The XTX connects Orange to El Paso and passes parks, historical sites and cultural highlights on the way. Gandy recommends that you travel it East to West in order to benefit from the prevailing winds. The trail gains 56,000 cumulative feet as it crosses Texas. It also gives users a taste for the diversity of the state. From the densely-forested Piney Woods, to the flat, open Gulf Coast and the rolling terrain in the middle of the state. Hill CountryIt passes through leafy tree tunnels in East Texas; meanders into Gruene, home of a thriving mining town. It winds through East Texas’s leafy tunnels; it meanders on to Gruene and the home of A historic dance hallTraveling it allows adventurers to tap into Texas traditions like barbecue in LaGrange, sweet tea from most small town diners, two-stepping at Gruene Hall outside New Braunfels, Shiner Bock beer, and longhorns – whether you choose to pedal, horseback, or plod on two feet. Traveling it allows adventurers to tap into Texas traditions like barbecue in LaGrange, sweet tea from most any small town diner, two-stepping at Gruene Hall outside New Braunfels, Shiner Bock beer, and longhorns— whether you choose to pedal, horseback, or plod on two feet.
Gandy says that “for some, it is a pilgrimage while for others it is an athletic endeavor.” “For everyone, it’s a journey. The long journey avoids the big cities and maps out a variety natural terrains and Texas settlement history. It is remote and romantic. Gandy says that as the trail develops in coming years it will move off busy roads and onto designated dirt pathways, as rights-of-way are acquired. At some stops, Gandy also wants to collect information on local history including Indigenous people who once lived along the trail.
The trail already exists, but we’re now working to improve it, he adds, noting that detailed online maps will be available by the winter of next year (for the time being, refer to reference). this map On the XTX website). Gandy grew up in Texas, but now lives near Poulsbo. WashingtonXTX will be his lasting memory, he hopes.
Canyons are a great place to explore.
Gandy, my friend, and I swish dirty shoes into a pool to try and remove the sticky mud. The Big Bend is a beautiful sunny day. Austin Gandy will show me an alternate section of the trail. The rewards for the hikers that are willing to brave the dirt and the water of this alternate path will be enormous: A constantly changing palette of colors, towering cliffs and silence broken only by birdsong. We reach a side-canyon two miles up the trail, where we scramble over boulders as big as automobiles and squeeze into fern lined crevices.
Gandy describes this section of trail between 1,000-foot cliff faces as “a geological Cathedral”. This section, located about three miles above the mouth of Santa Elena Canyon is the most beautiful part of the XTX.
“The lightshow, when the sunrise changes everything every hour, is spiritual,” says he, and I agree. Our walk began as the sun rose. It cast an orange gold glow over the sheer walls of the cliffs, and the ribbons of water became molten metal. In the late afternoon, all I can see is blue, brown, and green. “There isn’t a bad view here.”
Gandy says it’s all part of the trail, which gives a glimpse into a state that is known for its independence and open landscapes. The XTX offers a chance to experience the true Texas.
