The xTx is the toughest route across Texas.

Some know xTx as the future Pacific Crest Trail of Texas.

In its infancy now, xTx is a combination of single-track, gravel, and backroads meandering 1,500 miles from Orange to El Paso. From sea level at the Gulf Coast to Texas' highest point, Guadalupe Peak, overall the xTx gains 56,000 ft. in elevation.

The xTx starts on the Louisiana border at Orange and meanders along bayous and through vast pine forest preserves of east Texas.  State parks, locally owned bed/breakfasts and exotic food like gumbo and sweet ice tea make exploration of the lowlands comfortable and interesting.

At about mile 200 rolling hills add another dimension to the terrain. Your intrepid adventurer starts working on the 56,000 feet of elevation gain the xTx offers over about 1,500 miles. Historic small towns made famous by ZZ Top, like La Grange, become rest and refueling stops. Barbecue brisket is a staple dish in Luling. Blue Bell ice cream is the only real dessert in these parts. Eat up, you'll need the calories.

At mile 375 finds incredibly cold, clear water gushing out of limestone rocks. Swimming in these natural springs and rivers around New Braunfels is the perfect respite for the weary traveler. This is the start of the Hill Country where the terrain is dryer, the air less humid and the folks here drink Shiner Bock and two-step at Gruene Hall.

Now we're climbing up into the rustic ranchlands of the Hill Country where the people thin out while horses, sheep and cows become our travel companions. Lonely backroads careen through these hills and valleys settled by Germans in the late 1800"s. Clear spring-fed creeks and rivers have carved shallow canyons where deer, turkeys and javelina are very surprised to see humans quietly moving along not in cars. Locally owned hotels and guest houses run by gregarious hosts in small towns like Comfort, Concan and Utopia provide refuge for the xTx adventurer's journey.

At the Devil's River we are at mile 750, halfway across Texas on the xTx.  It's the start of the Chihuahuan Desert. Self reliance gets tested out here, the weather and terrain are unforgiving. Roads have turned to gravel, they are remote, and there are plenty of things to plan for including water, food and shelter. TexMex and BBQ sustain hearty ranchers and travelers. 

Sanderson is the last town until Terlingua, about 200 miles away. Rest up and resupply because this section of the xTx will separate the women from the girls. Water and food will be carried long distances and desert camping in Big Bend National Park is spectacular. Highlights include night time shooting star spectacles, the Milky Way, Santa Elena Canyon and Boquillas hot springs, a desert oasis right on the Rio Grande river. 

At mile 1020 the xTx enters Big Bend Ranch State Park and continues northward on dusty ranch roads. The Ranch bunkhouse is the place to stay and rest up for the last phase. Truly remote, this vast desert terrain challenges all to be smart and alert. Mistakes can be deadly. Our adventurer's companions out here include rattlesnakes sunning in the sand, vultures considering your overall health and fat content, feral longhorn cattle, deer, javelina, tarantulas, roadrunners and jackrabbits. After exploring volcanic calderas and taking in long dramatic desert views,  at mile 1145 we get to the SoHo of West Texas, Marfa. 

An artist enclave, Marfa is a one of a kind experience which will also be a sharp departure from the adventurer's acquired feral state of being. Civilization can be so inviting to the famished and fatigued traveler's soul. You'll want to rest, recover, resupply and recommit to the last 300 miles of the xTx.

Headed north out of Marfa and up into the Davis Mountains, a mountain island with 8,000 ft. peaks in the Chihuahuan desert sea. It's an alpine oasis with pine trees, cooler dry air, and Ft. Davis State Park, where stories of native american and settlers history are presented. Ranch guesthouses and vast views across the desert induce flights of fantasy, escape from the adventurer's real world, of hiding out and basking in the quiet, virtuous life of the humble and happy ranch hand deep in West Texas. 

After a long perilous drop back down to the desert floor, the xTx takes a direct route to the highest peak in Texas, Guadalupe Peak. Summit it, resupply and travel west. A short stint in New Mexico keeps us on the backroads to Hueco Tanks, a renowned technical climbing destination. Camp here and imagine finishing this ordeal.

