Where to stay
In and around Fredericksburg, about twenty minutes from the loop.
A narrow county road down through Coal Creek Canyon north of Fredericksburg, known for the wildflowers that fill the ranch pastures in spring. Every acre beside it is private land — this is a drive, not a stop.
The Willow City Loop is a county road of about 13 miles. It leaves TX 16 north of Fredericksburg and comes back out on RR 1323 at Willow City, a small ranching community. Along the way it winds down through Coal Creek Canyon past rock outcrops, creek crossings and working ranches, and in a good spring the pastures on both sides are full of bluebonnets, paintbrush and more. It has been a public road since the 1930s, and it’s free to drive.
The road is public; everything past the fence belongs to the ranches. Stay on the road and in your vehicle, don’t stop or park along the way, never cross a fence for a picture, and take your trash with you. The landowners are the reason the flowers are still there.
Wildflowers usually peak from late March through April, depending on the winter rain — some years are spectacular and some are thin. Spring weekends can back up badly; a weekday morning is a different drive. Outside spring it’s still a quiet, pretty canyon road.
Cattle can be loose on parts of the loop, and the road crosses cattle guards and low-water crossings. Go slow, give livestock the road, and if water is running over a crossing, turn around.
Fredericksburg is the natural base — the loop is about twenty minutes north of town. Here is how it fits the rest of a trip.
We manage houses in and around Fredericksburg, about twenty minutes from the start of the loop. See the houses
Fredericksburg is where to fuel up, eat, and find a restroom — there’s nothing along the loop itself.
Enchanted Rock is also north of town and pairs well with the loop. It fills up on spring weekends, so read Parks: Know Before You Go first.
Drive it in daylight, take it slow, and stop in Fredericksburg for fuel, food and restrooms before you start. The best picture on this road is the one you take from your window.
In and around Fredericksburg, about twenty minutes from the loop.