Hiking in the Hill Country: Inks Lake

Inks Lake is better known for its golf courses, boating and water skiing - all of which are fantastic, as we were emphatically informed by the park officials upon arrival. Lesser known, the State Park also offers over 7.5 miles of hiking trails. Beginning from the park headquarters, the trail is well-marked with periodic color-coded paint swaths. For the first few miles we found ourselves navigating a narrow dirt pathway through cool, shaded woods and the occasional sunny clearing. The nearby lake, whose perimeter we were tracing, made for a nice backdrop. Several families were out, either fishing or simply relaxing in the sun.

The second half of the trail, which involves crossing a low-traffic road and making your way to the southern part of the park, was entirely devoid of other hikers. Here the trail becomes much more difficult to identify as it seemed to do away with the color-coding scheme, even though the map we were given indicated otherwise. Still, if you look carefully enough you'll find subtle indications of the trailway.

The true beauty of the park comes out in the last quarter of the hike. After veering off the trail somewhat (we got lost), we ended up crossing a shallow creek at the bottom of a small ravine. The only indication that we were still within park borders was a decidedly unfriendly sign posted nearby that warned against trespassing into the owner's private property. As this was towards the end of the hike, we opted to stop and indulge in a mini-siesta next to the creek.

Continuing onwards, we walked through a field of wildflowers, scattered deeply all around and suffused with brilliant color owing to the recent rains. Attesting to how tranquil the Hill Country can be, we encountered a deer not fifteen feet away - he seemed surprised and perhaps bemused by our presence, but otherwise didn't run away. Of course, at this point we'd probably veered off the beaten path. Regardless, we found our way back to the trailhead and to the car.
Inks Lake State Park offers a good flat trail for the novice or intermediate hiker. Altogether we covered about 4 or 5 miles, but you might extend that by taking alternate paths. Realize that certain parts of the trail are not clearly marked, but use your head and you'll do just fine.

For a detailed description of the trail, click here.

Image source unknown