7. Hike to Gorman Falls

One of the most scenic wildflower drives in Texas takes you along State 16 through Llano and Ranch Road 501 to Colorado Bend State Park, 325/628-3240. Reaching Gorman Falls, the park’s main attraction, takes a 1.5-mile-long hike through rugged ranch country. The last 100 yards is a rocky descent down a steep path to the misty chill of half a dozen cascades that spill from a 60-foot-high limestone cliff into a moss- and fern-draped grotto. I almost have it all to myself. There’s only one other couple here, and we’re all so mesmerized by the falls that none of us says a word. We’re just content to let the waterfall do all the talking.