Hays County boasts many beautiful and diverse parks. And whether your idea of fun is swimming, sports, bird-watching or geo-caching, there are plenty of parks to choose from with the amenities you and your family are looking for.
Charro Ranch Park
The 64 acre park was donated to the city of Dripping Springs by Lucy Reed Hibberd after being in her family for about 50 years “to create a natural settting for passive activities for the community of Dripping Springs to enjoy nature,” according to her mission statement to the city. Much of the plant life is labeled and there are other informative signs about the local flora and fauna as well as picnic tables and a “Solstice Circle” (left) – offering a nice locale for reflection.
Blue Hole
This 126-acre park just east of Wimberley’s downtown square boasts many amenities including basketball courts, volleyball courts, 3.5 miles of trails, picnic areas pavilion, amphitheater, and of course, a swimming hole.
Ranch Park
This 110-acre hidden gem is nestled amidst rolling landscape, seasonal creeks and ponds and wide open spaces. The park is home to the fairly new Ranch Park event center with 166,000 square feet under cover. Dripping Springs Ranch Park was designed as a multi-use facility to accommodate a variety of agricultural and equine events as a corporate or entertainment venue.
Something to watch for...
by Jerry Hall
Texas has more bird species than any other state, and Hays County has its share of rare and beautiful avian wonders. Visit the trails and natural areas to find such rarities as the golden-cheeked warbler which is found in locales with rolling juniper-covered hills and oak-lined canyons. This area harbors the world’s only nesting population of these colorful warblers.
The shy black-capped vireo is also to be found here, and birders come from all over to catch a glimpse of this bird. Other birds on display include canyon wrens found on rocky slopes and vermillion flycatchers perched on overhead wires.
In areas with suitable habitat, such as Jacob’s Well Natural Area, you’ll find such water birds as great blue herons, green herons and a variety of sandpipers. Go a little further from this area, to the Hornsby Bend water treatment facility and you’ll find a locale attracting hundreds of birds ranging from gulls and terns to hawks and songbirds.
This area also boasts one of the most spectacular sights in natural history, the nightly flights of Mexican free-tailed bats from nearby Bracken Cave. Each evening in the spring and summer, up to 40 million bats pour forth from a birthing cave to go hunting insects. Hawks and owls await the bats and pick off a few each evening.
Whether it’s on The Meadows Center marsh walkways or along the banks of the Blanco River at Wimberley’s Blue Hole park, you’ll find birds, ranging from cattle egrets to rose-breasted grosbeaks – and just about everything in between.
