Have you ever been just scrolling through Instagram and saw somebody doing something amazing and you think to yourself, “hey I want to do that!” This may be the story of my life. If you are a complete travel addict like me, once you see something you want to do then you automatically start planning how to make that a reality.
That is how I made it to the top of Hancock Hill, deep in the middle of nowhere Alpine, Texas with my mom and 4 little kiddos. My name is officially recorded in the notebook in the desk overlooking the desert, bucket list item I achieved!
Why is there a desk and a bike tree on Hancock Hill?
Back in the 1970s a student attending the local college would run around Hancock Hill to train for track. He would run so frequently that he began to form trails on his runs. He also worked to haul old furniture for the local campus. One day he just decided he wanted to put a desk at the top of the hill. So with the help of some of his pals, they took one of the old desks and carried it up Hancock Hill.
This young man kept a notebook in the desk to record his run times. Later he introduced his fellow track teammates to his trails and the desk on their runs around the hill. Word continued to get out as his teammates would tell others about the desk. People would make the hike up the hill and leave their thoughts in the notebooks. That is how it has been ever since. The desk has kinda become an icon of Alpine.
Another artist even made the hike to the desk and decorated one of the trees with bikes. Yet another icon of the hike. This is how Hancock Hill became the trail that it is today.
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Tips:
- FOLLOW ALLTRAILS!! I can not stress this tip enough! The trails are so confusing! Turn on the navigation on your AllTrails app for this hike and follow it exactly or you will get lost in these hills!
- Take a picture of the map before you start the trail. If you don’t want to use AllTrails, then take a picture of the map that is located at the beginning of the hike. There are so many trails going all different directions that it is really hard to follow the right one, you will want a map of some kind!
- Wear a really, really good pair of hiking shoes. I made the stupid decision to just wear tennis shoes on this hike and now my feet hate me. Invest in a good pair of hiking shoes and save your feet! When I say this trail is rocky I don’t mean giant smooth rocks I mean a ton of sharp and pointy rocks that are uneven and hard to find footing on. Also hiking sticks are a great investment for this hike. They really took the pressure of the rocks off my knees.
- Stay on the trail, there are cactus all over. There are cactus everywhere! You may not see it, but it is there. We would start to follow what we thought was a trail and then we would be walking through grass; next thing I would feel is littler splinters going through my shoes into my feet. (Yet another really good reason to get nice thick hiking shoes). I didn’t even see the cactuses, they were just hiding in the grass. Stay on trail so you can avoid the cactus.
- Do not ever cross a fence or you will be on private property. If you see a fence do not cross it, plain and simple! The trail does not take you past a fence so if you are trying to cross a fence, you are going the wrong way!
- There is no shade and the sun is strong, keep that in mind. Be smart and protect yourself from the sun. I brought a hat for my baby and that was it, again another not so smart call on my part. My little 3 year old kept asking to wear my mom’s sunhat to block him from the intense sun. Thankfully we had really good sunscreen or we partial red heads would have burned to a crisp! Bring a hat, sunglasses, and SUNSCREEN!
- Bring more water than you would on a normal hike. Do not just bring 1 bottle of water. You are in the desert for goodness sakes and this hike is pretty strenuous! You know how much water you bring on a hike, well add at least 1 more bottle on top of what you normally bring. Or use a CamelBak hydration pack. These are the easiest way to carry water and you don’t have to stop to unload your water bottles and open them up, you can just drink as you go!
FAQs:
How long is the hike?
1.8 mile loop there and back.
Is the trail hard?
This is not an easy trail! It is not flat and it is very rocky. I wouldn’t say it is the hardest trail I have been on. My experience was harder because I had 4 little kids 5 years old and younger with me.
Also it was harder on my because I have a bad knee so hiking on those rocks was rough on my knee. If you have problems with your legs in any way I do not advice it, also you will probably be huffing and puffing a bit because it is up hill and slightly steep in the beginning.
How long will it take?
I would say to plan for an hour. It took me 2 hours, but I made a wrong turn and I was hiking with 4 little kids. Kids make everything longer.
Where is the desk and bike tree?
The desk and tree are halfway through the hike. You will hike to the tree and desk, then back. There isn’t really a short cut to get there.
What should I bring on the hike?
Sunscreen, HIKING SHOES, sun hat, sunglasses, hydration pack, and hiking sticks (this was my first time using hiking sticks and for someone with a bad knee they really helped my balance on the rocks and keep the pressure off my knee).
Is the trail kid friendly?
My 5 year old hiked the entire trail, my 3 year old hiked most of it, my 2 year old would have hiked the whole thing if I had let him but it would have taken all day. If you have a 5 year old or older I think they could handle this trail alright. Like I said my 3 year old struggled just because it was steep and slippery in some parts.
If you are hiking with toddlers I highly recommend that you use a hiking backpack. This trail is not toddler friendly. Whenever I did let my 2 year old walk, he was constantly tripping over rocks and couldn’t find his footing. For more tips about how to hike with kids and teach them to love it, click here!
Can I write on the desk?
Yes! There are several notebooks in the drawer of the desk! Sharpies are also provided!
