Walking enthusiasts may have heard of the Appalachian Trail and Pacific Crest Trail, two long paths in the US. Many states have their own state-wide trail, however, Texas doesn’t.

But that may be changing.

Currently, the longest trail in Texas is the Lone Star Hiking Trail, which clocks in at 96 miles. And Texas is a whole lot bigger than that, so a proposed 1,500-mile trail, called the xTexas Trail, or the xTx, would join the epic US trails.

GANDY: Well, you know what? There's some secrets out there. This is hidden Texas.

MORGAN: He says he's taking existing infrastructure - quiet back roads through counties, state and national parks - and linking them together. Here's the planned route.

GANDY: From Quicksand Creek on the Louisiana border, through the pine forest, out into the hill country.

MORGAN: The trail then cuts west through the craggy, oak-covered limestone hills.

GANDY: Then down into Big Bend, and then up to Pene Ferguson's ranch, which is just south of Marfa, and then into Marfa, the Soho of western Texas. And then up to the highest peak in the state, Guadalupe Peak, and then on over to El Paso.

It’s a trail so big, so long that it’s far wider than Texas. It doesn’t yet exist, but it will be a trail that will take people from nearly sea level — to the top of Texas, and everything in between.

Charlie Gandy created a nonprofit that’s designed a 1,500-mile walking trail across Texas that they’re calling the xTx. It’s not so crazy an idea; many parts of the country have long walking trails. Gandy notes that the Lone Star State though, doesn’t.

On April 26, 1987, competing hordes of Austinites gripped onto a massive rope leading down into Town Lake for the most important battle of their lives. To raise money for a youth hostel in the capital city, local politician Charlie Gandy organized a North vs. South tug-of-war. The epic test of might would be held across Town Lake (or Lady Bird Lake, as it is called today) with participants pulling from opposite shores.

While the event benefited a good cause, the bragging rights at stake were far more important. Back in the ’80s, Austin’s North-South rivalry went beyond which side had the best restaurants or music venues, and both groups harbored serious stereotypes. North Austinites got caricatured as uptight snobs while their counterparts across the Colorado River were portrayed as working-class yokels.

You may have heard of the Great Springs Project—the effort to create a trail between San Antonio and Austin. Now a man has proposed a trail that will "Texas-size" that one—and in a big way.

We spoke to the 67-year-old Charlie Gandy not too long after he’d finished hiking Guadalupe Peak. If his name sounds familiar, that's because he's spent some time in the public eye.

“A long time ago I served in the Texas House of Representatives, when I was 23 years old, representing a district from East Dallas, a fifth- generation Texan,” Gandy said.

Plenty of trails in the United States climb mountain passes and skirt jewel-colored lakes. But a new route across the midsection of Texas does something those trails don't — it swings past places known for barbecue, wildflowers, and two-stepping, plus the state's most famous (and long defunct) house of ill repute.

The 1,500-mile Cross Texas Trail, or XTX, as advocates call it, starts in the city of Orange, nestled in the Piney Woods of East Texas, and picks up 56,000 feet of elevation as it makes its way toward El Paso. It dips into the Hill Country, known for its spring wildflowers and clear creeks, and cuts through some of the state's most remote and rugged terrain in the Chihuahuan Desert of West Texas.

🥾 🎒 Beginning this year, Texas will get its own thru-hiking epic, the new Cross Texas Trail, a proposed 1,500-mile-long haul that stretches from the Louisiana border in the east, near the town of Orange, to El Paso in the west. Among the many highlights of the planned xTx, as it is known: panoramic views of Hill Country, the rugged peaks of Big Bend Ranch State Park, East Texas barbecue joints, the crystal-clear Devil’s River, and the highest point in Texas, Guadalupe Peak, at 8,751 feet.

The trail, designed for hikers, bikers, and equestrians, is a work in progress, but the route features a mix of singletrack and paved and gravel backcountry public roads. You can ride much of the route now…

An Appalachian-style trail for Texas?

Hiking the Appalachian Trail is a bucket list goal for many adventurers. Whether you travel the full 2,000+ miles or only a fraction, the trail offers a challenging and scenic tour of the southern and eastern U.S.

