The Third Erickson Software Bicycle Tour of The Woodlands

On Sunday morning June 13, 2003, Erickson Software held a third Metric Half Century (well, nearly - probably 2-3km short) Bicycle Tour, which was held in The Woodlands, TX. This tour features two loops, each about fifteen miles long.  

For more routes, visit the  first tour or the second tour. 

Picture taken at Shadowbend and Golden Shadow, from the bike trail.

No cameras. 

Route

If you see a WA in a route segment, it means that there is drinking water available during that segment. Most parks have water fountains. Segment with an RD are conducted on larger roads and not paths or quiet neighborhood streets.  Most roads have wide shoulders - comments will identify roads without shoulders.

Cochran's Loop

  1. WA Path Starting at Bear Branch Recreation center, exit to Research Forest and turn right toward Mystic Lake.
  2. Path  At Cochran's Crossing and Mystic Lake, turn right and ride along the Cochran's Crossing path approximately 1 mile back to Research Forest.  Cross Research Forest and continue on the Cochran's Crossing path approximately 3 miles to Lake Woodlands. 
  3. Path Turn left (east) onto the Lake Woodlands Parkway path.  Follow the path approximately 5 miles across Lake Woodlands.  
  4. Quiet RD  At the first road past the lake, turn left, leaving path and crossing Lake Woodands Parkways.  Follow the road as it takes a right turn approximately 1/2 mile. 
  5. Path At Grogan's Mill, turn left onto the path and follow it to Research Forest approximately 1/2 mile.
  6. Path Turn left on the Research Forest path and follow it approximately 2 miles to Gosling 
  7. PathTurn right across Research Forest onto the Gosling path.  Follow it approximately 1 mile to Alden Woods Drive. Turn left at Alden Woods Drive approximately 50 yards to first street.
  8. Quiet RD  Turn left on East Stirling Pond Drive. It's a residential street.  Follow it approximately 1/2 mile to East Stirling Pond Circle, on the left. Turn left on East Stirling Pond Circle and enter the path on the left - about 10 yards.
  9. Path Follow the path, turning left at the first intersection, back to Bear Branch Recreation Center.

Branch Crossing Loop

  1. WA Path Starting at Bear Branch Recreation center, exit to Research Forest and turn right towards Mystic Lake.  For about 1/2 mile, this duplicates the first loop, sigh.  Continue on the Research Forest path approximately 3 miles to Alden Bridge Drive. 
  2. Path Cross Alden Bridge Drive and turn right, following the bike path. Continue for approximately 1/2 mile to Crown Ridge.
  3. Path Turn left onto the Crown Ridge bike path.  Follow the path approximately 3 miles to Research Forest.
  4. Path Turn right at Research Forest and follow the path for approximately 1 mile until it turns to the left.  Keep on the path, but you are now riding along Branch Crossing instead. Continue on the path for approximately 3 miles past Branch Crossing Junior High School.
  5. Quiet RD I dunno what the road is called, but turn left across Branch Crossing at Woodlands Fire Station #5 and ride by Branch Crossing Junior High School (on the left.)  Follow the unnamed road as it turns to the left until you reach Woodlands Parkway. Maybe 1/2 mile here.
  6. Busy RD no shoulder Turn right on Woodlands Parkway and ride approximately 1/2 mile to Flint Ridge.
  7. Path Turn right onto the Flint Ridge Path.  Ride approximately 2.5 miles to Kuykendahl.
  8. Path Turn left onto the Kuykendahl path, following it approximately 1 mile to Lake Woodlands Drive.
  9. Path Cross Lake Woodlands Drive and turn right on the path.  Follow the path about 1/2 mile to Cochran's Crossing.
  10. Path Turn right on the Cochran's Crossing path.  Follow it about 1/4 mile to Golden Sage Road.
  11. Path Turn right onto the Golden Sage Road path, about 1/4 mile.  Turn right onto Sylvan Forest.
  12. Path Follow the path Sylvan Forest Road along the left side, then across Sylvan Forest and on the right side.  You'll ride for about a mile to Shadowbend
  13. Path Turn left at Shadowbend onto the bike path.  This is where the picture at the top of the page was taken, by the way.  Follow the path about 1.5 miles to Research Forest.
  14. Path Cross Research Forest and turn left, heading back to Branch Crossing Recreation Center.  It's about 1 mile.

The route map was assembled from a pastiche of images from Yahoo! Maps and the route drawn in by hand. It's most useful for general guidance - you won't be able to use it to follow the trail, but if you're confused about some segment and you're intimately familiar with the Woodlands it might be useful. Or if you want to bail half-way thru, you wimp, you can figure out where you might be able to do that.

Yeah Yeah

Note: Of course, the official name is "The Erickson Software Bicycle Tour" and the "of The Woodlands" part of the title of this page is merely descriptive.

Copyright (c) 2003-2004 Kenton Erickson. All rights reserved.