Kenneth E. Harker
2006 Doeskin Ranch

Jen and I spent a Sunday afternoon in October, 2006 hiking at the Doeskin Ranch Public Use Area in the Balcones Canyonland National Wildlife Refuge. Doeskin Ranch is a former working cattle ranch about an hours' drive west-northwest of Austin. Even though it was a gorgeous early-fall weekend afternoon, we saw one other couple out hiking, but only in the last quarter mile of our hike. There were more cars than that parked in the little parking lot, so I presume everyone hikes in the same direction (we looped counter-clockwise, which is the way the signs point you).

These photos are copyright © 2006 Kenneth E. Harker. All rights reserved.

	When I think of Texas terrain, this is the kind of vista I imagine, prairie grasslands and rugged hills covered in Live Oaks and mountain cedars.
	The lower elevations in the ranch are prairie grassland. In late fall, the grass waving in the breeze and sunshine is very beautiful. Some of the trails in the park are really just old jeep trails from when the land was an active cattle ranch.
	The loop of trails we hiked crossed this creek twice. Both crossing have a line of stepping stones to get across the slippery rocks.
	The grasses were anywhere from a half meter to one meter tall, and would ripple in the wind like waves on water.
	These are Live Oak trees around the trail, near the bottom of the hill. It was a very nice, sunny day.
	The trail going up the side of the hill. The ground here is very stony, and the trees are a mix of Live Oak and mountain cedar. This particular kind of forest attract certain species of endangered songbirds that migrate through the area.
	At the top of the hill, the trail comes out into a pocket prairie with grasses and large clumps of prickly pear cactus.
	Even though it was October, I wore a hat to keep the sun off my head. Most of the trees behind me are mountain cedars.
	A view from the top of the hill looking south.
	Another view from between the trees. There was a further loop trail beyond the one we hiked that would have taken us down the south side of the hill.
	There were a lot of places on the trail that could have offered very nice views but for the trees.
	This was one of the best long views on the hike, which we came across not long after beginning our descent of the hill.
	This one tree was almost yellow. The leaves on most trees in central Texas do not change color very much in the fall.
	A view of a neighboring ridge from the trail.
	A look back up at the hill we've just hiked down.
	These two saplings were all alone in the prairie grass.
	A bat house (sponsored by Motorola) was located near the second creek crossing.