The Lake Somerville Trailway Rebuild Has a Date. This Winter, It's Still Two Separate Rides.

Since May 1, 2024, the Lake Somerville Trailway has had two bridges out. One crossed Nails Creek. The other crossed Yegua Creek near the Newman Bottom parking area. Both appear on the park's current alert page, which asks riders to call the Nails Creek or Birch Creek headquarters before heading out. The state has now filed a schedule for replacing them. The projected start is Monday, October 26, and the projected finish is September 19, 2027.

That puts one more full cool-weather riding season on a trail with a gap in the middle. For anyone hauling from Somerville, Caldwell, Brenham or Bryan–College Station, getting a good ride this winter means picking the right unit, the right trailer gate and the right dates. The posted hunt closures will take out more riding days than the bridges will.

What the State Filing Actually Schedules

The project shows up in two state records. The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation registered it on January 5, 2026, as project TABS2026009232, titled "Lake Somerville Trailway Bridge Replacement Nails Creek & Yegua Creek." The estimated cost is $2,844,200. The scope covers creek bank restoration, site restoration and bridge replacement at both locations, and the filing lists the review as complete.

The second record is on Texas Parks and Wildlife's construction bid page, listed as project 1211815, "Trail Bridge Replacements." The bid deadline moved three times, first to July 21, then to August 11, and finally to August 18, 2026, when bidding closed. A record of respondents was posted the next day. The October 26 start and September 2027 finish are projections from the filing. Construction schedules on creek crossings depend on weather and water, so treat them as a target.

The money has been lined up for a while. In its March 2025 issue, Texas Parks & Wildlife Magazine said the washouts meant "you can't go from one unit to the other by trail, but funding is in place for bridge replacements." In the same story, Birch Creek Unit Superintendent Thomas Milone described the park's pitch:

"We think of ourselves as the 'Escape for Texas.' We are right in the triangle of Houston, Austin and DFW. We've got all the recreation you can imagine - hiking, fishing, boating, paddling, horseback riding."

Horseback riding is on that list. Until the rebuild is finished, though, the horseback version of the park is really two separate parks.

A Point-to-Point Trail Now Ridden as Out-and-Backs

The Trailway's length varies by source. TPWD's park overview says 13.11 miles, another TPWD listing says 13.4, and the magazine rounds it to 13. In every version, it was built to get you from Birch Creek on the north side of the lake to Nails Creek on the southwest side. With both creek crossings out, that through-ride isn't possible. Each section has to be ridden out and back from a trailhead you can actually reach.

TPWD allows horses on the full Trailway and on most trails at Nails Creek. Its Trailway information page lists the 1.7-mile Gerdes Spur, a converted old ranch road, as a secluded ride for equestrians. The official Trailway access points are the Birch Creek Trailway entrance, the Nails Creek Trailway trailhead and the middle section at Newman Bottom.

The middle section is where people with rigs get caught. The state's reservation system notice for Nails Creek says trailers are not allowed at Newman Bottom, and it points equestrian parking to the access gates on CR 125 and CR 140. That notice dates to 2020, so call headquarters to confirm the gates are still open to trailers before you haul. Newman Bottom also sits right next to the Yegua Creek washout, so the middle of the Trailway is the hardest part to reach and has the least room to ride in either direction.

Water is the other planning issue. The Flag Pond primitive campsite is one mile from the Newman Bottom parking area and 4.5 miles from Nails Creek, and it has no potable water. Neither do the Wolf Pond or Newman Bottom group camps. On an out-and-back, you ride every mile twice. Pack water for both the horse and the rider for the full round trip.

Choosing a Base Camp When the Units Don't Connect

Since you can't ride between units this season, where you camp decides which half of the Trailway you get. Both units have equestrian sites, but the hookups, horse containment and winter pricing differ.

TPWD lists the Nails Creek equestrian sites as available December through February at the weekly non-peak rate, and campers without horses can use them too. That makes the Nails Creek side the only one with a posted weekly price. The standard sites, at $72 a week, are the cheapest option for a longer winter stay. Bent Tree, at $120, adds electric hookups and horse pens. Birch Creek's ten sites cost less per night, but TPWD's page doesn't mention corrals, so plan to bring your own containment until the park confirms otherwise.

Day fees apply on top of camping. The current park map lists a $3 daily equestrian fee. The reservation system lists $5 per day for each person 13 and older, plus $3 per horse. TPWD's statewide equestrian rules require you to have, on hand, a negative official Equine Infectious Anemia test, VS Form 10-11, for every horse, dated within the previous 12 months. Park fees and rules change, and this is general information, not legal advice. Check current requirements with park headquarters and your veterinarian before you load up.

The Hunt Calendar Closes More Trail Than the Bridges Do

The washouts cut the Trailway in two. The winter hunt closures go further and shut whole units for days at a time, during the same months the weekly campsite rate is available. Here are the closures as currently posted on TPWD's alert page, in calendar order. The page doesn't print a year next to them, so confirm before you book.

1. Birch Creek Unit: closed 4 p.m. December 1 to noon December 4.
2. Trailway: closed 4 p.m. December 4 to 5 p.m. December 6.
3. Birch Creek Unit: closed 4 p.m. January 5 to noon January 8.
4. Trailway: closed 4 p.m. January 8 to 5 p.m. January 10.
5. Nails Creek Unit: closed 4 p.m. January 12 to 5 p.m. January 15.

Only permitted hunters are allowed in during those windows. Look at how the closures stack up. In early December, Birch Creek closes and then the Trailway closes right after it. In January, the pattern repeats and then Nails Creek closes too. A rider planning a winter week at Bent Tree should book around January 12 through 15, and anyone counting on the Trailway should avoid the two Trailway windows.

There are also partial-day closures. The Flag Pond Loop and Waldo's Loop close from sunrise to noon daily during Early Teal, Regular North Zone Duck and Youth-Only Waterfowl seasons. TPWD's trail information page notes that hunters are active at Flag Pond until noon during hunting season and recommends checking with headquarters about closures. Flag Pond is also the primitive campsite one mile from Newman Bottom, so a morning ride there may be an afternoon ride for much of the season.

Fire rules apply in camp. Since September 3, 2026, Birch Creek has been under a burn ban. Wood fires aren't allowed, but charcoal and containerized fuel stoves are. Birch Creek's pavilions have been closed since August 26, 2025, and its fishing pier since February 16, 2024. If the burn ban is still in place when you go, plan to cook on a stove.

The Drive In, and What's on This Weekend's Calendar

Burleson County has scheduled a closure on County Road 119 at Davidson Creek starting October 19, 2026, to replace a bridge there. The county expects it to last at least four to six weeks. If CR 119 is part of your usual route to the lake, plan another way in through at least late November.

For riders who want time in the saddle this Saturday, October 24, without dealing with the Trailway gap, the Brazos Valley Driving & Riding Club calendar lists a Texas Draft Horse and Mule Association field day and trail ride in Somerville at 15780 Private Road 4058. That's a separate venue from the state park. The rest of the club's 2026 local rides are listed at Richards/Raven and Millican Reserve.

If the TDLR schedule holds, the work at Nails Creek and Yegua Creek will run through this winter and next summer, with completion projected for September 19, 2027. That would make fall 2027 the first riding season since May 2024 with a continuous Trailway from Birch Creek to Nails Creek.

Owning horses near Lake Somerville means paying attention to trail access, water and how far you'll haul, and those same questions come up when you're buying or selling a property here. If you're thinking about a horse property within easy hauling distance of the Trailway, or getting your own acreage near Somerville ready for buyers who ride, Lisa Bricker knows the land and the barn side of that decision. Schedule a Consultation.