The Original Texas Star Trail from Fredericksburg is an annual central Texas weeklong trail riding event usually starting around the first weekend of March of each year. The ride traverses and covers a route used by most of the former settlers in the Texas hill country around the Fredericksburg Texas area when they needed to go to the Texas Capital in Austin. Starting in the historic German community of Fredericksburg and traveling through the most picturesque part and the highest elevation of the Texas hill country. The trail actually covers areas that still have some of the original wagon tracks left by wagons of former travelers. The ride is a full reenactment of an authentic wagon train that came to this area in the days of its initial settlement, crossing some ranches that are still owned by their original families that settled them.
The ride leaves Fredericksburg and proceeds to Luckenbach, home of one of the oldest dance halls in Texas, a town made famous by Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings and the Outlaws. An official Trail Ride dance is held for the riders in the dance hall with traditional music. The next day the ride proceeds to Stonewall with a camp at Burg's Corner. A Toma Hawk throwing exhibition along with Jill Jones (yodler) and band perform late afternoon and evening.
The next day the ride proceeds down Ranch Road 1 along the banks of the Pedernales River through the ranch of our late President Lyndon B. Johnson. A tour of the Texas White House on the ranch at the first morning break. Camp that evening is in a very remote area south of the ranch at the 5Hands Ranch on Flat Creek Road.
A layover on the 5Hands includes two round robins ride through the ranch and into the neighboring Benini Sculpture Ranch and Studio. One hundred and 40 acres of elevated Texas Hill country ranch dottied through out with some of the most magnificent works of sculptured artworks, created by Benini and other world class artists.
Rated by travel guides as one of the top must see places in Central Texas.
The next day brings the traveling at the highest elevations through numerous ranches, separated by only cattle guards, eventually arriving in Blanco at Dennis and Kelly Moore's Carriage Ranch there in downtown Blanco.. A tour of The Blanco Museum and Carriage Ranch(authentic buggies/buckboards, stagecoaches and more, also a military display.).
Next, the ride goes to Cowboys for Jesus Church in Fisher, Texas, for a night of Christian entertainment in an authentic Cowboy Church. The next day the trail proceeds to Wimberley with camp at the VFW Hall with a trail ride wagon driving contest in the Rodeo Arena that evening (Tentative). The last day of the trail brings the trail ride just outside of Austin in the community of Driftwood at Camp Ben McCullough.
The OTST is ridden each year by riders from at least 8 different States and is one of the last true adventures in Texas today.
All information and details of the trail can be found at www.Texasstartrail.com
