Find the top rated running trails in Paris, whether you're looking for an easy short running trail or a long running trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a running trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
Since the gates were put in and surface upgraded there has been an increase in bike and hiking traffic. One group consisted of a Veteran and his sons and friends and I was able to provide them water for their canteens. They were going to camp along the trail and I began thinking that I could develop a camping spot next to the trail if there was interest. I am about halfway between Merit and Celeste, Texas. PLEASE PLEASE take your trash and any other you find as that's my biggest complaint. Most people are very considerate and I do appreciate it.
Rode mountain bike from Farmersville to Ladonia; thru Celeste was a very good ride, just a few wet spots but trail has been maintained recently, in very good shape. Celeste to Wolfe City, lots of standing water for long stretches (walked most of these), overgrown in places and can be pretty rough riding. The four railroad trestles are not for the faint of heart, some have wide tree branches instead of railroad ties and there are gaps that could swallow a bike if you went sideways, do not ride across these. Several wash-outs in the area. No rain in previous 9 days so water problems will be there until the summer. Had 3 flat tires. Wolfe City to Ladonia has many wet spots and is somewhat overgrown but is almost as nice as the trail from Merit to Celeste. Except for the Celeste to Wolfe City stretch, this would be a five star.
Started in Farmersville and did the 2 1/2 miles to the crushed stone to the northeast. Frankly even that 2 1/2 mile was a real problem for us. My wife and I are 65+ with health issues that make riding recumbent trikes necessary.
The first issue is with the bollards that are used at each intersection with the crossing streets and roads. While I understand the need for them, they really should be spaced differently. Put the middle bollard a little to one side. That way, cars and other motorized vehicles are still blocked, but we can still get thru. We had some of these that we had about an inch on either side of our wheels requiring us to virtually stop to get thru. At one road, it was just easier to hit the grass and go around, as I saw several bikers doing.
The other issue is the bridge at about the 2 mile mark. The bridge is significantly above the height of the road. There is no gradual incline to the bridge. It's a very short incline with a very severe bump at the top. We barely cleared our frames getting over it.
Finally, the other issue is just the condition of the trail. The concrete sections are in pretty good shape, the asphalt sections are not. Then there is the issue with all of the horse droppings.
Since there are so few trails for non motorized vehicles in this area, we thought we would try this trail out. Frankly, this is the worst trail we've dealt with so far.
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.
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.
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