Note: This includes driving directions to some areas near Bandera that I didn’t have a chance to take.
Texas Hill Country – Scenic Drive – Day-3 (Saturday)
Lost Maples, Garner State Park, Love Creek Orchards, 11 st. Cowboy Bar (dancing).
From Double U Barr Ranch in Bandera:
Turn RIGHT US-173 heading north for 18.8 miles to Kerrville (Hill Country’s biggest town).
Turn LEFT onto Memorial Blvd., continuing 3.1 miles to Main St. in Kerrville (stop for gas, sandwich and snacks, if needed).
Turn LEFT at 1st cross-street onto Fredericksburg Rd./Sidney Baker St.
Continue .3 mile, then turn RIGHT onto TX-98/Thompson Dr. and continue 3.1 miles.
Turn LEFT onto TX-27 West and continue for 3.5 miles (some of the prettiest riverfront and most-expensive real estate in the Hill Country).
Continue straight onto TX-39 West (aka the South Fork Rd.) for .3 mile.
Turn LEFT onto Old Ingram Loop (collection of rock buildings/arts & crafts colony)
Continue onto Ingram Loop, then turn LEFT onto TX-39 West.
Continue on TX-39 W. for .2 mile, turning LEFT onto Point Theatre Rd. South (Stonehenge II & Easter Island replicas will be on the RIGHT in .1 mile…maybe good selfie-op).
Continue on Point Theatre Rd. south for .3 mile, then turn LEFT onto TX-39 West.
Continue on TX-39 West for 10.6 miles to Camp Mystic (TX-39 criss-crosses the Guadalupe River several times along this stretch, then becomes rockier and dryer).
Continue 14.6 miles on TX-39 West, then turn LEFT onto RR-187 South.
Continue on RR-187 South for 14.3 miles to Lost Maples Natural Area. STOP and take a hike, if able to get into parking lot.
Continue southwest on RR-187 for 3.7 miles. Then, turn RIGHT onto FM-337/RR-337.
Continue on FM337/RR337 for 15 miles (One of the best drives in TX. Rollercoaster ride through the highest, steepest and most rugged part of the Hill Country. The road switchbacks up and down a series of ridgelines, skittering along the edges of sheer cliffs and dropping down into wrinkled, creek-carved valleys. Note: Leakey borders the Frio River, which is the Hill Country’s second most popular waterway, next to the Guadalupe.).
Then, turn RIGHT onto US-83 N./Market St., and continue for .3 miles to Leakey (Lake-ee).
For a little meal and break, try Mama Chole’s (Mex) or The Friend’s Grill…both in Leakey.
Head South on US-83 for about 9 miles toward Concan and Garner State Park.
Turn LEFT/east onto FM-1050. Entrance to Garner State Park will be about a 1/4-mile down on your RIGHT (check out and photograph the dance pavilion. The nightly summer dances at the pavilion are the social highlight of the western Hill Country).
From Garner State Park, turn RIGHT onto FM-1050, and continue about 14 miles to RR-187 at Utopia.
Turn LEFT/north on RR-187, continue 10.5 miles to Vanderpool and junction of RR-337.
Turn RIGHT/east onto RR-337 (the eastern stretch of this road).
Continue on RR-337 East for 20 miles to Medina (Apple Capital of TX).
Turn RIGHT/south onto TX-16 east, and continue .4 mile to Love Creek Orchards for anything “appley”.
Turn RIGHT/south onto TX-16 east, and continue 1.8 miles to FM-2828/RR-2828.
Turn LEFT/east onto FM-2828/RR-2828, and continue 3.3 miles to FM-3240.
Turn RIGHT onto FM-3240, and continue 7.2 miles to TX-173 north.
Turn SHARP RIGHT onto TX-173 north, and continue 2.3 miles to Mason Creek Loop.
Turn RIGHT onto Mason Creek Loop, and continue .3 mile to Mason Creek Rd.
Turn RIGHT onto Mason Creek Rd, and continue 1.8 miles to Live Oak Ridge.
Double U Barr Ranch will be on your RIGHT, .6 mile down.
Texas Road-Trip 2017 