50 mile ride locations - Wild Texas Forums: Parks, Travel & Recreation

Troop198 · 10-07-2007, 02:11 PM

Our scouts have started the cycling merit badge for Boy Scouts one requirement is to lay out on a road map a 50-mile trip. Stay away from main highways. Using your map, make this ride in eight hours.

Now any suggestions for locations, prefer North Texas.
But will consider others.

BTW they start with 2 10 mile ,2 15 mile and 2 25 mile rides first (First 10 mile was today)

Shannon · 10-07-2007, 06:00 PM

Do the rides need to be in the North Texas area, or...? Justin rides quite a bit, including some 25+ and 50-mile routes, but we're down in San Antonio. Justin and his family just rode in the Conquer the Coast ride last weekend, and in previous years he's done the Valero MS-150.

Troop198 · 10-07-2007, 09:03 PM

Right now looking for a 50 mile ride within 4 hours of Dallas, but if we need to go farther to stay off main roads we will.

We have to transport bikes and scouts to the ride.

ploddinTod · 10-07-2007, 09:21 PM

You could take out a road atlas and select some minor roads, and then go to MapQuest or something similar. Plug in the towns to see the distance between. I don't know how accurate MapQuest is, but it's worth a look for preleminary planning. Celina to Krugerville to Tioga to Gunter back to Celina.
Something like that.

Troop198 · 10-07-2007, 09:29 PM

Interesting idea, incorporating the internet and map into the ride

Motorman355 · 10-08-2007, 03:50 PM

I was thinking you should do something down in Bosque county. Maybe base out of Meridian State Park (2 hours from Plano). The county has some great FM and paved county roads. There is some elevation changes that will make it more challenging.

The other option closer to Dallas is to start off at Lake Tawakoni SP and do the county roads between there and Lake Fork.

Troop198 · 10-08-2007, 07:01 PM

Keep those suggestions coming, never hurts to have too many, north Texas is best for areas' though

Shannon · 10-08-2007, 10:50 PM

Here's an idea -- check out some of the GPS athlete sites where people upload tracks and routes from their bike rides/jogging trips/etc. to pull up opportunities in your area.

Here are a few:
* http://www.motionbased.com/

* http://bonesinmotion.com/

There are more but my addled brain is forgetting them. I'll pick Justin's brain and add more if they occur to us.