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Texas Hill Country Bike Tour
Trip Overview
The Hill Country of Texas is a fantastic late fall and early spring bike tour destination with scenic roads, great food and a special inn. The Hill Country sits atop the Edwards Plateau and in many ways is the geographic and cultural border between the U.S. Southwest and the South. The area is unique for its fusion of Spanish and German influences on food, beer, architecture and music that form a distinctively local “Texan” culture.
Our tour of the Texas Hill Country begins and ends in Austin, and we recommend you spend extra time there before or after the tour. Texas settlers clustered around the crystal-clear waterways of the Hill Country, and our trip highlights this history. You’ll unpack once and stay for five nights in Fredericksburg — allowing time to explore some of the best routes in the area, outstanding museums, great food and a hike on the largest pink granite dome in the U.S. Each day has some riding along the river valleys without too much climbing — and optional routes with additional miles. Spring trips showcase Texas bluebonnets or other wildflowers. And autumn trips bring fall colors and flowers — and a great location to extend your biking season.
Itinerary
From start to finish, check out the route.
Meet on Sunday morning at 9:30 a.m. at the Hilton Garden Inn Austin Airport — or at 12:30 p.m. at Barons Creekside in Fredericksburg — then gather for a welcome lunch, bike fitting and orientation. You go on an afternoon ride through Fredericksburg and out into the Hill Country, then settle into your cabin at Barons. Enjoy dinner in town and an initial exploration of Fredericksburg.
Today features a ride out to Lyndon B. Johnson’s historic ranch. The ride from Fredericksburg to the LBJ Ranch is 17 miles. As you cross over the Pedernales River into the ranch, you step back in time to when local farm houses were transformed into guest lodging for visiting politicians and foreign leaders. Enjoy a picnic lunch, and cycle the quiet scenic loop through the ranch. Riders can opt to bike back to Fredericksburg or return in the van. Tonight’s dinner will be at The Club at Barons Creekside and include a wine tasting from some of the best in the area.
Today’s ride features a loop to iconic Luckenbach. The ghost town of Luckenbach was made famous when Jerry Jeff Walker recorded a live album there in the 1970s, and it remains a colorful symbol of the Hill Country. The ride crosses the Pedernales River and then traverses quiet backroads to Alamo Springs and the Old Tunnel State Park. You can take a short hike here and then enjoy lunch at the uniquely rural Alamo Springs Café. The ride after lunch rolls along Grape Creek to Luckenbach, where you can stop and listen to the daily music on the stage and explore the “town.” You finish with smooth back roads all the way to Barons Creekside. Shorter mileage options include stopping or starting at Alamo Springs or Luckenbach. Dinner is at Otto’s in Fredericksburg, featuring some favorite local German dishes and fine local cuisine.
This is the day for exploring Fredericksburg and some relaxed biking. Spend the morning in Fredericksburg, with a chance to visit the National Museum of the Pacific War, the Pioneer Museum, the Texas Ranger Heritage Center or just stroll through the shops in town. After lunch at Barons Creekside, cycle through town and head west for 15 – 40 miles. The ride back along Pecan Creek Road is a highlight of the day. Dinner tonight is on your own in Fredericksburg.
Thursday features some of the most scenic riding in Texas — along with a picnic and optional hike on a spectacular granite dome. Start with a ride out to Enchanted Rock State Park, home of the largest pink granite dome in the U.S. Alternatively, you can take the van to the State Park and spend the morning hiking and exploring there. Enjoy a picnic lunch in the State Park and then transfer back to the start of the Willow City Loop, a spectacularly scenic winding road. Quiet roads along and through farms and ranches bring you back into Fredericksburg. Dinner tonight features Texas BBQ, followed by live music at The Club at Barons Creekside to celebrate our last night in the Texas Hill Country.
For the final ride, you do a loop to the east of Fredericksburg, looking for last sightings of longhorns, llamas, Herefords or Quarter Horses. Return to the inn for showers and then head to town for a final lunch together. If needed, a shuttle will return you to Austin and you arrive at the Austin airport area by 3 p.m., so please plan flights departing after 6 p.m.
Map
Dates & Pricing
Prices are per person based on double occupancy (2 people in one room). Single supplement for private room is listed at the top of this page. A deposit of $500 holds your reservation for most tours. For weekend tours, the deposit is $300.
What’s Included
Park entrance fees, 5 nights’ lodging, 4 dinners, 5 breakfasts, 5 lunches, shuttle from hotel near Austin airport to start, all gratuities for accommodations and meals. We also include detailed maps and itineraries, experienced guides, full van support — plus a road, hybrid or e-bike and helmet. Airfare is not included.
Dates & Pricing
Prices are per person based on double occupancy (2 people in one room). Single supplement for private room is listed at the top of this page. A deposit of $500 holds your reservation for most tours. For weekend tours, the deposit is $300.
What’s Included
Park entrance fees, 5 nights’ lodging, 4 dinners, 5 breakfasts, 5 lunches, shuttle from hotel near Austin airport to start, all gratuities for accommodations and meals. We also include detailed maps and itineraries, experienced guides, full van support — plus a road, hybrid or e-bike and helmet. Airfare is not included.
Inns
Where you stay along the way.
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Gallery
Images from this tour. Click each to see it larger.
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