On the River Road between Lajitas and Presidio, along Big Bend Ranch State Park

Many folks ask us, "So, what exactly IS the Texas Mountain Trail?"

They see the road signs all over the region, but wonder what they mean....

Well, the signs mark a historic figure 8 driving route established by Governor Connally in an effort to showcase the best of Texas in anticipation of HemisFair '68.  The Texas Mountain Trail is one of 10 original driving routes across the state.  Read more about it here.

"The Texas Heritage Trails Program (THTP) is based around 10 scenic driving trails created in 1968 by Gov. John Connally and the Texas Highway Department as a marketing tool. The trails were established in conjunction with the HemisFair, an international exposition that commemorated the 250th anniversary of the founding of San Antonio." 

Later, the state legislature saw the need to boost economic growth through tourism promotion and heritage preservation, and charged the Texas Historical Commission for building a program to benefit the state.

"In 1997, the Texas Historical Commission (THC) was charged by the State Legislature to create a statewide heritage tourism program. The THC based their program on the original driving trails, creating ten heritage regions: Brazos Trail Region, Forest Trail Region, Forts Trail Region, Hill Country Trail Region, Lakes Trail Region, Independence Trail Region, Mountain Trail Region, Pecos Trail Region, Plains Trail Region and Tropical Trail Region." 

You can read more about the Texas Historical Commission's Heritage Tourism efforts here.


The Texas Mountain Trail is a regionally-based independent 501 c 3 organization dedicated to serving Far West Texas, our communities and the travelers who visit us.  We serve all of our region, not just the communities along the original 1960s route.  We help communities preserve their heritage so future generations can appreciate and enjoy what makes us uniquely Texan.  We bring the Texas Mountain Trail region to all, through our Daily Photo blog, our website, our Facebook page, our Twitter posts, and other venues...so you can enjoy the mountains wherever you are!  Come visit us!