We noticed that you're using an unsupported browser. The Tripadvisor website may not display properly.We support the following browsers:
Windows: Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome. Mac: Safari.

Texas Wildflower Driving Tour

Nazareth...
Level Contributor
100 posts
40 reviews
25 helpful votes
Texas Wildflower Driving Tour
Save

My husband and I are beginning to plan a trip to Texas in mid-April. We would like to see your beautiful wildflowers. We are allowing two days (and one night) to travel from Dallas to El Paso. We would appreciate any suggestions about routes that we should consider taking. When possible, we enjoy leaving the highways and taking backroads. Thanks in advance for your help!

San Antonio, Texas
Destination Expert
for San Antonio
Level Contributor
2,516 posts
34 reviews
22 helpful votes
1. Re: Texas Wildflower Driving Tour
Save

look at this website http://www.wildflowerhaven.com

Texas
Level Contributor
41 posts
6 reviews
4 helpful votes
2. Re: Texas Wildflower Driving Tour
Save

You may want to budget a little more time. The haul from Dallas to El Paso is a looonnngg one, and if you really want to get into wildflower country, you'll need to dip south into the hill country, though there are certainly beautiful stretches up north.

Try 67 from Dallas to 281, to Fredericksburg---this is the heart of the hill country, and a nice day's drive. Then you can spend the day in F'burg, enjoy some great german food and one of the cutest towns in the country, then drop south to Kerrville, pick up 10 and it'll take you to El Paso. Having driven both IH10 and IH 20 (from Dalllas to EP), I prefer IH10---much prettier.

Have fun!

Austin
Level Contributor
933 posts
12 reviews
34 helpful votes
3. Re: Texas Wildflower Driving Tour
Save

Completely agree with lemma -- you should budget another day. The trip is a looooong one! r

One book you should check out is National Geographic's Guide to Scenic Highways and Byways. I completely agreed with its Hill Country drive -- in fact, learned something -- and found the rest of the info about Texas scenic drives to be useful.

http://shop.nationalgeographic.com/product/188/3509/114.html

Seven years ago travelled across country with NG's guide to sights off the main Interstates. Invaluable, saw stuff we would never have known about.

Florida
Level Contributor
1,028 posts
192 reviews
114 helpful votes
4. Re: Texas Wildflower Driving Tour
Save

It is unanimous you need to budget more time...you have node how long a drive you are under taking and you will miss too much by rushing.

Nazareth...
Level Contributor
100 posts
40 reviews
25 helpful votes
5. Re: Texas Wildflower Driving Tour
Save

Thanks for all your input. Just how long is the drive from Dallas to El Paso? Map Quest led me to believe that it would be about 11 hours from DFw to Fredericksburg to El Paso. We have already spent two weeks touring the area - Austin, Fredericksburg, San Antonio, etc., but in July when not much was in bloom. We really are most interested in seeing the blue bonnets and other wildflowers. With that in mind, do you still think that we need another day? I really appreciate all your advice.

Kerrville, Texas...
1 post
1 review
6. Re: Texas Wildflower Driving Tour
Save

I live in Kerrville and have observed 15 different spring wildflower seasons here now. Bottom line is no two are alike, nor are they predictable. IF we have lots of rain this fall it will help to assure lots of wildflowers the following spring. A dry fall and winter mostly means ZIP wilflowers blooming, come spring. It's hard to plan ahead now to definitely see bluebonnets, Indian paintbrush, winecups, firewheels, etc. next April--they just may not be here. The best (and largest, meaning tallest) bluebonnets we've ever seen were in the Big Bend area, straight south from Alpine fairly near the Rio Grande River. If you're coming to the Fredericksburg area though, be sure and drive the Willow City Loop, off State Hwy. 16 just a few miles north of town. If anyplace has bluebonnets in any given year, it's Willow City Loop! Besides, the beautiful country drive itself is always worth it. Try to go during the week, if possible, as weekends during wildflower season can be pretty packed with cars. While you're out that direction, also check out Enchanted Rock State Natural Area--no other place just like it in the Lone Star State! Good luck on your Texas wildflower quest.

Florida
Level Contributor
1,028 posts
192 reviews
114 helpful votes
7. Re: Texas Wildflower Driving Tour
Save

I have to agree ~ Big Bend National Park is unique and unlike any place else. Eerily beautiful and as the previous post stated wildflowers can not be predicted (unfortunately).

Austin
Level Contributor
933 posts
12 reviews
34 helpful votes
8. Re: Texas Wildflower Driving Tour
Save

Ditto Willow City Loop. To me that is the perfect wildflower drive.

9. Re: Texas Wildflower Driving Tour

This topic has been closed to new posts due to inactivity.

What are forum guidelines?
Get answers to your questions about Fredericksburg
© 2024 Tripadvisor LLC All rights reserved.

This is the version of our website addressed to speakers of English in United Kingdom. If you are a resident of another country or region, please select the appropriate version of Tripadvisor for your country or region in the drop-down menu.