Fort Braden Trail Ride – January 17, 2026

East Loop – led by Liz It was a beautiful day to ride at Ft. Braden. We had a total of seven riders. Me on Majik, Becky on Smoke, Scott on Scout, Dawn on Frosty, Kathy H. on Bailey, Sharon on Bo and Kathy D. on Jett. We split into two groups. I led the fast group with Becky and Scott. Sharon took the others on a slow ride. Our fast group headed on the East loop and I let Scott and Becky take turns leading to switch things up. We got to the sign where you can go left or right on the East loop, so we turned right. We followed the trail and encountered an area that was completely taped off. The single-track trail that loops down towards Coe Landing Road was off limits, so we followed the detour signs. We encountered deer and also saw a pair of hawks flying overhead. We traveled through the East loop pretty quickly, and we were not ready to go back yet, so we decided to go down the West loop and meet up with the other riders. We arrived at the Pavilion at the same time as the other riders. Perfect timing! We enjoyed talking to some ladies that were taking a break from hiking and they were nice enough to take our photos. Dawn and Kathy H. went back to the trailhead via the road, so the rest of us zig-zagged our way back towards the East loop for a fast-paced ride with Kathy D. leading. We managed to arrive at the trailhead at the same time as Dawn and Kathy H. We rode a total of about 2 ½ hours. When we got back, me and Becky broke out our snacks and congregated with the crew for a while. We had such a great time and could not have asked for better weather.

West Loop, led by Sharon What was predicted to be a somewhat questionable weather day for riding, turned into a perfect day at Fort Braden. We had sunny skies, with a light cool breeze making for a gorgeous 2 hour ride on the west loop. The slower paced riders rode the west loop led by Sharon and joined by Kathy D., Kathy H., and Dawn K. We meandered through the woods enjoying the terrain, rode through the tornado damaged area, again amazed at how much damage was done. Then we came to a straight stretch where we saw two wild hogs. I’m guessing they ran away, scared by Kathy D’s unique wild hog “scream”. Who wouldn’t be afraid of that sound! Since it had been quite a few years since Kathy H. had ridden Fort Braden, she especially enjoyed the ride. It used to be one of her favorite places, and actually still is. We met up with the faster group at the pavilion where Kathy H. and Dawn K. returned to the trailhead via the straight wide trail. Kathy D. and I split off, joining Liz R., Becky D. and Scott K. and rode backwards on part of the West loop, returning to the trailhead. Those who held off because of the weather really did miss a perfect ride.