What Is the Prettiest Place in Texas?

Texas Outside covers the entire state of Texas divided into these regions. 

• The Hill Country / Central Texas 
• The Piney Woods / East Texas 
• The North Central Plains / North Texas 
• The Great Plains / Panhandle 
• The Gulf Coastal Plains / South Texas (Gulf Coast (Padre Island?)
• The Big Bend Country / West Texas 

We all have our druthers for what we think is the prettiest place in Texas. There are way too many pretty places in Texas to choose just one. The diversity of Texas’ landforms and topography is vast. Each region of Texas has a different version of not only pretty, but Texas Outside goes as far as to call each Texas region breathtaking, gorgeous, and awe-inspiring. 

The Balcones Escarpment separates the Hill Country and the North Central Plains from the Gulf Coastal Plains and the Piney Woods. It runs from Del Rio, Texas, to the Red River in boundary line that runs barely west of Dallas/Ft. Worth. 

The Caprock Escarpment spans about 200 miles south-southwest from the Texas Panhandle’s northeast corner, near the Oklahoma border. It separates the North Plains from the Panhandle. If you travel the whole State of Texas, you can actually tell by sight which region ends and the other one ends most of the time. 

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The Texas Hill Country

After millions of years while the erosion of the Edward Plateau took place, which exposed Lower Cretaceous limestones and dolostones, which created the unique landforms in the Hill Country. The terrain comprises caves, grassy savannas, elevated flats, multiple rivers, streams, and springs, and steep canyons. 

The eastern part of the Hill country is at a lower elevation that the western part. The Llano Uplift caused the Balcones Escarpment and the landforms in the western part of the Hill Country. The Llano Uplift is a roughly oval-shaped geological dome that covers parts of seven counties in Central Texas: Blanco, Burnet, Gillespie, Llano, Mason, McCulloch, and San Saba Counties.

All the Hill Country is one of the prettiest places on the globe. Millions of people float down the Hill Country’s rivers, which include the Brazos, Colorado, Comal, Frio, Guadalupe, Medina, San Marcos, etc. every year. Except for the crowds, these rivers are absolutely gorgeous. Tranquil landscapes with lush flora and wildlife entertain tubers as they lazily float by.  

The Hill Country’s caves, springs, and waterfalls create special oases throughout the whole reason. The Enchanted Rock State Natural Area offers mind-blowing panoramic views of the Hill Country from its pink granite dome’s apex. Natural attractions of interest are Gorman Falls in Colorado Bend State Park with a living waterfall in a misty canyon. 

The Hamilton Pool in Dripping Springs, featuring a canyon and lush trail, and Lake Travis, where visitors can have an outdoor adventure never knowing how close they are to Austin, or have the lake and the city life next door to each other with fabulous attractions. 

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The Piney Woods of East Texas

From the dense lush forests of central East Texas up to the iconic bald cypress trees of Caddo Lake, we find an amazing cornucopia of natural treasures in the Piney Woods. It is hard to choose between Caddo Lake’s eerie, misty beauty and the Davy Crockett National Forest. In the end, Texas Outside choose Caddo Lake. 

The three native species of southern yellow pine that call this region home are shortleaf, longleaf, and loblolly pine, and the hardwood trees, blackjack oak and post oak. Stands of beech, oaks, elm, and magnolia flank the rivers and streams, which benefit from ample rainfall. 

Caddo Lake is the only natural lake in Texas and lies in Texas and Louisiana. Caddo Lake covers 25,400 and up to 33,000 acres with depths ranging from eight to 20 feet. Its permanently flooded bald cypress forests and seasonally flooded bottomland floodplain forests edge up to fluctuating shorelines. 

Four watersheds, Little Cypress Bayou, Big Cypress Bayou, Black Cypress Bayou, and Jeems Bayou, feed Caddo Lake. Caddo Lake loudly purrs with the sounds of nature from 200 bird species (migratory and permanent), 30 amphibians, 60 reptiles, 55 mammals, and over 90 species of fish. 

One of the most striking features of Caddo Lake is the sweeping growth of ancient bald cypress trees draped in Spanish moss. Their gnarled, water-hungry roots and mossy embellishments create an otherworldly aura accented by water lilies, lotus flowers, and a variety of aquatic plants.

There are so many stumps in Caddo Lake that it is important to buy a Caddo Lake map and stay within the marked channels. If you are not experienced with Caddo Lake, and you wander into the backwater sloughs, you can easily get lost. You should let someone know where you will be going and when you expect to be back if you go boating on Caddo Lake. 

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The North Central Plains and North Central Texas

For Texas Outside, this region covers the North Central Plains, the Grand Prairie, and the northern part of the Balconies Escarpment. The Cross Timbers, the Grand Prairie, North Central Plains, and the Rolling Plains define this region. 

