Shortcut #2
- 0.4 mi
- round trip
- 131 ft
- climb
- Singletrack
- surface
- Out and back
- route
- Oct–Apr
- best months
Shortcut #2 is a short, out-and-back mountain biking route in Franklin Mountains State Park in Texas, managed by State Park and Recreation. The ride is about 0.88 miles long, with a total elevation gain of 131 feet, and it reaches a high point of 4,716 feet. The climb is front-loaded, with the steepest stretch at about 0.27 miles in, where the grade reaches 10 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 roughly 850 feet lower than the route's high point, so temperatures on the trail run cooler. Shortcut #1 lies about half a mile away, and Schaeffer Shuffle is about a mile off. Upper Foothills and the Tom Mays Trail are both within about 1.3 miles.
Best time to go · Oct–Apr
Best time to visit Shortcut #2
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, 4.6 mi away at 3,870 ft. The station sits about 800 ft lower than this place, so expect it a little cooler here. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
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Shortcut #1
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0.20-mile out-and-back trail in Texas with 80 ft of elevation gain.
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1.56-mile out-and-back singletrack with 473 ft gain in Texas.
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0.53-mile out-and-back singletrack with 625 ft gain in Texas.
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7.10-mile out-and-back singletrack with 910 ft gain in Texas.
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2.09-mile out-and-back singletrack with 969 ft gain in Texas.
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1.23-mile singletrack out-and-back with 184 ft elevation gain in Texas.
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Map and trail data © OpenStreetMap contributors
