Lack of signage turned this into a death march

One of the nicer views from the trail
From most overlooks, you can only see a tiny sliver of lake, so this isn't a good choice if you're looking for spectacular vistas.
User: plectrudis - 1/15/2018

Location: Pace Bend

Rating: 2stars
Difficulty: 2stars  Solitude: 3point5stars
Miles Hiked: 11.70 Miles  Elapsed Time: N/A

Comments: If it were possible to navigate the trails in this park, it would be a pleasant fall/winter/spring hike, with plenty of trail available for long, medium, or short hikes. Nothing spectacular, but pleasant, if fairly standard, hill country grasslands and cedar woods. There is intermittent cover, but not nearly enough to make a July or Aug hike enjoyable. BUT. The whole thing is really poorly signed, the map doesn't even show parking lots or trailheads, and there are a number of gnarly trail junctions that are very difficult to navigate without signs. We lost our trail, we lost our car--what was supposed to be a 6-7-mile hike ended up being an 11.7 mile hike. Not fun. We'd probably still be there, wandering helplessly, if a very kind pair of trail runners hadn't spotted us, guessed that we were lost, and led us back to civilization. If you live in the area, it's probably worth learning your way around, but bring twice the amount of water you think you need, a fully charged cell phone, and, preferably, a GPS unit. Oh, and drop a pin where you park your car. The Well/Weil trail--an old Jeep track--offers the fewest opportunities for misdirection, so I'd recommend doing your first hike there. Or just don't bother--Muleshoe Bend and Grelle are ~10mi away, are prettier, and are easier to navigate.

Log Photos
One of the nicer views from the trail
One of the pleasant wooded bits
A touch of whimsy--a hat tree in the middle of the trail
A typical stretch of trail
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