Spider Mountain Bike Park outside of Burnet gives knobby-tire bike riders a thrill unmatched south of the Red River.
A former ski lift takes riders and their bikes to the top of the mountain, a 350-foot elevation gain, and they work their way down. Rated like ski trails with green being the easiest and black the hardest, the more than four miles of bike paths cut through the mountain’s juniper forest with jumps, switchbacks, and hairpin turns. Gravity can be a friend or foe on the ride to the base.
“We cater to introducing riders to downhill mountain biking,” says Deseree Hernandez, director of operations. “We have something for beginners, and for experienced riders who want a challenge.”
Opened earlier this year, the lift-assisted bike park is based on the kind of biking offered by ski resorts during the summer. The Texas location may be the only park of its kind open year-round. In fact, the mountain is owned by a company that owns ski resorts in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Arizona.
The chairlift came from Taos Ski Resort in New Mexico. Riders hang their bikes on hooks on the chair in front of them and then take a seven-minute ride with a view of Lake Buchanan.
Spider Mountain Bike Park is about four miles northwest of Burnet. The chairlift is open Friday through Sunday and some holidays. The park includes Thunderbird Lodge, a fishing camp with cabins, a marina, and a store. Lift tickets are good for as many trips as you can make in a day. The park has bike rentals and repairs, and a taco stand. For more info, go to www.spidermountain.com.
1,464th in a series. Follow “Day Trips & Beyond,” a travel blog, at austinchronicle.com/daily/travel.
This article appears in 2019 Austin Chronicle Hot Sauce Festival.
