Walk an Old Rail Line: The 20-Mile Lake Mineral Wells Trailway Is Flat and Easy
A former railroad bed between Weatherford and Mineral Wells gives walkers and cyclists 20 miles of gentle grade. Here is how to use it to get your weekly minutes.
If you've been meaning to walk more, a flat path through the hills west of Fort Worth makes it easier. The Lake Mineral Wells State Trailway runs 20 miles between Weatherford and downtown Mineral Wells on an old railroad bed. Texas Parks and Wildlife says it has "flat grades and gentle curves," so walkers, cyclists and horseback riders of all ages and abilities can use it.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says adults need at least 150 minutes of moderate activity such as brisk walking each week. That works out to 30 minutes a day, five days a week, plus two days of muscle-strengthening work. The CDC adds that "some physical activity is better than none." A trail with no steep climbs and no traffic is a good place to start.
The trailway
According to the TPWD trailway page, the path is 10 feet wide. The first two miles east from the downtown Mineral Wells trailhead are asphalt, and the other 18 miles are topped with finely crushed limestone. It has 16 bridges with decks and rails. A 500-foot bridge over U.S. 180, decorated with 104 Lone Stars, meets Americans with Disabilities Act requirements.
The trail list breaks the route into sections:
Downtown Mineral Wells to the state park: 5.8 miles, easy. No horses on this part.
The spur up to the state park: 0.6 mile, with steep switchbacks.
State park to Garner: 3.1 miles, easy.
Garner to Weatherford: 10.9 miles, easy, past farm and ranch land.
There are four trailheads: Weatherford, off FM 920 northwest of downtown; Garner, next to FM 113, two miles north of U.S. 180; inside the state park; and in Mineral Wells, next to U.S. 281, four blocks south of U.S. 180. TPWD says all four have paved parking, drinking water, restrooms and accessible parking. Fees are paid at self-pay stations at each trailhead or at park headquarters.
The trailway can close in wet weather, so call the park before you go.
The Penitentiary Hollow trail at Lake Mineral Wells State Park, 2020. Photo: Michael Barera / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
A rail line with a history
The trailway follows the old Weatherford, Mineral Wells & Northwestern Railroad. TPWD says the line carried more than 33,000 passengers in 1899, most of them headed to Mineral Wells for its "healing water," mineral baths and resort climate. The city bought the line in 1989 and ran freight on it until 1992, when it was no longer worth running. The trailway opened on National Trails Day, June 6, 1998.
The town's health-resort reputation began with a well. The park's history page says James Alvis Lynch drilled a well on his land in 1880. His wife's rheumatism went away after she drank the water, and people soon came from far and wide to "take the cure."
More miles in the park
The trailway connects to Lake Mineral Wells State Park, where the trails page lists hiking-only lakeside routes and easy multiuse loops through the Cross Timbers. The Cross Timbers Black Trail, 2.3 miles, passes some old buildings from Fort Wolters, which TPWD calls an Army training center during the 20th century. The park's main page puts its trail total at 12.8 miles, and the trails page says "more than 11 miles."
The park page lists entry at $7 a day for adults, with children 12 and under free. The park is open 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily at 100 Park Road 71, and its phone number is (940) 328-1171. TPWD says the park often reaches capacity and recommends reservations even for day use, especially during the busy season from mid-March to mid-November.
TPWD's trail tips are good advice anywhere. Bring a quart of water for every hour on the trail, wear a helmet on a bike, tell someone where you're going, and don't count on a cell phone or GPS unit to connect.
The body is a gift, and taking care of it is part of good stewardship. A few miles on an old rail line in the Cross Timbers is a pleasant way to start.
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