Bandera joins the xTx Trail at its 2nd Anniversary!

For Immediate Release Thursday, June 4, 2026

Bandera joins the xTx Trail at its 2nd Anniversary!

From: Melissa Balmer Melissa@xTexas.org Cell (360)265-2883 (please text first)

Images + video content for the media can be found HERE. 

Charlie Gandy, Diana Walters, and Tony Soupley are available for interviews upon request. Please contact Melissa@xTexas.org to make arrangements.

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(Austin Texas) The xTexas Trail Association (nicknamed the xTx) is excited to announce the Cowboy Capitol of the World, Bandera Texas, has just been added to the 1,500-mile cross state hiking, biking and equestrian adventure route. The timing is perfect. Friday, June 12th is the second anniversary of xTx founder Charlie Gandy dreaming up the trail.

“I saw the possibility of creating an Appalachian type trail across Texas, and I realized that I might be the right guy to do it.” Gandy said, references his years in government, founding BikeTexas, and then moving to consult on biking, pedestrian, and trail projects across the country.

What’s even more exciting? The request to add Bandera to the existing xTx route has been completely community-driven by members of the Bandera Equine Posse. This local  non-profit is dedicated to the preservation of the horse and cowboy way of life in Bandera. 

Further, it’s just the beginning of the Posse working with the xTx team to bring horse-friendly facilities to this section of the xTx trail. A completely off-road, horse-focused section of the xTx trail around Bandera is in the planning phase, along with what will be the first modern livery barn in the U.S. 

Find the overview of the full xTx map on Ride with GPS here: xtexas.org/xtexas-trail-map

Find the xTx Ride with GPS » Lockhart to Bandera here: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/55460233

Find the xTx Ride with GPS » Bandera to Sanderson here: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/55475350

When complete, the long-view vision of the xTx is a living model – a continuous, horse-friendly, bike-friendly, hike-friendly corridor to explore the entire state. 

At roughly a forty-five minute drive from San Antonio, and two hour drive from Austin, Bandera and the xTx route through the Hill Country is the perfect rustic, rural, and romantic taste of the young cross-state adventure route.

Diana Walters, a member of the Bandera Equine Posse, and co-owner of both The Old Spanish Trail and The First National Ice Haus businesses on Main Street Bandera reached out to pitch bringing the trail directly through the historic town. Walters shares:

“As soon as I heard about the xTx, and realized where the trail originally traveled through the Hill Country–close but not through the town of Bandera–I knew I had to reach out. The xTx simply had to come through Bandera. You just can’t have a cross-Texas trail without including the Cowboy Capitol, can you?” 

She further notes, “Where else can you ride your horse onto Main Street and tie up to a cedar post while you grab lunch or a beer? The xTx effort is going to be a multi-generational asset to our citizens, providing an opportunity for Texans 100 years from now to enjoy the natural beauty and special rural geography of our expansive state.” 

After successfully connecting with the xTx team, Walters quickly got the full Bandera Equine Posse engaged. Bandera Equine Posse President Anthony Soupley says:

“With all of the work that the Bandera Equine Posse has been doing recently, it feels like a perfect partnership to have xTx come through Bandera. We have been coordinating with the City of Bandera to update our trailhead with better parking and new signage. We have been adding more hitching rails for horses throughout the city at the request of businesses. We are currently working on trying to add a livery in the historic center of Bandera so that visitors on horseback can have a secure place to keep their horses while they visit all of the great bars, restaurants, and shops. In Bandera, it's all about keeping the cowboy culture alive and this is another great way to help make that happen.” 

How the xTx Got Started

On June 12th, 2024 xTx founder Charlie Gandy came up with the idea of a thru hiking and cycling trail in his home state of Texas while hiking in the snow in Lake Tahoe California. The 5th generation Texan and former state legislator, is an avid thru hiker and cyclist. He realized his home state would be the perfect place for late fall, winter, and early spring adventures when many of the other long distance trails in the United States are still grappling with snow conditions or other weather challenges. 

When Gandy called to pitch the idea to his wife Melissa (who he’s worked with for the past fifteen years on various active mobility projects) she had one requirement: The trail had to include her first love, horses. Frankly, she felt a Texas trail wouldn’t be complete without it.

