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Print Friendly MapNote: Per the Ray Roberts Lake State Park website, "Due to prior flood damage, the FM 380 section of the Greenbelt Corridor is closed. The hard surface trail of the Greenbelt Corridor between Hwy 428 and Hwy 455 is open, but the equestrian trail remains closed. Work continues to repair severe erosion issues and washed out bridges. The only open equestrian trailhead is at Elm Fork Unit. The trail is open between the Elm Fork Unit and Bluestem Grove (in Isle Du Bois). Please contact the park for more information.”
Located northeast of Denton, the Ray Roberts Greenbelt offers abundant recreational opportunities as it follows the heavily wooded banks of the Trinity River, connecting two major lakes: Lake Lewisville at its southern tip and Ray Roberts Lake at its northern end. Along the northern half of the route, from near FM 455 to FM 428, the trail splits in two; on the river's west side, a hard-surface trail is provided for bikers and walkers, while an equestrian path can be found along its eastern bank.
A parking lot is available at each end of the trail (on Highway 380 and on FM 455) and mid-trail off FM 428. Each parking area has restrooms, picnic tables and river access for kayaks and canoes.
Tried riding this trail today but the entrance at 380 was closed. Disappointed.
My wife and me took this trail today to test our new gravel bikes and we love the mixture of terrain and the ambience that surrounds the route. It is very quiet and sometime you may feel in complete abstraction from the modern city. From 428 to 455 we took the equestrian trail and
I used to run this trail all the time from 380, then it closed for years. It’s now reopen and the trail looks the same as I remember. Very flat packed dirt or gravel and doing the full out and back is less than 300 ft of elevation change.
Might open again as they cleared a log dam. The trail was slightly flooded but passable after a fair amount of early sept rain. The parking lot area might be damaged.
Trail STILL closed. Lower half is under water at 380 trail head (you can’t even enter the trail head area).
lower half of trail still closed!
I rode this trail this past weekend. The section of trail between Hwy. 380 and Hwy. 428 was closed. In fact, after talking to an employee of a local bike shop, it sounds like this half of the trail may be closed, forever. There was much flooding a few years ago, which left feet of mud piled up in areas of the trail. It needs to be re-engineered and the funds aren't there to do it. Don't count on riding this half of the trail in the next several years, at least.
I rode the north half of the trail from Hwy. 428 to Lake Ray Roberts. It's 95% packed gravel and a great trail. Grasshoppers were everywhere - that's the worst I have to say about it. There are 3 buildings along the way which have restrooms and sinks in them. No water fountains but water available from the sinks. I'm pretty sure you are supposed to pay $7 to park in any of these State Park parking lots. It's an honor system where you place money inside an envelope and deposit that envelope inside a box. I didn't know this and didn't have $7 on me. Shameful me. I didn't get a ticket (if they issue tickets) but noticed a Parks and Rec. truck pulling in as I was leaving, around 1 o'clock. So, bring $7 with you to avoid problems.
I recommend this trail, even though it's only about half of what it used to be. I was told the closed half, was the best half. Oh well - Off to the next trail!
They don't offer military discount, and have to pay 7$$ to use their park.
I saw this wasn't reviewed in a while, so went to check it out. The entrance off of 380 is still closed, but if you go to the park on 428, it's open to the North, and it is beautiful! Make sure you have your park permit! $7 for the day, $70/year. The flowers are blooming, very nice ride for mountain bikes. The trail south of the highway is closed, as there are some low spots that are full of mud.
Tried to get on the trail off University in Denton. The park is closed and appeared to be underwater.
Drove up to the middle of the park and everything appeared to be closed.
Drove up to the northend at the HUGE earthen dam. It was open and had a lot of cars parked. I rode my bike south on the trail all the way to the middle (about 5 miles by my Garmin). There the trail was completely washed out and still underwater. I rode back north on the same trail and tried to go to the other side of the road.
The park is closed (appeared rather permanent). So I rode back down the hill and ended my ride.
It's a good trail, but I needed mountain bike tires. The gravel on the trail is rather large and I had to keep a close eye on the ground to avoid the bigger rocks. It was still a good ride with quite a bit of shade.
We've ridden this trail numerous times, and for those looking for a suitable cross country meander for even the most novice of cyclers, this is a good one. You do not need a hardcore mountain bike to enjoy this trail, though street bike riders will not appreciate the gravel and sand surface that comprises most of the trail distance. We generally drop off at the park entrance off 380 near Aubrey. A BIG gotcha: **BE SURE TO PAY THE ENTRY FEE** and hang the tag in your windshield. The park rangers will check this lot for scofflaws often, and a ticket for dodging the entry fee is not cheap. Depending on how far you're up for, you can ride to the trail midpoint at FM428 and do a roundtrip of roughly 12 miles. Much of this leg is under a canopy of hardwoods, so even in the dead of summer it's a cooler ride. If you're up for a longer ride, continue to the FM455 park and trailhead, right behind the Ray Roberts dam. That will make for a 22 mile round trip. There's beautiful woods and meadow along this route, and it is often rife with critters such as deer and bobcat. The rail runs alongside a slow moving creek along much of its route, and this can at times get up and out of its banks when it rains heavily. This will result in the park being closed, so best to check on the TPWD site and verify there no issues before driving to the trail. Worth the trip though!
Started at the 380 parking lot about 7 AM. Path was well taken care of and the gravel was nicely packed. North of of 428, gravel is a little looser and a little more overgrown, but still quite manageable. Can be a pretty dusty ride, but definitely worth the time. No water, or toilet facility along the path, but certainly available at the parking lot's, along the trail. Did the 20+ mile ride in about 90 minutes, but it was my first time on the path. Also, there was a good amount of cyclist's and runner's at that time of the morning, so keep your eye's open, for sure. Fee was $7 for using the trail.
We began at the 380 access point. Pit toilets only. The first 3 miles is nicely compacted crushed limestone with a canopy of trees. You'll cross underneath a busy Union Pacific bridge then in spots its like patchy repairs were done with crusher run gravel; sizes of about 1"-1.5". Single track its not bad in the patchy areas. Between about mile 4 & 5 there are parts of the trail that run through fields until you reach the FM 428 access point about 5.7 miles up. From the 428 access about 3 miles are through fields and the gravel patch is about 75% of the path. Just before we racked up 9 miles the trail went back into a forest and the patchy stuff dropped to about 10%. Overall a very good trail for 2 wheels, not too bad for 3 wheels. Had the proper materials been used for patching the trail would rate a a 9 out of 10, but considering the patchy stuff I give it a 6. Not many people out on it. Temps were in the 70's, partly cloudy, and gusty. Trees blocked most of the wind.
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