Nice hike; close to Austin

Comments: The pine forest is a change of scenery for Central Texas. It is refreshing to be amongst tall, proud trees and a clean forest floor. The purple trail is 7.5 miles long. It winds through the pine forest in a relatively flat, nicely groomed manner. I hiked during Labor Day weekend and only passed about 6 other hiking parties on the purple trail. The purple trail has two heads. So to get back to where you started you have to choose a connecting trail. I chose the longer red trail. I was surprised. The 1 mile red trail was the most challenging segment of the trek. The trail was rough with rocks, roots and erosion and it rose and fell with fairly steep grades the entire mile. It was also a bit more crowded. I passed 7 or 8 parties on the short red trail.