Northshore

Over by Lake Grapevine is one of the best, if not the best, off road trail in the metroplex - Northshore. The full meal deal runs about 20 miles, long for a MTB trail and full of many surprises. Before I go into the merits of this trail; I began the day, upon arrival at Northshore, by breaking the stem off my rear tire. All I wanted to do was put some air in the tire. Have I mentioned that I am not a fan of presta valves? After this morning I am seriously considering drilling out the valve hole in my rims to accept schraders (car style valves). I could expound for awhile about why in the world there are presta valves but what is the point - they are here.

Anyway, after changing my back tube I was on my way. One more "hold it there cowboy". I always wear a small backpack, when I ride off road, full of tools and goodies for just these kind of occasions. Admittedly, I don't break off many valve stems but I do have my share of flats. I do carry an extra inner tube and a pump for just these kinds of problems. I also have a patch kit but I usually wait until I get home before I patch.

Northshore is constructed so that you will run into almost every kind of situation. Sand - yes; Rocks - yes, climbs - yes, roots - yes, the slick kind, other people -
bikers - yes, lots, hikers -  yes, lots, this is one busy place. I arrived at the trailhead around 8:00 AM and I bet there were at least 30 cars already there, and this was just one trailhead. I talked with a guy who seemed to know and he said it is not uncommon for 600 people to be on the trail in one 24 hour period.

To get a sense of some of the trail follow the link to some pics of Northshore.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/28201157@N08/sets/72157625128532282/
This is one trail you need not worry about getting lost. It is probably the best marked trail I have ever seen. Even if you did manage to get lost, and it was on a weekend, you could wait a while and someone will come by who can help. I stopped to take a drink after one strenuous climb and before long there were three of us talking. MTBers are certainly friendly.

There are plenty of places to turn around and head back to the barn if you don't want to do the entire 20 miles. The trail is a singletrack and so well marked (as I said before) that you will always know where you are. I started at the trailhead in Murrell Park but there are many other places. At the bottom of this entry you will see the GPS coordinates for the area I parked in.

I will admit here and now there are a few places I walk my bike through on this trail. Nothing to be ashamed of, some things are just beyond my skill set. I say this so that if you attempt Northshore you will know it is OK to walk. I also know I am not the only one. I did go tires up once today. Got my pedal caught on something. My big toe is also a little bruised but that too will pass.

Final word; great trail, nice and long. A little of everything. Give it a try you won't be disappointed.

Later

GPS Coordinates:
33° 00.301
97° 05.864