a pretty regular group that is there on Sundays. Unfortunately none of them that I know of is a member here.

[OakCliffThumper]

I have a smaller bike, a Yamaha TW200, and I'd love to see some sort of trail map or riding guidelines for the Dual Sport crowd. I haven't been to Barnwell yet, but hope to go soon. More information up front would make it a little less intimidating to go.

Thanks!

[Teeds]

I have a smaller bike, a Yamaha TW200, and I'd love to see some sort of trail map or riding guidelines for the Dual Sport crowd. I haven't been to Barnwell yet, but hope to go soon. More information up front would make it a little less intimidating to go.

Thanks!

Check out the links in the post above for information relating to hours of operation and such.

The TW is a perfect bike for much of the stuff out there. There will be faster bikes, but the TW will cover ground that more conventional bikes will have problems with.

There is a trail map out there, but frankly it isn't all that good. We documented all the trails via GPS and converted same to GIS shape files, so we have the data. We are in the process of getting it into a proper layering system that makes sense to everyone.

The easiest way to learn is just go out and piddle about. Be sure to take a buddy.

I will conjure up some DS stuff to check out. There are great roads all around there.

[JTM]

Man I need to head out there with my dirt bike.

[Teeds]

Man I need to head out there with my dirt bike.

There is a 30 mile MC loop marked that circles the property. It is great fun and well marked.

If you really want to get in on the ground floor of some great trail riding, jump on I10 and exit at exit 343, head south about 5 miles and you will come to EDRA.

We have 40 miles on the ground now and expect to double that in the next few months. We are always looking for folks to volunteer to help build trail.

[Drumboy]

There is a 30 mile MC loop marked that circles the property. It is great fun and well marked.

If you really want to get in on the ground floor of some great trail riding, jump on I10 and exit at exit 343, head south about 5 miles and you will come to EDRA.

We have 40 miles on the ground now and expect to double that in the next few months. We are always looking for folks to volunteer to help build trail.
Is that close to San Antonio?

[Teeds]

Is that close to San Antonio?

EDRA ?

Naw, you gotta love Texas! EDRA is 3 1/2 hours west of SA ... west of Ozona by 30 odd minutes or so.

Still as a friend that is on the board with me said ...

Like Las Cruces, but we own it.

Check out the link in my sig for work weekends.

We have a grand time!

[russ189]

Never heard of BMRA till I saw this post. Looks like a good place to go play around on my old TT250. Anyone from the Houston area interested in going up there this weekend?

[Rubi Red]

I am not from the Houston area, but I will be there this weekend with my son. We will be on a CRF230L and a CRF70. Will be camping back west of the pavillon - 97 F250 4 door - tent and flatbed trailer. You are welcome to come by and say hello.

[SteveMcQueen]

Howdy Tony,

I'm interested in learning more about BMRA.
Does Barnwell Mountain have any moderate to difficult trails?
The few pictures I've seen contain groomed trails, I'm interested perhaps in riding that area on a heavily modified KLR650 with several others and would like to find something that gives the bikes aftermarket suspension a thorough whipping. :flip:
Potholes, washouts, creeks, ect.. Any of that on the property?
Your fees are pretty reasonable, even if people go once a year.

Thank you

[Teeds]

Groomed?

Not exactly ... but there are some flat spots that MIGHT appear to be groomed in a photo.

I've ridden my DR650 there although I enjoy my KTM 200 much more.

There are a fair number of one diamond jeep trails that are fun on big bikes as well. There are some gnarly climbs that are a challenge on my KTM, so I can only imagine how big a challenge they would be on a 650.

Enjoy and be sure and to take photos!

Tony

[owtcast]

I have a smaller bike, a Yamaha TW200, and I'd love to see some sort of trail map or riding guidelines for the Dual Sport crowd. I haven't been to Barnwell yet, but hope to go soon. More information up front would make it a little less intimidating to go.

Thanks!

I bring my TW with me to Barnwell each time I go. It is a great bike for running around there and I do some climbs on it that I don't care to do on my XR400. (It's safer to be closer to the ground for me. lol) One thing I would highly consider is a quality aftermarket skid plate if you are going to do some of the harder trails. The rocks will destroy a stock TW plate. They have the thickness of a tin can.:doh:

[AttoirRE]

If anyone wants to head out there sometime, I'm game. It's been a while. It's a great spot if ya' like rocks. Little expensive, particulary if it's your first time out. OHV Sticker plus entry fee. But good stuff to have in East Texas, best legal riding that I know of in the area.

