Celebrate National Wildlife Refuge Week with a Walk for the Wild 5K Hike at Doeskin Ranch!
This year, the Friends of Balcones Canyonlands is participating in the Walk for the Wild 5K Challenge, hosted by the Public Lands Alliance. Teams from across the country are participating to help raise awareness for the National Wildlife Refuge System. The goal is to get people moving a distance of 5K in nature. Guided Hike participants will have the option to join #TeamBalcones if they choose to.
Our guided hiking tours on public trails are a great introduction to the trail system at the Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge.
Our hiking tours move at a moderate place, with stops along the way to discuss the birds, plants, history, geology and habitats of the Refuge. We see many native plants and beautiful views along the way.
Who is this hike for?
If you are interested in learning about the beautiful Refuge right in Austin’s backyard, this guided tour is for you! Spend time with experts on the trail learning about this beautiful environment that is open for you to visit year-round!
How difficult is this hike?
We start with an easy hike along flat terrain. The trail leads us through grasslands, and along the north end of the creek. Through this section of the hike we will pause frequently to introduce you to many of the native plants of the refuge.
The next portion of the hike is an uphill and downhill climb on a moderately difficult trail. We consider this moderately difficult due to the incline as well as the rocky trail. We will continue to move at a moderate pace, pausing to share information about the Refuge with you.
It’s a total of 3.1 miles with lovely hill country views through old growth cedar and oak savanna.
START TIME:This hike should take approximately 3 hours, however there may be some extra time taken if we see some exciting flora and fauna.
EQUIPMENT:As always, wear appropriate shoes, bring plenty of water, bug spray, and sunscreen. Due to slippery rocks on the trail, hiking poles are also highly recommended.
PHONE RECEPTION: Some phone-based GPS’ will not work in this area. A printable/downloadable map can be found here.
GROUP SIZE:Registration is limited to 15 participants for this hike.
WEATHER ADVISORY & OTHER CANCELLATIONS:In the event that we need to cancel due to extreme weather or other unforeseen conditions you will be notified via email and text at least two hours prior to the hike start time.
PARTICIPANT CANCELLATIONS:Our hikes are popular and often have wait lists, if you need to cancel, we ask that you try to do so at least 48 hours in advance so that a wait-list participant is notified in adequate time to be able to join us on the trail! You can cancel in two ways:
