All right, it’s time to take a look at the Hill Country from the underside. We’re talking about doing a little caving.
Longhorn Cavern State Park on Park Road 4 in Burnet County, six miles West of U.S. 281, can get you down and dirty. The folks at Longhorn Cavern offer daily guided tours that you can easily walk through. It’s rumored that ol’ outlaw Sam Bass stashed some of his stolen loot among these caverns. If you’re a bit more adventurous, check out the Wild Cave Tour at Longhorn Cavern. You’ll get to see parts of the caverns only a few people have visited. It’s a bit tougher than the walking tour and you can’t be afraid of tight spaces.
The walking tours are typically offered daily while the Wild Cave Tour is on Saturdays and requires reservations. For more information, check out the Web site, www.longhorncaverns.com.
Another park for getting down and dirty is Colorado Bend State Park outside Bend. Like Longhorn Cavern State Park, Colorado Bend offers a walking cave tour through Gorman Cave as well as a crawling cave tour. To find the park, go north on U.S. 281 to Lampasas and from the U.S. 281 and U.S. 183 intersection take FM 580 west 24 miles to Bend. Follow the signs to the park entrance. Or call (325) 628-3240.
For more information on Colorado Bend State Park caving opportunities go to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Web site at www.tpwd.state.tx.us and click on the Parks and Destinations links.
