Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge — Attraction in Liberty Hill

On our road trip to Austin, we entered through NW Austin and made a point to stop by Balcones on the way South.

We planned on hiking the Rimrock Trail which was rated difficult. My wife and are fairly routine hikers. While we don’t hike during our daily lives often, we stay fit, and when we vacation we tend to target more outdoorsy locations where ample hiking is available.

Rimrock was an awesome, 2.2 mile trail. I personally would only give the difficulty as easy-moderate. For those with kids or do jot routinely hike and keep in shape, I can see this being a difficult trail given the climb. We did the loop straight through without stopping for water or snacks though we were prepared with both.

Highly recommend sunscreen as you will be in the sun a good chunk of the trail. Similarly, the heat can be intense.

Are you scared of bugs? We are :) and there were some very large grasshoppers. One landed on my wife’s stomach and she let out a little scream. Nothing to bad. We passed one dead snake. Several lizards scattered across our path.

Views and pics were nice. This was our first trip to Texas so the nature was new for us; especially, the cactus plants.

We had 5-8 people pass us going the opposite direction on the trail. Not overcrowded at all.

No cost to get in and ample parking was open. We did go on a weekday morning so I suspect this maybe why so little people were there and why ample parking was open.

Overall, would rate this as a 5/5. We were expecting something more difficult but that didn’t distract from our enjoyment of...

Balcones Canyonlands is expansive and beautiful with trails appropriate for all skill level and abilities. NOTE: Google Maps will send you to an address in Marble Falls that is at least 15 miles from any of the Refuge’s trailheads. My suggestion is to locate the trailhead where you want to start (e.g., Canyon Rock, Doeskin Ranch) and navigate to that place. There is ample parking available throughout the Refuge at the starts/ends of the various trails. We spent our morning on the south side and made a big loop of the Cactus Rocks, Vista Knoll, and Ridgeline trails. With two adults and two kids (ages 7-9) hiking at about a three-mile an hour pace, it took us just under two hours to complete the loop with stops for pictures at the multiple scenic overlooks on Vista Knoll trail and the optional dogleg out to the observation deck for more pictures. The trails are well-marked and well maintained. There are bathrooms (pit toilets, no water, with hand sanitizer) at most of the parking areas. We did not find any water stations. Strongly suggest bring water and/or snacks if you’re going to attempt more than one trail. For the most part, these trails were shaded (about 85% shade). There is no cost to enter, park, or hike at the Reserve. We grabbed one of the educational leaflets at the start of the Cactus Rocks trail and learned a lot as we followed the marked rocks along the trail. All in all, a fabulous place to spend time alone or with family...

5 stars for the beauty of the refuge and the moderate intensity of the trails. Worth the drive up to come hike. That being said, there are a few things that can make coming here a bit difficult, and even a tad annoying—the only trails open on weekends are at the Doeskin Ranch entrance, off RR 1174 near Bertram. If you want to try the trails at the main headquarters off of RR 1431, be prepared to come Monday-Friday BEFORE 4:30pm when they close. Also I’d recommend getting to Doeskin Ranch as early as possible, since the parking lot is TINY and fills up quickly in the morning. The other thing is the trails themselves are barely marked, which, I understand wanting to preserve the natural habitat and am all for it, but I’d also like to know at more than one checkpoint how much further I have to go and if I’m still on the right track, AKA not lost. Lastly, and not a fault of the refuge, be prepared for many fellow hikers to have little understanding or regard for basic trail etiquette on narrow trails when passing someone, and prepare accordingly. Still a lovely place to hike, and...