Warbler Vista - Great views, fun trail, recent improvements

View from Warbler Vista
A nice view from along Vista Knoll Trail
User: jeffyg - 3/10/2014

Location: Balcones Canyonlands NWR - Warbler Vista

Rating: 3stars
Difficulty: 1point5stars  Solitude: 3point5stars
Miles Hiked: 3.00 Miles  Elapsed Time: 2 hours

Comments:

I walked every inch of all the Warbler Vista trails on March 10th.  Started just after sunrise and the only other folks there were the couple cleaning the bathrooms at the trailhead.  They have just poured new concrete and asphalt road from 1431 to the first trailhead.  Perfect road.  And there is fresh mulch down on the trailheads and ends.   The trails themselves are quite nice with great tree cover and some nice openings with views across the countryside.  The noise from the nearby roads/highways was a bit of a nuisance but it was only occasional.  I really liked the Ridge trail.  It had a lot of rock and branch debris which made it a bit adventurous to get through it.  Not at all a "nice, flat, improved" trail at all.

You'll enjoy these trails.  Easy to get to from Austin.



Log Photos
View from Warbler Vista "Vista Knoll" Trail
Area around Balcones Canyonlands NWR - Warbler Vista
Recommended Item
Recommended Item Audubon Guide to the National Wildlife Refuges: Southwest: Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas
Daniel Gibson, Theodore Roosevelt IV (Foreword)
List Price: $19.95 Your price: $8.69 Buy Now
The roots of the current National Wildlife Refuge System were formed in 1903 by Theodore Roosevelt, who wanted to keep our most important habitats "forever wild". Devoted primarily to protecting wildlife, wetlands, and open spaces, refuges offer unrivaled opportunities for visitors to observe and learn about our natural world.There are now more than 500 refuge areas in the United States, comprising more than 90 million acres. Habitats protected by refuges include virgin forests, tidal marshes, prairies, deserts, and tundra; species that flourish on refuges include the bald eagle, the peregrine falcon, the American alligator, the American bison, mountain lions, bats, beavers, bears, sea turtles, and hundreds of others, including more than 60 endangered species.With more than 19 million copies sold to date and more than 105 titles now in print, the National Audubon Society's book program includes the National Audubon Society Field Guides (Knopf) and National Audubon Society First Field Guides (Scholastic). The mission of the Society is to conserve and restore natural ecosystems, focusing on birds and other wildlife, for the benefit of humanity and the earth's biological diversity. The National Wildlife Refuges are managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Read more