toejam

The title of this thread needs to stay on the list when someone looks at this forum. I know it's been listed in Backpacker magazine and always gets mentioned when people talk about backpacking destinations in Texas, but take it from someone who lives close by and loves to backpack. Dino Valley is the sorriest backpacking spot around here.

Dino Valley is a great place to car camp and take kids, especially when there is water in the river. The trails are great for day hikes if you don't get run over by a mountain bike. The trails are narrow and twisty and get a lot of bike traffic and you can have a bike on top of you before you know it's coming.

The designated backcountry camp sites are all bare dirt between cedar trees real close to the main trail with no view. The #5 site has a small grassy area behind the actual camp site. These sites are used primarily by those with giant WalMart tents who don't know where the good backpacking destinations are. Last month the #4 site had enough trash to fill the bed of a pickup truck. It looked like someone had used garbage bags for packing in and didn't bother packing the trash back out.

The best places to backpack around here are Lake Mineral Wells SP, the Cross Timers Trail on Lake Texoma, the Goodwater Trail on Lake Georgetown, and sandbars on the Brazos River.

Turn Key

Who in the world would think of Dino for backpacking? Great park but like you say, not for that. Some of the tent sites are nice if your there during the week. Few people around, but your still nearly on the main park road.

Oh well. MSN has a "survey results" that they run every now and then. McKinny Falls SP and Enchanted Rock SNA rate in the "Top 10" RV parks in the nation! Gets me to wondering who's conducting the "survey". McKinney Falls is very nice but I'm not sure I'd rate it in the "Top 10" in Texas, let alone the nation. E. R. doesn't even take RV's! Makes you wonder.

Happy Camping!

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