Just thinking out loud while we wait for others to show up and weigh in...

I'd like out and back too.  Have you been all the way through to Paris? 

Given how far from home it is for me, just out to Ladonia and back doesn't really pump up my tires, not with the epicness of going all the way to Paris (or at least trying) in reach.

If time is a restriction, I'd rather shuttle the full distance than do a Ladonia out and back.

My times would also be over a weekend/three day weekend.  And I'm glad that you are up for cheap. 

Oh, I thought they had removed the stuff that I have seen described as "loose deep gravel" and "like pedaling through thick chili".  If they removed stuff that was already good doubletrack that is a shame.  I guess it saves on mowing that strip down the middle?

What is it like now?  Is it decomposed granite?  That stuff packs down pretty decently.  If they just put in a bunch of same-size crushed rock that is a bummer.

I bet they didn't expect you to be so attached to the gravel! 

You can ride off to the side.  We'll warn you when a bridge is coming.

Would this segment that they say they just cleared, graded, and compacted be the segment that had been loose, deep gravel?
http://www.farmersvilletimes.com/articles/templates/news.asp?articleid=4225&zoneid=4

Very helpful map.  Thank you!

Started a thread over here to see about getting a group together:
http://www.bikepacking.net/forum/index.php/topic,3880.0.html

A few people in the Introductions thread have mentioned wanting to ride this whole trail sometime, so I thought I would start a thread here where we could try to get something put together. 

My thoughts/questions so far:
It's a long ride, and the last third is a bushwhacking, fence crossing, hay bale climbing adventure.
How long will it take? 
Out and back, or one way with shuttle vehicles?
I like to go low-budget, so I'd rather camp than stay in a hotel of some sort.
Summer = hotter = less gear but still = hotter.

I'm checking with my social coordinator to see what weekends I am not available over the summer.

Since I am new around here, here's a little about me.
I'm relatively new to biking, but I rode a ton as a kid, so I'm comfortable on a bike. 
I can change a flat and adjust derailers and brakes and all that stuff.
I have not been on a bikepacking trip before, but I have backpacked quite a bit and can handle myself around camp.
I haven't ridden a century or anything like that, but I have done long distances before, like hiking 27 tough miles in a 14 hour day, and rollerblading 41 miles at once.  I might not be fast, but I am stubborn.
I have friends in Dallas that I can spend the night with.
I find myself pleasant and easy to get along with.

Who else is up for it?

I have ridden some of said trail and we are looking to do the full thing out and back soon.

I am in.  When?

Yesterday I finally got a bead on a Caddo grasslands campsite right on the trail just this side of Ladonia.  You have probably seen it.

i am inexperienced, but I had good luck sewing uncoated fabric by taping things in place with masking tape, sewing, and then peeling the tape off.  If you sew through it, it is still easy to peel off.  For my tarp I applied waterproofing afterward.  I have not tried to sew silnylon, but have heard it is very bad...

I'm Bill, and I live in Houston.  I like to mountain bike up and down the techy stuff.  But, I also used to be a backpacker and like an epic adventure more than most, and I enjoy grinding gravel, so I'd like to do some bikepacking.  I found this site while looking for info on the Chaparral trail up near Dallas.

That looks like a really great adventure.  I would love to do it sometime in the fall once it's not quite so hot.  It would be great to try to make it all the way through.  Can someone meet me in Wolfe City with a chain saw? 

On a recent vacation I followed some train tracks for a while.  The gravel was, well, like thick chili, and bumping over the ties was, umm, bumpy.

I am having a hard time finding a map of the Caddo grasslands that makes any sense to me.  Any tips?  Does the trail go through some part of the grasslands, or just nearby?