I took a troop on a hike from Farmersville to Celeste on October 3. The section from Farmersville to Merit is, as mentioned in many reviews below, in excellent shape. From Merit to Celeste is vastly improved from work done over the summer of 2020. There are still large rocks in the gravel, and there are still areas that will probably pose a problem after a rain, but the underbrush has been cleared significantly and the road graded. One critique—the brush has been cut back so much that there is far less shade from Merit to Celeste than from Farmersville to Merit.

Great improvement from Merrit. Very clean and well maintained. Very nice shade.

I had high hopes when the Hwy was widened as it included some funding to upgrade the old railroad track bed into a bike trail. I was incredibly disappointed. I don't know if the highway construction ran out of money or it was poorly designed but it fell way short of expectations. The surface itself was ok. Perfect for off-road, gravel grinding but the main disappointment was the destruction of the trees that separated the highway from the trail. It lost any real semblance of a trail and I can not recommend it. The good news is It looks like the trail west of Avery heading towards Clarksville is nearing completion and it has the appearance of being much better, although I haven't ridden on it. I have driven by it several times.

The first 2.5 miles are paved out of Farmersville. The next 2.5 miles is crushed rock. It was great for the first 5 miles. I was hoping to do the entire 35 miles but I hit the great Texas Peanut butter soil (TX Clay). After riding through the first section and cleaning the mud off the bike I hit another section. I bailed the trail and went for a pleasant 36 mile ride on the farm roads. Riding the shoulder of 78 is pretty sketchy and I would t recommend it.

Connecting with Reno and Blossom trails gives about 10 miles of paved biking and hiking fun. There are water fountains, covered picnic tables, a little library, mile markers and of course, bathrooms. Lots of bird life, squirrels, occasional snake and of course lots of trees making for a shaded ride. ---- This is the best part of the trail that runs from Farmersville to New Boston, which many of those other sections are not yet paved.

it was so cool i loved it

This is an easy ride from Paris to Blossom where it turns wild. Easy grade, wide, scenic, mostly sheltered path and little traffic. Suitable for any bike up to that point.

The five miles from the Onion shed in Farmersville to around the junction with FM 2194 is wide, well maintained and easy riding for most any bicycle. After that is it gravelly and very overgrown and more suitable for a mountain bike . The route is very scenic and quiet with a lot of butterflies, cardinals and horses visible in the fields but few people or cars at the crossings.

We ride our 4 wheeler on this trail, not really appropriate for a bike with all the mud and shrubbery growing up on the trail from DeKalb Texas to avery Texas...i like it for 4 wheeling 😉