Reveille Peak Ranch Mountain Biking: How to plan your visit
Plan your mountain biking visit to Reveille Peak Ranch in Texas Hill Country. Learn which trails to ride, route recommendations, and more!
As I was researching my trip to Texas Hill Country, I saw a place on TrailForks that looked intriguing: Reveille Peak Ranch. Located almost squarely between Spider Mountain (to the north) and Station Mountain (to the south), this trail network – at least from what I could tell – was definitely worth a visit (just check out the trail map!).
To be honest, the layout of the Ranch was a bit intimidating, though – there’s a lot of ground to cover. But thankfully I had two friends and Austin locals (sort of) to show me around. The first couple of miles into our ride I was a bit unsure (overgrown trails and mean rocks?) but once we got on the good stuff, I was sold! Reveille Peak Ranch is a pretty cool destination for mountain bikers – if you know what you’re getting into.
In this post, I share everything you need to know about exploring the mountain biking trails here including the best trails to ride, route recommendations, and more!
Special thanks to Carey and Bob for spending an awesome day with me at Reveille Peak Ranch.
Quick Facts & FAQs
Q: Where is Reveille Peak Ranch?
A: It’s located in Burnet, Texas. Here are Directions to the main trailhead. This is where you’ll pay, but I actually recommend parking at the jump line.
Q: Are e-bikes allowed?
A: Yes. Most of Texas is pretty e-bike friendly
Q: Are the trails well-signed?
A: Not really. You’ll probably get lost. We did! Have TrailForks downloaded to your phone, but it’s far from reliable.
Q: What amenities are at the trailhead?
A: The nice bathrooms and showers are at the main parking. There are port-a-potties down near the jump line parking. However, there is NO POTABLE WATER at Reveille Peak Ranch, at least when I was there.
Q: Are dogs allowed?
A: I doubt it. Reveille Peak Ranch is a working ranch with cows
Q: When is the best time to go?
A: Winter, spring, and fall. I visited Reveille Peak Ranch in early March and the weather was perfect! Keep in mind that this is Texas and Texas gets hot in the summer….
Q: Do I need to pay to ride?
A: Yes. There is a $10/day trail use fee. If you pay for camping, the day-use fee is included. See more about camping below.
Q: Are the trails open year round?
A: No. Reveille Peak Ranch hosts events throughout the year and they do close the trails. Check their event calendar to make sure the trails & camping are open. (If it doesn’t say the trails are open or closed, give them call)
Trail Map
A note on navigating the trails: The trails at Reveille Peak Ranch are not the easiest to navigate. Even if you have TrailForks downloaded to your phone (which you should), it’s not very accurate and some of the trails aren’t even on there. With that in mind, here are the general trail markers to look out for:
My Quick Take
Overall rating
I almost feel guilty about giving Reveille Peak Ranch a 3/5 star rating because honestly, I really did enjoy it. But, I also know that I’m not the average mountain biker. I like tough, raw, and unmanicured terrain and Reveille Peak Ranch brings a lot of that.
So for the sake of the ‘average mountain biker’, a 3/5 star rating is probably pretty accurate. The Reveille Peak Ranch Loop is definitely the highlight trail, so if you want to explore this network, I recommend building your route around that (or use my route recommendations below).
Average difficulty
The trails at Reveille Peak Ranch are not for the beginner rider. Most of them are rough, rocky, and unmanicured. Expect to work for your miles. That being said, there’s nothing scary technical about this place. It’s just hard-won miles that will probably have you on and off the bike a few times.
If you’re looking to get air, the jump line is one of the biggest/craziest I’ve seen. It’s cool, but a hell-no for me. There is a flow trail and some smaller jumps to play on, though.
Trail variety
This one was hard to rate because in a way, there is a ton of trail variety, but also not. As I mentioned above, there is a MASSIVE jump line as well as some intro-to-air tracks, but the rest of the network is moderately challenging and it would be hard to put together an ‘easy’ route.
Should you ride Reveille Peak Ranch?
What to love about it
What to not
Read next
Planning a mountain bike trip to Texas Hill Country? Here are a few more fun places to check out:
Best Trails at Reveille Peak Ranch
Like to get air? If you’re a bike park rider who likes big jumps and drops, you’ll want to hang out at the freeride zone. There is a huge jump line with super cool features – most of them ones I’ll never hit. There’s also a flow trail and some smaller jump tracks.
