Overall Route Rating
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3.5 out of 5 Rider Rating 3.5
5 Reviews

Motorcycle Route Author

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By Guest (0 McR Points) on Dec 31, 2006

Rider Reviews

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Guest
April 27, 2011
Interesting... I've been riding FM4 for the last…
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Guest
September 8, 2008
I agree..this is by far the wildest scenery…
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Written Directions

Start in Palo Pinto, TX which lies about 60 miles west of Ft. Worth. From Palo Pinto simply take Santo Hwy (AKA Route 4) south down to and through the town of Santo, TX. Continue a short while past to Interstate 20.

Scenery

Sort of short but worth the gas. Excellent scenery set in rolling hills with tree lined 15 mile stretch of "real purty" starting in the town of Palo Pinto. The best scenery ends at junction of Interstate 20. Overall it's a "mini" version of some great hill country type cycling.

Drive Enjoyment

All paved, smooth single lane road with winding roads and some fairly nice turns and inclines. Keep in mind there is almost no shoulders and limited pull offs for camera ops

Tourism Opportunities

No parks or attractions other than scenery. Small "quick" type store w/gas in towns of Lone Camp and Santo. For example in Lone Camp you can find cold drinks, restrooms and hot snacks/food at a small store (approx 10 miles in) or continue on another 4-5 miles to Santo for the same amenities.

You will also pass by Palo Pinto Reservoir and may want to stop by and take in the lake scenery or some fishing. There are also some bed and breakfast type places on the reservoir.

By the way, if you are heading out to this route from Ft. Worth, you'll pass through Mineral Wells, TX. If while in Mineral Wells, you find yourself hungry, I would recommend Pulidos Mexican Restaurant or any of the many other "eateries" in that area.

Motorcycle Road Additional info

- View the weather forecast for this area from Yahoo weather .
 

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Guest
April 27, 2011
0 McR Points
Motorcycle Type : Sport
Interesting... I've been riding FM4 for the last 15 years and never heard it called "Santo Highway"! If you're only riding from Palo Pinto to Santo, that certainly is the best stretch of the road, but you're missing out on the other 75 miles of FM4. Start in Cleburne at Hwy 67 and follow FM4 north from there (or in Graford and go south). Follow it through downtown area of Granbury, through Lipan and then into Santo (that's about 55-60 miles). Not real technical twisty roads but loads of fast sweepers that are very entertaining. The next 15 miles into Palo Pinto are among the more fun roads in north TX and I'll often ride out from the DFW area just to do this stretch a few times. But keep going north on FM4 from Palo Pinto - the first few miles are more of the same before the road really straightens out a lot (good for high speed runs... traffic is very sparse!), ending in Graford. 90+ miles of continuous fun on the same road... Turn around and repeat going the other direction :)
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dunno
June 9, 2015
4 McR Points
Motorcycle Type : Cruiser
I've only been on the short bit south of 180 going South. This is one of the few roads in N. Texas with elevation AND camber at the same time. Coming down the hill looking south gives a nice panoramic of the cross timbers area.
One word of caution: This route is popular with bikers. We were passed by 5-6 sport bikes going north on our way south. Ergo it's also popular with the law. We were stopped by a trooper hiding in the bushes (literally; way off the road near the fence) for going 6. He had been so busy writing tickets that he had run out of paper. Even after searching through his trunk for several minutes he had to let us go w/ a warning. My cohort with no inspection or ins card was very relieved to put it lightly.
Your luck may vary.

Have a great ride!
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Guest
July 27, 2009
0 McR Points
Motorcycle Type : Touring
An addition to the Tadpole Camp road route. West from Tadpole Camp about 1/2 mile. Left turn under Palo Pinto Lake Dam and follow very windy, twisty (go slow) road through beautiful country to Gordon, TX. West from Gordon to Mingus, South to Smokehouse Restaurant for a meal. WK Gordon museum across I-20. This area is an old coal mining town and full of history. Many other back roads are accesible from here. Great ride. If you need bike repairs in this area Smitty's Cycles is available 940-325-3253 in Mineral Wells'
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