The Dirt Road From Hell

If you’re looking for a close-to-town place to run, walk, or ride your mountain bike while enjoying nature and being away from traffic, the dirt road that connects from Middle Concho Park to the paved Twin Buttes Reservoir access road near Highway 67 might be just the ticket.

In fact, it’s my go-to location in San Angelo for fitness activities and also where I send new people who ask where to go for workouts.

You can hike the road, run it, or ride your mountain bike while enjoying the desert scenery and taking side trips on the assorted 4WD roads and trails that connect to the main dirt road.

Officially, the road is called Middle Concho West but most local athletes refer to it affectionately as the ‘Dirt Road From Hell.’

That nickname was coined years ago by athletes competing in the Wool Capitol Triathlon each August when they had to complete their final 10K run on this road with the sun beating down, buzzards circling overhead, and rolling hills adding more pain to their already-tired legs.

Nickname aside, it’s a fun and relaxing place to do workouts while getting away from cars and people.

The east end of this dirt road starts in Middle Concho where the park’s paved road ends seven-tenths of a mile west of the park’s entry station.

You can also start near the park’s main front entry and follow the dirt park roads along the shoreline as you head toward the back of the park.

After leaving the pipe fence at the beginning of the dirt road, you’ll go about four-tenths of a mile and reach the park’s main back gate. It’s usually open, but if not just squeeze around it and continue on.

The road will make a big right turn as you leave the park and you’ll traverse around the edge of a bluff called Spillway Hill. Watch for buzzards along the lip of the bluff surfing the updraft from southerly winds that flow up and over the hill.

At about eight-tenths of a mile from the start the road will start to make a sweeping left turn and you’ll enter ‘the sand and clay’ zone. This is an interesting area that can be really muddy after a rain, firm and packed a couple of days later, and then a loose sandpit after continued days of hot dry weather.

Continue west on the road and the grade starts to pitch up a little. It’s not a long climb but enough to remind you that the Dirt Road From Hell is still in control.

At 1.4 miles from where you started you’ll come to a ‘T” intersection with a dam in front of you. Turn left and you can top out at Spillway Hill about 1.9 miles from the start of the dirt road, or continue on the main and at 2.4 miles you’ll be on the shore of Twin Buttes Reservoir next to the cage at the dam.

If you decide to head right at the ‘T’ you’ll gradually climb up what I call Twin Buttes Pass, reaching the high point of the road underneath the twin peaks at 2.1 miles from where you started.

From the top of the pass, the road will drop back down into a draw and then undulate up and down over several small hills before reaching the paved Twin Buttes access road at about 3.1 miles from the road’s starting point.

Wanting a little more distance? One option when you reach the paved Twin Buttes access road is to turn left and follow it for about two miles to the main Twin Buttes boat ramp.

You also have a multitude of other add-some-distance options as you bike, run, or walk along the route by turning onto some of the 4WD roads and trails that intersect the dirt road both on Spillway Hill and in the area between the Twin Buttes hills and the reservoir.

These roads and trails are fun to explore and are routinely used trail running events, adventure races, and mountain bike rides.

There are no restroom facilities or places to get water along the dirt road, so it’s a good idea to carry water, a cellphone, and other out-in-the-wilderness necessities with you.

Remember — the Dirt Road From Hell is a great place to exercise. Give it a try.

Upcoming Events
July 13: LakeNasworthy Triathlon, roadlizards.org
July 24: Mountain bike time trial, http://angelobike.org/events/mtb-time-trial-4/
July 26: Goodfellow Triathlon, roadlizards.org
Aug. 2: Southland Shuffle, roadlizards.org
Aug. 10: San Angelo Olympic and sprint distance triathlon, SpringCreekPark