However, neither Charlie or Melissa realized quite how fantastic an ambassador the horse would be.

Horse lovers have bought land near the trail (with the hopes of offering horse friendly overnight camping in the future), businesses and churches along the route have been more excited and welcoming as soon as horses were mentioned, and several landowners have been even more open minded about the possibility of allowing the trail to cross their property once they found out horses would be included.

It will take years to create a truly horse friendly trail from East to West. For now the xTx team is focused on creating horse friendly corridors like the one Bander’s Equine Posse is working on.

Gandy is excited by how quickly everything’s coming together in Bandera. He shares:

“We see Bandera as the first official ‘Trailhead Town’ and a prototype for the xTx. It’s a welcoming place where the local community understands what innovative rural Texas economic development looks like in 2026. 

Towns with unique culture, character and local customs are key reasons mature trails like the Appalachian, Arizona, Colorado, and Pacific Crest Trail thrive. It’s not just about outdoor adventure. A big part for travellers is about where you can enjoy terrific food, and a comfortable, charming place to sleep for the night.” 

The xTx Travels Through Some of the Most Gorgeous and Remote Sections of the Hill Country

Gandy designed the entire xTx route to be rural and remote, and through the Hill Country it doesn’t disappoint. 

Once you put the I-35 corridor in the rearview and launch into Bandera County, it’s easy to understand why the area is holding onto its cowboy identity. The low rolling terrain west of the Balcones Fault leads to a gentle and sparsely-populated climb into Bandera itself, where rugged karstic hills frame the view just beyond the city limits.  Prior geologic uplift spawned beautiful hills and valleys just begging to be hiked, biked and ridden. 

As everyone knows, water is a scarce resource in our state. However, this particular area is fortunate to have both the Guadalupe and Frio Rivers traverse multiple county lines serving for the enjoyment of many waders, tubers and fisherfolk.  Nearer to Bandera, the smaller Medina River winds through the limestone hills and marks an important historical boundary that actually separated old Mexico (Coahuila during Spanish colonial times)  from the province of Tejas area prior to Texas’ Independence from Mexico in 1836 at which time it became the Republic of Texas.

Fossils of ancient marine species can be found, underscoring the area’s geologic history and giving clues to the formation of the deep limestone canyons and underground spring-fed streams that make it vibrant today. After all, this area of Texas was once completely covered by a massive ocean. 

Native trees and plants anchor the land and the visual experience, from bunch grasses, prickly pear, and agarita shrubs to canopies of Ashe juniper and live oak. In various seasons from late fall to early spring, wildlife encounters may include camouflaged Texas spiny lizards, elusive ringtails or even bobcats, migrating tarantulas, white-tailed deer or the iconic nine-banded armadillo. The Texas hill country is the only place in the United States where the endangered Golden-cheeked warbler can be found – it nests only in the bark of the Ashe juniper tree. 

About the xTx Trail

Gandy mapped out the original xTx route on Ride with GPS while still at home in the Pacific Northwest. He created a wandering, target-rich route from East to West to include many of his favorite places to hike, cycle, and wander.

The xTx begins near the Texas/Louisiana border on the south end of Toledo Bend reservoir. It travels through the heart of rural Texas, and includes bayous and piney forests, the most remote part of the Hill Country, the Big Bend region, the Chihuahuan desert, the Davis Mountains, Guadalupe Mountains, and the Franklin Mountains before ending in El Paso on the New Mexico border.

In its current iteration, the xTx route utilizes public paved, gravel, and dirt roads and singletrack, as well as state and national parks including the Sam Houston Forest, and Big Bend and Guadalupe Mountains National Parks. 

For thru hiking the xTx is meant to be traveled seasonally from late fall through early spring due to heat and water considerations. At this time it is only recommended for seasoned, skilled hikers and cyclists knowledgeable about self-supported adventure travel.

Gandy completed his full inaugural thru hike of the xTx with two friends on March 29, 2026. xTx trail friend and supporter Rhea Wallace bike packed the entire route in 2025. 

