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Gruene - Bear Creek

Returning via River Rd.
Other Photos:
2009-06-07 Gruene

This is a cool ride that takes you from Gruene, through New Braunfels, into the countryside, past Canyon Lake, and back into Gruene.

The "Bear Creek" in the title comes from the fact that FM 2722 is also sometimes called Bear Creek Rd.

(Download PDF)
There's only one route option for this ride.

Park in the parking lot in Gruene, across the street from Gruene Hall.

Ride Dist. Type Description
2.6 conv. store There is a convenience store at the intersection of Loop 337 and River Rd.
21.0 conv. store There is a convenience store at the intersection of FM 2673 and River Rd. in Sattler.
23.2 stores There are a few campgrounds and tubing companies with stores between the third and fourth crossings. This is not an exact stop distance.
27.0 stores There are many campgrounds and tubing companies with stores between the second and third crossings. This is not an exact stop distance.
29.0 stores There are many campgrounds and tubing companies with stores between the first and second crossings. This is not an exact stop distance.
30.7 stores There are several campgrounds and tubing companies with stores before you get to the first crossing. This is not an exact stop distance.
32.0 bar The River Rd. Icehouse is at the corner of River Rd. and Hueco Springs Loop Rd.
Ride Dist. Description
21.6 Fourth crossing.
25.5 Third crossing.
28.5 Second crossing.
30.5 First crossing.
Help!
Total Miles Instructions For Miles
0.00 RIGHT onto Gruene Rd. 1.55
1.55 RIGHT onto Torrey St. 0.38
1.93 RIGHT onto Lakeview Blvd. 0.17
2.10 RIGHT onto River Rd. 0.55
2.65 STRAIGHT on River Rd. 5.10
7.75 RIGHT onto Hwy. 46 0.72
8.47 RIGHT onto FM 2722 3.38
11.86 RIGHT onto Bear Creek Trail 2.52
14.37 RIGHT onto FM 2722 1.94
16.31 RIGHT onto FM 2673 0.25
16.57 RIGHT onto FM 2673 4.35
20.92 RIGHT onto River Rd. 11.07
31.99 LEFT onto River Rd. 1.39
33.37 LEFT onto Edwards Blvd. 1.21
34.58 RIGHT onto Ervendberg Ave. 0.65
35.23 LEFT onto Gruene Rd. 0.39
35.62 Arrive at finish  
Total Miles Instructions For Miles
0.00 RIGHT onto Gruene Rd.
Gruene Rd.
Head out of Gruene, going down the hill and crossing the river on the way.
lanes: 2
shoulder: 0
traffic: Light
speed: 30
1.55
1.55 RIGHT onto Torrey St.
Torrey St.
Go past more houses.
lanes: 2
shoulder: 0
traffic: Light
speed: 30
0.38
1.93 RIGHT onto Lakeview Blvd.
Lakeview Blvd.
You're heading out of town now.
lanes: 1
shoulder: 0
traffic: Light
speed: 30
0.17
2.10 RIGHT onto River Rd.
River Rd.
Head over to Loop 337.
lanes: 2
shoulder: 0
traffic: Light
speed: 30
0.55
2.65 STRAIGHT on River Rd.
Cross Loop 337. Even though you stay on River Rd., it completely changes character here.
River Rd./Hueco Springs Rd.
Wind through farms and ranches.
lanes: 2
shoulder: 0
traffic: Light
speed: 40
5.10
7.75 RIGHT onto Hwy. 46
Hueco Springs Rd. dead-ends into Hwy. 46
Hwy. 46
This is a busy road, but there's a decent shoulder and it's a short segment.
lanes: 2
shoulder: 1/4
traffic: Heavy
speed: 55
0.72
8.47 RIGHT onto FM 2722
FM 2722 T's in on the right
FM 2722
This road rolls up toward the lake past ranches. It has a great shoulder.
lanes: 2
shoulder: 2
traffic: Moderate
speed: 60
3.38
11.86 RIGHT onto Bear Creek Trail
Bear Creek Trail T's in on the right
Bear Creek Trail
This is a nice little 1-lane back-country road.
lanes: 1
shoulder: 0
traffic: Light
speed: 30
2.52
14.37 RIGHT onto FM 2722
Bear Creek Trail dead-ends into FM 2722
FM 2722
This road rolls up toward the lake past ranches. It has a great shoulder.
lanes: 2
shoulder: 2
traffic: Moderate
speed: 60
1.94
16.31 RIGHT onto FM 2673
Go right at the Y
FM 2673
This is short connector taking you onto the main part of FM 2673.
lanes: 2
