Take a Hike
Presenting the TOP TEN trails across the state— plus TWENTY more great routes— covering everything from the Chisos Mountains to the Big Thicket. So grab your backpack, your boots, and your sense of adventure and…
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ROCKY CANYONS, flower-covered meadows, and best of all, the cool and lazy Colorado River await the hiker at this park, where what feels like a limitless combination of trails takes you through a variety of terrains. From the high ridges there are wonderful views over the bucolic landscape north of the river.
McKittrick Canyon
LOCATION: Guadalupe Mountains National Park, 7 miles north of Pine Springs off U.S. 62/180
DIRECTIONS TO TRAILHEAD: Trail begins at the visitors center, which is 5 miles from the highway.
DISTANCE: 7 miles round-trip
FEE OR FREE: $3 park entrance fee (good for seven days)
CAUTION: Trail is day-use only, 8 a.m.–
6 p.m. April through October and 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. November through March.
TRAIL MAP
IT’S TOUGH NOT to be able to put this in the top ten. It’s gorgeous at any time of year, but in the fall the maples and other deciduous trees fill the canyon with myriad shades of red, yellow, orange, and brown, earning this place the soubriquet of “the most beautiful spot in Texas.” It’s also high on the list of “most visited spots in Texas,” but the views are worth the crowds. Type A loners can hike an extra 4 miles up the steep trail to McKittrick Ridge for better views and more elbow room.
Milton Reimers Ranch Park
LOCATION: 30 miles southwest of Austin. Take Texas Highway 71 west of Austin through the town of Bee Cave and turn left on FM 3238 (Hamilton Pool Road). Travel 12 miles to the park entrance, on your right.
DIRECTIONS TO TRAILHEAD: Follow the park road to the parking lot on the left.
DISTANCE: 3 or 4 miles on several (unmarked) trails
FEE OR FREE: $8
CAUTION: The road to the park entrance is long and rough—your Mini won’t make it.
NO MAP AVAILABLE
WHILE THE HOI POLLOI wait in line for parking spots at Hamilton Pool, you can slip into Reimers Ranch and enjoy 3 miles of Pedernales River frontage—with a rope swing even. Hike the picturesque canyon at the front of the parking lot down to the river.
Pineywoods Nature Trail
LOCATION: Lake Livingston State Park, 5.5 miles southwest of Livingston on Park Road 65
DIRECTIONS TO TRAILHEAD: Turn right at the junction after park headquarters, and the trailhead is on the right just past the parking lots.
DISTANCE: 1 mile
FEE OR FREE: $3
CAUTION: Watch out for the equestrian-only trails.
TRAIL MAP
KIDS WILL LOVE this hike through a forest of loblolly pine trees and water oaks and past a sunflower field full of butterflies to a duck pond where hummingbirds also play. Too bad the pond has become rather run-down.
Rancherías Canyon Trail
LOCATION: Big Bend Ranch State Park, 4 miles east of Presidio on FM 170
DIRECTIONS TO TRAILHEAD: The West Rancherías trailhead is on the north side of FM 170, 22 miles west of Lajitas.
DISTANCE: 10 miles round-trip
FEE OR FREE: $3
CAUTION: Trail markers (rock cairns) can be hard to follow.
TRAIL MAP
NOT TO BE CONFUSED with the more arduous Rancherías Loop, this prettier trail climbs gradually up the Rancherías Canyon deep into the Bofecillos Mountains, passing through a high alpine meadow to dead-end at the Rancherías Falls. Try to visit after a good rain to see the falls in action.
Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge
LOCATION: 7 miles south of Alamo on FM 907; turn left on U.S. 281 to entrance.
DIRECTIONS TO TRAILHEAD: From Panther Junction, head west toward Study Butte for 13 miles, then turn left (follow signs for Castolon) and continue for 30 miles to the trailhead.
DISTANCE: 12 miles on multiple trails
FEE OR FREE: $3
CAUTION: None
NO MAP AVAILABLE
NEARLY FOUR HUNDRED species of birds, including migrating raptors and Rio Grande specialties like groove-billed anis and chachalacas, depend on this scrap of subtropical woodlands, a startling oasis in the flat Valley farmland, which is rightly considered the crown jewel of the refuge system. Resacas— oxbow lakes—surrounded with moss-covered trees add to the feeling of having entered a lost world.
Santa Elena Canyon
LOCATION: Big Bend National Park, 70 miles south of Marathon on U.S. 385
DIRECTIONS TO TRAILHEAD: Trails begin at the visitors center.
DISTANCE: 1.7 miles round-trip
FEE OR FREE: $15 park entrance fee (good for seven days)
CAUTION: Be careful crossing Terlingua Creek, which can flood quickly.
TRAIL MAP
WHAT TO WRITE ABOUT SANTA ELENA in only a sentence or two? Maybe I’ll just say that the last time I was there I was soaked from head to toe by a storm battering against the canyon mouth, while high above the sun was shining, bathing the thousand-foot rock walls and the Rio Grande with golden light. Two rainbows were suspended across the river. That kind of experience is why I go hiking.
Seminole Canyon State Park
LOCATION: 9 miles west of Comstock on U.S. 90, just east of the Pecos River
DIRECTIONS TO TRAILHEAD: Continue on Park Road 67 from the park headquarters. Trailhead is on the left before the campgrounds.
DISTANCE: 6 miles round-trip
FEE OR FREE: $3
CAUTION: None
TRAIL MAP
STOP HERE AT ANY TIME on your way to or from Big Bend, just for the views over Amistad Reservoir and the large pictograph of a panther that are waiting at the farthest point. I will always remember a day in April when the arid limestone was transformed into a flourishing garden of daisies, verbena, and flowering cacti, and flocks of birds danced in front of me as I hiked. Maybe you too will be lucky enough to catch this park in bloom.
Smith Spring
LOCATION: Guadalupe Mountains National Park, 110 miles east of El Paso on U.S. 62/180
DIRECTIONS TO TRAILHEAD: Trail begins at Frijole Ranch, about 2 miles north of Pine Springs on U.S. 62/180.
DISTANCE: 2.5-mile loop
FEE OR FREE: $3 park entrance fee (good for seven days)
CAUTION: None
TRAIL MAP
A DESERT OASIS, Smith Spring is one of the few reliable water sources in the Guadalupe Mountains, and all sorts of animals trek miles down from the high valleys to refresh themselves. Early morning and dusk are, as usual, the best times for rare glimpses of the locals.
Wolf Mountain Trail
LOCATION: Pedernales Falls State Park, 6.5 miles north of U.S. 290 on FM 3232, near Dripping Springs
DIRECTIONS TO TRAILHEAD: Trail starts at the parking area on the right, just past the park headquarters.
DISTANCE: 7-mile loop
FEE OR FREE: $5
CAUTION: Some portions of this trail are on a rock road, which makes for tough going after a while.
TRAIL MAP
STUNNING VIEWS of the Pedernales River valley are your reward on this hike, which takes you through classic Hill Country terrain to a circle round Wolf Mountain. Jones Spring, where water trickles down a gorgeous little limestone canyon, makes an excellent rest stop.
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