Texans are already showing tremendous support for the xTx. The project already has 4,138 Instagram followers, 2,100k+ email subscribers, 500+ FaceBook followers, 150+ people have volunteered their time, talent, and treasure, and it’s been featured in 40+ media stories including CNN’s 5 Good Things podcast, the Good News Network, NPR’s All Things Considered, and the Texas Monthly and Texas Public Radio. Learn more at xTexas.org.

About Bandera and the Bandera Equine Posse

Bandera is about forty-five minutes from San Antonio and two hours from Austin. Located on the Medina River it’s nestled into one of the most remote regions of the Texas Hill Country. 

Founded in 1853, Bandera was a major staging area for the 2,000 mile Great Western Cattle Trail in the early 19th century, from 1874 to 1893. This helped earn the town the title of the “Cowboy Capital” of the world, and this horse related DNA remains a part of the town today. 

The Bander Equine Posse is a non-profit group launched in 2025  and is dedicated to preserving the heritage of horses and the cowboy way of life in Bandera, a town officially known as the Cowboy Capital of the World. Their mission includes partnering with relevant agencies to identify, establish, and maintain an Equestrian Trail System that promotes trail riding in Bandera. We aim to recognize horses in Bandera as a valuable asset to our community and to visitors alike. After all, horses need to have a voice.

Learn more at: banderaequineposse.org

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xTexas Cross-State Adventure Trail Map is Now Available on FarOut!

For Immediate Release May 6, 2026

xTexas Cross-State Adventure Trail Map is Now Available on FarOut!

From: Melissa Balmer Melissa@xtexas.org Cell (360)265-2883 (please text first)

Images + video content can be found HERE. FarOut images can be found HERE.

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(Austin Texas) The xTexas Cross-State Trail makes its debut on FarOut, the number one navigation app for the best long-distance trails in the world. The xTexas Trail Association is honored to have the less than two-year old route included on this prestigious app for passionate thru hikers, cyclists, and other trail users.

The 1,504.6 miles long xTexas Trail (nicknamed the xTx) can be found on the FarOut website here: https://going-farout.co/xtexas-trail-map. The map retails for $19.99 and shares points of interest along the route such as water, shelter, and food resources.  

“The xTexas Trail is exactly the kind of ambitious, long-distance adventure FarOut was built for,” says FarOut COO Alice Bodnar. “The just over 1,500-mile self-supported route through remote Texas terrain demands reliable, detailed navigation, and that's what we deliver. We're very strong believers in carrying paper maps. But GPS navigation with detailed waypoint information adds a valuable layer of safety on top of that, especially on a remote, self-supported route like the xTx. We're very excited to be part of the xTx story from the very beginning.”

Launched as an idea in June of 2024 and modeled on the Appalachian Trail, the xTexas Trail will take years to bring to its fullest potential. In its beginning phase the xTx route is woven together from rural public paved, gravel, dirt roads and single track, and travels near or through sections of 17 state parks and the Sam Houston National Forest, Big Bend and Guadalupe Mountains National Parks.

xTx founder Charlie Gandy shares:

“This xTx is the most rugged, rural, romantic, target rich trail through true Texas I could dream up. Currently, the xTx is a tough, character building pilgrimage offering raw rural insights. 

Inspired by the value created in the Pacific Crest and Appalachian trails, I saw clearly the opportunity to share the real Texas experience by developing a long-distance adventure trail through the heart of the state. We branded it the xTx.” 

About the xTx Trail

For thru hiking the xTx is meant to be traveled seasonally from late fall through early spring due to heat and water considerations. The xTx begins near the Texas/Louisiana border on the south end of Toledo Bend reservoir. It travels through the heart of rural Texas, and includes bayous and piney forests, the most remote part of the Hill Country, the Big Bend region, the Chihuahuan desert, the Davis Mountains, Guadalupe Mountains, and the Franklin Mountains before ending in El Paso on the New Mexico border.

The xTexas Trail Project was dreamed up by fifth generation Texan Charlie Gandy while he was hiking California’s Tahoe Rim in June of 2024. Frustrated by the amount of snow he was encountering, Gandy realized his home state of Texas didn’t have a cross-state trail yet and would be perfect to hike in late fall and early spring when other popular long distance trails are challenged by cold weather conditions.

