Trail Tips for Rocky Hill Ranch

Someone coming to visit RHR for the first time asked if there was anything to know about the trails and I felt this info would be handy info for the website. Here's the low-down on planning and riding the loop at RHR.

First thing would be putting MTBProject app on the phone and installing the Texas Area if you haven't already. This will give you pinpoint location info while riding. The map on the Trails page of the website is a fall back resource without position info, though some places on the trail may not have phone service.

The first few miles of trail will have a lot of climbing. If desired, some of this can be short-cutted by taking the road up to the Crossroads Rest Stop. It may still be a grunt, depending upon fitness level. Seasoned riders who enjoy a challenge can stay on the trail all the way.

The total loop is reported to have ~1400 of elevation accumulation. The loop is almost 18 miles long and the most challenging trails are at the end of it and are listed as Black or Blue level. Consider your skill and fitness levels when riding, as often riders will be fatigued by the time they reach these sections.

There are three Rest Stops, each with a table and a water jug. The one at Crossroads Rest Stop will be passed twice while riding the loop. Once when going from Hard Boil to Karaway, and again when Littterbox ends and Black Trac begins.

Sometimes riders will come off Hard Boil and turn left behind the table to ride Black Trac, Sofa King, and Rabbit Hole early in their ride. Then, take the trail or the road back up to Crossroads to ride Karaway and the rest of the trails "on top" last. Some will simply ride it as a shorter loop that includes the challenging trails. FYI - There are no drops, gaps, or that sort of thing on the Black sections, but there will be steep down and up sections, switchbacks, and enough awesomeness to keep intermediate and expert riders amused.

The loop is usually ridden counterclockwise, though there is no hard rule regarding which direction to ride. The Black sections will flow better counterclockwise.

There are places where there are "optional trails" where a split soon comes back together on the same trail. If there is no sign at a split, it is one of these options. Some have signs that offer more info, like at technical features like The Grind/Ground Round split on Sofa King, or the Popeye/Wimpy split on Rabbit Hole that offers a rider to skip the last climb by taking the Wimpy route.

Generally, the route is intuitive. When you come to a road crossing, the loop continues on the other side of the road. Quickly verified with the MTBProject app. Also, there are "HOME" signs showing how to get back if riders are done and want to skip the rest of the loop.

As with most trails, with familiarity some of the sections will become easier as you remember where to carry speed, shift gears, etc. Riding the loop gets easier with repetition.