Texas Hill Country Scenic Loop: Austin to Willow City Loop

Scenic road chapters

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Austin

   Austin sits where the flat Texas blackland prairie meets the limestone Hill Country, and that line, the Balcones Escarpment, is the reason the city is a good place to start a ride. West of downtown the land rises suddenly into oak and juniper hills cut by creeks, with the Colorado River, dammed into the long Lake Austin and Lake Travis, curling between them. The city grew here in the nineteenth century as the capital of the Republic of Texas, and the pink granite Capitol, which is taller than the one in Washington, still dominates the skyline.

   Read the complete Austin write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Austin is where the day begins. Next is Dripping Springs.

2. 2. Dripping Springs

   Dripping Springs sits on the eastern edge of the Texas Hill Country, west of Austin, where the flat blackland prairie gives way to limestone hills, live oaks and cedar. The name comes from the springs that seep from a ledge nearby, and the town proudly calls itself the gateway to the Hill Country. It is also, by its own declaration, the Wedding Capital of Texas, thanks to the number of ranches and barns in the surrounding hills that host ceremonies, so you will often see a bride or two on a weekend.

   Read the complete Dripping Springs write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Dripping Springs comes up about 37 km into the recorded legs. Next is Fredericksburg.

3. 3. Fredericksburg

   Fredericksburg is a German town that happens to be in Texas. It was founded in 1846 by settlers who came from the German states under a land company led by John Meusebach, who named the town after Prince Frederick of Prussia, and the legacy of those early families still shapes everything from the architecture to the menu. The long Main Street is lined with limestone and timber buildings, many of them with steep roofs and shutters, and German bakeries, beer halls and sausage shops are still going strong.

   Read the complete Fredericksburg write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   about 125 km into the recorded legs you reach Fredericksburg. Next is Willow City Loop.

4. 4. Willow City Loop

   The Willow City Loop is thirteen miles of narrow, twisting ranch road in the Texas Hill Country, and for a few weeks each spring it is one of the most photographed roads in the state. In March and April the roadsides and meadows fill with bluebonnets, Indian paintbrush, and other wildflowers in blue, red and gold, and the low hills roll away in waves of colour. The loop runs through private ranchland, over cattle guards and through low-water crossings, with granite outcrops and live oaks along the way, and it passes the tiny hamlet of Willow City. Fredericksburg, the nearest real town, lies about twenty-five kilometres to the south-west.

   Read the complete Willow City Loop write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Willow City Loop closes the day.