Gandy completed his full inaugural thru hike of the xTx with two friends on March 29, 2026. xTx trail friend and supporter Rhea Wallace bike packed the entire route in 2025. 

Texans are already showing tremendous support for the xTx. The project already has 4,138 Instagram followers, 2,100k+ email subscribers, 500+ Facebook followers, 150+ people have volunteered their time, talent, and treasure, and it’s been featured in 40+ media stories including CNN’s 5 Good Things podcast, the Good News Network, NPR’s All Things Considered, and the Texas Monthly and Texas Public Radio.

In its current iteration the xTx is recommended for seasoned hikers and cyclists who are knowledgeable about self-supported adventure travel only. We are working on developing horse friendly corridors. Learn more at xTexas.org.

About FarOut

FarOut is a navigation app for long-distance hiking, biking, paddling, and whitewater rafting. The app covers 250+ of the world's most iconic routes, from thru-hikes and bikepacking routes to river trips and scenic touring journeys. Unlike crowdsourced platforms, FarOut develops its data in partnership with over 40 trail organizations and publishers, producing curated, ground-truthed guides built specifically for each route. Every guide pairs detailed maps and GPS navigation with waypoint information and route-specific content, helping people explore farther, safer, and with greater confidence. Learn more at https://app.faroutguides.com/guides

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The 67 year old Trailblazer Who’s Almost Done Hiking Across Texas & Mapping the Cross-Texas Trail for Others to Do it Too

For Immediate Release March 18, 2025

From: Melissa Balmer Melissa@xtexas.org Cell (360)265-2883 (please text first)

Excellent images, maps and video availablehere!

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Fifth generation Texan Charlie Gandy, founder of thexTexas Trail Project (nicknamed the xTx), is on schedule to finish his 3-month, 1,500-mile hike across Texas around March 31st in El Paso. The route he travelled is mapped out on the Ride for GPS here: xtexas.org/xtexas-trail-sections

Like the Appalachian Trail, the xTx will take years to bring to its fullest potential. In its current iteration the xTx travels through the heart of rural Texas, weaving together public paved, gravel, and dirt roads, and travels near or through sections of 17 state parks and 3 national parks. 

Launched as a project in August of 2024, this legacy trail is being created for hikers, cyclists, and equestrians. It’s meant to be travelled in late fall, winter, and early spring because of heat and water conditions. 

Gandy, a former Texas Legislator, is accompanied by his thru-hiking champion companions Pam and Richard Hershberger of Pennsylvania. The trio of intrepid late 60-somethings left Toyah, TX (mile 1,200) on March 17th and are heading west for the Guadalupe Mountains and the final leg of their journey. 

The three hikers braved rain and ice, wind, and heat on their inaugural hike of the xTx which starts on the Louisiana border at the southern end of the Toledo Bend Reservoir, travels through the piney woods, the Hill Country, the Chihuahuan desert, and up into the Tran-Pecos Mountains, before finishing on the New Mexico border at El Paso. 

Charlie, Pam and Richard are hiking 20-28 mile days, and currently begin at 4 am to beat the heat. Only the ice storm in January, a couple of special events earlier this month, and a handful of days for R&R have taken them off the trail. 

Along the way Texans have shown their famous hospitality, curiosity, and pride. Most nights the trio camp, but they’ve been offered places to stay and meals by trail angels (kind and generous humans who offer voluntary support to trail users) along the way. 

Mission & Vision

We’re establishing a 1,500-mile seasonal late fall through early spring hiking, cycling, and horseback trail through the heart of true Texas. It’s the first of its kind for the state.

The xTexas Trail Project is working to connect the magnificent people, cultures, and landscapes of rural Texas. From the Piney Woods in the East, through the Hill Country, the Chihuahuan desert, and up into the Tran-Pecos Mountains, the xTx is a rugged, remote, romantic work in progress. Learn more at xTexas.org.

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The Trail Magic & Medicine Tour: Inaugural thru hike of the cross-state xTexas Trail begins January 1st!