shoulder: 1
traffic: Light
speed: 45
0.25
16.57 RIGHT onto FM 2673
FM 2673 dead-ends into FM 2673
FM 2673
Roll along with the lake on your left. It's there, even though you can't see it. This road generally has really good shoulders, though there are a couple of spots where turn lanes make the shoulder narrow.
lanes: 2
shoulder: 2(1/2)
traffic: Moderate
speed: 55
4.35
20.92 RIGHT onto River Rd.
Go right at the light in Sattler.
River Rd.
Ride down the Guadalupe River valley back towards New Braunfels.
lanes: 2
shoulder: 0
traffic: Moderate
speed: 30
11.07
31.99 LEFT onto River Rd.
Go left at the Y
River Rd.
There's no shoulder on this road, and it can be trafficy on the weekends in the summer from the river goers.
lanes: 2
shoulder: 0
traffic: Moderate
speed: 40
1.39
33.37 LEFT onto Edwards Blvd.
Edwards Blvd. T's in on the left
Edwards Blvd.
Ride past some country houses.
lanes: 1
shoulder: 0
traffic: Light
speed: 30
1.21
34.58 RIGHT onto Ervendberg Ave.
Ervendberg Ave. T's in on the right
Ervendberg Ave.
Go past houses and under the railroad bridge.
lanes: 2
shoulder: 0
traffic: Light
speed: 30
0.65
35.23 LEFT onto Gruene Rd.
Ervendberg Ave. dead-ends into Gruene Rd.
Gruene Rd.
Head across the river and up the steep hill back into Gruene.
lanes: 2
shoulder: 0
traffic: Light
speed: 30
0.39
35.62 Arrive at finish  
Ride Elevation Analysis
small ride profile
Ride Analysis
  elevation change (feet) distance (miles) avg. grade (%)
Climbing 2166.42 14.05 2.9
Descending -2177.99 21.57 -1.9
Overall 4344.40 35.62  
Top 10 Climbs:
Rank Gradient (%) Distance (miles)
1 4.5 0.39
2 3.3 0.36
3 3.2 0.51
4 3.0 0.69
5 2.9 0.87
6 2.3 0.57
7 2.3 0.44
8 2.0 0.56
9 2.0 0.57
10 0.4 0.37
Segment Elevation Analyses
Gruene Rd. from parking to Torrey St.
Starting at 0.00 miles for 1.55 miles
segment 0 small profile
Segment Analysis
  elevation change (feet) distance (miles) avg. grade (%)
Climbing 63.06 0.46 2.6
Descending -115.67 1.09 -2.0
Overall 178.73 1.55  
Top 10 Climbs:
Rank Gradient (%) Distance (miles)
1 2.8 0.16
2 2.0 0.29
3 0.9 0.03
4 0.5 0.17
Torrey St. from Gruene Rd. to Lakeview Blvd.
Starting at 1.55 miles for 0.38 miles
segment 1 small profile
Segment Analysis
  elevation change (feet) distance (miles) avg. grade (%)
Climbing 29.32 0.21 2.6
Descending -14.17 0.17 -1.6
Overall 43.49 0.38  
Top 10 Climbs:
Rank Gradient (%) Distance (miles)
1 0.7 0.04
2 0.7 0.13
Lakeview Blvd. from Torrey St. to River Rd.
Starting at 1.93 miles for 0.17 miles
segment 2 small profile
Segment Analysis
  elevation change (feet) distance (miles) avg. grade (%)
Climbing 6.38 0.07 1.6
Descending -17.36 0.09 -3.5
Overall 23.74 0.17  
River Rd. from Lakeview Blvd. to River Rd./Hueco Springs Rd.
Starting at 2.10 miles for 0.55 miles
segment 3 small profile
Segment Analysis
  elevation change (feet) distance (miles) avg. grade (%)
Climbing 58.76 0.30 3.8
Descending -18.96 0.26 -1.4
Overall 77.73 0.55  
Top 10 Climbs:
Rank Gradient (%) Distance (miles)
1 4.3 0.16
2 1.8 0.05
3 1.4 0.13
4 1.1 0.08
River Rd./Hueco Springs Rd. from River Rd. to Hwy. 46
Starting at 2.65 miles for 5.10 miles
segment 4 small profile
Segment Analysis
  elevation change (feet) distance (miles) avg. grade (%)
Climbing 435.27 2.74 3.0
Descending -229.00 2.37 -1.8
Overall 664.27 5.10  
Top 10 Climbs:
Rank Gradient (%) Distance (miles)
1 6.2 0.25
2 3.2 0.51
3 2.6 0.25
4 2.3 0.44
5 2.3 0.14
6 2.0 0.57
7 1.8 0.25
8 0.7 0.12
9 0.7 0.27
10 0.5 0.34
Hwy. 46 from River Rd./Hueco Springs Rd. to FM 2722
Starting at 7.75 miles for 0.72 miles
segment 5 small profile
Segment Analysis
  elevation change (feet) distance (miles) avg. grade (%)
Climbing 22.11 0.27 1.5
Descending -53.83 0.45 -2.3
Overall 75.94 0.72  
Top 10 Climbs:
Rank Gradient (%) Distance (miles)
1 0.4 0.37
