Review by Robert House
Images from austinbike.com
Rocky descents, steep (but short) climbs and well marked paths make up the Government Canyon trail system. There are also a few beginner level trails that make a great introduction to trail riding.
Directions to Government Canyon SNA Trail
Galm Road outside of Loop 1604
San Antonio, Texas
Government Canyon SNA, San Antonio at EveryTrail
Map created by EveryTrail:GPS Geotagging
Government Canyon SNA Trail Specs
- Classification – All Mountain
- Trail Difficulty – Limb Breaker (Hard)
- Trail Traffic – Hello? Hello? (Very Low)
Government Canyon SNA Trail Review
Government Canyon was opened to the public a few years ago (I am guessing it opened in about 2005). It was originally the location of a path between military bases many years ago. It is a part of the Texas Parks and Wildlife system and it very well maintained. The Natural Area is opened on weekends — Friday to Sunday from 8 AM to 6 PM (the gate closes at 6, so if you are not out of there you have to wait for the staff to let you out — do it a few times and get a ticket too).
The park is currently not opened for camping or extended stays, but welcomes most day use. On the trail system you may encounter hikers, horseback riders or other bikers. Trails are marked very clearly and not all trails are approved for bicycle use (there are a few hiking only trails). As a cyclist you have the least priority to the trail and are to yield to hikers and horseback riders.
Texas Parks and Wildlife (TPWD) charges $6 per car per day for park use. You can also get a park pass that covers this fee to almost all of the parks in the TPWD system for about $70. The pass is good for a year and well worth it.
Trail systems are split into Front Country and Back Country. Front Country trails are the least technical and probably the most used — I also think they are the only trails available for horse back riding. The Back Country, in my not so humble opinion, is the place for all the fun.
When starting on any of the trails you must fill out a trail pass and deposit a copy in the box at the trailhead. This lets the park know where people are and if they need to send out a search party when your car is still parked in the parking lot at 6 pm.
The route I generally take when visiting the Canyon begins at the multi-use trailhead between the front country and back country and follows Far Reaches and Wildcat Canyon across to Joe Johnson and north to Caroline’s Loop and then back down Sendero Balcones.
The start at Far Reaches is pretty quick single-track, but watch the trees — they tend to get a little close at speed and will grab your brakes for you. The fast part is over soon when you begin to climb up the back part of the trail system to the edges of the Canyon.
Far Reaches turns into Wildcat Canyon when it reaches Sendero Balcones. The ride through Wildcat doesn’t cover a ton of elevation, but is somewhat technical. Plenty of loose rock and baby head gardens for your trouble. There is a thick canopy as well in this section.
Wildcat dead-ends into Joe Johnson, take a right up the hill here. Joe Johnson is a jeep trail and has little to moderate-low difficulty — there a few washouts here and there. A few nice cliffs off to the right and a segment covered in Spanish moss — not a bad place to rest, compliment the trail.
Then you meet Caroline’s Loop. This is an introduction to some of the formations you will find throughout the “Back Country” trails in the park. 2-3 foot ledges and steep rock formations make for difficult climbing along the path. There is also one decent hairpin along the way.
Once past Caroline’s Loop you will be back on Joe Johnson. Take it north and it will turn into Sendero Balcones.
Sendero Balcones is one of the more difficult trails in the area, mostly because of the rocky descents and tricky rock gardens. I haven’t ridden a hard tail down them — I get rattled around enough on my full-suspension. A few extra millimeters of travel (over 90) would make this part fun. The first time I rode this part I was so beat up and exhausted by the time I got to the trailhead I took a break on the bench there before riding back to my truck to go home.
The whole ride takes somewhere in the neighborhood of 2 hours to complete. This also means drinking the better part of a 70 oz Camelbak.
In short I think that Government Canyon State Natural Area so much to offer for a great ride. It has all the difficult stuff I like to ride when spending a day at it, and a few miles of single-track kind enough to bring the wife to ride (she is not a big fan of rock gardens). Most of the area has limited cover and since we are in South Texas the sun is hot and the likelihood of dehydration is high. Bring plenty of water and take breaks when you need them — and you will.
Compared to some of the other TPWD parks in Texas I would put Government Canyon State Natural Area at about a 7 on the 10 scale. I give the 7, and not more, mostly because the variety of some of the other parks makes them a bit more desirable. For example the state park in San Angelo (about 190 miles away) has a trail system consisting of some 80+ miles of single track with everything from smooth fast down hill to rocky climbs. The Canyon on the other hand tends to be mostly rocky and rugged climbing and descending.