Coronavirus had us all going a little crazy with most everything shut down in Texas. When the governor re-opened State Parks in Texas for day-use only (with various restrictions) my Dad and I jumped at the opportunity to get outdoors. This lead us to Lockhart State Park. It is a short 25 minutes from my childhood home, but we had never been there. Winter was definitely along for the ride as well. With a gorgeous day of sunny weather predicted, we were definitely ready to enjoy the park.
Lockhart State Park Trails
We set out wanting to hike every trail in the park – a not so lofty goal with only 4 miles of trails in the park. What the park lacks in trail distance, it makes up for in beauty. Geographically the park is located just south of the iconic Texas Hill Country. With gently rolling hills and several creeks traversing the park there are some gorgeous overlooks and water features to enjoy. The park also has a ton of informational plaques along the trails about the plants and trees found in the park.
Some state park trails are easily accessible with strollers for kiddos – none of the trails at Lockhart State Park were. Palmetto State Park is nearby and many of the trails there are laid out perfectly for using a stroller. Check out my blog for Palmetto State Park (coming soon)!
Rattlesnake Run Trail
Parking toward the back of Lockhart State Park, we started and ended our hike with Rattlesnake Run Trail. This 0.5 mile trail is fairly easy going, with several areas of small elevation change – a unique feature not found often in Texas hiking. This was a great warm up for the rest of the day of hiking.
Rattlesnake Run Trail
Chisholm Trail and Comanche Loop
You can access this trail from the main park road or via Rattlesnake Run Trail like we did. As we started down this trail we ran into a few other groups of hikers out enjoying the day. We took a short detour to check out Comanche Loop. Along the way we found some pretty views and a huge patch of flowering cactus.
We started to notice the weather changing. It looked like our sunny weather prediction was wrong. Back on Chisholm Trail it started to rain a little, the rain turned into HAIL. Of course we went for cover under a tree and waited it out. In the process I think I got the saddest picture of Winter I have ever taken. She was very unhappy about the change in weather.
Pea sized hail
Fenceline Trail, Creekview Trail, Hilltop Trail, and Persimmon Trail
Chisholm Trail splits and there are four new trails in this area to hike: Fenceline Trail, Creekview Trail, Hilltop Trail and Persimmon Trail. We hiked them in that order. These are all relatively short trails that are all connected. The Hilltop trail takes you to the top of a hill – i.e. the name. Creekview trail, which we hiked twice, was my favorite of these, offering gorgeous views over Clear Fork Creek with a large drop off. Persimmon Trail was the most rugged, but also a great change up from the other trails in the park.
Creek View Trail
Clear Fork Trail and Wild Rose Loop
Probably the most iconic trail in the park is Clear Fork Trail. You start and end crossing the creek. The trailhead and CCC Check Dam #3 is where we started this trail, and I almost ended up in the water with both my dad’s and my phone. Winter ran across the dam no problem, of course. We stopped several times along the trail to enjoy the creek.
CCC Trail and Caddy Trail
The shortest two trails in the park are also the steepest trails in the park and definitely get your heart rate up. The trailhead for CCC trail is along the main park road, and on the way there from Clear Fork Trail you pass a gorgeous dam and waterfall. The perfect spot for some gorgeous photos.
Before you go – Lockhart State Park
In addition to hiking opportunities, Lockhart State Park also has camping, fishing, and is very well known for its Golf Course. I’m and definitely not a golfer, so don’t ask me if the course is good or not. But the trails were fantastic for a half day of hiking within an hour of Austin.
In total to hike all the trails – and some of them twice – with plenty of stops along the way it took us about 2.5 hours. This is a park I would love to return to during the Texas camping season and stay for the weekend. For even more park information, head over to the Texas State Park website.
The day use fees at this park are $3. Due to the restrictions in place (thanks COVID-19), we had to reserve a “Save the Day” pass on the park website and wear a face covering. If I am 100% honest, we only covered our nose and mouth when passing other hikers. Since then the face covering requirement has been removed. The “Save the Day” option is always available for every state park in Texas, and I always recommend using it as opposed to paying at the park entrance. Why? For the busier state parks it guarantees you will be able to enjoy the state park on the day you planned to go.
Leave no trace
The environmental activist in me comes out at the end of every post. If we want to keep being able to enjoy the great outdoors, we have to take care of it! I have a bag to put all my trash in that I carry in my day pack. Using a refillable and reusable water bottle or camelbak instead of using a plastic bottle from the convenience store is a must.
When I hike with dogs, who are lucky enough to have nature as their restroom, I always carry plenty of baggies to clean up after them. Most parks don’t have trash bins along trails, so be prepared to carry it out.
Look for more posts about hiking in Houston and around Texas here. For more dog friendly hiking and camping, check out my blogs on the All Things Winter page.
Nice, but I think you been there before you just don’t remember.. Holy Hail what fun….
It was a great hike
[…] got its name from the unique dwarf palmetto plants found there. In similar fashion to my hikes at Lockhart State Park, we planned to hit all the trails in one day. We arrived around 9 AM and we were off to on the […]
2conservatory