FM 2722 from Hwy. 46 to Bear Creek Trail
Starting at 8.47 miles for 3.38 miles
segment 6 small profile
Segment Analysis
  elevation change (feet) distance (miles) avg. grade (%)
Climbing 346.00 2.13 3.1
Descending -143.54 1.25 -2.2
Overall 489.54 3.38  
Top 10 Climbs:
Rank Gradient (%) Distance (miles)
1 3.0 0.69
2 2.9 0.87
3 2.7 0.18
4 2.0 0.56
Bear Creek Trail from FM 2722 to FM 2722
Starting at 11.86 miles for 2.52 miles
segment 7 small profile
Segment Analysis
  elevation change (feet) distance (miles) avg. grade (%)
Climbing 159.22 0.76 4.0
Descending -318.95 1.76 -3.4
Overall 478.17 2.52  
Top 10 Climbs:
Rank Gradient (%) Distance (miles)
1 5.4 0.17
2 3.0 0.13
3 3.0 0.23
4 2.8 0.17
5 2.6 0.07
6 2.1 0.01
7 0.9 0.07
8 0.3 0.09
FM 2722 from Bear Creek Trail to FM 2673
Starting at 14.37 miles for 1.94 miles
segment 8 small profile
Segment Analysis
  elevation change (feet) distance (miles) avg. grade (%)
Climbing 171.03 1.24 2.6
Descending -52.03 0.70 -1.4
Overall 223.07 1.94  
Top 10 Climbs:
Rank Gradient (%) Distance (miles)
1 2.8 0.24
2 2.3 0.57
3 2.3 0.17
4 1.3 0.13
FM 2673 from FM 2722 to FM 2673
Starting at 16.31 miles for 0.25 miles
segment 9 small profile
Segment Analysis
  elevation change (feet) distance (miles) avg. grade (%)
Climbing 45.86 0.23 3.7
Descending 0.00 0.02 0.0
Overall 45.86 0.25  
FM 2673 from FM 2673 to River Rd.
Starting at 16.57 miles for 4.35 miles
segment 10 small profile
Segment Analysis
  elevation change (feet) distance (miles) avg. grade (%)
Climbing 140.36 0.94 2.8
Descending -421.06 3.41 -2.3
Overall 561.42 4.35  
Top 10 Climbs:
Rank Gradient (%) Distance (miles)
1 3.6 0.22
2 3.4 0.13
3 2.2 0.18
4 2.0 0.13
5 1.4 0.17
6 1.2 0.19
7 0.3 0.09
8 0.3 0.10
River Rd. from FM 2673 to River Rd.
Starting at 20.92 miles for 11.07 miles
segment 11 small profile
Segment Analysis
  elevation change (feet) distance (miles) avg. grade (%)
Climbing 499.87 3.50 2.7
Descending -511.43 7.57 -1.3
Overall 1011.30 11.07  
Top 10 Climbs:
Rank Gradient (%) Distance (miles)
1 4.5 0.39
2 3.3 0.36
3 2.8 0.29
4 2.4 0.21
5 2.1 0.29
6 1.4 0.35
7 1.1 0.17
8 0.8 0.18
9 0.6 0.25
10 0.4 0.22
River Rd. from River Rd. to Edwards Blvd.
Starting at 31.99 miles for 1.39 miles
segment 12 small profile
Segment Analysis
  elevation change (feet) distance (miles) avg. grade (%)
Climbing 33.07 0.41 1.5
Descending -104.03 0.98 -2.0
Overall 137.10 1.39  
Top 10 Climbs:
Rank Gradient (%) Distance (miles)
1 1.4 0.19
2 1.1 0.19
Edwards Blvd. from River Rd. to Ervendberg Ave.
Starting at 33.37 miles for 1.21 miles
segment 13 small profile
Segment Analysis
  elevation change (feet) distance (miles) avg. grade (%)
Climbing 63.09 0.39 3.1
Descending -87.49 0.82 -2.0
Overall 150.58 1.21  
Top 10 Climbs:
Rank Gradient (%) Distance (miles)
1 3.8 0.08
2 2.7 0.20
3 1.8 0.20
Ervendberg Ave. from Edwards Blvd. to Gruene Rd.
Starting at 34.58 miles for 0.65 miles
segment 14 small profile
Segment Analysis
  elevation change (feet) distance (miles) avg. grade (%)
Climbing 22.05 0.19 2.2
Descending -58.92 0.46 -2.4
Overall 80.97 0.65  
Top 10 Climbs:
Rank Gradient (%) Distance (miles)
1 1.3 0.02
2 1.1 0.11
3 0.4 0.13
Gruene Rd. from Ervendberg Ave.
Starting at 35.23 miles for 0.39 miles
segment 15 small profile
Segment Analysis
  elevation change (feet) distance (miles) avg. grade (%)
Climbing 70.96 0.21 6.4
Descending -31.53 0.18 -3.3
Overall 102.49 0.39  
large ride profile
segment 0 large profile
segment 1 large profile
segment 2 large profile
segment 3 large profile
segment 4 large profile
segment 5 large profile
segment 6 large profile
segment 7 large profile
segment 8 large profile
segment 9 large profile
segment 10 large profile
segment 11 large profile
segment 12 large profile
segment 13 large profile
segment 14 large profile
segment 15 large profile