What amenities are at this trail?
There are no amenities at this trail. No benches, no restrooms, no water fountains, nothing. It is just the trail.
Where is the trailhead?
The trailhead is located in the parking lot north of the Mountainside Dorm. There will be a large map at the trailhead.
When is the best time to make this hike?
Go early or go late. West Texas is hot so it is pretty rough to go in the heat of the day. By heat of the day I mean you are looking at hiking in 100 degree weather! No joke! If you are looking for the best time of year to travel, I would suggest around March-May. March and April are when the Yuccas are in bloom and May is when the cactuses are in bloom. It is so pretty!
Is there shade?
Nope! No shade at all!
Are there snakes?
We didn’t see any, but yes there are. Rattlesnakes are very common in West Texas. Just be aware and if you are really nervous bring a snake bite kit and stay on trail!
Can I bring my dog?
Yes! Just be sure to pick up after your dog please!
My Experience In Hiking Hancock Hill:
I live in west Texas and love to explore the area around me. While I was reading mycurlyadventures.com blog I read up on her adventure to Alpine, Texas. She had a picture of an old desk overlooking the desert and the stars flashed in my eyes! That was the moment it began and I set the date to take my trip to Alpine, Texas.
Luckily my mom agreed to go with me and my 4 little kids on our adventure or we would probably still be sitting at that desk at the top of that hill. I was so certain than I knew everything about this hike before we started, but boy oh boy that was my first mistake.
I started that hike with my 4 month old strapped to my chest with my baby harness and my 2 year old on my back in my toddler hiking carrier. My 3 year old and 5 year old had hiking sticks and faces white with sunscreen. I had 5 bottles of water, diapers, wipes, and a bag of candy as a treat for when we made it to the top. So needless to say I felt pretty prepared for the 1.8 mile hike ahead of us.
I took a picture of the map at the beginning and we got the trailhead and I confidently told my mom to turn right. Well after a rough and steep quarter mile of a hike we got to a fence line with a sign that explained private property. It was then I decided maybe I should look at my map. Thank heavens I had taken a picture. We had made a wrong turn right off the bat! So of course we made the reckless quarter of a mile hike back to the beginning and I was already doubting whether we should continue our rocky hike in the 86 degree weather.
My eagerness to reach the top won over my mommy logic though cause I pushed my kiddos forward and told them they could have a treat if they reached the top. That is when we started our ascent. Up and up and up the rock trail we went. It was a calve burner that’s for sure, but it was beautiful. You could turn around and see the entire town of Alpine! The view was gorgeous right from the beginning!
Not only was the view beautiful, but the when you weren’t watching where you were stepping and actually looked around; the trail was beautiful. There were all sorts of cactus everywhere! I mean EVERYWHERE! There were also large Yucca bushes/trees with flower buds ready to burst. Everything was sharp and looked like it could kill you, but it was gorgeous.
The main problem with this hike was that there were trails all over the place that people had forged. It was almost impossible to stay on the right trail! I began to spend the majority of the hike staring at my navigation on my AllTrails map because that is the only way I could figure out where to go. We would start down one way only to turn around and have to go back and take a different trail. We spent almost the entire hike lost in the desert!
My poor kids were so tired and taking turns switching in and out of the backpack on my back and thank heavens I brought so much water cause it was hot and we were all very thirsty! Once we made it over the first hill, which is pretty much straight up, the rest of the hike to the desk is pretty flat, but very rocky. I mean the entire trail was rocky and my poor feet very much regret not wearing hiking shoes!
You will cross over to the second hill, then hike to the other side of that hill, then a little bit farther. It is one of those hikes that you keep thinking that you are almost there, but then you realize you still have farther to go after every hill you cross. Haha! We started to actually doubt we were on the right trail! But finally as the started to loop downward that is when we saw the tree filled with bikes in the distance! My kids and lets be honest, I was so excited.
Just past the tree was the desk and it was oddly beautiful. Only in Texas does somebody hike so far just to see trash! Haha! It was such a fun place to stop and admire the view while sitting at a desk. We proudly left our names in the book at the top to prove that we actually did the hike!
Then came the hike back! Oh my goodness, we thought the hike there was rough, but the hike back was so much worse! It was super confusing! It wasn’t steep like the hike to the desk, but it looped you all different directions that it was so hard to keep track of where you were going. Again we were super lost! My advice is to keep your AllTrails map up cause that is the only way were able to find our way back to our van!
By this point what we thought was a 1.8 mile hike turned into almost a 2.5 mile hike. That may not sound like a hard hike, but between carrying at least 2 kids at a time in the heat, in the sun, on those rocks, going straight up; it was rough! I don’t regret going, but I do hope that you will be more prepared than I was. I enjoyed this hike, it was a rough one to do with kids and a hard trail to follow, but the views were beautiful. It is the best view you can get in Alpine, Texas!
Other Fun Things To Do Near Alpine, Texas:
Hike Photographers Trail at Fort Davis National Historic Site
Look at the snakes in the Rattlers and Reptiles Museum
Scuba dive at Balmorhea State Park
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