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This trail is about 20 minutes from where we live. We've rode it a few times.
It's a nice short ride through the woods and along the river. It has a few short rolling hills.
It looks like they plan to make it longer some day, which would be nice.
I live roughly an hour away from the Tanglefoot trail. It's the go-to trail for my daughter and I (and sometimes my wife). We've ridden it in all seasons.
Neither my daughter or I are super-bike people. We have heavy, cheap mountain bikes. We ride a while, walk a while, sit at the rest stops, look at the scenery, and spend a lot of time talking.
We ride out and back loops that are usually 10 miles out, eat lunch, and 10 miles back.
Here are some descriptions:
New Hulka to Huston and back. Low rolling hills for the most part. A little past half way there is a long bridge over a creek(s) with a rest stop in the middle (although the rest stop was damaged and I'm not sure if it has been repaired). We like to stop and walk along the bridge looking at the water and wildlife. Right at the end (really the beginning) of the trail in Huston, it goes over a street. There is a gravel trail going left down the embankment toward down town. We go down a few blocks and to the left to a restaurant called "No Way Jose" (Mexican) and have a leisurely lunch before riding back.
New Hulka to Algoma and back. Small rolling hills with lots of farms. Just before you get to Algoma there is a big sheep farm. Algoma is a country gas station that serves lunch (maybe breakfast too). It's slightly better than average gas station food and as a vega-terian-whole plant food kind of person I can usually find something to eat that sort of resembles my usual diet (I believe in a whole food plant based diet, but I'm not an all or nothing kind of person). It you are not vegan/vegetarian there are lots of choices of fried, baked, or barbecued stuff. You can eat inside or sit out back at the pavilion. They even have a porch kind of swing hanging from a tree limb.
Algoma to Pontotoc and back. This is about 7 miles out and back. Just as you get close to Pontotoc there is a bank with groundhogs or related critters. From the Pontotoc trail head we take a left, go up the steep hill and several block over to HW 15 where there is a restaurant called Spuds.
Ingomar to Pontotoc and back. Ingomar is really just a community - not really a town. I haven't seen any stores near there, but the local church does leave a cooler full of bottled water in the summer. This is a about 5 or 6 miles to Pontotoc, so it's short ride. Nice flat open fields 2/3rds of the way. Right under HW 6 there is a long bridge where two creeks meet and then a very long hill going into Pontotoc. We ride toward Pontotoc so we can rest during lunch and coast the first part of the trip back. At the top of the hill in Pontotoc we take a right, cross 15 and go to a Mexican restaurant over there. They have a buffet for lunch on Saturday. There is also a Waffle House close there as well.
Ecru to Pontotoc and back. Ecru has restaurants and stores, but we always use it as a starting point so we have never eaten at any of them. This just extends this ride to roughly a 20 mile out and back. It is longer if you ride through Pontotoc all the way to the trail head, but we never have.
Ecru to New Albany and back. This section is slightly over 10 miles. Still rolling hills, but they are taller and longer. Several creeks to cross over, open fields, and other scenic stuff. At the end/top of the trail in New Albany there is a coffee shop and ice cream shop right on the trail. There are bike racks right there as well. We loved the Bank Head Bicycle Club for lunch, but it closed. We haven't found another favorite place close to the trail head yet.
me and grandson rode from new houlka to algoma this past sunday we really enyoued it
This past Saturday I rode from Houston to New Albany and back. This was my first ride on the trail in 3 years. The trail is much improved with more covered rest stops and new whistle stops (Pontotoc and Houston). I especially enjoyed the park at Pontotoc with the music playing. Lots of security patrols - one even stopped to check on me as I rested in Pontotoc. He sat and talked with me while I drank a cold water from his cooler and told me about his experiences on the trail.
The bridges are still a little rough but not as bad as I remembered. One has been paved over and is as smooth as the rest of the trace. Another is paved but still very rough. I did get chased by 4 large barking dogs but they looked much more menacing than they were - no biting.
This is a wonderful place to ride. It may be better than my home rails-to-trails, the Long Leaf Trace, that I ride on every day and love.
My brother and I do nothing but rails to trails. We have done at least 10 different ones and this is our favorite. Though it's a 5 hour drive, we go at least twice a year. Trail is incredible, SHADY, well maintained, and each trailhead has a great restroom and some type of restaurant. They even have tire repair stations for flats . This is a FIRST CLASS trail.
It's Memorial Day 2018 and I'm sitting here in the brand spanking new Whistle Stop in Houston. Finally! Years in the making. Much appreciated. It's great and huge, as Whistle Stops go. And nearby there's also a large shelter.
I used to not really want to come here because there was no place to take a break. Now, as the Glen Campbell song said, Houston, I'm coming to see you. No more saying, Houston, we have a problem.
See photos.
Made trip from Fl. to Ms and Al to do 3 trails. This trail was great, smooth pavement clean restrooms at the "Whistle Stops" Several cute towns along the way, not many restaurants close to the trail until New Albany. We spent several days and did round trips, safe parking at each site, got warm later in day but had a lot of shade. We used the Library in New Albany for parking our last day, very friendly and helpful staff. Nice bridge over the street to the end in downtown New Albany, outside courtyard with tables but the shops and restaurants closed the day we were there. Trail was worth the trip and I would put it on anyone's bucket list.
I spent 2 days of a planned 5 day trip on this trail. Day 1 started from the Houston, MS end and found this end of the trail poorly maintained for about 10 miles-there were branches and dead limbs everywhere. At about mile 6 or 7 I had 2 aggresive dogs chase me from a house adjacent to the trail. I continued on and after 10miles found the scenery and ride pleasant. On day 2, I started from New Albany and rode down. Beautiful and peaceful ride esp through Pontotoc which had a nice rest area. When i got to mile 18, I had 2 really nasty dogs chase me to the point where I was frightened. I went down to mile 15 and had 2 more dogs barking threateningly from a yard. I was afraid to ride back until one of the trail patrols came by. When I explained what happened he offered to ride me back through those areas and told me has complained about the dogs @ 18mile mark before. If you want people to use this trail it needs to be safe and dogs in the area should be pinned up or leashed. I won't be back to this rail trail!
started from the northern end and only covered 18 miles, cool and windy ( 45* and SE at 10-15).
VERY nice trail ( along with the longleaf). nice to see that its been around for awhile. great stops just about every 10 miles or less, you're never away from support if you should need it .
Only complaint is the wooden bridges, if you're cranking along at a good speed , they can rattle your ride. I've been on worse, and if this is the only complaint- well we're not doing bad. I will definitely be back again- superb ride.
Ride on 4/1/17. Great trail...but the wooden bridges are a little rough.
Our second time on the Tanglefoot trail found many improvements! The gateway at Ponotoc has restrooms, picnic tables under cover, beautiful landscaping to make this a first class Trail Head.
Parking just to the north as before.
New Albany gateway now all paved with many restaurants nearby.
Whistle Stops along the trail ideal for recreational riders to ride all the sections of the trail over several says.
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