Mother Neff State Park (Blog Hike #1112)

Trails: Prairie Loop, Wash Pond, Cave, Tower, and Pond Trails
Hike Location: Mother Neff State Park
Geographic Location: southwest of Waco, TX (31.33186, -97.46769)
Length: 2.9 miles
Difficulty: 4/10 (Easy/Moderate)
Date Hiked: February 2026
Overview: A round-the-park loop passing several CCC-built structures and Tonkawa Cave.
Park Information: https://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/mother-neff
Hike Route Map:

On The Go Map

Photo Highlight:

Hike Video: (coming February 12, 2027)

Directions to the trailhead: Between Temple and Waco, take I-35 to FM 107 (exit 315).  Exit and go west on FM 107.  Drive FM 107 west 13 miles to SR 236 and turn left on SR 236.  Drive SR 236 south 0.5 miles to the signed park entrance on the right.  Turn right to enter the park, pay the entrance fee, and park in the first parking area to the right after the entrance station; this parking area is the signed parking lot for the Prairie Loop Trail.

The hike: Located between Temple and Waco in the fringe of Texas Hill Country, 259-acre Mother Neff State Park is one of the oldest state parks in Texas.  The park originated in 1916 with a 6 acre land donation from Isabella Neff, who was the mother of Texas Governor Pat Neff.  The Governor himself deeded a total of 250 acres in 1934, and the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) worked to build the park from 1934 through 1938.  The park opened to the public in 1937.

            Today Mother Neff State Park remains small in terms of acreage, but it contains some nice amenities and scenery that make it quite popular.  The park offers a 35-site developed campground, plenty of CCC history, and 6 short hiking trails.  The hike described here uses all but 1 of those trails as it visits every point of interest in the park.  I was not expecting much from this park when I drove in on a seasonally warm Sunday afternoon in mid-February, but I had a very good hike.

Trailhead for Prairie Loop Trail

            From the signed trailhead for the Prairie Loop Trail, walk southwest to the picnic tables, then turn right to begin heading counterclockwise around the Prairie Loop.  The prairie consists of sunny grassland interspersed with thickets of juniper/cedar trees.  Just shy of 0.2 miles, you reach a picnic table at an overlook.  This narrow viewpoint looks south across the prairie toward the Leon River.

Overlook on Prairie Loop Trail

            Curving more left than right brings you to a trail intersection near a park road cul-de-sac at 0.4 miles.  The Prairie Loop continues to the left, but this hike turns softly right to follow the park road past the playground and into the campground to head deeper into the trail system.  At 0.7 miles, you reach a major trail intersection at the campground bathroom building.  We will pass through this intersection twice; for now, turn right to cross the campground road, then turn right again to begin the Wash Pond Trail.

Starting the Wash Pond Trail

            Marked with green trail markers, the narrow dirt Wash Pond Trail descends gradually as it winds its way southwest through dense oak and cedar forest.  Ignore the rough Bluff Trail as it exits left.  1 mile into the hike, you circle the wash pond, a natural pond that the CCC enlarged by building a dam.  The dense cedar thicket keeps this pond cool and shady, and this is a nice place to watch for birds and wildlife.

CCC Wash Pond

            Continuing south, a gradual descent brings you to the south end of the Wash Pond Trail and a major trail intersection at 1.25 miles.  We will eventually go up the Tower Trail via the stone stairs to the left, but first continue downstream, heading for Tonkawa Cave on the Cave Trail.  Soon you pass a stone table built by the CCC.  This table was built out of local materials to make it blend in with its natural surroundings.

CCC stone table

            The Cave Trail soon starts curving right to begin heading up another ravine.  An unmarked trail exits left, but that trail is now closed due to flood damage.  At 1.4 miles, you reach Tonkawa Cave.  More of a rock shelter than what you would normally think of as a cave, Tonkawa Cave has a large rock overhang, and its cool recess was a popular place on the warm afternoon that I came here.

Tonkawa Cave

            Backtrack past the stone table to the Tower Trail, then angle right to climb the Tower Trail's stone steps.  At 1.65 miles, you reach the stone tower for which this trail is named.  Climbing the curved stone stairway lifts you up to the viewing platform at the tower's top.  While the view is 360-degrees, the surrounding trees have grown considerably since the CCC built this tower, and trees block out much of the view today.

CCC stone tower

View west from top of tower

            Exit the tower area by going north on the Tower Trail, which climbs gradually through more dense cedar forest.  Just past 2.1 miles, you get back to the campground bathroom building.  Angle right and then left to hike through the campground and begin heading north on the Pond Trail, but before you head to the pond take a short detour to view the old CCC bell.  Interpretive signs tell you that this bell was used to call CCC workers to dinner and meetings, but today it occupies an isolated spot on the grassy prairie near the perimeter of the campground.

CCC bell

            The Pond Trail heads north on a fairly flat course with the park road close to the left.  At 2.65 miles, you reach the pond.  This pond appears man-dug, but it should be a nice spot to watch for birds and wildlife although all was quiet on my visit.  Backtrack a short distance and turn right to cross the park road.  Turning right twice more returns you to the Prairie Loop parking area and completes the hike.