[Navaho]

Might go next weekend or on New Year's w/e. I'm sure our trails will close down because of the rain soon. It all depends on the weather. I haven't been there in four years. I remember it being hard on tires.

[Teeds]

If anyone wants to head out there sometime, I'm game. It's been a while. It's a great spot if ya' like rocks. Little expensive, particulary if it's your first time out. OHV Sticker plus entry fee. But good stuff to have in East Texas, best legal riding that I know of in the area.

Expensive?

Membership to TMTC is $40.00 for the first year and $35.00 thereafter. You get a free weekend pass when you join. Join quickly though because we are rethinking fees and benefits at this time.

The sticker is $8.00 a year. That is cheaper than it should be by double at least. Reciprocity with other states isn't there yet, which is a pain if you ride in multiple states. Oklahoma charged me something like $25.00 for the license I needed for the area around Clayton and much of that is private land. The sticker money flows back to the OHV community as well, which makes it more palatable.

Thanks for the kudos as the best legal riding in the area. We are proud of Barnwell Mountain and are working hard to make it better. New toilets and showers will be constructed this spring and access will be improved and damage caused by the recent rains repaired ... assuming it finally quits long enough to start ... ;-)

There a group of locals that are there most Sundays that will be glad to show anyone the trail system. Much of the MC trail is almost virgin because of the minimal traffic.

[Navaho]

If I get a TMTC membership now, is it good for a year or do I have to buy another one for 2010?

[Teeds]

If I get a TMTC membership now, is it good for a year or do I have to buy another one for 2010?

No, your membership is based upon the date you join.

The OHV stickers are good from Sept 1st through August 31st, so they have a different expiration date.

[RxZ]

Is this an area I can bring my 4x4 daily driven truck, or do I need something more dedicated to the task at hand? I know the hard stuff I wouldn't even try, but just to go and hang out, let the 4x4 system work a little bit, get the paint muddy, that sort of thing. Or if I go will I just drive around and get stuck the first time I try anything?

All of the reviews I have read say nothing but the best about the area, but they are also from guys with dedicated rigs for this sort of thing. Teeds, from what I have been researching, you and the rest of the crew are doing great things both here and out in West Texas. Keep up the good work for the off-road community! :clap::thumb:

[AttoirRE]

There are several easy trails, and a lot of the hard spots have bypasses. Been there several times on a dirt bike, never in a truck.

I have seen many a stock CJ, TJ, ZJ's, a few stock Yotas and even the occasional Z71 on the trails.

If you go, I may be interested in tagging along if you'd have me? I just picked up a 92 4Runner 4wd and would like to play with it a bit.

[RxZ]

AttorieRE, sorry I am taking so long to get back to this post. My little brother and I did go out to Barnwell for a few hours on Sunday afternoon. We had a great time! I took it easy for the most part in my Titan, it really is too big for a good bit of the trails out there. We did go down quite a few though, and only had to turn around on two trails that I did not think I could safely get through (of course, being in the Titan I didn't go down any trails that were rated 3 or higher :giveup: ). Both trails had been washed out pretty bad due to recent rain. Something the size of your new to you 4Runner would have been perfect I would think for a lot of what Barnwell has to offer. Jeeps and ATVs, and dirtbikes could have a blast out here as well. In fact, of all the vehicles out there, I was the only truck, everyone else was on dirtbikes.

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c328/JesusRx/IMG_8304copy_small.jpg

[AttoirRE]

The 4wd guys seem to travel in large packs. I see them out there quite often, and when they're out there, there's a lot of 'em. Yeah, I bet a titan was a tight squeeze down some of 'em.

[Navaho]

Anyone have a gps track of the motorcycle trails? I have a print-out of the map from the Barnwell Mountain web site but I assume it is only showing the jeep trails.

[Teeds]

Anyone have a gps track of the motorcycle trails? I have a print-out of the map from the Barnwell Mountain web site but I assume it is only showing the jeep trails.

The map shows the MC trails, but to be honest the map is terrible.

We are working on collecting GPS data for the entire trail system and I am inputting same into a GIS map.

Once we have clean data ... spring hopefully ... we will have the data and the revised maps available on our forums.

[Navaho]

The map shows the MC trails, but to be honest the map is terrible.

I only tracked about 16 miles out of 31 that we rode yesterday. (Bad batteries :headbang:) But it doesn't look like anything on the Barnwell map that came off the web site.

[Teeds]

I only tracked about 16 miles out of 31 that we rode yesterday. (Bad batteries :headbang:) But it doesn't look like anything on the Barnwell map that came off the web site.

