25km text description of the course at Bandera

The start line will be a short hike behind the lodge. Head out the 
back road behind the Lodge to get there.

Just behind the lodge is a jeep road that runs through a dry creek bed. Walk 
until you get to the first trail intersection. It is only about a 100 yards.
This is your start.

SHADY GROVE

Go right at this split. It is only a short way to the first intersection.
Take the left at this split onto (#3a) going up. This next section is 
called Lucky, but it is far from Lucky. It sports one of the nastiest climbs 
on the course. It is a very steep rock covered hill with a descent on the other
side loaded with ledges and almost as many rocks. Care must be taken here if 
wet as it will be very slippery on these rocks. You must stay right as you pass 
(#3b). After you climb and descend the beast, the trail tames down real 
fast. You will reach an unmarked split. Go right. This is a fast easy roll
down to the creek and jeep road (#3). Turn left on the road. You will be at
the intersection of (#4) very quickly. This is the Last Chance aid station, but
you have run only about 2 miles, so the aid station will not be open to you just 
yet. Not to worry as you will have aid in another 3 miles at Boyles.

LAST CHANCE

Turn right at the station to get on (#4). Thru a dry creek up a snort
flat area until you turn right at (#4a) going up. It goes up for a good ways and 
then loops round to the left on top. This is
the trail that we built for the race. It was created with trail 
running in mind. We call this Cairn's Climb. There where hundreds 
of cairn's that we used to mark the trail. But now that the trail
is more established from a few years of use, the cairns are not quite as
necessary. It loops back through trees on top to a ledge that overlooks
Cougar Canyon. It steps down through a series of shallow ledges
and then rides one very long ledge back until it drops off the top
and switch backs down to (#4). Right on (#4) which does a bit of rolling
as well until it climbs back up again to a high trail intersection (#4b)
Right on (#4b) going up again. This rises fro awhile with the last section
being an easy rise. The overlooks on the right give a phenomenal
view of the park. But the trail does not go right up to the 
overlooks so you may not see them if you sprint right past them. They
are about 15 feet to the right as you pass them. The trail wraps around a
large canyon and then descends the next rib directly back down to
the intersection at Boyle's house (#4). 

BOYLES HOUSE

There will be a temporary aid station here (water only). The road splits 
and we take the left split going down a rough rocky hill. A bit further, 
the road curls to the left and down. A trail splits off to the right (#5).
Turn right. This is The start of the First BIG NASTY. It is a 
very rugged uphill rock scramble. Mountain bikers avoid this 
route. This uphill climbs for 100 yards to a flat spot, then 
drops down and climbs again to The Saddle. Most of this section
has plenty of loose rock of all size. The Saddle is an 
intersection of many trails. Your must go strait across and keep 
climbing (#5b). These two hills on either side of The Saddle
are called Twin Peaks. We call this one The Island, as you will 
see when you run around the top of it in a clockwise direction. 
You can see a long ways off from any point on this circumnavigation.
This is the first of many spectacular views. Just before you get
back to the same trail you came up on, you should look for a
trail that leads down off a ledge on the left side. This is a
bushwhack section down and across to the valley on the left side. 
There is a trail but not a well used one. This will intersect (#5),
but there is no sign here. The bushwhack is pretty rugged, but once
on trail, it won't become much easier as the single track stays 
almost as rough with rock and brush. The trail drops into a crawls 
out of a few draws before it opens up on the other 
side with another wide open vista. But this is not a high up vista
as you can turn to see the Island you just came off of well above
you. You will descend further thru a dry creek and then a
short climb up to a main jeep road (#1) intersection. A large hill
sits directly in front of you and an open road to the left. It is relatively
wide and flat. This will gently wise and turn to the trail
intersection at (#6). We where also here not that long ago. Turn
left here and go up. This section is a bit tough but a load of
fun. It is mostly dirt single track with some rocks. It rises
then levels and then rises again. You will pass just under The 
Island on your left. 
This roller traverses the side of this large hill and rolls a bit
in and out of a few draws. It will come to a point just under the
Saddle. You must turn right at the first turn. Do not go left and up
into The Saddle. The right turn takes you across the draw where
you again turn right. We are not going up for now. Once on the
other side of this large draw, the trail splits again. Do not take
the trail leading down. Go left and stay at the level you are at.
That's the whole point of this route. We avoid ascending or descending,
staying below The Saddle bit not dropping all the way down either.
This track will keep you on (#6). It will traverse The Island's Twin of the 
and come around from just above the Equestrian Center. You should be able 
to see the camp area and the aid station from above it. Follow the trail 
until you take a good downhill, and then it will split off as yo near the road.
Take this right turn and head strait into the Equestrian Camp area.

CROSS ROADS

We are leaving this station on road this time. You head strait down the 
road to the main park road and parking area. Make a left here and up the
road about 200 yards. It will intersect Trail (#6) as it crosses over the 
road. When it does so, it becomes a jeep road. An easy angle down to T at a 
grassy jeep road (#2). Go left at the 
road. You will pass a jeep road split on the right. Go strait past it.
There will be another split a few 100 yards after this. This split
is a trail on the right. It is just before the jeep road bends left.
Take the trail on the right (#2a) down into and across the creek. Follow
the dirt single track trail for a good ways. It is pretty flat and very 
easy when dry. This area is the worst area to be in if wet. It is 
a very low lying area near the creek and gets very saturated
quickly. If dry, she runs fast and easy. The trail cross onto a jeep
road that on the right leads into a dude ranch. We aren't going to
the dude ranch, so we turn Left. A few 100 yards, look for a track
that leads up over a berm on the right side back onto single track
just to stay on (#2a). Take this right and follow it to an area we 
call The Shade Tree. Its a pristine location completely shaded by trees 
where trail (#3) splits to the left. Going strait is also (#3) and
thats what you should do. The trail will split again. Take the right 
split onto (#3a) going up. This is where you began, so yes, you will be running
ths next section for the second time today. The nastiest climb up Lucky and the 
nasty descent on the other side, and on into last Chance yet again.


LAST CHANCE

You are now only a half mile from done. You do not turn right this time,
but instead go strait down the road. The final stretch goes thru a dry
creek bed and then turns around to the finish in front of the lodge.

LODGE