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Being in Austin you can have the best of both worlds when it comes to city life and the countryside. There are many Austinites, who despite living and working in the city, make horses and horseback riding a major part of their life. But then comes the question, “where can I go ride my horse?” While we don’t believe it’s illegal to take your horse out for a ride downtown, we’d definitely recommend some more scenic options. These are some of our favorites!
Garey Park
6450 RM 2243, Georgetown, TX 78628
Just outside Austin, Garey Park is one of the closest options. The park itself is located right along the South San Gabriel River and has over 7 miles of trails sweeping across the park. The trails are exceptionally well kept (meaning there’s no danger of bonking your head on branches) and made with crushed white limestone so you’re sure to have solid footing wherever you go. Beyond the trails, the park offers gorgeous amenities. Here you’ll find an outdoor arena, expansive trailer parking, and day pens to give your horse a break. You can also use them when tacking up. It’s a great place to bring your horse and hang out for a day.
Rusty’s Walnut Creek Ranch
394 Pleasant Chapel Rd, Cedar Creek, TX 78612
Rusty’s Walnut Creek Ranch is a real Texas working ranch, so there will be cows aplenty. But, there are also plenty of trails. At the ranch, you’ll find over 6 miles of gorgeous trails running along a creek. The trails span a whole pecan grove and are heavily shaded, perfect for staying cool in the summer. The trails are accessible 7 days a week with a fee of $10 per day. It’s an excellent place to stay cool and see some wildlife.
Dana Peak Park at Stillhouse Hollow Lake
3800 Comanche Gap Rd, Harker Heights, TX 76548
While most people come here for the lake activities, we’d highly recommend Dana Peak Park for horseback riding too. There aren’t quite as many trail options as some of the other locations we’ve mentioned, but it’s still a beautiful place to ride. The trails here are especially good for bird watching, and what better way to look for birds than on horseback? Beautiful scenery aside, this park is also free to the public and open all year round.
Guadalupe River State Park
3350 Park Road 31 Spring Branch, TX 78070
The Guadalupe River State Park is one of the most beautiful parks in the vicinity of Austin. While you’ll find many people come here for swimming and tubing, the riding trails are gorgeous. To reach these trails you’ll be heading south and looking at around a 1.5 hour drive time, but don’t let that scare you off: the scenery alone makes it worth it. An ideal place to relax, riding here you’ll be surrounded by scenic views, the sound of the river, and all sorts of birds chirping.
Hill Country State Natural Area
10600 Bandera Creek Road Bandera, TX 78003
The Hill Country State Natural Area is taking us further out of the Austin area, but at around a 2-hour drive, it’s not too bad as a day trip. You can also camp with your horse here too! The trails have a great amount of variety, with flat open spaces, steep canyons, and everything in between. There is also an arena here available by reservation if you’d like to warm up before hitting the trails, and nearby there is a water trough and hitching posts for getting all tacked up and ready to go.
Fairfield Lake State Park
123 State Park Road 64 Fairfield, TX 75840
Now Fairfield Lake State Park is definitely pushing the distance, you’ll be looking at about a 2.5-hour drive to reach this park. However, we just had to talk about it. The park offers over 15 miles of beautiful trails and to see it all you’ll have to make more than one trip! The trails span all over the park, with some beautiful lake views and many opportunities for bird watching, not to mention all the other wildlife.
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Dinosaur Valley State Park
1629 Park Rd 59 Glen Rose, TX 76043
Dinosaur Valley State Park is also going to be further out from Austin, again lookin’ at about a 2.5-hour drive, but absolutely worth it. This may be the coolest place to visit with your horse of all the ones we’ve talked about so far. The South Primitive Area is 100 acres exclusively for horseback riding. The area is wooded and a bit rocky, with the Paluxy River running through it. Here there are no marked trails – you can explore anywhere you want, and you may just find some dinosaur tracks!
Featured Photo Credit: Texas Trail Rides Facebook Page
