Taste of hill country scenic drive (Houston, San Antonio: home, neighborhoods, live in)

[wdwmom2]

We are new to the area and looking for a scenic route for a drive through hill country . we live in RR area and aren't looking for a 3 hour tour just a nice drive we could do on a saturday any routes that would be good for this?

[neddy]

1431 to Marble falls and back is very pretty and close to your area. If you wanted to do 1431 to Marble Falls then up 281 and the 29 back to 35. I think maybe about an hour drive without stops.

Have fun!

[imaterry78259]

(San Antonio Area ) The drive from Hunt Texas to Kerrville then go to to Boerne to Hwy 46 to Hwy281 ( North SA suburb) then go north on 281 until you hit 290 past Blanco, Johnson city and go East toward Austin's Lake Travis area

[texasdreamin]

Another beautiful drive is along 337, 377, 16, and 83. I also enjoyed looking at the counryside along 473. All remote, but beautiful.

[blusteel]

For a shorter drive in your time frame of under 3 hr. go 1431 toward Marble Falls, turn right on 1174 and go through Oatmeal, then end up at Liberty Hill and on home on Hwy 29. If you want a down-home place to grab a bite to eat, you might try the Hobo Depot in Liberty Hill by the railroad tracks. It's been there forever and has some of the best onion rings in the world.

[Porsche911Turbo]

I live in Houston. I am looking for about 5 hour round trip for scenic drive. What can you guys recommend?

[atxcio]

Originally Posted by Porsche911Turbo

I live in Houston. I am looking for about 5 hour round trip for scenic drive. What can you guys recommend?

I'm assuming you want the Hill Country around Austin, since it's probably the closest? What part of Houston will you be coming from? From most places, it would be about 2.5 hrs to Austin. Then maybe a bit more for exploring the west side.

Note: This is scenic, but not desolate. In fact, it's pretty much all populated. It's a fun drive with lots of twists and turns esp once you get to the west side of Austin, but don't expect to be able to open it up to 120mph or anything. For that kinda stuff, you'd need to go further south or west. Maybe ask on the San Antonio forum.

From Houston -
1. Take I-10 west to Hwy 71 west (the La Grange/Austin exit in Columbus).
2. Take 71 to Riverside Dr. just east of Austin.
3. Take Riverside west (right) towards downtown Austin, until you hit Lamar. (You can park around here and check out the lake trail or Zilker park)
4. Take Lamar north, cross the river, and take a left on 6th street (check out the flagship Whole Foods if you want)
5. Take 6th street west to Mopac (Loop 1) heading N.
6. Take Mopac (Loop 1) to the 35th street and exit.
7. Take a left (West) on 35th street until Mt Bonnell Rd. (check map -- you may have to bear left before Mt Bonnell to stay on 35th)
8. Take a right on Mt Bonnell (heading north). You can stop at the park and climb the stairs to see the view from up there.
9. Take Mt Bonnell Rd. till it ends on 2222. Take a left on 2222 (it may be easier to take a right and turn around, depending on traffic, be careful).
10. Take 2222 West. You'll stay on 2222 a while, past loop 360 and past 620. Plenty of hilly neighborhoods if you want to take side roads in along that area.
11. After passing 620, maybe less than a mile later you will take a left on Oasis Bluff.
12. Take Oasis Bluff a short way til it ends at Comanche Trail. Take a left on Comanche trail and pull into the Oasis restaurant. You may want to get a drink at the Starlight Cafe there, or just use it as a stopping point. That'll probably be 2.5-3 hours right there, depending on traffic and how fast you were driving... so you could turn around. OR, you can take Comanche trail either way, and get in some more hill country driving around Lake Travis. N on Comanche will get you to some smaller twistier roads and Hippie Hollow and Windy Point. South on Comanche will get you to Hwy 620, Mansfield Dam, Hudson Bend, and Lakeway but less twisty roads.

Whew. Verify all this on a map... I'm doing it by memory.

On the way back, you can shorten the trip by taking 360 south from 2222, it will turn into Hwy 71 and you are on your way home.

Alternate way, if you happen to be in NW Houston and 290 is easier : take 290 all the way to Austin. It's slower than I10/71, but a few miles shorter. The road will change names a couple of times in Austin, but stay on it and follow the signs and it will turn into 2222. Then just keep going west on 2222 and follow the previous directions. You'll skip some of the central austin hilly drive though, which is kinda cool.

If you want to get even more advanced with the hilly roads in Austin, look up Stratford Drive, Scenic Drive, Red Bud Trail and Westlake Drive.

[doctorjef]

I'd strongly recommend Hwy 71 West, all the way out to Llano, which is about 70 miles. It can be especially lovely in the Spring if there has been sufficient rain. There are many good routes that others here have suggested. Hwy 71 is probably my personal favourite. However, even within Austin itself there are bits of RR 2222 that are spectacular.