Now, some folks have dreams of creating a trail to rival the original, right here in Texas: the xTx, or cross-Texas Trail. We spoke with Charlie Gandy, the man leading t

Note: This is a reprint of the San Antonio Express story on 11/29/24

As Charlie Gandy sees it, the trail could start with some gumbo or crawfish in Southeast Texas, on the banks of the Sabine River. 

Hikers, bikers and horseback riders could set out from Orange and head west, winding their way through the springs and small towns of the Hill Country, stopping for Blue Bell ice cream and barbecue, before heading into the rugged terrain of the Chihuahuan Desert. After 1,500 miles, they’d reach the Rio Grande, celebrating their finish with a Tex-Mex meal in El Paso. 

Along the way, they’d see much of what makes Texas special — and learn something about themselves from the experience.

“We’re rebooting Texas,” he said. 

FAR WEST TEXAS — Hikers, bikers and horseback riders will one day have a new adventure to cross off their bucket lists in the form of the Cross Texas Trail, or xTx (“ex-Tex”) — a 1,500-mile trail across Texas from Orange to El Paso. End to end, the route winds through all types of terrain from swampy bayous and sky islands to salt flats and sand dunes. 

The ambitious route is the Lone Star State’s answer to the thru-hiking triple crown — the Pacific Crest, Appalachian and Continental Divide trails — which draw outdoorspeople from all over the world and have inspired countless books and films.

What does an experienced politician, bicycling advocate, and native Texan do to fill up their time when they retire? If you’re Charles Gandy, you try to create a Texas version of the Pacific Crest Trail. Gandy is spearheading efforts to develop the xTx trail, a 1,500-mile thru-hike that crosses Texas from Orange to El Paso. We chatted with Gandy to understand his vision for the trail, challenges with its development and what participants can expect. 

The xTx will be a unique way for adventurers to see and experience the state. “This ain’t Dallas. This ain’t Houston,” Gandy says. “I’m inviting people to get to know Texas by dirt, and it’s a whole different deal than Texas on paper.

As Charlie Gandy sees it, the trail could start with some gumbo or crawfish in Southeast Texas, on the banks of the Sabine River. 

Hikers, bikers and horseback riders could set out from Orange and head west, winding their way through the springs and small towns of the Hill Country, stopping for Blue Bell ice cream and barbecue, before heading into the rugged terrain of the Chihuahuan Desert. After 1,500 miles, they’d reach the Rio Grande, celebrating their finish with a Tex-Mex meal in El Paso. 

Along the way, they’d see much of what makes Texas special — and learn something about themselves from the experience.

“We’re rebooting Texas,” he said. 

Note: This story is behind a paywall on the original site - we’ve made a PDF for you to read!

Texas should have its own iconic trail

Former state rep is working to create the Cross Texas Trail. 

I’m a proud native Texan, born in Dallas, a graduate of North Mesquite High School and the University of Texas. In the 1980s, I was a very young member serving in the Texas House of Representatives. In the 1990s, I launched one of the first statewide bike advocacy organizations, BikeTexas.

Hiking the Appalachian Trail is a bucket-list goal for many adventurers. Whether you travel the full 2,000+ miles or only a fraction, the trail offers a challenging and scenic tour of the southern and eastern U.S.

Now, some folks have dreams of creating a trail to rival the original, right here in Texas: the xTx, or Cross Texas Trail.

Charlie Gandy, the man behind the project, says he’s gathering support from landowners and hiking enthusiasts from across the state.

It is amazing what Americans can accomplish without involving the government.

There are, of course, multiple highways that crisscross the Lone Star State, but if you want to bike, run, or ride across the state, you are out of luck … until now.

Bike enthusiast Charlie Gandy, along with his friends at Bike Texas, a nonprofit organization created to promote bicycle access and education, has been working with the state, local, and even federal government, along with private property owners throughout the state, to create a 1,500-mile-long trail stretching from Beaumont, Texas, in the east, to El Paso, Texas, in the west.

