I hadn't ridden at Pace Bend in maybe 5 years, but I had so much fun exploring with my friends on Saturday. It was the perfect day! We rode around, chatted a bunch, took a dip in the lake, and then treated ourselves to pizza at Via 313 on the way back to Austin.

Pace Bend is about an hour West of Austin in the Central Texas Hill Country. The park is an oblong shape, surrounded by lake water on two sides. The trails we road were in the middle of the park.

I would describe Pace Bend as Intermediate by Austin standards. There are a lot of rock gardens, ledges, and narrow tree gaps. However, the rock gardens are shallow enough to smash, most of the ledges have some kind of rampy line, and the trees... only a couple are actual handlebar clippers. So I guess it's a good spot for an intermediate rider to session and build skills at. I think advanced riders would find it much more flowy than my friends and I did because at speed, you can float over a lot of those rocks.

I don't think Pace Bend is the best place to take a new mountain biker. They can still have a lot of fun, but there are other trails where they could get more saddle time (and less hiking). I'd recommend Walnut Creek Metropolitan park for that because 1) The Six Point Loop is super easy, so if that's all they can do, great. You got a trail for them! And 2) If they really like it, they can come back on a Sunday and ride with the Austin Ridge Riders. They always attract a lot of riders, and the group splits up by skill level. They have a beginner group. That's actually how I started when I bought my first mountain bike.

Finally, I'd like to shout out Team Snacks. It's a cycling club for women and non-binary riders. I've made most all my friends though Team Snacks.

Hope you have fun riding Pace Bend should you ever visit!