Northeast Texas Trail in Farmersville, Paris and New Boston, Texas

Area: Northeast

Map of Northeast Texas Trail

Northeast Texas Trail

Northeast Texas Trail map area

The Northeast Texas Trail is a collection of mostly unpaved trails that pass through the towns and farmland between Farmersville, Paris and New Boston in the northeast portion of the State of Texas. The trail was constructed along the route of abandoned railroad beds. This is a multi-use, non-motorized, trail open to walking, running, bike riding and horseback riding. There is much to offer along the trail as it goes across the open countryside away from roads and traffic and through natural areas. You will travel through open farm land and brush land, thick forests, over picturesque bridges crossing rivers and creeks, see historic stretches of the old railroad lines and come across a variety of wildlife. The condition of the Northeast Texas Trail varies from smooth pavement, graded gravel surface and some rough natural surface. It is not suitable for road bikes, but mountain bikes should be acceptable with the proper tires.

NOTE: The Northeast Texas Trail not open for travel the entire route and you may need to use surface streets to get from one section to another in certain areas. Visit the Northeast Texas Trail Coalition Visitor's Guide for detailed information about the various sections of the trail.

Warnings:

Be prepared before attempting this trail. Bring plenty of water and bike repair equipment. Know the trail and do your research.
The conditions of the trail vary widely. Some sections are not maintained.
Some sections of the trail are not ridable, but you can still hike. Bikes should take the surface roads to get past these sections.
There are very long sections of the trail that are away from roads and not easily accessible for emergency personnel.
In many sections the land owners are not allowing people to use the trail that passes through their land. We do not recommend that you attempt to ride or hike in these sections.
Some bridges still consist of old railroad ties, walk or carry your bike, do not attempt to ride across the railroad ties.

Chaparral Rail Trail

The western portion of the Northeast Texas Trail is the Chaparral Rail Trail. This is a _ mile stretch of paved and unpaved trail that extends from Farmersville to Paris.

The trail crosses through wide open farmland, brush land and a number of small towns along its route. The trail starts in Farmersville on Main Street at Farmersville Parkway, across from Farmersville City Hall. There is parking at this location. The first 2.5 miles are paved, but the rest of the trail is mainly unpaved and it has some rougher stretches. The sections of the trail that go through the local towns are in better condition and may or may not be paved. Some sections still consist of the original railroad ties where you will need to carry or walk your bike.

The Chaparral Rail Trail portion of the Northeast Texas Trail goes through the towns of: Farmersville, Merit, Celeste, Wolfe City, Ladonia, Pecan Gap, Ben Franklin, Roxton and Paris.

Trail De Paris Rail Trail

The Trail De Paris Rail Trail is the only non-motorized pedestrian and bicycle trail in Paris and Lamar County. It is 5 miles long, paved, well maintained and ADA accessible. The trail is tree lined and shady with places to sit and ponder. There are several other nature trails that connect to the main trail and a trail that leads down to the athletic fields of the Paris Sports Complex.

The west end of the Trail De Paris is located at 8th Street SE, south of Jackson Street. From here the trail heads to the east going past Paris Junior College, forested natural areas, under Highway 286 then running parallel to Old Clarksville Road. After about 3/4 of a mile the trail splits away from Old Clarksville Road and goes up to cross Airport Road at 0.4 miles south of Lamar Road. Just east of Airport Road the Trail De Paris ends and the paved Reno Rail Trail begins.

Reno Rail Trail

The Reno Rail Trail is a 3.25-mile long paved and unpaved pathway that goes from Paris, through Reno then onto the City of Blossom.The west end is where it connects to the Trail De Paris just west of Airport Road. From here it takes a straight shot to the east to the west edge of Blossom. Once in Blossom, the route of the trail is grassy and not maintained.

Bowie County Rail Trail

This 22-mile long paved and unpaved section of the Northeast Texas Trail extends from Avery, through DeKalb to New Boston. It runs alongside Highway 82. It is unpaved except for a short section in New Boston. There is a large trailhead with parking at N. Elm Street and SE Front Street.