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Texas' Hill Country State Natural Area

It's amazing what nature can do with pasture a decade after the cows go home.

by: Elaine Albright

Little-Known Fact: The Hill Country Area was once the Merrick Bar-O-Ranch, which began in 1856 and prospered through the mid-1970s.

The limestone hills in central Texas' Bandera and Medina counties stand like a monument to the Old West. Rocky upland trails snake through the chaparral ~ a dense growth of cedar and sotol ~ upward to peaks overlooking grassy plains as far as you can see. Valley trails trace the West Verde Creek, which cascades over rocky ridges and creates small waterfalls, then lazily flows between stands of oak trees and soft green banks.

On the west bank of the creek, Comanche Bluff rises above a deep swimming hole. Named for Native Americans who once roamed the area, the bluff reminds you of a time when a "day on the trail" meant herding longhorns. Today, however, your time on the trail will be spent hiking through the Hill Country State Natural Area, which sprawls across 5,370 of these acres and offers 36 miles of remote wilderness trails.

Situated in the heart of Texas' rugged Hill Country, the park was once a working cattle ranch. The Bar O Ranch began in 1856 and prospered through the mid-1970s.

The last owner, Louise Merrick, began donating acreage to the state after the death of her husband. The park opened to the public in 1984, and since then, the land has been allowed to revert to its natural condition, honoring Louise Merrick's request that the terrain "be kept far removed and untouched by modern civilization." And, sure enough, night skies glisten with stars uninhibited by city lights.

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