Mountains near Austin?
Feb 16th, 2001, 01:03 PM
#2
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You heard right. I'm a native Austinite. There are plenty of hills west of Austin -- that's why it's called the Hill Country. But actual mountains are in far west Texas, and they are still a far cry from what you'd expect in Colorado or someplace like that.
Feb 16th, 2001, 01:35 PM
#3
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The Hills around Austin are nice and about 30 minutes to 1 hour west/north. Big Bend, which is far West Texas have nice medium size mountains and some higher ones are in the Panhandle, where they have the outdoor stage show, Texas. Both of those are about 8-12 hours away.
Feb 16th, 2001, 03:00 PM
#5
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Hi Shannon. I guess it all depends on what you define as a mountain. But, in west Texas, near the town of Alpine and south into Mexico, there are peaks that are over 6700 feet in elevation.
Mt. Livermore in the Davis Mountains is over 8300 feet. That makes it more than 1650 feet higher than Mount Mitchell, which is the highest point in North American, east of the Mississippi River.
The highest point technically in Texas is Guadalupe Peak at 8749 offically. It is located about 80 miles east of El Paso, and 6- - 65 miles north of a small town called Van Horn.
Guadalupe sits right up there I might add. It is 2,000 feet (about) higher than Mount Mitchell. Austin to El Paso is a long jump, however. It is almost 600 miles away. I think New Orleans is actually closer by a mile or two. One good thing about driving to El Paso, you can push the pedal to the metal and go!!
So
Mt. Livermore in the Davis Mountains is over 8300 feet. That makes it more than 1650 feet higher than Mount Mitchell, which is the highest point in North American, east of the Mississippi River.
The highest point technically in Texas is Guadalupe Peak at 8749 offically. It is located about 80 miles east of El Paso, and 6- - 65 miles north of a small town called Van Horn.
Guadalupe sits right up there I might add. It is 2,000 feet (about) higher than Mount Mitchell. Austin to El Paso is a long jump, however. It is almost 600 miles away. I think New Orleans is actually closer by a mile or two. One good thing about driving to El Paso, you can push the pedal to the metal and go!!
So
Feb 16th, 2001, 06:21 PM
#6
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I used to live in Austin and believe me when I tell that their are no (I repeat no) mountains near Austin. The hill country is appropriately named "hill country" not "mountain country." To see mountains you're looking at 10-12 hrs (approx.) to New Mexico.
Feb 27th, 2001, 09:05 AM
#8
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Sorry if I offend anyone but I cannot believe how many ignorant people in and around Austin. Big Bend is a 7 and a half drive west of Austin. It is one of the most beautiful and least visited parks in the country. I am from the area and can tell you that there are plenty of hiking trips and even rafting trips down the rio grande. Make sure to visit Panther Junction at Big Bend Headquarters. You drive up a winding road for about a mile and enter a area thick in pine trees and other vegetation. You can't miss Santa Elena Canyon, you can float down the river and gaze and 1700 foot walls on either side of you. In late september when the area gets a good amount of rain, you can visit some great swimming holes up in the canyon walls and see some beautiful waterfalls. Believe me, most Texans don't know much about Big Bend and the are but it is worht a visit. The area is ironically visited most frequently by Canadians and Germans. Alpine and Ft. Davis to the north of Big Bend also have some smaller mountians in the Davis mountain range. These two towns are very similar to New Mexico because of the vegetation growing on the mountains.
Feb 27th, 2001, 10:21 AM
#10
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Bobby,
Did you read Bob Brown's post? He was very specific about the Big Bend area and height of the mountains. Two other posts mention the area, one of them by name.
Big Bend is wonderful and most Texans do know of it (though one, TAD in Austin, mistakenly thought you needed to get as far as NM to find mountains), it's just that that isn't in "central TX", which is what Shannon was looking for.
Remember too, "near" to people not used to driving TX distances, does not mean 10 hours, or even 7 1/2 hours drive time. After all, you could drive the length of New England, from the outskirts of NYC to Montreal in 7 1/2 hours, but no one there would consider Montreal "near" NYC!
Did you read Bob Brown's post? He was very specific about the Big Bend area and height of the mountains. Two other posts mention the area, one of them by name.
Big Bend is wonderful and most Texans do know of it (though one, TAD in Austin, mistakenly thought you needed to get as far as NM to find mountains), it's just that that isn't in "central TX", which is what Shannon was looking for.
Remember too, "near" to people not used to driving TX distances, does not mean 10 hours, or even 7 1/2 hours drive time. After all, you could drive the length of New England, from the outskirts of NYC to Montreal in 7 1/2 hours, but no one there would consider Montreal "near" NYC!
