The weather was a beautiful Texas fall day, when the opportunity presented itself to do some trail riding and explore an ATV/dirt bike park I had wanted to ride for a great many months. Everything I had heard about this park was positive, and I had been looking forward to checking it out first hand. I would soon find out that I would not be disappointed.

Rural Shade ATV Park is located in Kerens, Texas, outside of Corsicana, approximately an hour south of Dallas. The park consists of 1800 acres of space to trail ride, slog through mud bogs, climb hills, ride through creek bottoms, swim in the Trinity river, and enjoy the scenery of the landscape. As private parks go, Rural Shade ATV Ranch is large in size, and offers a wide variety of terrain to conquer.

As I rolled up to the entrance to the park, I was welcomed with a large sign assuring me I had arrived. As I entered the park, I was instructed to check in at the park office/store, where I was welcomed by the friendly ranch staff. James and Ellen McDuffie certainly have a way of making a person feel welcome. James was kind enough to provide me with a map of the park along with a crash course (no pun intended) in the different terrain of the different trails.   With 1800 acres of land to cover, I knew I would have to get to it if I was going to cover all of the trails by sun-down.

Rural Shade ATV Ranch is laid out in a rectangle, which makes it relatively easy to navigate and not get lost (even though I did get lost after dark). The park has a wide variety of different trail surfaces including hard-pack, sandy surface, and mud. No matter what kind of riding you like to do, you will get some of that riding here. There are several ravines with trails running through and in and out of them, along with some trails that run through the trees. Open space is readily available for you to open up the cc's on your ATV. Fast-paced trails are available for you to cover, and some hill climbs along the bank of the Trinity River will challenge some riders. The park has legitimate competition style mud-bogs for the mud-bogger in you, but the bogs are not for the faint of heart and are for only properly equipped ATVs. For those who just want to do some mud riding without the risk of being swallowed alive, there is some of that kind of mud riding also. Spots on the trails allow you to slog through mud, or go around it if mud is not your pleasure (I don't know who does not like some mud though). A couple of areas in the park clearly get muddy after a good rain, and you can experience what it is like to blaze new trails trying to get through without getting stuck. The neat thing about all of the mud is you can choose to avoid it. I would not consider this park a mud bog park, but several places to play in the mud exist if you want it. Most of the trails are hard pack and will remain so after a rain. One last thing I noticed was a gigantic man-made jump hill. As a utility quad rider, I have no desire to see how many back flips I can do on my way down to my death. However I can see how this is a little piece of heaven for those who like to jump.

Rural Shade ATV Ranch is an outdoors-man's paradise. The scenery is truly beautiful. Camping is permitted, and several great sites exist. This park is one where you could easily spend a weekend simply enjoying the outdoors. You can also fish, swim, and see wildlife along with the great ATV riding. This park is family friendly, and provides a perfect place to bring children or beginners to ride alongside of you. Beginning, intermediate, and experienced riders will enjoy this park. With the exeception of a hill or two, there are really no expert type trails to be had, but expert riders will still have a good time.

The accomodations at Rural Shade ATV Ranch are excellent. There is a store which stocks essentials and offers concessions. There are several RV connections, cabins you can rent, ATV rentals, a playground, ATV storage, and the Trail Dust Cafe. Rural Shade ATV Ranch has special events from time to time, which you can check out on their website.

The sun went down on me before I had had enough riding (which led me to ride at night and get turned around). I was overwhelmed with the beauty of this park, and can see spending an entire weekend here. I loved riding the many trails in the ravines, opening up the throttle on the open trails, and pushing through some mud now and then. No matter what your riding style and experience, this park has something to offer.  With its size and close proximity to Dallas, Rural Shade ATV Ranch is poised to become one of the premier riding destinations in Texas. I would encourage people to meander their way out to "The Ranch" for a great time. We will see you on the trail.

For directions, contact information, more pictures, amenities, website information, ratings, reviews, and more, check out the Rural Shade ATV Ranch listing in our Riding Destinations Directory.  If you go ride this park, please tell them you heard about Rural Shade ATV Ranch on atvescape.com!