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Texas trails · Mule Ears

Mule Ears

A 3.8-mile out-and-back in Texas, with 411 ft of climbing. Reaches Trap Spring and other spring/viewpoint destinations. Managed by the National Park Service.

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Length
3.8 mi
Elevation gain
411 ft
Difficulty
Moderate
Max grade
26%
Steepest mile
+259 ft
Tread at ≥10% grade
0.6 mi
Shape
out-and-back
Managed by
National Park Service

Elevation profile

2,806 – 3,214 ft123

The climbing is spread fairly evenly along the route. It gives back about 381 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.

3-D terrain

3-D terrain view of Mule Ears

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

Reaches

Heads up

Stream ford: expect at least one unbridged crossing.

Getting there

Mule Ears access — parking nearby. 29.16657, -103.43515 · directions

Daylight at the trailhead

On August 31, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 7:06 a.m., the sun rises at 7:30 a.m. and sets at 8:16 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 8:41 p.m. (CDT) — 12 h 46 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 7.6-mile round trip takes roughly 3 h 13 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 10:43 a.m. — 9 h 33 min before sunset.

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