Drive up to a beautiful view at Wildcat Mountain at Hidden Falls Adventure Park. Staff photo by Jared Fields
Outdoor sports in the Highland Lakes don’t have to include water. Burnet and Llano counties offer a myriad of opportunities to mix the beautiful natural landscape with adventure, including off-roading, mountain biking, zip lining, rock climbing, target shooting, and spelunking.
OFF-ROADING/SHARP SHOOTING
Highland Falls Adventure Park
One of the best views in the area can be found at Hidden Falls Adventure Park, home to Wildcat Mountain. The best way to get there is via one of the park’s Jeeps, dirt bikes, or ATVs, which you can drive to the 1,410-foot summit.
Also part of the adventure park, Copperhead Creek Shooting Club features sporting clays, five-stand, skeet, and trap shooting. The shooting club covers 600 acres of the park’s total 2,700 acres, all packed with adventure.
Hidden Falls Adventure Park is located at 7030 RR 1431 East in Marble Falls. Call (830) 798-9820.
MOUNTAIN BIKING
Spider Mountain Bike Park
The newest addition to mountain biking adventure in the Highland Lakes is Spider Mountain Bike Park, Texas’s first lift-served bike park. Ride the lift up 350 vertical feet for a choice of five trails that offer the perfect ride for every skill level.
Spider Mountain Bike Park is located at 200 Greenwood Hills Trail in Burnet. Call (512) 756-4878.
Reveille Peak Ranch
More than 62 miles of trails wind through the rolling granite hills of Reveille Peak Ranch in Burnet. Along with some of the most extreme mountain biking trails in Texas, the ranch also offers scuba diving in one of the state’s clearest lakes.
Facilities include a two-story, 10,000-square-foot pavilion, a full-service commercial kitchen, restrooms, showers, camping, and RV hookups.
Popular for group events, expos, training programs, and races, Reveille Peak Ranch offers biking trails for every skill level.
Reveille Peak Ranch is located at 105 CR 114 in Burnet County. Call (512) 755-4417.
Muleshoe Bend and Grelle Recreation Areas
Beginners to advanced will love the 10 miles of trails at Muleshoe Bend Recreation Area. Even the most difficult obstacles are built with ride-arounds.
More challenging trails can be found at Grelle Recreation Area, just west of Muleshoe Bend. Cyclists will have to carry or walk bikes at the more difficult areas.
One important note: These bike trails are shared with hikers and horseback riders.
Muleshoe Bend Recreation Area is located at 2820 CR 414. Grelle Recreation Area is located at 640 CR 412 in Spicewood.
ROCK CLIMBING
Enchanted Rock State Natural Area
Park rangers provide climbers with a map and a list of 34 creatively named climbing routes at Enchanted Rock State Natural Area. From Becky to Yellow Pages, the routes represent only a portion of the climbs available.
The list includes climbing rates from 5.0 to 5.11, different types of climbs, and protection ratings. Types include chimnev, face climb, wide hand crack, thin finger tip layback, and undercling layback.
Climbers must climb clean: No bolts, pitons, or other devices that deface the rock in any manner are permitted. For more information about climbing at the park, connect with the Central Texas Climbing Committee, which works closely with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department on climbing policies and events.
Enchanted Rock State Natural Area is located at 16710 RR 965 south of Llano and north of Fredericksburg. Call (830) 685-3636.
SPELUNKING
Longhorn Cavern State Park
Wild Cave Tours at Longhorn Cavern State Park takes groups of four to 12 guests wriggling, crawling, and exploring through the undeveloped lower level of the caverns. The trip lasts two to three hours and guarantees spelunkers will get dirty and wet. Required gear includes helmet, headlamp, and knee pads.
Deep in the heart of of the limestone that permeates the Texas Hill Country, the tour visits areas not on the regular tourist route at the caverns: Fat Man’s Misery, the Dark Room, Saddlehorn, the Chute, Jacob’s Well, and the Lake Tunnel. (The names allude to the experience to expect at each one.)
Wild Cave Tours are scheduled for 9:30 AM on Saturdays.
Longhorn Cavern State Park is located at 6211 Park Road 4 South in Burnet County. Call (512) 715-9000.
