We really enjoy Tyler State Park trails, we ride loops EZ, A, and B. We look forward to riding loop C and will update this post once we do. This particular combination (EZ, A & B) results in a total of 6.5 miles ridden. This would normally mean that we are half done with our ride however, Tyler has some interesting terrain and steep climbs. The trail is a single track with mostly hard packed sand. There is enough width to the trail for it to be ridden comfortably and unlike many trails in Texas, there are not a ton of tree gates. There are bathrooms in the campground at the trailhead which are clean and have showers with changing rooms as well. Tyler State Park also features fishing, a boat ramp, picnic areas, tent and RV camping, a playground, pavillion, and cabins for your entry fee ($6 per adult per day). Camping does cost an extra fee per night ($20-28 per night on top of the entry fee).
The EZ loop, while not necessary to get to the rest of the trails, has its benefits. It serves to give you an idea of trail conditions and is a good warm up to get your muscles stretched and blood flowing. It's a short 0.75 mile that we enjoy as a start to our day of riding.
The A loop is 2.53 miles of wooded, hard packed trail. Here you will find an easy to intermediate trail with a few short bridges over small creeks, some short climbs and flowy downhills. Just when you are feeling great, your knees have lubed up, and your breathing a little heavy; you'll come upon the decision point to either follow loop A back to the beginning on the right or continue onto loop B by staying straight with a slight left turn. The signs are smallish and come up fast.
The B loop is 3.1 miles and a more intermediate level than loop A. You could get here directly from the trail head but, we choose to ride the other two loops first. It starts with a rewarding downhill that has a beautiful long bridge at the bottom (pictured below). At about the halfway mark you will ride a little ways down an abandoned road and need to make a right to get back into the woods and continue the trail. This is also where the trail turns into a steep climb in elevation of about 150 feet! After that you will get some more downhill flows ending with another pretty steep climb of around 200 feet in about a half mile. There are some exposed roots across the trail, more small and medium length bridges, as well as some good flowy parts.
Overall, this is currently one of our favorite trails. The 2 hour ride to get there does hold us back from going very often but, they have a campground that makes the drive a little easier with our trailer. We decided to purchase a Texas State Parks pass since we are visiting multiple state parks to ride on a regular basis, so that helps with the cost of getting in. It can get a little slippery in the fall with all the leaves on the ground but, generally the path is clear and easy to keep traction. We recommend having a backpack with biking essentials like extra water, allen keys, tire tools, and a pocket knife due to the length of this trail and that you don't often get to see a road for a quick bail-out. You can see a full list of what we carry on every ride here: https://www.CYOAdventure.com/what-s-in-our-packs. The pocket knife has come in handy for us on this and other trails to rescue Laurie from a leg covered in cactus seed things. Those things love her for some reason. We can't wait for our next trip back to Tyler, cactus seeds and all.
Here is a video of us riding in Tyler State Park. You can find the rest of our videos here.
Here is the official trail map
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