Day Rides

Study Butte to Presidio (140 miles round trip)
This ride is a narrow, curvy, technical ride, more suited for the crotch rocket mentality but an enjoyable ride on any bike - unquestionably one of the most beautiful rides in Texas. Plan on a stop at the Big Hill for a vista break. Hazards include narrow, blind corners (with chance of loose gravel in corners), livestock/donkeys on road, and risk of rocks in road. Very little vehicle traffic, as you wind high along the Rio Grande. Gas in Study Butte and Presidio, no commercial stops in between.

Directions: Leave Study Butte and head west on Hwy. 170 until Presidio (70 miles).


Ft. Davis Loop Ride (75 miles)
The second-most amazing road ride in Texas is the 75-mile Ft. Davis Loop, which starts and ends in Ft. Davis, TX (105 miles from Study Butte) and travels through higher, cooler elevations (up to nearly 6000') in the Davis Mountains. Ride is scenic with curvy, mountainous sections. There are numerous rest stop pull-outs throughout the ride for welcome shade and amazing views. Minimal hazards; gas in Marfa and Ft. Davis. Most riders take the loop clockwise (as detailed below, hitting the mountains later in the ride), but the ride can also be done counter-clockwise.

Directions: Take Hwy. 17 south out of Ft. Davis toward Marfa about 2 miles and turn right (west) on Hwy. 166. Hwy. 166 will flank the Davis Mountains on its southern side. After approximately 45 miles, at the Hwy. 118/Kent intersection, take a right (east) back into the Davis Mountains. The ride will quickly become cooler, curvier and mountainous. The ride goes right past the McDonald Observatory and down the valley, past Prude Ranch and into Ft. Davis.

Note: Balmorhea State Park and its artesian San Solomon Spring is 36 miles from Ft. Davis. With a water temperature of 76 degrees year-round, this swimming hole destination be a pleasant additional circuit to the Ft. Davis Loop. The turn-off for Balmorhea (Hwy. 17) is 1 mile out of town to the north.


Panther Junction to La Linda via the old La Linda Highway (120 miles round trip)
This ride offers an opportunity to ride along portions of the old Old Comanche Trail. As you pass the Stillwell Store, the road becomes more mountainous with views deep into Mexico past the unique, backside view of the Sierra del Carmen mountain range. At the end of the ride is the Rio Grande and a glimpse of the largely abandoned La Linda community (due to the border crossing), and its recent history as a major fluorspar mining operation.

Directions: Head north on Hwy. 385 from Big Bend National Park Headquarters at Panther Junction. Exit the Park through Persimmon Gap at mile marker 30. Just outside of the Park, turn right (east) on La Linda Highway (Hwy. 2627), through the Black Gap Wildlife Management Area. The road ends at the Rio Grande and the closed international bridge to the La Linda, Mexico community. No hazards, save for extremely limited traffic and no cell signal along most of the ride. Gas at Panther Junction and at the Stillwell Store, 8 miles from the La Linda turn-off (Hwy. 2627).