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If you like an easy cruise, and view a lot of North West Louisiana Terrain this is an excellent trail. The Goldonna Trail System follows an old decommissioned historic railway system from 1890. A man by the name of John Tarver purchased a section of this historic rail system from Sibley to Winnfield, and has turn it into a recreational trail system for all to enjoy. The below map shows our route that we rode from just South of Sibley to just north of Winnfield, which was roughly 96 miles in length, and took most of the day to cover. It is the red line.

There is a lot of history on how this trail system has been developed, and the controversy that surrounds this trail system. The Shreveport Times wrote an article regarding this trail system, when it first open in 2004, and they discuss the challenges that these owners faced when opening this trail system. I won't get into all the political issues facing this trail system, and will only focus on the trail itself.

We took a small crew on this ride, and met with Sissy the Trail Manager, and Lamar Evans the trail security officer. Lamar shadowed us to ensure the trail was wide open, and to answer any questions we had. Back in 2008 two of us test rode 20 miles of this trail system just to see what it was about, and to see if it was worth coming back to. We agreed in 2008 we need to make a return trip, and ride the entire length, and do a full review.

It must be noted this is a Private Trail System, and a membership is required. The yearly membership costs $25 per year.

There are two different locations you can park at. We usually park at the Red Caboose in the town of Goldonna. There is a gas station only half a mile from the parking area, and the parking area is large enough to hold several vehicles. From Goldonna you can either strike North and ride roughly 42 miles to just South of Sibley, or you can ride 13.5 miles from Goldonna to just North of Winnfield.

There are several rules that apply to this trail system, but the main rules are no racing, no alcohol, must be a member, and most important stay on the trail. You may see some side trails, but do not ride them. Most of these side trails lead to private property, and this is a real fast way to complicate the issue the locals have with this trail system, STAY ON THE TRAIL! Other than that it is nearly impossible to get lost since this is a one way trail system, and a GPS is not required. As far as fuel, you will either need to refuel in certain towns or bring your own. I prefer bringing my own fuel, since you never know what may happen on the trail. Bottom line you will need fuel if you are going to ride the entire length.

Since we wanted to ride the entire length of the trail, and we parked at Goldonna, this meant we had to ride down to Winnfield which was 13.5 miles one way.

This was an old railway system, so this means 99.9% of the trail is flat and wide open. The trail is about 15 feet wide and the picture to the right is what the trail pretty much looks like. You can move fairly fast and cover a lot of ground. Our average speed was 25mph, compared to our average speed on tight trails in Arkansas is 12mph, so that tells you this is easy cruising.

The ride from Goldonna to Winnfield passes through the Kisatchie National Forest and is scenic. A portion of the trail crosses the Saline Bayou, and you get to ride over a very long Railroad trussel bridge, which is very cool.

You will experience some water filled areas, but nothing serious. For the most part these large water areas have hard bottoms to them.

Most of the trail down to Winnfield runs along Highway 156, and looks like the picture to the left.

About halfway between Goldonna and Winnfield you will pass through two small towns of Coldwater, and Calvin. It is important to realize this trail system crosses over several rodes so be careful of on coming traffic.

This is what the end of the trail looks like at Winnfield. The trail ends about 1 mile before the actual town of Winnfield, so you cannot ride into it yet. Eventually, they will reclaim the final section to Winnfield, and you will be able to ride completely into Winnfield. There is a small parking area, not as large as the Goldonna, but it will hold a few vehicles. Once you reach this spot you will turn around, and ride the same trail back to Goldonna and the Red Caboose. It is 13.5 miles to this spot, and a total round trip of 27 miles back to Goldonna.

Once we went back to Goldonna, we ate lunch, and refueled. We then headed North to Sibley. You will notice several of these gates which are wide enough for Atvs, and SxS, but are meant to keep out large trucks, and vehicles.

There are not very many muddy sections, but as you go North it does gradually become more and more muddy in some spots. Keep in mind you can go around most of these muddy spots, or you can have fun in them.

You will also pass through several small towns, usually right through the middle of town. Depending on the town you can stop for food and gas. There is a little town further North called Heflin where you can eat some excellent Hamburgers, and refuel at.

Now, the trail is supposed to go all the way to Sibley, but someone placed large concrete slabs across the railroad tracks, which made it impassable. This is as far as you can go, and is roughly 5 miles North of Helfin, and just short of I-20.

This is a unique trail system, and is pretty different from anything I rode before. This is an excellent trail system for Side by Side machines. The riding is very easy, and you can cover a lot of ground very quickly. You also get to see a lot of Northwest Louisiana landscape. If you want an easy cruise, and view a lot of diverse terrain this is an excellent trail system to ride.

You do have to be a member to ride this trail system. Click on the below link for the latest information. GOLDONNA TRAIL SYSTEM