Schaeffer Shuffle
- 1.6 mi
- round trip
- 1,009 ft
- climb
- Singletrack
- surface
- Out and back
- route
- Oct–Apr
- best months
Schaeffer Shuffle is a mountain biking route in Franklin Mountains State Park in Texas, managed by State Park and Recreation. The out-and-back ride is about 3 miles long, with a total climb of roughly 1,000 feet from the start at about 4,770 feet to a high point near 5,150 feet. The route is rolling, and the steepest stretch comes at about 0.8 miles in, with a grade of about 34 percent. Spring and fall are the most comfortable times to ride. Typical averages from a nearby weather station show October highs around 78°F with lows near 54°F, and April is similar at about 79°F by day and 51°F at night. That station sits well below the route, so temperatures on the trail run cooler. Tom Mays Trail is about 0.4 miles away, and Aztec Caves Trail and Shortcut #1 are each about 0.7 miles off. Climbers can head to Tom Mays Park, about 1.1 miles away.
Best time to go · Oct–Apr
Best time to visit Schaeffer Shuffle
Best months: October–April. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.
Jan
57° / 34°
2 wet
Feb
63° / 39°
2 wet
Mar
70° / 45°
1 wet
Apr
79° / 51°
1 wet
May
88° / 60°
1 wet
Jun
95° / 70°
2 wet
Jul
94° / 73°
5 wet
Aug
92° / 72°
5 wet
Sep
87° / 66°
4 wet
Oct
78° / 54°
3 wet
Nov
66° / 41°
2 wet
Dec
56° / 34°
2 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at La Tuna 1 S, TX, 5.6 mi away at 3,870 ft. The station sits about 1,300 ft lower than this place, so expect it a little cooler here. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
Keep exploring — more rides worth the drive
RIDE
Shortcut #1
~1 min drive
0.20-mile out-and-back trail in Texas with 80 ft of elevation gain.
RIDE
Gasline Road
~46 min drive
6.31-mile out-and-back trail in New Mexico with 527 ft elevation gain.
RIDE
Aztec Caves Trail
~1 min drive
0.61-mile out-and-back singletrack with 659 ft gain in Texas.
RIDE
Shortcut #2
~2 min drive
0.44-mile out-and-back singletrack with 157 ft gain in Texas.
RIDE
Aztec to Mundy's Gap
~2 min drive
0.53-mile out-and-back singletrack with 625 ft gain in Texas.
RIDE
Lower Sunset
~3 min drive
7.10-mile out-and-back singletrack with 910 ft gain in Texas.
RIDE
Upper Foothills
~3 min drive
2.23-mile out-and-back singletrack with 347 ft gain in Texas foothills.
RIDE
Polecat Alley
~4 min drive
1.03-mile out-and-back singletrack with 148 ft gain in Texas.
RIDE
Scenic Road
~4 min drive
2.09-mile out-and-back singletrack with 969 ft gain in Texas.
RIDE
Blue Moon Road
~4 min drive
1.23-mile singletrack out-and-back with 184 ft elevation gain in Texas.
Map and trail data © OpenStreetMap contributors
