Texas trails · Bush Mountain Trail

Bush Mountain Trail

A 11.7-mile network in Texas, with 2,387 ft of climbing. Reaches Cox Tank and other lake/summit destinations. Managed by the National Park Service.

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Length

11.7 mi

Elevation gain

2,387 ft

Difficulty

Expert

Max grade

33%

Steepest mile

+996 ft

Tread at ≥10% grade

5.7 mi

Shape

network

Horses

yes

Managed by

National Park Service

Elevation profile

The climbing leans toward the middle third: 54% of the ascent falls between mile 3.9 and mile 7.8. It gives back about 2,301 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.

3-D terrain

USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5

Reaches

Cox Tank (lake)
Bush Mountain (summit)

Heads up

Stream ford: expect at least one unbridged crossing.

Terrain graded T2 (SAC scale).

Getting there

Indian Meadows Nature Loop access — parking nearby, restroom. 31.99523, -104.83316 · directions

Daylight at the trailhead

On August 31, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:08 a.m., the sun rises at 6:33 a.m. and sets at 7:24 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 7:49 p.m. (MDT) — 12 h 51 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 11.7-mile route takes roughly 5 h 32 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 12:05 p.m. — 7 h 19 min before sunset.