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Texas trails · Dodson

Dodson

A 11.6-mile out-and-back in Texas, with 1,474 ft of climbing. Reaches Dodson Spring. Managed by the National Park Service.

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Length
11.6 mi
Elevation gain
1,474 ft
Difficulty
Expert
Max grade
21%
Steepest mile
+566 ft
Tread at ≥10% grade
3.1 mi
Shape
out-and-back
Managed by
National Park Service

Elevation profile

3,815 – 5,274 ft1234567891011

The climbing leans toward the middle third: 53% of the ascent falls between mile 3.9 and mile 7.7. It gives back about 1,976 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.

3-D terrain

3-D terrain view of Dodson

USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5

Reaches

Heads up

Stream ford: expect at least one unbridged crossing.
Terrain graded T2 (SAC scale).

Getting there

Juniper Canyon access. 29.22394, -103.24117 · directions

Daylight at the trailhead

On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 7:29 a.m., the sun rises at 7:53 a.m. and sets at 7:24 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 7:47 p.m. (CDT) — 11 h 30 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 23.1-mile round trip takes roughly 10 h 02 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 5:55 p.m. — 1 h 29 min before sunset.

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