Why this ride
A 314 km loop that starts and ends near Austin, about 4 h 44 of riding. The stops in between: Dripping Springs, Fredericksburg, Willow City Loop and Llano. A steady touring day rather than a sprint.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Texas Hill Country Scenic Loop from Austin
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 314 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 4 h 44
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
The recorded total and the leg detail need reconciliation. Inspect the leg notes before using this record for timing or navigation. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Scenic road chapters
Texas Hill Country Scenic Loop
Speed drops and stays down. Park rather than crawl through. 26 km through ground somebody thought worth listing. The road passes it rather than bypassing it.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 25 km
- Named road
- Texas Hill Country Scenic Loop
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
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. 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 55 km in. Next is Fredericksburg.
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
110 km in you reach Fredericksburg. Next is Willow City Loop.
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, about halfway. Next is Llano.
5. Llano
Llano sits on a bend of the Llano River in the central Texas Hill Country, where granite and limestone meet, and for a small town it has a surprising amount of stone about it. The courthouse square is built of the local pink granite, the old bridges are stone and iron, and the river itself runs clear and green over great pale boulders. The country around is the Llano Uplift, a dome of ancient Precambrian rock, some of the oldest exposed in Texas, pushed up through the younger limestone, and at nearby Enchanted Rock a huge bald granite dome rises out of the oak and juniper like the back of a buried whale.
Read the complete Llano write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Llano sits at 220 km, late in the day. Next is Austin.
6. Austin
Return visit. Read the place description above.
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
The route ends here after 314 km.
Leg by leg
Austin to Dripping Springs
Austin → Dripping Springs is 34 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Dripping Springs to Fredericksburg
Dripping Springs → Fredericksburg is 76 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Fredericksburg to Willow City Loop
Fredericksburg → Willow City Loop is 25 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Willow City Loop to Llano
Willow City Loop → Llano is 35 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Llano to Austin
Llano → Austin is 105 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.