Introducing the DFW talent creating the premier cross-state hiking, cycling, and horse adventure trail for Texas
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 8/26/26
From: Melissa Balmer Melissa@xTexas.org Cell (360)265-2883 (please text first)
Images + video content for the media can be found HERE.
xTx Founder Charlie Gandy, Don Dykstra, and xTx Executive Director Laura Wood are available for interviews pre-event. Please contact Melissa@xTexas.org to make arrangements.
——————————————-
(DFW Texas) The xTexas Trail Association is proud to introduce the Dallas and Fort Worth talent behind the creation and growth of the visionary cross state hiking, cycling, and horse trail for the Lone Star state known as the xTexas Trail (xTx). xTx founder Charlie Gandy is a Mesquite native (and former state legislator), and both local supporter Don Dykstra, and the organization’s new Executive Director Laura Wood, are residents of Forth Worth.
Come join us for “xTx Trail Talks: Live from DFW” in Southlake on Tuesday, September 29th from 5:30 to 7:30 pm to introduce the trail to the region and share what’s next. The media are invited to attend the event and/or interview Charlie, Don, or Laura in advance. Contact Melissa@xTexas.org to make arrangements.
xTx Trail Talks: Live from DFW link for the public:
https://www.xtexas.org/events/xtx-trail-talks-live-at-dfw
>> Find the 1,505 mile xTx Trail route mapped out on Ride with GPS here: xtexas.org/xtexas-trail-map. It can also be found on FarOut the #1 navigational app for the best long-distance trails in the world.
“As an outdoors enthusiast and passionate hiker, I knew this project was something my homebuilding friends and I would love to support. This past February we had a fantastic retreat in West Texas around Marfa and Big Bend with Charlie to learn more about what’s going on and how we can be of the best service to the cause,” said Don Dykstra, who’s the host for the 9/29 event. “We’re excited to support them with a friendraiser and announce what some of the local supporters hope to build in 2027.”
The xTx was launched as an idea in June of 2024 when Mesquite native and former state legislator Charlie Gandy was hiking in Lake Tahoe and kept encountering snow. He realized his home state of Texas was the perfect place to create a long-distance hiking and cycling adventure trail that wouldn’t have so many weather challenges. He pitched the visionary goal to his wife Melissa (a communications specialist) who agreed as long as the trail also included horses.
xTx launched its website in August of 2024 initially as a project under BikeTexas. The project quickly gained momentum and in November of 2024 it got on the radar of Dykstra who reached out immediately to get involved. The xTx became a non profit 501c3 on its own in fall of 2025, launching the xTexas Trail Association.
“From the moment my wife Melissa and I met Don in a brief online conversation in late 2024 I knew I’d met a special friend and ally. The passion and support from Don and his friends and colleagues mean the world to us as a young non-profit establishing such a visionary goal for Texas,” said xTx founder Charlie Gandy.
About the xTx Trail & the xTexas Trail Association
We’re creating a 1,500-mile adventure trail through the heart of rural Texas,connecting hikers, cyclists, and horseback riders with the state’s amazingly unique landscapes, cultures and people.
The 1,505 mile 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.
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, supporter, and Texas native Rhea Wallace bike packed the entire route in 2025, with Gandy joining him for the last 300 miles.
Texans are showing tremendous support for the xTx. The project already has 4.5K+ Instagram followers, 2,100k+ email subscribers, 600+ 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.
###