Willow City Loop wows with Texas wildflowers

A Willow City Loop wildflower drive offers spectacular hilltop views, canyons, and wildflowers galore along roadsides and in pastures.… Read More

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I headed west to the Hill Country on Wednesday on a THIRD wildflower safari, cruising the Willow City Loop between Fredericksburg and Llano. This famously scenic, 13-mile ranch road winds through rugged canyons and over rocky hilltops offering spectacular views, with low-water crossings and free-range cattle to watch out for. Bluebonnets, white prickly poppies, and other native Texas wildflowers puddle thickly along the roadside and in pastures.

If you go, I recommend avoiding Easter weekend if you can and waiting until Tuesday or Wednesday of next week. Otherwise you’ll likely find yourself in bumper-to-bumper traffic. Many of the ranch owners along the Loop are, understandably, tired of all the traffic during wildflower season and have posted signs warning visitors not to stop, park, or trespass, so keep that in mind. It’s easier to crawl the Loop and gawk at flowers without becoming a nuisance on a quieter weekday.

Mom and her pup Lola accompanied me on this wildflower expedition. We drove north from Fredericksburg under bruised skies rumbling with thunder. The new mesquite leaves and wildflower fields were even more beautiful under that threatening sky.

Verbena made a strong early showing as we headed into the Loop.

Grazing sheep added to the springy Eastertime scenery.

At the TK Ranch (which changed hands in 2023), old boots upturned on fenceposts lined the road for a half mile or more. It’s always fun to see them.

Beyond the TK, as spattering rain alternated with bursts of sunshine, we started seeing thick clusters of bluebonnets.

I’d been on the lookout for a rainbow, and as we crested a rise, there it was — a big, double arching rainbow.

It spanned the road ahead, with one end dropping into the valley, seeming to point to the legendary pot o’ gold.

Or maybe the gold was over this ridge.

A haze of bluebonnets spread around exposed pink granite. The rocky cliffs beyond reminded me of the Fort Davis area in West Texas.

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