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seeking Information about riding at Big Bend

Joined
Apr 26, 2006
Messages
10
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0
Location
Galveston
First Name
Robert
Last Name
Cox
Hi, I will be heading to Big Bend area, mid June and will be bringing a KDX and Xt 225 to ride at Teringua ranch and in the park. Having never been to big bend area, I'd love suggestions for protective gear, dealing with the heat, places to ride, amount of gas to bring, tools, GPS etc..
Thanks, Bob
galveston
 
Are these bikes street legal? If you plan to ride in the national park, they will need to be tagged.

Pete
 
westbay,

Big Bend is a great place to ride if you have a street legal bike. There is no public land there that I know of that you can ride on a non-street legal bike. Everything off-road out there is on private land.

Big Bend is very large and can be very remote, depending on the route you select. The paved roads will have some other vehicles on them, but the unpaved roads will have very little traffic. I road the 50 mile unpaved river road in Big Bend park this past Christmas and only encountered 2 vehicles the entire day (and Christmas is one of the busiest times of the year at Big Bend). Decisions about what to carry (gas, tools, water, etc.) should be based on where you ride. On unpaved roads I'd operate of the assumption that if you break down out there that you will have to walk out. On paved roads, eventually someone will come along, but it may be hours in the hot sun till then.

Mid-June will be very, very hot - likely 100 degrees every day with 0% cloud cover. You will want to wear lots of sunscreen and make sure you carry lots of water with you, especially on the most remote of roads.

You won't need anything special in the way of protective gear. Your normal armored jacket & pants, gloves, sturdy boots, and helmet will be sufficient. I do recommend vented clothing though. If you are going to ride the unpaved roads in the area, knee pads are a nice addition.

There is a cycle repair guy in Terlingua Ranch, but if you break down in the boonies, you will need sufficient tools to repair your bike or a tow line so you can tow your bike out (assuming you aren't riding by yourself).

Finally, there aren't all that many road choices in the Big Bend area. The roads are very, very long, but there aren't a lot of different roads. Use the search function on this forum and read all the Big Bend ride reports. They will give you a good idea of which roads are the most fun.

Have a great time.
 
What Richard said. It will be very hot there in June. I went three weeks ago and it was over 100 degrees down at the river. Lots of water is a must for survival in the desert. I'm not being dramatic. In really hot weather you may need up to 1 liter an hour. Don't forget rehydration salts. Gatorade is good to. You just need to replace your electrolytes. Also, everything out there is sharp and pointy. It either wants to bite you or your tires. Be prepared to fix flats.

I'm not trying to be all doom and gloom, just be prepared. It is a very cool place to go. Again, be prepared and know your limitations. Check out my recent ride report. http://www.twtex.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9398

Have fun.

Owen
 
Has any one every done any riding in the Guadaloupe Nat Park? I went there once in a cage with the family and it seems like I remember that there were a lot of 4X4 roads up there and some remote camp sites. I bet it would be good riding and I think I might look into it for a fall ride.

http://www.nps.gov/applications/parks/gumo/ppMaps/bigmap.gif
Here is a map and it shows what appear to be a lot of miles of off road routes
 
treysmagna said:
Has any one every done any riding in the Guadaloupe Nat Park? I went there once in a cage with the family and it seems like I remember that there were a lot of 4X4 roads up there and some remote camp sites. I bet it would be good riding and I think I might look into it for a fall ride.

http://www.nps.gov/applications/parks/gumo/ppMaps/bigmap.gif
Here is a map and it shows what appear to be a lot of miles of off road routes


I spent 10 yrs caving and 4-wheeling, and dirt biking in the Guadalupes... there are lots of 4X4 roads, but most are not for the faint of heart... extremely rough and rocky. There are some scenic roads in the area that are not as tough but almost all of the jeep trails in the area around Queen and Dark Canyon are jagged limestone that will ruin tires, and dent rims if you're not carefull. Think of half buried basketball size boulders with axe blade edges, surrounded by lechugillas (really nasty spiked plants) that will poke holes in tires in a heartbeat...other than that, it's a fun place to ride...:lol2:
 
And by the way... there are no vehicles of any kind allowed off-road in the National Park...the trails you see are hiking only... you have to cross into New Mexico (Lincoln Nat'l Forrest) to go off-road, which requires entering from Carlsbad.
 
Thanks for all of the info. Now I dont have to waste my time with it. Guess I miss read the maps. Any way, it was a thought.
 
BG: It's dry alright... the bleached bones of animals will attest if you get off in the out of the way. Of the two places I'd rather be on "The Big Island" any day.

JR
 
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