Day Trip to Inks Lake and Longhorn Caverns

On March 25, 2014 we took off for the day to get our hill country fix. Our first stop was an early morning hike through the Pecan Flats campground trail area by Inks Lake State Park. It is a great trail for kiddos because its well defined, there is limited elevation change and minimal trip hazards. Plus the boys really like it and there is hardly anyone ever there...of course we travel on our homeschool/firefighter schedule, so we rarely run into other people.

They always feel like running at the beginning of our hike. They may regret it later.

After our hike we decided to go check out Longhorn Caverns State Park. We've been to Inks Lake State Park countless times, but not up to Longhorn Caverns. The cave tour schedule didn't line up, so we checked out as much as we could on our own. Including the awesome CCC buildings that were built there....

This one is called the Administration Building.

Circa 1937, CCC mining the limestone on site for the Administration building.

I was fascinated by this perfect yucca. The bloom had several different colors and it smelled interesting.

Ho hum, just sitting at this stunning seventy-five year old, grand entrance to a six mile cave.

I love to see old photos of the places that we've been. There are not too many opportunities in this part of our rather young country, so when you can add a story to a place it gives it meaning beyond the awe and natural beauty. In the welcome center at Longhorn Caverns they have a wall of photos from several eras of the cave's use. From speakeasys to bandit hideouts, to a church at one point. 

c. 1934-35, building the grand stairway to the cave entrance.

c. 1934-35 The support structures used to construct the archways at the top of the stairs.

c. 1934-35 The stairs and archways.

To the Batcave!

This is just a land bridge. The actual cave starts quite a ways inside this underground area.

This was a large open area leading to the cave entrance (gate with Texas shape on the left). It was spectacular enough to get excited about taking a tour at a later date.

Posers.

It really was beautiful.

We took another pass through the Administration Building.

The boys hung out up top for a bit.

Then we drove around to the back side of the park to explore the other structures. This is an observation tower that looks out over the hill country. The park itself sits up a gradual, but large hill, so from the top you can see a long way.

To get there though you must first climb the long, creaking, metal spiral staircase.

I waited until the jumpy boys and my large husband were already off.

What a view.