march 2022

Texas Hill Country

Where:  west of San Antonio, stretching north towards Austin 

Directions: branches from I-10

Good to Know:

Enchanted Rock, a massive dome of pink granite is is one of the largest batholiths (an underground rock formation uncovered by erosion) in America. The climb to the top of the 425-foot Enchanted Rock up mostly bare rock was one you could enjoy with your dog until 2016. Now your best trail companion is restricted to the Loop Trail. 

Why so good:   

THE RIVERS.

Mountaintops and dramatic views are not the attraction of this Doggie Dream Destination - it is water. Over 800 fresh water springs percolate to the surface in crystalline rivers and lakes that make the Texas Hill Country special. Guadalupe River State Park features four miles of river frontage and the stretch by the day-use area forms the prettiest hike your dog will find as it carves its way through limestone bluffs with banks dotted by massive bald cypress trees. At Pedernales Falls State Park the flow varies widely in the Pedernales River as it meanders along but on an average day the falls pick their way down 50 feet of limestone ledges in a wide canyon. Near the campground, tranquil blue-green waters make a picturesque double drop in a secluded glen before reaching the river. If your dog likes to dive in the water they can join in the fun popping into the water from the rocks surrounding the Devil’s Water Hole at the tip of Inks Lake State Park.

LIMESTONE CANYONS.

A pair of four-mile loops climb through steep limestone canyons onto plateau grasslands in the Lost Maples State Natural Area. Each features one big, rock-infested climb before leveling off at the top. The East Trail spends more time on the Sabinal River and visits the namesake stand of Uvalde bigtooth maples that are relics from the last Ice Age when Texas was wetter.

THE WILDLIFE.

Those limestone nooks and crannies are home to a bevy of creatures ranging from bats to tarantulas to whitetail deer. In South Llano River State Park your dog will likely encounter the largest concentration of Rio Grande Turkeys to be found in the American Southwest. The gregarious birds winter in large flocks around cottonwood riparian areas like the South Llano River, which numbers between 600 and 800 birds. Turkeys can be spotted year-round, especially along the scrubby brush and open grasslands of the Fawn Trail that loops up open slopes for three miles.

THE RANCHES.

Hill Country was settled by ranchers running sheep and cattle. George Wilkins Kendall, a newspaperman from New Orleans, imported two dozen Spanish merino rams for a flock of ewes and hired a Scottish sheepherder to run things on his spread near Boerne. Kendall extolled the Texas Hill country in his New Orleans Picayune and the distant markets he peddled his wool. His flock soon numbered in the thousands and the Texas sheep industry was a player in Eastern textile mills. By the 1880s there were nearly seven million sheep grazing in Texas. Your trail pal can experience range life at the Hill Country State Natural Area where the bulk of more than 5,000 acres were a donation from the Merrick Bar-O-Ranch with the stipulation that it “be kept far removed and untouched by modern civilization.” There are more than 40 miles of primitive trails running through grassy valleys and up limestone hills. A good sampler is the four-mile loop around the Comanche Bluff Camp Area across from the park office.

HISTORY.

Lyndon Baines Johnson built one of the greatest political power bases in American history from his beginnings in Texas Hill Country. At the Lyndon B. Johnson State Historical Park located across the Pedernales River from LBJ Ranch there is a nature trail, living history farm and plenty of grassy open space for a game of fetch in the 700-acre park.