Waterfall Trail

Chalk Ridge Falls hides a waterfall below the Stillhouse Hollow dam

Most people drive past Stillhouse Hollow thinking 'boat lake' and never see one of Bell County's nicer surprises. Just off FM 1670, on the south side of the dam, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers runs the Chalk Ridge Falls nature area. A footpath follows the Lampasas River through limestone and cedar to Chalk Ridge Falls, a small natural waterfall.

It is free to get in, open year-round from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Parking sits just below the dam, where the tailrace fishing is good, and there is a vault toilet at the lot. A few miles of trail connect through the area, so you can keep it short or make a longer walk of it.

Dam, river, falls, and trail in one stop makes this a true landscape spot rather than just another ramp. The Corps does close it from time to time for flood releases or maintenance, so check the Stillhouse Hollow pages before you go.

Source to confirm: USACE Fort Worth District - Stillhouse Hollow Corps Parks

More Bell County notes

Property tax

How the homestead exemption cuts your property tax in Bell County

Texas law gives homeowners who live in their own home a significant exemption from school district property taxes, and Bell County residents must file with Bell CAD to claim it.

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Property tax

Disagreeing with your Bell CAD appraisal: how to protest

Bell County property owners have the right to challenge their appraisal before the Appraisal Review Board each year, typically by a mid-May deadline, and Bell CAD lets you file online or in person at one of its three offices.

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Property tax

Agricultural and wildlife-management land valuation in Bell County

Bell County landowners who use their land for farming or wildlife can be taxed on what the land produces, not what it would sell for, which can lower the tax bill significantly.

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Property tax

Special water districts and what they mean for your tax bill in Bell County

Parts of Bell County fall inside Water Control and Improvement Districts that levy their own property taxes separate from county and city taxes.

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