For Great Wildflowers, Head to Hill Country

Texas bluebonnet (Lupinus texensis)

But for true aficionados of wildflowers there's no place like the Texas Hill Country. Located just west of Austin, the Hill Country is a sprawling, largely undeveloped Shangri-La of ranches, river valleys, canyons, quaint villages and meandering two-lane back roads. Naturally, there are hills. They come in many shapes and sizes, ranging from the soaring green cliffs along the Nueces River valley to the startlingly naked dome of Enchanted Rock, a pink granite giant encircled by a state park.

The area is beautiful year-round, but when spring's wildflowers bloom, it can turn into a page from a fairytale with fields of pink evening primroses, creamy orange-red paintbrush, the red and yellow pinwheels of Indian blanket, Drummond phlox in colors from red to yellow, fiery purple winecups and the unlikely gauzy peach, scarlet and yellow blooms that shoot from leather prickly pear cactus.

And, of course, there are bluebonnets. The state flower of Texas, bluebonnets, on a good year, form deep blue pools of color. The tall, leggy plants frame highways, blanket pastures and can turn a rough rock fence or a plain country graveyard into a dreamy work of art.

While wildflowers bloom in every corner of the region, true connoisseurs of spring color regularly make pilgrimages to several favorite spots:

• Fredericksburg, a German community located about 80 miles west of Austin, is the epicenter of Hill Country bluebonnets. Founded by German immigrants in 1846, the small town has evolved into a popular destination for visitors. The classic rock buildings along the main street house an impressive variety of shops and restaurants. Several museums cover topics from frontier life to World War II. Nearby attractions range from a commercial wildflower farm to the birthplace and home of the late President Lyndon B. Johnson. From Fredericksburg, all roads lead into prime wildflower country.
  
• Travel 13 miles north to Willow City Loop, the best-kept secret in Texas. A narrow road drops into a Hill Country valley and the Loop rambles more than a dozen miles through canyon country, dipping down into streams, wandering past flower-filled pastures and climbing through ranch country. During a good year, the flowers along the Loop are breathtaking.
  
• Travel several dozen miles east of Fredericksburg to Stonewall and Johnson City and LBJ country. Several state and national sites in the area celebrate the president’s life. You can ride a small bus through the "first" Texas Whitehouse—the LBJ Ranch, stroll through Johnson's boyhood home or explore the carefully restored homestead established by LBJ’s trail-driver grandfather. An exceptionally good spot to get up close and personal with wildflowers is the LBJ State Historical Park near Stonewall. A short trail from the visitor center leads through a field of flowers to the Sauer-Beckmann farmstead, an operating historical farm.
  
• Travel 42 miles northwest of Fredericksburg to Mason, a rustic Hill Country town that maintains its small town charm. Points of interest include historic buildings such as Fort Mason, the classic courthouse and the 19th-century Seaquist mansion. Mason welcomes wildflower seekers each spring with a series of special "county trails" that take visitors on rambling adventures into the heart of wildflower country. A free brochure maps the routes and describes points of interest, such as the spot where a small boy was kidnapped by Indians in the 19th century. The well-marked routes travel over unpaved roads through the middle of working ranches, into canyons, past windmills, over creeks, along rivers and, sometimes, through small herds of cattle. (Stop, tap your horn and they'll—usually—mosey out of your way.) The routes are chosen for their historic interest, beauty—and wildflowers.

The Hill Country gives wildflower seekers a glimpse of an earlier, less-hurried Texas. Its small, friendly towns, winding roads and gently rugged countryside invite travelers to stop and smell the bluebonnets.