Lake Texoma is a viable contender for being one of the prettiest places in North Central Texas. Although two-thirds of Lake Texoma is in Oklahoma, and Oklahoma owns its islands, it is a vast expanse of water featuring two National Wildlife Refugees, a Wildlife Management Area, natural areas, and hunting lands bulging with wildlife.

Lake Texoma offers the best of fishing and watersports, with plenty of room for both activities in seclusion or for watersports, in party coves. It is known as the playground of the Southwest. Visitors get right with nature on trails, horseback, and water. This lake boasts tons of sandy beaches in popular parks and in serene cloves surrounded by rolling hills only accessible by boat. 

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The Texas Panhandle / Great Plains

The Texas Panhandle puts on the “Greatest Show on Earth” with its canyons, deserts, lakes, mesas, plains, and small eclectic towns. The eastern edge of the Panhandle features the Caprock Escarpment, a prominent geological formation that marks the transition from the High Plains to the lower elevations of the Rolling Plains. 

The Caprock consists of cliffs and steep slopes with dramatic transformations in elevation and terrain and marks the eastern border of the Southern Great Plains in Texas. The Kiowa and Rita Blanca National Grasslands lie within the short grass prairie of the Southern Great Plains.

The Rita Blanca National Grassland is a 92,989-acre property in the northern panhandle of Texas and rolls into the panhandle of Oklahoma. The Federal Government bought back much of the land after the Dust Bowl chased away numerous farms and ranches and marginal business operations after the 1930s.

In Rita Blanca, a sea of green waves across rolling plains in wide open spaces covered with native grasses, like bluestem, buffalo grass, and grama. Pronghorn antelope, mule deer, and white-tailed deer graze openly in its fields. Birdwatchers, hikers, and photographers pour into this native savanna for wildlife watching and outdoor adventures. 

Remnants of old homesteads, windmills, and cattle ranching operations dot the Rita Blanca grasslands—not to be confused with Rita Blanca Lake, which is south of Dalhart, Texas, and Dalhart is south of the Rita Blanca National Grassland. 

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The Big Bend Country in West Texas 

There are no words that can accurately define the Big Bend region of Texas until you can actually go visit West Texas. The Big Bend Ranch State Park features some of the best of the best of West Texas. It lies northwest of Big Bend National Park, which is also a treat for the senses. 

The entire Big Bend region in far west Texas is so remote that only the tough have survived up until recent history, where Marfa and Terlingua, Texas, have seen significant interest from outsiders. It is advised to visit Big Bend in the parks because you can let someone in charge know where you are going and when you plan to return. 

Dramatic geography drapes over the western arm of Texas. In the Big Bend Ranch State Park, the Bofecillos Mountains, deep canyons, desert floors, and the Rio Grande River create a spectacular backdrop. High plateaus, rocky ridges, and volcanic formations provide imperial vistas for explorers. 

The Rio Grande River runs along the park’s southern border amid stunning canyon walls. Highlights of the Big Bend Ranch State Park are arrays of volcanic and sedimentary rock formations. It offers 238 miles of trails for hiking, horseback riding, and mountain biking and 70 miles of dirt roads for off-road fun. 

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The Gulf Coastal Plains of South Texas

This area extends from the Gulf of Mexico inland and is a vital part of Texas’s natural landscape with coastal environments, fertile agricultural lands, and unique wildlife habitats. This region owns a flat topography that slopes into the Gulf of Mexico.

Barrier islands, sandy beaches, estuaries, and salt marshes meet the Coastal Plains in Texas for about 357 miles of open Gulf shoreline. The Guadalupe, Nueces, and San Antonio Rivers traverse the Gulf Coastal Plains. Diverse ecosystems blanket the Coastal Plains, like coastal prairies, oak mottes, and mesquite savannas. 

Live oak and mesquite trees watch over native grasses and wildflowers and provide habitats for bobcats, javelina hogs (wild boars), white-tailed deer, and too many bird species to keep track of. The Gulf Coast seafood is amazing! The Padre Island National Seashore can be counted as one of the prettiest Gulf Coast Icons. 

Padre Island National Seashore comprises a130,000-acre national park with beaches, dunes, and grasslands. It is a federally protected island in a long line of barrier islands that protect the Texas coast. Padre Island is a popular party destination, but if you visit it in off-seasons, you will find a tranquil getaway. 

Beach combing, birding, boating, camping, fishing, including deep sea fishing, stargazing, turtle hatching releases, and watersports among sandy shorelines provide unforgettable memories. On Padre Island, visitors find dune ridges, grasslands, marine environments, mudflats, ponds, ranger-led programs, and wetlands. The Padre Island aura creates a truly relaxing or exciting adventure. There is a fee to visit.