The first thing you have to do for any of these rides is get to the starting place. This tab gives you everything you need to get there.

Up top is a description of the starting place. Below that is a box to enter the address of where you're coming from so you can get directions. When you've entered the address, press the 'Get directions to parking' button and it'll tell you how to get there. You'll get the usual Google Maps turn-by-turn instructions below the address box, and you'll get a corresponding line drawn on the map. Follow these directions, and you'll get to the ride.

Once you've digested the directions you will probably get tired of having the map cluttered up by them. Just hit the 'Clear parking directions from map' button and they will go away.

If you'd like to print out the driving directions, the "Get printable parking directions" button will bring up a Google Maps page with the parking directions in them that you can manipulate and print out.

Here's all the information you need to know about stops on the ride. Mostly this is where to get water and food and how far away it is. I generally prefer to list convenience stores and things like that because they're geared to deal with travelers on the go. I don't include all the restaurants and hotels and everything else, since those things aren't really necessary to help you get through the ride and there are far better resources on the web for finding those sorts of things. If there's a restaurant I particularly like eating at after a ride, I'll mention it in the overview.

You can click on any stop in the list and it'll show its info window on the map. This helpful if you're not sure where on the map a stop is.

Ride Dist.: Distance to the stop from the start of the ride. This is in miles. Sometimes I include stops that aren't actually on the route but are close to it. For those, I'll show how far off the route the stop is. These are as-the-crow-flies distances based on the point in the ride you would turn off to get to the stop, so the street distance is probably a little further to get to the stop.

Type: What type of place you're stopping at. It's mostly convenience stores, but I do add other types of places when they are very convenient or are the only things available.

Description: Anything you need to know about this stop.

