14-Day Texas Overland Loop

[roots66]

Kent's request about where to go next reminded me of the Texas Traverse route that crosses the state. That's great, but it misses quite a few things. So, I asked ChatGPT to create an overland trip around Texas to see as much as possible in 14 days starting/ending in Austin. We've done several of the suggestions already, but now we have a complete round trip of the state, not just across it. Below is a synopsis and I've attached a KML it created. We plan to do this in the next couple years when we have enough time.

Synopsis:
Day 1 — Austin → Kerrville/Leakey (Hill Country warm-up)
Day 2 — The “Twisted Sisters” loop (backroads classic)
Day 3 — Leakey → Big Bend region (Marathon/Terlingua)
Day 4 — Big Bend NP (desert canyons)
Day 5 — Big Bend NP backcountry sampler (4×4 day)
Day 6 — River Road TX-170 & Pinto Canyon (Marfa magic)
Day 7 — Davis Mountains Sky Island
Day 8 — Fort Davis → Guadalupe Mountains (mountains to dunes)
Day 9 — Guadalupe → Palo Duro Canyon (Panhandle canyons)
Day 10 — Palo Duro → Caprock Canyons → Wichita Falls
Day 11 — Wichita Falls → Caddo Lake/Jefferson (Piney Woods)
Day 12 — Caddo Lake → Galveston (Gulf Coast)
Day 13 — Galveston → Matagorda (Bluewater/Coastal Prairie)
Day 14 — Matagorda → Austin (live-oaks & BBQ finish)

 

[grubworm]

Kent's request about where to go next reminded me of the Texas Traverse route that crosses the state. That's great, but it misses quite a few things. So, I asked ChatGPT to create an overland trip around Texas to see as much as possible in 14 days starting/ending in Austin. We've done several of the suggestions already, but now we have a complete round trip of the state, not just across it. Below is a synopsis and I've attached a KML it created. We plan to do this in the next couple years when we have enough time.

Synopsis:
Day 1 — Austin → Kerrville/Leakey (Hill Country warm-up)
Day 2 — The “Twisted Sisters” loop (backroads classic)
Day 3 — Leakey → Big Bend region (Marathon/Terlingua)
Day 4 — Big Bend NP (desert canyons)
Day 5 — Big Bend NP backcountry sampler (4×4 day)
Day 6 — River Road TX-170 & Pinto Canyon (Marfa magic)
Day 7 — Davis Mountains Sky Island
Day 8 — Fort Davis → Guadalupe Mountains (mountains to dunes)
Day 9 — Guadalupe → Palo Duro Canyon (Panhandle canyons)
Day 10 — Palo Duro → Caprock Canyons → Wichita Falls
Day 11 — Wichita Falls → Caddo Lake/Jefferson (Piney Woods)
Day 12 — Caddo Lake → Galveston (Gulf Coast)
Day 13 — Galveston → Matagorda (Bluewater/Coastal Prairie)
Day 14 — Matagorda → Austin (live-oaks & BBQ finish)

yeah, that is a very good route to take and is probably about the most inclusive one you could plot out to see as much as possible. I grew up in west Texas and remember a lot of ghost towns all over. a few years ago we did a trip out to big bend and I took a route more along the border keeping off the interstate. there were quite a few abandoned towns that still showed on the map but didn't have a single inhabitant there, let alone a gas station. a lot of historical markers telling how a town was created years back because of the cattle and the railroad going thru there. that dried up and so did the towns. still a few little towns around that have very little going on...maybe an antique store and a gas station. those are fun towns...the wife and I do a good bit of art and antique shopping, so those kind of places are fun for us. there is a lot to see even out in the most remote of areas if you stop and look around.

we were somewhere between del Rio and big bend and we pulled over and hiked down into a canyon and saw caves with native American drawings in them. I rag on west Texas all the time for being so hot and desolate, but if you are going thru there, there are really cool sights to see. just have plenty of water and extra gas on hand. I don't know how many times I was low on gas and saw a town ahead on the map only to get there to find an abandoned post office and nothing else.