We are collecting new GPS data now.

Assuming you were using a Garmin GPS, can I get a copy of your data? Having too much data should not be an issue.

[Navaho]

We are collecting new GPS data now.

Assuming you were using a Garmin GPS, can I get a copy of your data? Having too much data should not be an issue.


No problem. Yes, it is a Garmin. PM me your email address, and I'll send it tonight.

[Teeds]

No problem. Yes, it is a Garmin. PM me your email address, and I'll send it tonight.

PM sent!

Thanks

[Navaho]

Tony:

After studying that route on my Garmin, I believe that I had the gps set so that the routing would follow the closest road. I should have turned that feature off. :doh: You'll notice that it appears we got on the main ridge but we didn't. We parked on the ridge across from the pavillion (to the West). The trail actually went South from there. Sorry. Just means I'll have to go back and do it all over again!! :rider:

[JasonH]

Thread hijack...

I just picked up a 92 4Runner 4wd and would like to play with it a bit.

http://www.lslc.org
http://www.toyotatrailriders.com/

TTR has a great event coming up at Barnwell 1/15-17. You should bring the 4Runner out and check it out.
http://www.lonestartoyotajamboree.com/

[Teeds]

Thread hijack...



http://www.lslc.org
http://www.toyotatrailriders.com/

TTR has a great event coming up at Barnwell 1/15-17. You should bring the 4Runner out and check it out.
http://www.lonestartoyotajamboree.com/

Not to worry ... it is all good

TTR and LSLC are some of the finest folks I know!

[Teeds]

Tony:

After studying that route on my Garmin, I believe that I had the gps set so that the routing would follow the closest road. I should have turned that feature off. :doh: You'll notice that it appears we got on the main ridge but we didn't. We parked on the ridge across from the pavillion (to the West). The trail actually went South from there. Sorry. Just means I'll have to go back and do it all over again!! :rider:

It appears that you found a lot of the trails on the NE side of the park ...

http://teeds.smugmug.com/photos/747600337_TiEpo-L.jpg

I overlaid your track and made it nice and fat so it could be seen.

Tony

[JTM]

Hey Tony anything I need to know before my bother and I head out there Friday. Are you going to be working on trails Fri, Sat, or Sun. We will be camping at Xterra Camp if you want to head down for a cold beverage.

[Teeds]

Justin:

We will be working on X-Way where it intersects with Horse Shoe Gulch on the lower end. The other place we will be is along Linda Gail between Xterra Camp and the intersection nearest Clyde's Ravine.

Look for the tractor ...

I'll definitely stop by Xterra.

Richard said be sure and bring your bike and gear to EDRA. We'll show you the trail system. I am getting a new tire for the rear of both my 200 and 400.

[JTM]

I hope that I am not to slow for you out at EDRA. Look like I might have my Jeep and Dirt Bike at BMRA.

[kenshi]

Some friends and I have been really curious about this place since I happened to ride by it last year on the sportbike. I'm really fond of hill climbing on the bike and there aren't a lot of places around here for that. There's just one possible issue. When I looked on the web site a long time ago (neither of the ones listed in the third post), it said there's a speed limit of 15 MPH. Now I wouldn't blast around at 50 MPH, but my two-stroke will foul a plug if I don't get on it every once in a while. Is this rule strictly enforced?

[JasonH]

I'm pretty sure that's just for the main road that goes through the park.

[owtcast]

Some friends and I have been really curious about this place since I happened to ride by it last year on the sportbike. I'm really fond of hill climbing on the bike and there aren't a lot of places around here for that. There's just one possible issue. When I looked on the web site a long time ago (neither of the ones listed in the third post), it said there's a speed limit of 15 MPH. Now I wouldn't blast around at 50 MPH, but my two-stroke will foul a plug if I don't get on it every once in a while. Is this rule strictly enforced?


The roads do have a speed limit. I believe the trails are at your discretion for the conditions. Keep in mind that most, if not all, trails are two directional. Some of the single tracks have a lot of blind turns and two bikes meeting at 50mph would be ugly.:eek2: I haven't heard of any enforcement on the trails but, people have been run off for using the main roads like an open stretch of Baja penisula.

[kenshi]

Well that sounds like that might work then. Like I said, I wasn't planning on blasting around at 50 MPH, but every once in a while, I need to hammer on it a little up to 3rd or 4th gear (around 30 MPH) and heat up the spark plug or I'll be changing them often. I may have to check this place out.