El Paso! Get your xTx tattoo and you're done, cowboy/cowgirl. Fight the urge to flip-flop and head back to Louisiana on the xTx. Amtrak back home or fly from here. 

xTexas is a project of the bicycle advocacy organization BikeTexas.

Meet the Team

  • Charlie Gandy

    FOUNDER

    xTx is spearheaded by Charlie Gandy. He’s a veteran trail hiker, bike-riding adventurer, and proud native Texan. After graduating from North Mesquite High School in 1976, Charlie traveled around the world solo and received a political science degree from the University of Texas in 1980. At age 23, he was elected to represent Mesquite and East Dallas in the Texas House of Representatives.

    Charlie went on to work for the governor and the Texas Nature Conservancy before founding BikeTexas.org, one of the first state-wide bike advocacy organizations in the United States.

    In national biking and walking advocacy, Charlie worked for the Bicycle Federation of America, hosting workshops and walk audits to inspire and seed biking and walking advocacy organizations across the country, and hosted the groundbreaking Thunderhead Retreat. In 1997 and 1998, he was the Field Director of the successful national political “Bikes Belong” campaign, which helped to save and expand federal funding for biking, walking, transit, trails, and more in the "Transportation Equity Act of the 21st Century (TEA-21).

    Charlie has climbed all the 14ers in Colorado, hiked over 4,000 miles (mostly in US western states and including the entire state of California), and biked everywhere. He’s a serial entrepreneur, having owned several businesses, including a travel agency, a Colorado mountain lodge, and an urban design firm. He currently splits his time between living in Poulsbo, WA, with his wife Melissa and traveling through Texas planning this legacy trail.

    Connect with him: Gandy(dot)Charlies(at)gmail.com.

  • Melissa Balmer

    MEDIA & MARKETING

    Melissa is an artist, writer, and communications coach. Her passion is for elevating the impact of those working to create a healthier, more equitable and sustainable world through storytelling.

    She’s also Charlie’s wife, and encouraged him to make sure horses and horse people were included in xTexas.

    Though no longer riding, Melissa is passionate about horses and mules as part of the active-and-sustainable living conversations.

    For the past 14 years Melissa has hosted PedalLove.org, and trained those working for active and safe streets on the local, regional, state, and national level on using storytelling and strategic media outreach.

    She’s also placed active + sustainable mobility positive stories in news outlets such as the Associated Press California, Bicycling Magazine, Bloomberg News, Cosmopolitan Magazine, Living on Earth, the Los Angeles Times, National Public Radio affiliates KCRW, KPCC, KQED, and the Texas Standard, Reuters, the San Francisco Chronicle, Sierra Club Magazine, and more.

    Connect with her: Melissa(at)PedalLove(dot)org

  • Robin Stallings

    EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR BIKETEXAS

    Robin is the Executive Director of BikeTexas, the statewide bicycle advocacy and education organization. He has been with BikeTexas since 1999, making the transition to ED in 2003. During Robin’s time as ED, BikeTexas has celebrated successes in Safe Passing Laws, now in place in 14 Texas cities; Complete Streets policies in multiple jurisdictions across the state; publishing the 2012 Texas Benchmark Report; producing an acclaimed biannual state conference for bicycling and walking; introducing cycletracks to Texas; encouraging Texas cities to put on open streets (ciclovía) events; training over 7,000 Texas teachers in the SafeCyclist curriculum, who have in turn reached approximately two million Texas schoolchildren with bicycle and pedestrian safety; and working with the Texas legislature towards Safe Routes to School, Safe Passing, and Complete Streets, and anti-texting while driving laws.

    Additionally, Texas cities have received over $200 million in funding for multi-use trails in part due to Robin’s and BikeTexas’ efforts on federal transportation bills, and over $200 million in local bond funding for bicycle and pedestrian improvements across the state.

    Robin has served as chair of the TxDOT Bicycle Advisory Committee and was a founding board member of Envision Central Texas, the Safe Routes to School National Partnership, and the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy. Robin particularly enjoys getting transportation engineers and policy makers to take their first bike ride in decades during BikeTexas VIP rides and seeing them rediscover the joys of riding a bike.