Big Square

The Gulf Terrace Hike & Bike Trail is a wide, paved concrete trail.  It is shared by both pedestrians and cyclists, but the traffic is controlled in two ways:

First, pedestrians are directed to go in one direction and cyclists in the other.  People don't always follow the specified direction, but most do and, therefore, this helps improve traffic flow and minimize accidents.

Second, pedestrians are only allowed to walk a 2 mile square loop, whereas the cyclists also have access to a 0.75 mile connecting trail (1.5 miles both ways).  Therefore, if you're biking this trail, you can go the full 3.5 miles; otherwise, you can only walk 2.0 miles of it.

I was impressed with this trail.  It is wide, well-maintained, and the signage is very good.  There are distance markers painted along the trail every 1/4 mile.  This is a good place to exercise if you are in the Beaumont area.