A native Texan wants to create the next Appalachian Trail for his fellow adventurers. From CNN, I'm Krista Bo. And this is a special edition of Five Good Things.

“When people attach themselves to something bigger than themselves, they feel better. We'll look back on this and say that was a good use of our time, talent and treasure.” Charlie Gandy

Every spring, thousands of intrepid hikers prepare to test their physical and mental acumen by walking nearly 2,200 miles from Georgia to Maine. The Appalachian Trail is one of America's most incredible journeys, along with the Pacific Crest Trail on the West Coast and the Continental Divide Trail in the Rocky Mountains.

Unfortunately there isn't a similar long-distance trail in Texas ... yet. One man is hoping to change that.

Note: This is the first in person in depth audio/video conversation where Charlie lays out the why and the how of his vision for xTexas.

It’s an hour-long conversation with excellent questions from host Frank Colburn.

Charlie Gandy is heading up the xTx project or Cross Texas Trail to bring a massive adventure trail to the state. As Charlie puts it this will be for the "Bold And Daring Always Seeking Success" Visit xtexas.org to learn more and even help with the project!

Charlie Gandy, a retired community designer and state representative, is charting a 1,500-mile trail called the Cross Texas Trail (XTX), stretching from the bayous to El Paso.

Partnering with Bike Texas, he's planning a route that crosses parks, follows rural roads, and offers a variety of Texas terrains.

A philanthropic Texan is currently charting a 1,500-mile trail that covers all of his home state tip to tail.

From the bayou to El Paso, he envisions it as a trail worthy to be counted among America’s current collection of long-distance routes like the Appalachian Trail and Continental Divide Trail.

Describing it as “rugged, rural, remote, and romantic,” Charlie Gandy, a retired community designer and state representative…

Charlie Gandy dreams of a new long-distance hike that takes thru hikers from one side of Texas all the way to the other side. He’s calling the trek the Cross Texas Trail (XTX), and the proposed route is about 1,500 miles from Orange to El Paso. If all goes according to plan, the XTX could be open to long-distance hikers as soon as next spring.

Texas is getting its very own long-distance cross-state thru trail thanks to one ambitious outdoorsman with a vision. The Cross Texas Trail (xTx) would extend 1,500 miles from Orange to El Paso, winding along some of the Lone Star State’s most scenic landscapes, passing towns and many historical sites, gaining roughly 56,000 feet in elevation along the way.

"As a native Texan, I’m a 66-year-old guy who likes to challenge myself to big, hairy goals and adventures — and it seemed to me like it was time for Texas to have its own Pacific Crest-type adventure route."

Gandy and some buddies got together with Bike Texas, a non-profit bicycle advocacy and education organization, to plan a rough but scenic back road, gravel, single track route that stretches all the way from Orange to El Paso.

Last year, shortly after my daughter was born, I started putting £25 a month into a savings account dedicated to building up the funds necessary for her and me to one day hike the Appalachian Trail (AT). This week, however, I learned about an initiative in my native state of Texas that could change our plans.

Spearheaded by bike advocate, former community design consultant, and state representative Charlie Gandy, this trail could place Texas on the map as a premier destination for long-distance hiking. 

“Those of us who like to go cross-country have limited choices in Texas,” Gandy told Texas Monthly in an interview. “We have postage stamp–sized parks where we can go round and round, but not many long distances where we can do more than a hundred miles at a time.”Description goes here

The Pacific Crest Trail winds for 2,650 miles through deserts, mountain passes, and canyons on the West Coast. The Appalachian Trail, its counterpart to the east, traverses dappled forests and river gorges for 2,200 miles. Somewhere in the middle, the Continental Divide Trail follows the spine of the Rocky Mountains for 3,100 miles.

Austin has had its rivalries. In the '60s and '70s, it was the Hicks versus the Hippies. Nowadays, maybe it's the people who live here now versus the people on their way.

In the 1980s, it was Yuppies versus Bubbas. North Side versus South. People looked down their noses at each other from across the river. Even Austin’s acclaimed writers of the time got in on the act.