Cameron Park

This trail system has something for everyone and you can tell they have been putting in a lot of work recently with the addition of some more park style trails on the back side of the system know as "The Ranch". There is a significant amount of elevation so there is a fair bit of climbing, but with that you get a good amount of decending as well ranging from dry limestone, loamy clayey decents, but most prominently, eroding bedrock with gravels and detritus/organics. On the upland areas there are a fair amount of flow trails as well. The one downside here is it is easy to get lost. That said, that means there's lots to explore.

This is a maze of trails crammed into a hilly patch of land along the Brazos River. There may be 20 miles in total but you'll rarely ride over a mile without hitting an intersection and taking out a map. Difficulty? I had no problem navigating the black labelled Highlander on a hard tail, but you'll need good fitness to clean it. The locals would have the advantage here by knowing what route to take for a long ride; for an out of towner, you're best bet is to park at Lover's Leap. Do a cc loop with Thor, MCC, Highlander, Hale Bopp, and Thor back to your car. Then go south on an outer loop starting with Baseball, Outback, Powder Monkey, etc.... On Powder Monkey there's a sign saying you're entering private property and you need a waiver deposited with them. You'll need a rear tire with good traction for climbing because grades on the black trails exceed 30% and other trails are on fall lines and eroded out.

Trail map is horrible. Plan an extra hour for being lost. Trails are great.

I lived in Waco for about 8 years, then I moved to CO. I came back for summers and breaks, and rode the Cameron Park trails here after CO and I had to search harder for better trails.

Down at the bottom of the park there are lots of trails that are easy and uphill XC trails. These are good XC trails and are great climbs. Some of these trails are intense climbs, but none are very long. The longest climb is around a mile maximum.

I love my technical downhill sections. These were the sections that I had to search the hardest to find. They are there, and they take the form of double blacks like Thor or Bat Cave. These are rocky and very steep. They are also very short.

If you are looking to train your jumping ability, you are coming to either the wrong or right place. There is not much room to grow. The jumps are very small and not designed well. They will teach you how to jump 2 feet in the air and take a drop, they will not teach you how to jump. There are no tables, and certainly not large double gaps. That being said, there is a flow trail with berms at the very top of the park, in an area known as The Ranch at Cameron Park. This area requires a waiver to be signed, and this is where the jumps are (you can sneak in and no one will question you).

Overall, Cameron Park has great moments, and a lot of short uphill and downhill. It can get very fast and dangerous. Beware as a hiker that if you are hiking on a biking trail, essentially anything that isn't the River Trail, you run the risk of coming across a biker moving quickly around a corner.

Best mountain biking in Central Texas.

Fun trail. There are some techy climbs worth sessioning. Just need to watch out hikers and riders that come from the other direction. I was almost hit by another rider when I was climbing while he was descending fast on the same single track oh man... so confused cuz it seems you can go both direction and too many intersections.. I still give four star cuz I like the trails themselves-compact soil with roots and rocks-fun stuff. I will definitely come back but I'll have to find a local to show me the way.

Hard packed dirt, muddy patches at times. Rocky and rooty through a lot of it. Plenty of short climbs and descents.

We sought out the bigger descent and therefore climbs. I was surprised by the ammount of elevation change. Great terrain with plenty of rocks and roots if you seek out technical lines. Take a map. It is like a web of networked trails and you will miss out on a lot if you do not have one.

Great trails! Lots of intermediate as well as technical. Trails are maintained and pretty easy to navigate.

very flowy XC course, lots of great climbs, and good scenery

This place had it all. Nice climbs, fast downhill, buffed single track and some good tech lines. If you have never been here before stop by the local bike shop. We went to Outdoor Waco for another reason and they pointed us in the right direction for the trail.

Second time riding here, last was several years ago. Trails are well maintained and there is a huge variety of XC type trails. Although there are a few places a long travel bike would be better, most any bike will do. Supposed to be 15-20 miles of trail in a small area. Best to just go out, and explore the first time through. Overall it's a great place to spend a few hours.

First off, I rated it a 3 because I was only able to ride on a few trails because I had my 11 yr old son. The trails are marked at the entrance. From the trails I did ride, they were a mix between dirt and rock sections and I found myself using my rear brake more than I would like to. I will definitely return and hit more trails. I have already recommended to a few friends it is worth the drive. I live about 45 minutes away.

I got to ride the river side trail, which is mostly flat and wide. and a little single track. I got enough of a taste that I want more. There's a good sized net work built in the hill side(some times cliffs) S. of the Brazos R. and a tributary. The climbs are substantial, the exposures are steep and big, and whoever maintains it is doing a nice job. Thank you. One could spend many hours if not days exploring this place even if it looks small.

This is a good trail. I would rate 4+. One difficulty is that there are so many segments and many intersections are not marked. It also does not flow quite as well as I prefer. But I discount this because on the second day out there I didn't try to find a trail and just went wherever looked good. There were also red signs with arrows for a race course. I'm not sure if those are always there, but it improved the flow and was a great course.

I prefer the west side. Vortex is awesome--I would name it slalom. I went down one of the double diamond trails and it is fast and steep and over in seconds. I much preferred some of the other trails. I would personally rate going up Highland Trail as more difficult--although not more dangerous.

There is a great deal of variety depending on what you want: steep climbs, technical portions, fast downhills, etc. I personally did not like the river trail. Too many runners down there and the trail isn't all that exciting.

It is easy to get turned around, so I would suggest a map or familiarity with the parking places and Cameron Park Drive (I think that is its name). You get caught out there after sunset and it gets dark quickly.

I've ridden there twice and will head back.

great ride but really try to go with someone familiar your first few times.
great park to advance your skills on, with trails of many difficulty levels.

This trail has a lot of steep ups and downs, a good trail being a city with a lot traffic either bikers, hikers, and frisbie golf is big here at this park. Overall I would not rate it so high...I enjoyed Government Canyon in San Antonio or even Barton Creek in Austin much better.

Great singletrack. By seeing all the Bamboo you wouldn't even know your in central Texas. It would be great for someone in the area to GPS the trails, Map is hard to follow when your riding.