Lake Bryan West Loop

Dogs Leashed

E-Bikes Unknown

After being closed for almost 5 years, the West Loop has been rehabilitated and slightly expanded. The West loop is somewhat easier and smoother than the Lake Bryan East Loop, but what it lacks in altitude change it makes up for in tight twisting turns.

Generally as you get deeper into the loop, the trails become a little bit more advanced, but there are really only a couple of intermediate features in the final nested loop, Little Warda.

The trail can be sandy at times, so watch your speed in some of those tight turns and as always, avoid riding wet trails.

The entrance fee (2020) is $5/car or you can purchase an annual pass for $75. Credit cards are accepted when the entrance booth is staffed, otherwise bring cash.

Don't ride on the levee.

This route is probably easier than the East Loop with less elevation change and fewer roots. The route consists of a number of nested loops as you work your way out to Little Warda which is definitely the highlight of the West Loop. The tread is generally flat and relatively wide and most of the turns have a large radius - so you can carry some speed when conditions are not too sandy.

The ride starts with a warm up on Good to Go and Monkey Butt. These are beginner friendly and there are optional turn arounds at the end of each segment. At the end, Monkey Butt runs on the levee for a short distance and then Doggy Dash veers into the woods on the left. After a short segment in the woods, Doggy Dash crosses the levee to the lake side and meanders through the forest at the edge of the lake. This is one of the few places at the Lake Bryan trail system where you can actually see the lake.

Doggy Dash returns to the opposite side of the levee and then a mostly straight and aptly named Flat Tire Flyer trail takes you towards the north side of the lake. Parts of Flat Tire Flyer pass through a meadow, and the sun can really pour down on you here in the summer.

The fun continues on Poison Ivy Alley, which reenters the forest with more of the same style of trail that brought you here. Next up is Little Warda. Little Warda is definitely the highlight of the West Loop with some features at the far end that are intermediate in nature: the trail dips in and out of a dry creek bed. Little Warda is also on the lake side of the levee, so you'll have the best views of the lake from this trail segment. There is a nice resting point out on a peninsula at the far end of this trail if you find that you need a break.

The return is on Bouldry Dash and Valley of Thorns with an optional jaunt through The Jungle. This merges you to Chug-a-Ugh and Sunflower Forest. Sunflower Forest lacks both sunflowers and significant forest cover. It is straight and flat right along the fence line, and only your power output will limit your speed.

Sunflower Forest merges with Texas Twister which isn't quite as twisty as the newer parts of the loop that were built in 2020 but fun nonetheless. Then it's Hutches Hell and Last Pass to the finish.