River Bend Trails

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E-Bikes Unknown

Explore the lowland forest of the Brazos River Memorial Park at the River Bend Trail System. Every trail under the forest canopy is singletrack, while the connecting trails out in the open are a place to recuperate until the next fast singletrack section up ahead. Gain entrance to the trails down a quiet residential street, through an iron gate. Ride the trails once and it's very easy to follow the next time you come.

Parking: A convenient place to park is in the far side of the Holy Cross Episcopal Church parking lot. From there, ride to the end of Thistlerock Lane and you'll see a sidewalk leading to a gate between the last two houses on the street.

Close the gate behind you, head up and over the levy and you'll see the entrance to the gravel nature trail straight ahead. Don't use the gravel trail, but instead take a sharp left and follow the edge of the treeline along the power lines. After 200 yards, you'll come up to the park benches and entrance to the East Loop on your right.

The singletrack enters the woods here for about 1.2 miles total. About 1/3 of the way through the East Loop, you'll see the sharp drop in on your right to The Cauldron. Keep your eyes peeled or you'll miss it! Spin through The Cauldron, and then finish up riding the East Loop.

At the end of the East Loop, you'll exit the woods not far from where you entered at the park benches. From the exit of the woods, bear to the right and continue through the field on the East Loop to West Loop Connector for a few hundred yards until you reach the second singletrack section as it enters the woods. This second singletrack section is called the Outer West Loop (with Inner West Loop inside).

Follow the signs for the Outer West Loop and bear right at the Y as soon as you enter the woods. About 200 meters past the entrance to the woods, you'll see the Inner West Loop on your left. You can ride it or continue on the Outer West Loop. The entire Outer West Loop is ridden counterclockwise for about 1.4 miles, exiting the woods the same place you entered. Keep to the right through the field (staying near the levy) and return back to the park benches for a second loop through the trails.

Located on the south side of the Brazos, the River Bend Trails feature smooth, undulating singletrack with very few roots or rocks. Fallen trees are usually quickly removed from the trail to preserve the "momentum is your friend" nature of River Bend. Soils here hold water, unfortunately, so the trails are usually closed for a few days after a rain to let them dry out. When dry, there are few trails in Houston with a faster "flow" than these. Push the pace and you'll be rewarded!

It's best to ride 3 or 4 loops of the trails to get a good workout and to try and memorize all the twists and turns. Riverbend is built for speed and fun! Thank you for coming out to enjoy it.

From the River Bend Trails, it's easy to to use a portion of the wide gravel paths of River Park Trail Connector - bridge over the Brazos on 99 to access the NORTH side of the Brazos, which features the New Territory Trail , the Justin Brindley - New Territory Connector and the Justin Brindley Trail (located in Sugar Land Memorial Park).