For Immediate Release December 29, 2025

Excellent images and video are available for the media via this link!

Media Contact: Melissa@xtexas.org Cell (360)265-2883 (text first)

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Austin TX - This January through March 2026 Founder Charlie Gandy is making his inaugural thru hike on the first cross-state 1,500-mile xTexas (xTx) hiking, biking, and equestrian adventure trail. On January 1st he departs from the Louisiana border near the Sam Forse Collins Recreation area on Toledo Bend Reservoir. He’s joined by his good friends and fellow thru hiker afficionados Pam and Richard Hershberger from Pennsylvania.

Named the “xTx Trail Magic & Medicine” tour, Charlie’s goal is to spread the positive alchemy of what long distance trails can do for people personally as well as for communities. The media are invited to join Charlie for a mile or more to get a true taste of the trail.

>> Join us January 8th at 6:30 pm CT when the xTx team debuts the new route via Zoom!

A 5th generation Texan, former state legislature, founder of BikeTexas, and active living advocate, Charlie knows intimately the power of trails both personally and for communities. As a long time student of long distance trails, he’s seen first hand how rural communities can thrive when they embrace the magic and welcome travelers by sharing the unique experiences their communities have to offer.

After spending a year and a half mapping, ground proofing, and testing the route with the xTx leadership team, board, and volunteers by driving, hiking, biking and trail riding, Charlie will make his grand depart on January 1st.

Charlie estimates the hike will take him 75 days hiking 20-25 miles a day (and includes time off for rest and events). He’s hiking the trail during its prime season. The xTx is designed for traveling late fall through early spring. It’s a target rich, rugged, romantic adventure route across rural Texas that has been created for hikers, cyclists, and equestrians. 

At present the xTx utilizes mostly quiet, rural public paved, gravel, and dirt roads, public trails, state parks (17), and both Big Bend and Guadalupe Mountains national parks. The route is fluid and will continue to morph and improve. 

In the future, sections of the route will navigate onto private land for greater safety and scenic beauty. Land owners along the trail have already reached out wanting to grant access for the trail, including a couple who has bought property in order to become trail angels in the Hill Country.

The trail is capturing Texan’s imagination, pride, and support. Hundreds of people have volunteered and donated to help make the trail happen, and almost 2k subscribe to the xTx email newsletter. The xTx has been featured in Gear Junkie, Dallas Morning News, Fox News, Houston Chronicle, NPR’s All Things Considered, Texas Monthly,Texas Parks and Wildlife, Texas Public Radio, the Texas Standard and more.

Charlie, Executive Director Beckie Irvin, Charlie’s wife and xTx Chief Storytelling Officer Melissa Balmer are available to interview via Zoom. If you’re interested in connecting with Charlie on the trail in person, email Melissa. 

Learn more at xTexas.org. Follow Charlie’s adventure on Facebook and Instagram too.

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3/10/25 Media Advisory: xTexas Trail Group Ground Proofing Begins!

For Immediate Release March 10, 2015

Media Contacts: Melissa Balmer Melissa@PedalLove.org cell (360)265-2883

On trail Charlie Gandy gandy.charles@gmail.com cell (562) 298-7681

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Austin TX - This evening, a group of tough, talented volunteers will camp in Kirbyville at Adams EE Stringer Funeral Home as day one of the "Sweaty Taste of the xTx: First 100 Miles" group ground-proofing project is completed.

14 volunteers of hikers, bicyclists, and equestrians (and four horses!) began this morning from the start of the trail at Quicksand Creek at the Sabine River near the Louisiana border on a group ground-proofing project. The majority of the group will travel 20-mile days gathering information for the xTexas Trail Project's first 100 miles of trail conditions, water sources, camping locations, re-supply stops, and more.

Two members of the group will travel the full 1,500 miles of the route over March and April.

The full 1,500-mile xTexas Trail Project route has been ideated, mapped, and ground-proofed by project founder Charlie Gandy, who leads this group expedition. Today’s group ground-proofing departure is the beginning of Phase 2 for the project. You can find the GPS draft route and print quality maps here: The GPS Route — xTexas.org

The camping stops for the first 100 miles of this group ground-proofing are:

• Monday night 3/10 Adams EE Stringer Funeral Home in Kirbyville 111 S Margaret Ave, Kirbyville, TX 75956.

