At approximately 31 miles of rough gravel terrain, Farmersville to Ladonia represents a good length for an out and back, overnight MTB trip. A riding buddy and I tackled this trip on September 24/25, and enjoyed a generally positive adventure. Highlights included seeing small-town Texas up close (Farmersville, Meritt, Celeste, Wolfe City, and Ladonia), and a strong sense of pioneering, given the relatively overgrown state of much of the trail. Our overnight stay in Ladonia revealed an unexpected gem of a town, with two good restaurants, a great rustic lodge, and even a visit from the Mayor!

During the planning stages, the first question was where to stay in Ladonia. A Google search turned up no nearby hotels, but I came across Rick Barrett (barrett.rick@sbcglobal.net) and his Ladonia Lodge thru a Yahoo users group. This 6-bedroom lodge is located at the edge of "Downtown" Ladonia, and was absolutely perfect for our needs.

The internet also revealed the presence of two restaurants in Ladonia, but I could not have hoped for the quality we experienced. Dinner on Saturday night was at Fat Boy's BBQ (www.fatboysb-b-q.com). We arrived a little beat, but were revived by great ribs, brisket, and pulled pork, as well as the unique treat of fried corn-on-the-cob. But get there early---Fat Boy's closes at 5pm on Saturdays. Breakfast on Sunday was at Gloria's Kitchen, clearly a local institution. Even Ladonia Mayor Jan Cooper showed up---and she had heard a few intrepid cyclists were in town.

Other posters are all too correct----some sections of the trail are woefully unkempt and overgrown. The worst sections were rideable, but barely. And yes, there are clearly man-made obstacles---trenches and mounds that deter use and basic maintenance. However, the locals to whom we spoke along the way were very friendly and enthusiastic, and some (including Mr. Barrett) even pledged to push their localities to improve the upkeep. Bottom line: The more we use the Chaparral Trail, the better it will get!

Today, June 15th, I mountain biked the first 6 miles from Farmersville out through Merit. Trail was pretty open, though narrowed in a few places by vegetation (cedar trees and low hanging elm tree branches and scrub weeds towards Merit). In Merit, the trailhead there looks like a scrapyard but I had no trouble passing through. Talked to some locals sitting out on their porch in Merit, and they were not real happy about the land owners towards Celeste that have made issue of the right-of-way (earthen barricades and such) and were disappointed that the bridge over a major creek/minor river had be removed (not sure where because I returned to Farmersville). Seems like the locals that I talked to like the trail and the folks that use it.

I ran into a couple of spots of trash on the trail including a plastic gas can broken to bits and a couple of car seats. But all in all, things are getting better, it would seem, in policing the trash out there.

One interesting bit was that although it was very windy out (20mph gusts from the south), the trail itself was still and I didn't have to fight the wind coming or going. I would think that would also mean that in the heat of the day in summer, you can forget a breeze to cool you.

I find it interesting that the Federal Government has paid $1.4M for access for trail right-of-way. I expect that anyone who gets harassed on this right-of-way should report it to not only to local law enforcement, but also Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The fact that the Feds have paid for right-of-way means that violation of that agreement is a Federal matter. And impeding a traveler is no less than a violation of civil rights, in my mind (United States v. Wheeler in 1920). That said, there is a bit of a wild feel to this area, and if ever confronted; smile, FULL five finger wave, and have a copy of the settlement to hand them if they'll take it.

Hiked the roughtly 31 mile section from Farmersville to Ladonia a few months ago. My older comments covering the first 7.5 miles east of Farmersville and the section between Ben Franklin and Roxton are at the bottom.

Picking up where I left off at the 7.5 mile mark I encountered a 75-yard long ankle-deep watery mess. I encountered a few more of these usually where the trail crossed a road. I was told by some neighbors of the trail that when the railroad was removed the ballast was sold. In the process of removing the rock some of the earth was scraped away. (These wet areas would likely be dry in summer.) This occured mainly at road crossings since these areas were easier to access.

The trail was hikeable. There were occasional areas of undergrowth but nothing inconvenient. There were some areas that felt pretty wild (the area where the trail crosses the Sulphur river comes to mind).

Passing through the little towns was nice since we were carrying little more than fluids and cash. We were able to time lunch and dinner well and eat in Celeste (convenience store) and Wolfe City (good Mexican food on the town square) respectively. (Ladonia has a store that sells very cold water, mixed with barley and hops, etc.)

No doubt that people continue to use the right of way to dump trash. We encountered the requisite old refrigerator, bags of garbage, etc. In one section just east of Wolfe City we found 5 dead cows that had been dragged (rope or wire still attached to the feet).

There were ATV's and motorcycles but no hikers or bikers.

Just west of Ladonia the trail/road intersections appear to have trenches dug across them. Passage is possible by foot or walking a bike.

Lastly, I found the following link (http://chaparralrailtrailsettlement.com/) that might be helpful in educating everyone on legal issues concerning the right of way.
Stan

8/4/9
Hiked the first 7.5 miles from Farmersville out through Merit to its junction with what google maps calls Mud Road. Trail open though narrowed in a few places by vegetation (specifically poison ivy). In Merit, the trailhead there looks like a scrapyard but we had little trouble passing through.

In March 2008, I mountain biked the section of the trail between Roxton and Ben Franklin. Numerous times I encountered barbed-wire fences, no trespassing signs, giant round haybale storage, etc. Near Ben Franklin the trail was blocked with a gate and cattle occupied the area. In the case of the fences and the gates I was able to lift the bike over and continue. I did not see anyone along the route. The condition of the trail was worse than the description above, much more vegetation in sections that made it uncomfortable but still rideable.