AROUND AND ABOUT: The first picture was taken
on private property (with permission) along the House Mountain Road between Loyal Valley
and Prairie Mountain. The field of Indian Paint Brush is on Hwy 1431N near Fuzzy's
Corner on Hwy 29. The flowers along the fence line were located on Llano County Road 113
near Oxford. The last two pictures in the series were taken on Hwy 29 between
Llano and Lake Buchanan.
Routes of the Bluebonnet Trail
Story & Photos by IRA KENNEDY
If you're headed for this part of Texas in late March to early May you're in
for a spectacular experience. (If not, you'll hear the stories and see the pictures from
friends.) All you need is a car, road maps and a camera.
Fill up your gas tank, load up the car with family and
friends, and if you don't own a camera, those recycled (some folks call them
"disposable") Kodak cameras work just fine. You might want to try
the panoramic.
|
 t really doesn't matter much which roads you take because this year the
wild flowers are likely to be thick practically everywhere. Highways 1431, 29, 281,
71, 29, 2323 and 16 are the main thoroughfares and you can't but help to travel those; but
it's best to branch out and explore.
If
you're looking for Bluebonnets, they're most plentiful in the northern part of the Hill
Country. If you're traveling from Fredericksburg to Llano take highway
16. Beginning at Willow City the Bluebonnets don't confine themselves to the
bar ditches, but spread out into the fields.
On the Map page you
will find "The Texas Hill Country" map with links to three other more detailed
you'll find useful. Print them out to take along on your trip. The maps are: (1.) Heart of the Texas Hill Country (2.) The Highland Lakes and (3.) Hill Country West.
 A few county roads, such as
the renowned Willow City Loop (1) just north of Fredericksburg, will be (for good reason)
thick with cars. If you head that way on the weekend you'd best set aside a couple
of hours due to the heavy traffic.
For an out-of-the-way drive, take County Road 113
between Oxford and 2323 (1). Oxford isn't even a wide place in the road, but you'll spot
the turnoff by the historic marker. There's hardly any traffic at all on 113
and the unspoiled landscape is exceptional. The Click
Route just north of the Oxford Cemetery on County Road 315 passes through some awesome
hills, but you will definitely need a 4-wheel drive.
The area covered on my Hill Country West (3) is
little explored by tourists during Bluebonnet but they're missing something grand.
The first photo in the series above was taken just west of the Loyal Valley Community
(3). While on the trip I came across a field of Bluebonnets which were the deepest,
darkest blue I've ever seen.
All the roadsides from Llano to Burnet and from Tow
(rhymes with cow) to Marble Falls will be laden with wildflowers (2). Even on a so-so year
all of the roads surrounding Lake Buchanan and Lake LBJ have traditionally been
spectacular. If you want some great Indian Paintbrush pictures take the Old Spanish
Trail off highway 29 just south of the 1431 intersection near Fuzzy's Corner.
If you're in the Highland Lakes area (2) I recommend
checking out two great overlooks. The first is from Lookout Mountain on Hwy 1431
near Kingsland. The other is located between Longhorn Cavern and Inks Lake State
Park.
Before heading out please read page 4 on the
precautions, especially if you're new to the area.
PAGE 1: THE TRAIL / PAGE 2: BACKGROUND
PAGE 3: ROUTES / PAGE
4: PRECAUTIONS / MAP
|
BOOKMARK THIS SITE
TYPE CTRL-D NOW
Texas Hill Country Wine: Torrie de Pietra Vineyards and Winery near Fredericksburg
Texas |
