Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
left into the park entrance and parking lot. The trailhead is adjacent to the parking lot.
DeLorme: Texas Atlas & Gazetteer: Page 157 C12. GPS: N 29 34.965' / W 98 22.009'
The Hike
Spend some time at the pavilion reading about the park history. This area was used by the Apache and
Comanche Indians during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Cibolo Creek attracted many anim-
als and furnished fertile hunting grounds for the Indians. One of the routes of El Camino Real, the
Spanish Royal Road going from San Antonio to Bastrop, went past the hill. Remnants of some of these
trails form part of Nacogdoches Road. The hill also furnished the Apaches and Comanches with a
lookout to view and then attack mule trains and travelers.
Head north for a short distance and reach the intersection with the east side of the Loop Trail. Fol-
low the Loop Trail left (west) and then bend right, heading north when the intersections of the Small
Loop Trail on the left have been passed. The park encompasses sections of the Gulf Coast Plain and
the Edwards Plateau ecosystems, so vegetation is varied. Good canopy is furnished by numerous trees,
including cedar, Texas and Mexican buckeye, mesquite, and others. During the spring there is a profu-
sion of wildflowers, including daisies.
After about 0.25 mile, pass an intersection on the right, which is a shortcut to the north side of the
Loop Trail. Continue following the trail north past some subdivisions on the left, and then bear right,
heading southeast. Pass the intersection where the shortcut mentioned at 0.25 mile dead-ends into the
Loop Trail. Stay on the Loop Trail, head east, and then make a semicircle to the right and head south to
the junction with the Lookout Tower Trail. Follow the Lookout Tower Trail to the Comanche Lookout
Tower. The four-story tower, resembling medieval towers in Europe, is surrounded by a fence, and
entry is prohibited. There is a water fountain located here.
Retired Army Colonel Edward H. Coppock purchased this property in 1923 from German immig-
rants who had farmed the land. Prior to his death in 1948, Coppock, who was a history buff, completed
the tower and some other ceremonial-type structures. He had hoped to build an historical compound,
including a castle. The tower is all that remains.
Take the trail going north from the tower and follow it as it bears right, heading south, until reaching
the junction with the Loop Trail. Take the Loop Trail branch to the right, and follow it south to the
trailhead.