Occasionally there are interesting things to check out along the ride. Here I tell you all about them.

You can click on any POI in the list and it'll show its info window on the map. This is helpful if you're not sure where on the map a POI is.

Ride Dist.: Distance to the POI from the start of the ride. This is in miles. Sometimes I include POIs that aren't actually on the route but are close to it. For those, I'll show how far off the route the POI is. These are as-the-crow-flies distances based on the point in the ride you would turn off to get to the POI, so the street distance is probably a little further to get to the it.

Description: Anything you need to know about this POI.

What does all this stuff mean? These are all the instructions necessary to complete this ride. This includes the turns and intersections of interest and which way to go when you reach them.

There are short and long instructions. You see the long instructions when you check the "Show road descriptions in list?" box. The long instructions include information about the street and any comments for the turns.

You can click on any instruction in the list and it'll show its turn info window in the map. If you click on the road information in the long instructions it'll show you its road info window in the map. This helpful if you're not sure where on the map a stop or road is.

When there's a road that the road conditions change on, such as speed, shoulder or lanes, I put the worst of the conditions down. This means narrowest shoulder, fastest speed, and most lanes of traffic. This way you can only be pleasently surprised.

Short Instructions

Total Miles: Distance to the turn from start of ride.

Instructions: What to do at the turn. Usually it'll be RIGHT or LEFT, and occasionally STRAIGHT. The first instruction of the ride is the direction to head away from parking.

For Miles: Length of the road you turn onto.

Long Instructions

The long instructions include all information from the short instructions plus the following:

Turn Comments: These show-up right below the turn instruction and tell you any additional information that is helpful to make the turn. I'll point out when the current road dead-ends into the next one, or when the next road T's into the current one. A 'T' intersection is when the new road dead-ends into the one you're currently on.

Road Name: Name of the road you are turning onto. When a road changes names while you're going down it, I'll put the name as "first name/second name". Also, there are lots of ways to designate country roads. Sometimes they're called "Farm Road", sometimes "Ranch Road", and sometimes just "FM" (for Farm to Market). In fact, you might see all three designations used on the same road in different places. I've just settled on calling them all "FM" since it's easier to type. Therefore, when I call something "FM", you should keep your eyes open for any of the three designations.

Road Description: Description of the road and any relevant facts about it.

Lanes: How many lanes this road has. This includes both directions, but doesn't include center turning lanes when they exist. The difference between a 1 and a 2 is sometimes a close call. I generally say there is one lane if there's no center stripe. This means that many streets that I rate as a 1 can fit two cars but aren't striped.

Shoulder: How wide the shoulder is. This is a subjective measurement that tells you how many bikes you can comfortably fit next to eachother. 1/4 means that it's just enough shoulder to tease you but isn't very helpful. 1/2 means the shoulder is wide enough for a cyclist, but that cars still need to scoot over to give you room. 1 means that a cyclist can comfortably fit in the shoulder with enough room for cars to pass without moving over. Numbers go up to 2+ for super-wide shoulders.

Traffic: How heavy the traffic is on this road. Right now this is a TOTALLY subjective measurement based on how I feel about the roads after having ridden them. In the near future I hope to switch to real traffic counts or something else that is more objective and, frankly, more useful.

Speed: Speed limit on this road. I make note of the speed limit signs and go with the fastest limit. It's not unusual for a road to change speed limits as you go down it so I choose the fastest in order to not under-estimate what the traffic is doing on the road. Some roads don't have posted speed limits, so I go with reasonable estimates. I usually guess 30 mph for residential and 40 mph for rural roads.

This is an analysis of the elevation data for the ride and for each of the segments of the ride.

The graphs show the elevation profiles. They are shaded underneath to show how steep each part of the ride is, lighter for less steep all the way to black for very steep. I normalize the height so you see elevations from 0 to the tallest point on the ride. I don't put the true elevation above sea level because, for the San Antonio area, elevation above sea level isn't very interesting since we're never high enough to make a difference. Also, you can click on a graph to see a larger version of it. The larger graph will pop up in a separate window.

The ride and segment analyses show how much climbing and descending you'll do in the ride or segment and what the average grade is for each. The climb list tells you how steep and how long the worst climbs in the ride or segment are, and is ranked by steepness.