Route Recommendations
One Day at Reveille Peak Ranch
If you’re an experienced mountain biker and only have one day to explore the trails, this route hits all of the best trails. It’s not a super long loop (11-ish miles), but it’s hard going and you’ll feel like you went for a ride when you’re done.
Trail Basics
Ride it for:
- Unique slickrock on RPR loop with reflectors as your guides
- Challenging terrain
Need to know:
- The trails are very confusing – have TrailForks downloaded
- It’s an open range, so you’ll probably see cows
Route directions: Jump Line Parking > Race Loop > Jaws > Race Loop > RPR Loop > Race Loop > Carrozza > Decision Point > Super D > Race Loop > Road or Flow Trail Return
Make it shorter: Skip Carrozza. However, I still recommend making your way out to Decision Point for the views.
Reveille Peak Ranch Intermediate Loop
The full loop above is a bit of a beat-down. There are tough rock gardens, overgrown sections, some technical descents, etc… If you want a mellower ride at RPR, this is a nice loop that still incorporates some slickrock, but isn’t quite as chunky and raw. Don’t expect it to be easy, though. I do recommend pedaling out to Decision Point for the views, though.
Trail Basics
Ride it for:
- Slickrock sections on Carrozza
- Decent down Flow Track
- Great views at Decision Point (slightly off route)
Need to know:
- It’s still not going to be well-maintained or groomed trails
- It’s an open range, so you’ll probably see cows
- Navigation can be tricky. Have TrailForks downloaded
Route directions: Jump Line Parking > Beginner Loop > Carrozza > Decision Point Trail/Road (optional: pedal out to Decision Point for great views) > Race Loop > Flow Trail Return
Add more: Do a lap on the Flow Trail
Make it harder: Take Super D descent instead of the Decision Point Trail/Road. It’s a black with sections that may need to be walked.
Post-ride enjoyment
Reveille Peak Ranch is kind of out in the middle of nowhere, but it is only a short drive to Spider Mountain. Here are a few places to get food/drink and other things to do post-ride
Camping at Reveille Peak Ranch
There is camping available at Reveille Peak Ranch. There are several RV sites (electric only) near the main parking area, but you’re allowed to camp pretty much anywhere your vehicle can get to.
I spent one night close to the main parking area at a nice little shaded site by the lake but then moved down to the meadow below the jump line. There are port-a-potties here, but no running water or showers.
Prefer a bed and four walls? There are also small cabins available to rent at Reveille Peak Ranch. They’re kind of packed right next to each other without much privacy, though.
Have you checked out the trails at Reveille Peak Rack? What did you think about the RPR Loop? What questions do you still have about mountain biking here?
Nice summary of the typical RPR experience… spend half the day lost (aka exploring the backcountry), half the day dragging a bike over rocks (aka conquering technical challenges), and sometimes a third half wondering how on earth you ran thru 3 liters on a mere 15 mile ride and/or wishing you’d packed additional bandages or spare bike parts.
Yet somehow the place is always a GREAT time!
And it’s worth noting that it’s a “go to” place when everything else is too wet to ride around here. Your drivetrain will graunch loudly but the granite-based soil and rocks actually ride great when wet.
I’ll also note that the trail called “Beginner Loop (frmly League Loop)” on Trailforks was traditionally a rather good intermediate option here. Built as a high school race loop, it was originally green in character but became more like a Pace Bend blue after they unleashed a bulldozer on the ranch to cut a Tuff Mudder course or such. RPR seems to blow itself apart every few years when some big event comes along and takes over the ranch for a while, but always seems to recover eventually.
You and Bob and I weren’t seeking LESS adventure and so didn’t even try to follow that trail last month, but we did cross it a few times and at least some parts seemed to still exist, so who knows if it would actually make a full loop at the moment.
On the other hand, for those craving even MORE adventure, there’s also the dreaded “Inner Loop” and “Upper Loop”, both of which will get ya at least turned around, if not turned over, a few times, while trying to traverse gnarly granite terrain similar to the main RPR granite loop. Things to try on your next visit. 🙂
Thanks, Carey! It was a memorable day. The next morning I watched a guy come down that jump line. So impressive!