HILL COUNTRY STATE NATURAL AREA BUSY IN FALL

BY CHUCK MCCOLLOUGH Special to the Bulletin

Hill Country State Natural Area Park Supervisor Paul Hendrix expects more visitors in the autumn months.

“Fall is one of our busiest times of the year. When temperatures get more moderate more people want to come visit and camp here. We are really excited to see more folks enjoying themselves at our beautiful park,” the park supervisor said.

Hendrix, who has been at Hill Country for three-and-ahalf years, said last month that the park was at 80 percent capacity, compared to 50 percent at start of summer.

Hill Country, located at 10600 Bandera Creek Road, is over 5,000 acres of rugged canyons, scenic plateaus and tranquil creek bottoms at this former ranch in southern Bandera County.

It has more primitive camping than Lost Maples State Natural area.

THINGS TO DO Hill Country State Natural Area offers primitive camping, backpacking, nature-watching and multiuse trails for hikers,

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mountain bikers and horseback riders. Help keep this natural area pristine by following these rules: - Trails and backcountry campsites may be closed to protect sensitive areas or for bad weather; observe closure signs. Call or check the Facebook page or Twitter feed for updates before your visit. - Campfires are allowed only in fire rings. Visitors must bring firewood; visitors may not gather dead wood or cut standing timber there. - Pets must be on leashes no longer than six feet. Fire danger conditions can change rapidly, leading to burn bans with little notice. Check before visiting.

Hill Country does not have a park store or potable water, so visitors must bring everything they will need, including drinking water.

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Trails range from easy to challenging, from one-mile strolls to miles-long rambles.

The easy Heritage Loop takes visitors past remnants of the former ranch. The West Peak Overlook is a staff favorite, with a steep climb leading to expansive views of the western Hill Country.

HORSEBACK RIDING

Visitors can bring their own horses to explore the natural area (they must present proof of a current Coggins test). Trail terrain ranges from flat, broad prairies to steep, rocky canyons.

The equestrian arena is available by reservation only; contact the natural area for information.

CAMPING

Visitors can get back to nature at one of the primitive walk-in or hike-in campsites. These sites have vault toilets nearby, but no showers or running water.

The lodge is available for those with and without horses. It has a kitchen and bathroom and sleeps nine. Five stalls, two pens and corrals are nearby.

Horseback riders can reserve an equestrian campsite or the group camp. The group camp comes with a barn and nine stalls.

This camp has water for horses and a vault toilet nearby, but no showers or potable water.

For more information about Hill Country SNA, call 830-796- 4413.

Fall fun at the Pumpkin Patches

BY BILL PACK bill@banderabulletin.com

Two pumpkin patches are scheduled to be held in Bandera County on weekends through October to celebrate the return of fall.

One is the Great Hill Country Pumpkin Patch put on by Love Creek Orchards on a 10-acre tract at 13558 Highway 16 at the eastern entrance to Medina and the other is the Pipe Creek Pumpkin Patch put on at the Pipe Creek Christmas Tree Farm at 805 Phil’s Road in Pipe Creek.

Both will have pumpkin painting stands, petting zoos for youngsters and plenty of activities that provide families with loads of photo opportunities and the chance to get outside and enjoy the colors of fall.

Bryan Hutzler, the owner of Live Creek Orchards, said it’s been a popular feature at the orchard for about 26 years, and Jim Hingst, who owns the Christmas tree farm with his son, said it’s been a “huge attraction” in Pipe Creek as well.

The Pipe Creek Pumpkin Patch will open the first weekend of October, Oct. 3, 4, and will be held each Saturday and Sunday through the month, closing at the end of the month, on Oct. 31, which is a Saturday. It will not be open On Nov. 1.

Its hours will be 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily. The admission fee will be $6 per person, except for those age 2 and under who will get in for free.

The Great Hill Country Pumpkin Patch is fun for children of all ages including apple orchard tours, farm animals, games, hayrides, hay maze, story telling, scarecrow building and sing-a-longs.

Photo courtesy Love Creek Orchards

At the Great Hill County Pumpkin Patch, the festivities will be offered on three straight Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays starting Oct. 10-12 and will end with a two-day celebration on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1, but not Monday, Nov. 2.

Its hours will be 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, but Hutzler said guests should plan to not wait until the last minute. The last activity each day will begin at 3 p.m.

The cost of admission in Medina is $7 per person, with the exception of those age 2 and under who are admitted for free.

The list of activities Hutzler mentioned at the Great Hill Country Pumpkin Patch include a hay maze, a scarecrow attraction, a hay ride, story telling and a singalong with entertainers and a program in the barn showing youngsters how apples are processed into apple cider and how pecans are processed.

A new event planned this year is an obstacle course for youngsters, but the apple eating contest has been cancelled due to health concerns associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.

At the Pipe Creek Pumpkin Patch, the activities will include a scarecrow feature, plastic duck races, a cornhole competition, a kiddie barrel train and a large, shaded sandbox where youngsters play. Large pumpkins, corn stalks and hay bales will be available to purchase as decorative items, and food items will be for sale as well.

Hingst said his pumpkin patch won’t have face painting this year because of the safety concerns associated with that activity.

Both operators have taken steps to make people feel safe about coming out to their sites while the COVID outbreak is still active.

Face masks will be required of visitors at the Pipe Creek venue, while face coverings will be recommended at the Medina patch, but not required, except for a few possible exceptions when people are brought together in a more confined area, like the barn.

Both operators expect turnout to be smaller this year because of the concerns associated with the coronavirus, but each is looking forward to a good fall celebration again as long as the weather cooperates.

To find out more about the Great Hill Country Pumpkin Patch, go to https:// lovecreekorchards.com and click on the “Events” link.

A link to the Pipe Creek Pumpkin Patch’s itinerary is available online at pipecreekchristmastrees.com. under the “Pumpkin Patch” heading.

Pumpkin Patch at PiPe creek Christmas Tree Farm

DATES OPEN IN 2020

• October 3-4 from 11:00 AM – 5:30 PM • October 10-11 from 11:00 AM – 5:30 PM • October 17-18 from 11:00 AM – 5:30 PM • October 24-25 from 11:00 AM – 5:30 PM • October 31 from 11:00 AM – 5:30 PM ADMISSION: $6.00 per person (2 & under – Free) INCLUDES: hayride, haystack, hop ball, scarecrow dressing, visiting farm animals, large sandbox, rubber duck races, pumpkin painting (with purchase of a pumpkin), photo ops and strolling through 6000 Christmas trees

MASKS REQUIRED

Pumpkin Patch at Love Creek Orchards

DATES OPEN IN 2020

• October 10-12 from 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM • October 17-19 from 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM • October 24-26 from 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM • October 31 & November 1 from 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM ADMISSION: $$7 for kids 3 years and older (2 & under – Free) INCLUDES: Pumpkin Painting (you buy the pumpkin, we provide the paint), Apple Orchard Tours, Farm Animals, Games, Hayrides, Hay Maze, Story Telling, Scarecrow Building, and Sing-a-longs

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