• Tuesday night 3/11 First Baptist Church in Spurger 12676 F.M. 92 South Spurger TX 77660.

• Wednesday night 3/12 First Baptist Church in Woodville 202 S. Charlton St.
  Woodville, TX 75979, but the camping site is adjacent in the Grove.

• Thursday night 3/13 Circle J Farm in Barnum 1215 east Barnum loop, Corrigan Texas 75939 close to the Barnum First Baptist Church.

• Friday night 3/14 in Livingston - address to come!

Media are invited to meet the ground-proofers at the campsites for interviews, or for the hardy outdoor types, join the ground proofers on the trail!

About the xTexas Trail Project

The new xTexas Trail Project (nicknamed the xTx) is Texas's first cross-state trail. It begins on Quicksand Creek on the Sabine River in the East and ends in El Paso. Founded by 5th-generation Texan and active living advocate Charlie Gandy, the xTx rambles through quiet public backcountry paved and gravel roads, public trails, state and national parks, and will eventually cross private ranch land and farms once permission has been established. It ends in El Paso and includes Big Bend and the Guadalupe Mountains.

While Charlie Gandy was hiking California’s Tahoe Rim Trail in June of 2024, he wondered why his home state of Texas didn’t have its own cross-state, long-distance trail. He realized Texas is perfect to hike in the winter and early spring when many other popular long-distance hiking trails in the U.S. are unavailable. He decided to do something about it. By August, the xTexas.org website was launched, and Charlie had begun ground-proofing a route that would share the wonders of Texas with other trail enthusiasts.

The xTexas Trail Project exceeded its launch fundraising goals and has garnered the interest of over 200 volunteers thus far, eager to share their time and talent. The xTx has been featured in NPR's All Things Considered, CNN’s 5 Good Things Podcast, Condé Nast Traveller.com, the Houston Chronicle, Texas Monthly, The Texas Standard, and Texas Public Radio, among others. Find out more at xTexas.org. xTx is a project of the non-profit BikeTexas.org.

3/4/25 Media Advisory: The first Texas cross-state trail beings phase 2 with group ground-proofing

For Immediate Release March 4, 2025

The first Texas cross-state trail begins phase 2: group ground-proofing

Media Contact: Melissa Balmer Email: Melissa@PedalLove.org, text (360) 265-2883

Images, video, and maps of the trail are available upon request 

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Austin TX – On Monday, March 10th at 7 am, a team of tough, talented, generous people will depart from Quicksand Creek on the Sabine River at 190 near Bon Wier and the Louisiana border. They’re adventuring forth on the first group ground-proofing for the xTexas Trail Project. The media is invited to see them off (and for the tough few) invited to join them for an hour, a day, or the full adventure.

Nicknamed the xTx, it’s the state’s first cross-state hiking, biking, and equestrian trail. It’s tough and target-rich. As mapped out by founder Charlie Gandy, the xTx rambles through quiet public backcountry paved and gravel roads, public trails, state, and national parks, and will eventually cross private ranch land, and farms once permission has been established. It ends in El Paso, and includes Big Bend and the Guadalupe Mountains.

The Group Ground-proofers 

Moondog Roop (thruskating and hiking) and Rhea Wallace (biking) will travel the full 1,500-mile route during March and April.

xTx founder Charlie Gandy will lead the rest of the self-supporting team (including journalists) to hike, bike, and ride horses for the first hundred miles over seven days. They’ll end in Livingston. The event is called, “The Sweaty Taste of the xTx: The first 100 miles.”

Thus far the 100-mile team includes endurance equestrian Tracy Kelly and her horse Vandy, her husband cyclist Stewart Kelly, of Waco; hiker Kevin Pare of Killeen; cyclist John Ellerston of Mission; endurance equestrian Devan Horn of Spring; hiker Lloyd Segler of Plano, and hiker Joshua Aaron of Leander.

