About Shepherd's Rest
Shepherd's Rest is located in the the heart of the Texas Hill Country, Vanderpool, and is nestled in the scenic Sabinal Canyon. Four rental houses occupy the spacious seven-acre property, providing guests with ample privacy: The Shady Oaks, The Cottage, River House and Valley View. All four houses are within walking distance to the picturesque Sabinal River, ideal for relaxation and recreation.
For those seeking to explore some of the most beautiful outdoor trails and picnic grounds in Texas, Lost Maples State Park is just one mile away, and the legendary Garner State Park is less than 30 miles from the property.
In addition, Shepherd's Rest is located on the "Three Sisters," also known as "The Hundred Mile" loop. This remarkable stretch of freeway is known for its thrilling twists and turns through the Hill Country canyons, and one particular section—Ranch Road 337—was voted the number one Texas road to ride by Ride Texas Magazine.
Please note, guests may rent one or more houses; all four houses accommodate a total of 30 people. Also, guests must drive through a shallow stretch of the Sabinal River in order to reach the property.
Area Attractions
- Lost Maples State Natural Area is just one mile away and is one of the most scenic State Parks where guests enjoy picnicking, camping, backpacking, sightseeing, hiking, photography, bird watching, fishing, swimming and nature study.
- Lone Star Motorcycle Museum features a unique collection of machines from around the world dating from the 1910s to modern models, as well as the ACE café.
- Arrowhead Hunting is a popular pastime in Vanderpool where you can pay to hunt arrowheads and artifacts on private property that was once occupied by Indians. For more information, contact TJ Jennings, 830.688.1669.
- Imagine Lavender is a unique 153-acre lavender farm nestled in the Sabinal canyon lands where you can cut your own lavender in the springtime, April through June.
- Have you heard of Geocaching? It's high tech scavenger hunting using GPS, and this area is ideal for this kind of family-fun adventure.
- Enjoy a fresh, home-cooked-style meal at the café in Utopia, featured in the movie Seven Days in Utopia.
Attractions Within a Two Hour Drive
- Legendary Garner State Park is approximately a half-hour away and offers a variety of options for recreation along the Frio River including hiking, nature study, picnicking, canoeing, fishing, swimming in the Frio River (unsupervised), seasonal miniature golf, paddle boat and kayak rentals (mid-March through Labor Day weekend), and bike riding (surfaced).
- The Frio River and Medina River are both approximately a half-hour away and offer tubing and kayaking.
- If you're looking for horseback riding or hoping to attend a real Texas rodeo, both are available to you! Check out the Utopia Horse Club and the Elm Creek Stables. For more information about the annual Utopia Rodeo, go to http://www.utopiatexas.info.
- The Lonestar Lagoon at Flying L Guest Ranch is just over a half-hour away and has a nice water park. Guests may also play golf or putt-putt or go horseback riding.
- Hill Country Adventures offers a variety of one-of-a-kind experiences exclusive to the Texas Hill Country including bat flight tours, campfire cowboy storytelling and champion big tree tours.
- Hill Country State Natural Area is just under an hour away, outside of Bandera. This is a great place for horseback riding and/or mountain biking.
- Visit the Apple Capital of Texas, the town of Medina, and pick up treasures at The Apple Store and Love Creek Orchard, or stop off for a delicious cup of coffee at The Core Coffee House.
- If you enjoy golfing in the great outdoors, check out Utopia Golf, a nine-hole, family-friendly course where the movie Seven Days in Utopia was filmed, or The Club at Concan, an 18-hole championship course.
- Looking for some adrenaline boosts in the midst of your relaxing Hill Country trip? Six Flags Fiesta Texas and Sea World Texas are approximately an hour away in San Antonio.
- There are numerous State Parks that exceed a two-hour drive. For a complete listing, go to Texas Parks and Wildlife Homepage.
Local Festivals
- UTOPiAfest is a unique campout festival in Utopia offering mind-blowing musical performances and West Texas Hill Country sunsets presented in a natural amphitheater on the 1,000-acre Four Sisters Ranch (between Garner State Park and Lost Maples). Visit the website for upcoming dates.
- The House Pasture Cattle Company in Concan offers a summer music series every weekend.
Shepherd's Rest Policies
Deposit and Cancellation Policy
A one night deposit is required when making a reservation.
A full refund of the deposit will be made if the reservation is cancelled 14 days prior to checkin.
A full refund of the deposit will be made if weather conditions result in closed roads.
Payment Policy
Final payment is due the week of arrival. Your credit card will be automatically charged the week of your scheduled arrival for the balance due for the total days reserved.
Credit cards accepted are Visa, Mastercard, and Discover.
Check-In/Check-Out
Check-In is anytime after 2:00 pm.
Check-Out is 12:00 noon.
You can proceed directly to your vacation home. No office check-in required.
General Policy
There are 4 homes on the Shepherd's Rest property. Please respect the privacy of your neighbors, although they are aways away. Smoking is permitted outside of any of the facilities but loud music is not permitted outside. Of course, illegal activities are not permitted such as discharging firearms, drugs, and underage drinking, etc. Sometimes, depending on the weather, there may be a burn ban in the county. You can access the county's outdoor burn ban status at www.banderacounty.org.
Things to Know
Cell phone reception is available 1 mile south of the entrance to Shepherd's Rest property on Hwy 187. Satellite TV reception is easily available because of the big sky but you would need to bring your own TV and dish. Otherwise there is plenty of noise with the birds singing and the water rapids running.
In case of emergency the 911 address of the property is 35776 FM 187, Vanderpool, Texas. Kerrville is the nearest hospital and is 50 minutes away (40 minutes if you drive fast). Utopia has a small clinic for small emergencies.
Don't forget bug spray, sun screen, and flashlight.
Some grocery items can be purchased at a log cabin store just 2 miles south of our entrance. When you see Norbert at his store say “Hi” from us.
The town of Utopia is 15 minutes south of our property and has several stores, cafes, and gas. But remember, it's a small town and the streets roll up early each evening.
If the children just can't stand the quiet anymore then there is plenty to do in Kerrville (ie. movie house, Walmart, restaurants, etc.)
There is a giant fire ring across the river from the houses. If it's not too dry to burn then it makes a great place for building a fire for roasting marshmallows, star gazing, and ghost stories.
If night time travel is necessary then watch out for all the deer. Drive slow and avoid the deer in the headlights.
There are plenty of little critters in the hill country such as armadillos, raccoons, squirrels, and lizards. But you might not want to pet any skunks or scorpions that you might see..
Remember to bring all your favorite food, drinks, and ice.
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