The Hill Country, in central Texas, is primarily the product of marine Cretaceous limestone that was deposited in a shallow sea some 100 million years ago; later lifted as a plateau, it has since been sculpted into hills by numerous streams; in some regions, granite domes rise above the limestone, also lifted by tectonic forces. The widespread limestone bedrock has produced a karst landscape, characterized by numerous caves, springs, sinkholes and underground streams.
The eastern edge of the Texas Hill Country cuts across western Austin, offering broad views of the Metroplex from higher terrain. Representing the easternmost segment of the Desert Southwest, the semiarid hills are covered by yucca and prickly-pear studded grasslands and by woodlands of juniper and oak. Wildlife includes white-tailed deer, coyotes, fox, bobcats, armadillos, roadrunners, a host of raptors and a wide variety of songbirds.
On this cloudy, mild morning in Austin, my wife and I visited two sites along the edge of the Texas Hill Country. The first was Mount Bonnell, perhaps Austin's most popular overlook, with rises above the north bank of the Colorado River, northwest of the city. After taking in the views from that limestone ridge, we enjoyed a two-mile hike through the Wild Basin Wilderness Preserve, on the east side of Route 360, which protects a segment of the Hill Country ecosystem from the relentless encroachment of suburban development.
The eastern edge of the Texas Hill Country cuts across western Austin, offering broad views of the Metroplex from higher terrain. Representing the easternmost segment of the Desert Southwest, the semiarid hills are covered by yucca and prickly-pear studded grasslands and by woodlands of juniper and oak. Wildlife includes white-tailed deer, coyotes, fox, bobcats, armadillos, roadrunners, a host of raptors and a wide variety of songbirds.
On this cloudy, mild morning in Austin, my wife and I visited two sites along the edge of the Texas Hill Country. The first was Mount Bonnell, perhaps Austin's most popular overlook, with rises above the north bank of the Colorado River, northwest of the city. After taking in the views from that limestone ridge, we enjoyed a two-mile hike through the Wild Basin Wilderness Preserve, on the east side of Route 360, which protects a segment of the Hill Country ecosystem from the relentless encroachment of suburban development.