All of the ground-proofers will be gathering information on the trail’s conditions, water sources, camping locations, resupply, and more.

Media interested in interviewing any of the ground-proofers in advance should contact Melissa Balmer to set that up: Melissa@pedallove.org, Cell (360)265-2883 (text is best).

About the xTexas Trail Project

While Charlie Gandy was hiking California’s Tahoe Rim Trail in June of 2024, he wondered why his home state of Texas didn’t have its own cross-state, long-distance trail. He realized Texas is perfect to hike in the winter and early spring when many other popular long-distance hiking trails in the U.S. are unavailable. He decided to do something about it. By August, the xTexas.org website was launched, and Charlie had begun ground-proofing a route that would share the wonders of Texas with other trail enthusiasts.

The xTexas Trail Project exceeded its launch fundraising goals and has garnered the interest of over 200 volunteers thus far, eager to share their time and talent. The xTx has been featured in CNN’s 5 Good Things Podcast, Condé Nast Traveller.com, the Houston Chronicle, Texas Monthly, The Texas Standard, and Texas Public Radio, among others. Find out more at xTexas.org.

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2/12/25 - Media Alert & Invite: Sweaty Taste of the xTx: 1st 100 Miles

For Immediate Release February 12, 2025

Media Alert: Texas is getting its first cross-state trail for hiking, biking, and trail riding—come see the kickoff for the first 100-mile group ground-proofing!

Media Contact: Melissa Balmer Email: Melissa@PedalLove.org Text (360) 265-2883

Images and videos from the trail are available upon request. 

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Austin TX – The xTexas Trail Project is a 1,500-mile target-rich trail through the heart of Texas, intended for use in winter and early spring by hikers, cyclists, and equestrians. This legacy project was ideated by fifth-generation Texan, active outdoor advocate, thru-hiker, and thru-cyclist Charlie Gandy. It’s a project of the non-profit BikeTexas.

Join us on March 10th for the “Sweaty Taste of the xTx: The First 100 Miles,” which will kick off at 7:00 am at Quicksand Creek on the Sabine River just off the I90 and end at Livingston.

Find more details here: Sweaty Taste of the xTx: The First 100 Miles — xTexas.org

This is the first group ground-proofing adventure for the draft xTx route. Over seven days, Gandy and a group of seasoned volunteers of self-supporting hikers, cyclists, and equestrians will travel the first 100 miles of the route Gandy has put together, gathering information on the trail’s conditions, water sources, camping locations, resupply, and more.

The Sweaty Taste kickoff at Quicksand Creek will also mark the start of two longer journeys, as two men attempt to travel the full route, collecting important data for future improvements along the way:

• Fifth-generation Texas (now Washington state resident) Rhea Wallace will travel Gandy’s draft route by bike.

• Moondog Roop of New Mexico will travel the route by skateboarding and hiking. Follow his adventures for the trail here: Moondog Roop - YouTube

Gandy, Wallace, Roop, and other participants who are participating in the ground-proofing, such as retired veterinarian and endurance rider Tracy Kelly of Waco, are happy to speak with the media.

Journalists with the skills to participate in the group ground-proofing are welcome to join in for a day, or for the entire trip.

About the xTexas Trail Project

While Charlie Gandy was hiking California’s Tahoe Rim Trail in June of 2024, he began to wonder why his home state of Texas didn’t have its own cross-state, long-distance trail. He decided to do something about it. By August, the xTexas.org website was launched and Charlie had begun ground-proofing a route that would share the wonders of Texas with other trail enthusiasts.

The xTexas Trail Project draft route begins on the Louisiana border, rambles through quiet public backcountry paved and gravel roads, public trails, state and national parks, and will also cross private ranch land, and farms once permission has been established. It ends in El Paso, and includes Big Bend and the Guadalupe Mountains. 

The xTexas Trail Project exceeded its launch fundraising goals, and has garnered the interest of over 200 volunteers thus far, eager to share their time and talent. The trail project has been featured in CNN’s 5 Good Things Podcast, the Houston Chronicle, Texas Monthly, The Texas Standard, and Texas Public Radio, among other publications. Find out more at xTexas.org.

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