If you have traveled to the West Coast by vehicle, it’s likely you passed through Texas. 

If so, you know the state seems to continue forever. It is a long slog between Houston and El Paso. We’ve also done the Amarillo to Brownsville drive, and that’s no picnic either. Texas is a big state, just ask one of its residents. In such a large state there are bound to be a lot of interesting things to do and scenic places to visit. We haven’t found them all, of course, but we have discovered quite a few.

The part of Texas we enjoy most and where we have spent much of the time when we aren’t driving is the Hill County, a large region that extends 200 miles west from Austin and San Antonio. This is the best part of the Lone Star State highlighted by the town of Fredericksburg. We thought we had probably toured the majority of the Hill Country’s best spots until a recent visit uncovered scenic Burnet County.

Lakes and Hills

Burnet County is in a section of the state that locals call the Highland Lakes region; a name derived from lakes that have been created by dams on the Colorado River that flows through this hilly area of the Lone Star State. It is a different Colorado than the better-known river that begins in its namesake state and winds through the Grand Canyon to Mexico. This Colorado has its headwaters in West Texas and flows 600 miles through the state capital of Austin to Matagorda Bay and the Gulf of Mexico.

Most of Burnet County’s western border is formed by the river and a chain of five artificial lakes, the largest of which is 30-mile-long Lake Buchanan. The river and thousands of acres of land along its banks are owned and controlled by the Lower Colorado River Authority, a state agency that manages the water, produces electricity, and provides recreational opportunities. Much of the area has retained its natural beauty with plentiful opportunities for fishing, water sports, and other outdoor activities.

Canyon of the Eagles

Our destination this time was Canyon of the Eagles, a rustic nature resort located at the end of a road that terminates at Lake Buchanan. It is a little over an hour drive northwest of Austin. The resort is on 940 acres owned by the river authority and managed by Calibre Hospitality that has a lengthy lease-hold interest in the buildings.

The resort has been designed to blend into the environment in a manner similar to lodging facilities in the national parks, so we were not surprised to discover that resort president and CEO Cindy Bower had previously been an executive with a firm that operated concession facilities at Yosemite, Sequoia, and other national parks.

Canyon of the Eagles is a full-service resort with a restaurant serving three gourmet meals daily, a lounge, recreation room, meeting and banquet facilities, a conference center, and 61 guest rooms, each with a covered porch. The guest rooms aren’t fancy, but they are clean, comfortable, and each has a large bathroom.

Support facilities and guest rooms are in nearly two dozen buildings scattered about a hillside above Lake Buchanan. The property also has four camping areas including a 25-site RV Park with full hook-ups and restrooms with showers; 23 sites with water only; 10 primitive sites; and one large group site. A large outdoor amphitheater and a park store are near the camping areas.

The resort includes a swimming pool with a waterfall, plus14 miles of hiking and biking trails. Highland Lakes is popular with bird watchers who wish to catch a glimpse of the endangered Black-Capped Vireo and Golden-Checked Warbler. Bald eagles nest in the area from October through March. During a visit near the end of March we spotted a young bald eagle, roadrunners, hummingbirds and other common birds. We also saw deer and feral pigs, but failed to catch a glimpse of the elusive bobcat or other night creatures that roam this area. Wildflowers, especially bluebonnets and Indian paintbrushes, covered the roadsides.

Resort activities include educational programs scheduled throughout most weeks. These might include a nature hike, a hands-on program of non-venomous reptiles, an interactive “Owl Prowl” program with Eastern Screech Owls, arts and crafts activities, and culinary presentations. Typical evening activities are movies under the stars, live music, and visits to Eagle Eye Observatory. The latter provides an outstanding stargazing experience (weather permitting) with a resident astronomer. Or, for those exhausted from the day’s activities, relaxing by an outdoor fire while enjoying a s’more or two isn’t a bad way to end the day.

Other Activities and Nearby Places of Interest

The county’s two small towns, Burnet and Marble Falls, each with a population of about 6,000, offer small shops and restaurants. Burnet, nearest of the two communities to Canyon of the Eagles, boasts two small but impressive museums. Fort Croghan, established in 1849 to protect settlers from Comanche and Apache warriors, includes cabins with period furnishings. The fort offers a Living Arts Festival each year on the second Saturday of October during which volunteers depict life in the late 1800’s. The second museum is the Highland Lakes Squadron Wing of the Commemorative Air Force Museum. Here visitors can examine several lovingly restored WWII aircraft, browse the displays, and converse with some of the museum’s dedicated volunteers.

With the river and nearby lakes anglers don’t have to travel far to wet a line. Three friends who consider fishing a religion utilized two different guide services during our stay. Clancy’s Fishing Guide Service and Ray’s Striper Fishing Guide each provided professional guides who helped them haul in a lot of fish, mostly striped bass, but also white bass and catfish. At least this is the story related by our friends during dinner.

Small boats, canoes, kayaks, and other personal watercraft are available for rent at nearby Thunderbird Resort and Painted Sky Inn. Both are on Lake Buchanan. Inks Lake State Park, about a 30-minute drive from Canyon of the Eagles, is a lovely park on a much smaller lake where paddle board, canoe and kayak rentals are available. Additional facilities at the state park include two fishing piers, a swimming beach, hiking trails, camping spaces and cabins. Nearby the park, Longhorn Cavern State Park offers cave tours.

For a more leisurely observation of nature, consider a Vanishing Texas Cruise on Lake Buchanan. The company offers two-hour scenic wilderness cruises during which the guide relates area history and calls attention to birds and wildlife spotted on the shoreline.

Several wineries and breweries are in the area. One brewery with an interesting concept, Save the World, is a philanthropic brewery that crafts Belgian style ales and donates the profits to charities. The company was established by two physicians who stepped away from their career to become brewing entrepreneurs.

David & Kay Scott have published books on national parks and have discussed the parks on network television shows. They live in Valdosta.

If You Go:

Getting there: The Texas Hill Country is about a thousand miles from Valdosta. Flights from Valdosta to Austin start at around $370 roundtrip. Canyon of the Eagles is an hour drive northwest of Austin.

Lodging: Room rates are $139-$149 for two adults. Children under 10 stay free. A daily resort fee of $5 per person for each guest over the age of 10 covers all activities, entertainment, and trail maintenance. For additional information call 512-334-2070, or check the website at www.canyonoftheeagles.com. 

Additional lodging facilities in Burnet County include Painted Sky Inn, www.paintedskyinn.com; Thunderbird Resort, www.thunderbirdvacation.com; and Smythwick Castle & Lodge, www.smythwickcastle.com. A few motel chains are also represented in the area.

Dining: The lodge dining room serves three meals daily and the food is excellent. If dining out in Burnet try the Trailblazer Grill. In Marble Falls check out the River City Grill or the Bluebonnet Cafe. The latter offers a pie happy hour during which mammoth slices of apple, coconut cream, and cherry pie are scarfed down by patrons.