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Reveille Peak RanchGPS Tracks: KMZ format Located west of Burnet, Texas near Buchanan Dam, Reveille Peak Ranch is a 1300-acre private ranch that doubles as an outdoor recreation and event center. From a mountain biker's point of view. what makes RPR unique-- and awesome-- is that it sits on the Llano Uplift, an area of exposed granite bounded roughly by Burnet to the east, Mason to the west, Fredericksburg to the south, and the Llano County Line to the north. Enchanted Rock and its surrounding granite plutons, as well as the formations at Inks Lake State Park, are part of this same uplift. RPR is, in a nutshell, as close to Moab as you can get in Texas. Like some of the trails in Moab (Sovereign, in my opinion, is the most similar), the trails at RPR consist of part dirt track but also a lot of "slickrock" riding over the exposed granite. As with real slickrock, you will find that you are able to defy gravity and clean technical obstacles on the granite that you couldn't have even approached were they carved out of typical Central Texas limestone. Thus, although some of the trails at RPR easily deserve an advanced rating, most of the trails are at least approachable by intermediate-level riders. No part of RPR is particularly fast, at least not at the moment. There are no sustained downhills. Even when a trail loses more elevation than it gains, it will still undulate up and down, and often there are technical obstacles preventing one from achieving a lot of speed. Most of the trails at RPR are brand new, constructed with the help of the Austin Ridge Riders and other local users. Thus, one of the main difficulties in riding RPR is simply finding the trail. As with slickrock trails in Moab, there is no real "trail" per se on the granite sections. Riders are free to choose their own lines, but at the moment, the painted dashed lines that are supposed to indicate the real trail are very faint and need to be redone. Thus, it's very easy to lose the trail if you get even a few feet off of it. There is also no signage as of this writing. The other difficulty is in getting used to the general feel of the trail, which is really like none other in Texas. Once this trail gets ridden enough to pack in the dirt and clarify the lines, and once proper signage is added, it has the potential of being the most epic ride this state has to offer. Refer to the park map and/or the GPS track to navigate the winding ranch road that leads back to the singletrack. The black, unnamed singletrack on the map is a windy, 8-mile intermediate-level loop that mostly consists of flowy dirt track but also features some short granite sections and occasional technical obstacles, such as granite rock gardens, gunsights, and a few intermediate-level ledges. The Upper Loop singletrack (~2.6 miles), which departs from and returns to the black singletrack, is a difficult intermediate trail with some advanced moments. This is the trail that will remind you the most of Moab. It starts with a climb of about 200' over 1.5 miles to get up onto the granite dome. From there, it winds around the dome, exposing the rider to quite a few granite ledges, rollers, sharp transitions, and a few gravity-defying climbs and drops before returning back to the black singletrack. The Lower Loop (~2 miles), which lies north and west of the Upper Loop, departs to the south of the black singletrack and climbs nearly 200' in only 3/4 of a mile. It also winds around the granite dome to the south, but the granite on this section is more furrowed and broken and has some tricky transitions. The Lower Loop then heads back north, crossing the black singletrack to do another loop on the granite to the north of it. Both loops are advanced, and the north one has some obstacles which, by all rights, should probably be labeled expert. Upon exiting the Lower Loop, ride briefly west to the 4-way junction with a ranch road. You can head south on this road to access the scenic overlook at Peak 1283 and to access the top of Super D. Super D is a bit of a misnomer. Although it does lose more elevation than it gains, it is a cross-country trail, not a downhill trail. It does have a fair bit of climbing. In general, it is technically advanced and has at least one expert obstacle. It is currently one of the most difficult trails to follow. Combining all of the singletrack options makes a 13-mile ride with about 1600' of elevation gain/loss. Directions Follow State Highway 29 about 3.5 miles west of Burnet. Turn right (north) on Ranch-to-Market Road 2341 (there is a brown sign for Canyon of the Eagles.) Take RM 2341 north 4.6 mi to County Road 114 (paved). Turn left (west) onto CR 114. The entrance into RPR is immediately to your left after making the turn onto CR 114. Follow the dirt road into the ranch and park at the pavilion. More Information: |