Eisenhower State Park Trails
Trails: Ike’s Trail, Armadillo Hill
Last hiked December 4, 2021
Trail Type: Hike and Bike
Distance We Hiked: 8.27 miles
Amount of Time it Took Us: 3 hr. 24 m.
Our Elevation Gain: 991 ft.
Park Rating: easy to moderate
Mike & Elaine’s Rating: moderate, easy at Armadillo Hill
Our Notes:
We began this hike at the opposite end of the park at Trail marker 14. There is a parking lot a very short distance from the trailhead, as well as a restroom in this area. This is an out and back trail with quite a bit of elevation gain. We were very tired at the end of this trail!
As stated, we hopped on Ike’s Trail at maker 14. This trail is very heavily wooded and basically follows the lake for more than half of it. You will have some wonderful cliff views with some great photo opportunities, especially at Lover’s Leap (point of interest #4 on the map). There are lots of boulders, small and large rocks, and tree roots on the trail, so watch your footing carefully. There are many places along the way to stop and have a picnic lunch, including benches and picnic areas. This trail is also a bike trail, but honestly, I don’t know how any bike could traverse this difficult terrain and we didn’t see any on this particular day. At one point on the trail you can access a fishing pier and walk down onto the rocky shore. The rock formations in this area are amazing and a rest on the dock is well worth the time. We made it to the end of the trail and crossed a road to continue onto Armadillo Hill, which is rewarding in the geology and plants you see in this area. There are benches here as well to stop and birdwatch or just relax. This section is about .8 miles in distance.
This trail is rated easy to moderate by the park, and we tend to agree, although the easy sections are few and far between. The trail is well marked and easy to navigate with little chance of getting lost. And it has such amazing scenery that we would rate this as one of our favorites!
Links to park and trails below:
https://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/eisenhower
https://tpwd.texas.gov/publications/pwdpubs/media/park_maps/pwd_mp_p4503_0032p.pdf
