Emma Long Motocross Loop – Mountain Bike Trail

Originally designed to be a motocross trail in the 1970s, the Emma Long Motocross Park trail is one of the area's most interesting mountain biking trails. However, it's not for beginners or even intermediate-level riders and is only suitable for those who've earned the right to be called mountain biking experts. It's thoroughly technical, and despite being just 6 miles long, it should give you a fair bit of excitement and a good workout.

Before you go:

Drinking water

Restrooms

Fee required

Lift service

Fat bike grooming

Family Friendly

Night riding

E-bikes allowed

Dogs Allowed

Obstacles

Shuttles

Detailed Trail Description

Getting to the Emma Long Motocross Park is fairly easy, with minimal direction needed. From the N Capital of Texas Highway, branch northwest at the intersection with the Ranch to Market Rd 2222 and follow it up to the intersection with City Park Rd.

Turn west onto City Park Rd and follow it to the Emma Long Metropolitan Park. From there, you'll turn east onto Oak Shores Drive and continue until you come across the Emma Long Motocross sign on your left. The trailhead should be just ahead.

The trail here is a six-mile loop, so it should be easy to hop back into your car once you've gone through the loop however many times you need to.

As mentioned above, it was built as a motocross trail in the 1970s and is still the same way to date, with the only other parties allowed being mountain bikers. Dogs, hikers, runners, and equestrians are all prohibited. As such, more often than not, there won't be many people on the trail.

The trail is full of cedar trees, so you should have plenty of shade.

It consists mainly of short technical climbs, which naturally lead to descents. That said, what makes it so technical is the amount of 1–2-foot ledges on the trail. They can be hard to climb, and if you're going downhill, the drops make going with your full-suspension bike a great idea. An adjustable height seat post is also a good idea to lessen the impact of the drops.

The Emma Long Motorcross Park trail is directional, and this may change from day to day, so ensure you pay attention to the signs every time you go there. Furthermore, most side trails remain unauthorized, so you want to stay on the main loop, especially if it's your first time.

It's best to only ride this trail in dry weather. That said, it tends to dry up pretty quickly after a rainstorm.

Some corners are typically left with mud holes even after the rest of the trail is dry. This is due to the motocross bikes that come off these corners at speed.

It's also worth noting that you're supposed to yield way to the motocross bikes whenever you use the trail. Fortunately, even if you can't see them, you can hear them from a long way away, giving you time to get off your bike. As such, this is not the trail to wear your Bluetooth headphones and listen to your favorite tunes as you ride along.

Sights of Interest, Landscapes, Views

There's not much else to see except for the rock formations that make up this trail. Also, you'll have your hands full with controlling your bike, and looking anywhere apart from the track in front of you is a bad idea.

Recommendations/precautions:

While listening to music is often fun on other trails, it's ill-advised on this one since you won't hear the motocross bikes coming.