Lighthouse Hill Ranch, Inc. - Johnson City, Texas

Kelly J.

We just got home from our third amazing stay at Lighthouse Hill Ranch (we always stay in the Brown House). We brought our dogs and our utv, rode the 2000+ acres, and had the best time. It had been six years since our last stay, and it felt like coming home. One day we went up to Johnson City and Hye for a couple of nearby wineries. Grilled out at the house each night. We live just 30 minutes down the road now, but it felt like we were in the middle of nowhere, in an absolutely beautiful paradise. This is the perfect place to get away and unwind. The owner, Kathy, is excellent to work with, and provides all the details for your stay. We highly recommend!

Ryan G.

Enjoyed our stay. Accommodations were easy to get in and get out. Beautiful place. Enjoyed hot tub and all the riding trails the place has to offer. Brought our own UTV and tried out the trails. Lots were blocked off due to hunting season. We will be back!

Stephanie L.

I’ve been wanting to come here since I found out it’s dirtbike friendly. My friends and I finally made it and so glad we did. We rented 3 different cabins. All were private with great views and fully stocked with everything needed for a weekend away. We could get to one another’s cabin by car or dirtbike - They aren’t walkable to one another. There were a few scorpions that got in (it’s the country!) It was dog friendly as well. The trails are everything from easy gravel roads to technical rock ledges. We rode about 30 miles total between a few days and still didn’t hit everything. The pool was perfect at night with a great view of the land and a beautiful sunset. Hot tub warmed up very fast too. There was no one else staying there so it felt like we had it to ourselves. The creek was even more fun for swimming and cliff jumping; clear water, cool, and had shallow places for hanging out. The roads leading to the houses were rough, glad we had 4WD getting there but had to take them slow pulling trailers. Our friend had an accident, and the owners offered tons of help and checked up on her multiple times which was very sweet of them. Glad we had helmets for everyone. We ended up in full gear riding the trials and it didn’t feel like overkill. All of the kids were trying to stay longer and had a blast! We all can’t wait to return and do it all again. It was genuinely a great experience with so much freedom to explore and ride wherever we wanted. There are so few places in Texas to do that, it felt like we were much farther from home than we really were. It’s definitely worth a weekend out here. I wish more people who rode knew what a gem this land was.

S ?. L. H. S. B.

Overall great place for a family get away with exception mentioned below. I would prob give it a 3 if it weren’t for the fact that we had 4 generations of family gathered together. It rained our first day there and our last night. The last night we had a leak in the kitchen. This is a complete home. It has a pool with slide, hot tub, outdoor grill, gas and wood fire pits, and a basketball/tennis/volleyball court on property. There are wonderful views of Texas Hill Country and all things LBJ are nearby. There is swimming and fishing (catch and release) in the nearby creek and they have a hot tub at the creek as well. The road to the lighthouse was not difficult at all. The road on the way to the creek is a different story. Don’t come in a car. I think they say it sleeps 15, I would say 11 comfortably unless I missed something. There are A LOT of steps. About 41. But there are 2 bedrooms on the ground level for anyone who might have problems. The thing that I had a problem with was cleanliness. They charge $200 cleaning fee on the front end and $145 on the back end if you don’t clean up before you go. Thats a non-issue if it was truly clean. Blinds and fixtures were dusty, dust and dead bugs on sides of bed, there were tons of condiments left over from previous guests, the oven hadn’t been cleaned in who knows how long, fridge was dirty, there was mold in one of the bathrooms, the slide pool was filled with debris and bugs, and the mattress protectors were grossly stained. There comes a time when some things should just be put in the garbage. Whoever they hire to clean, should be replaced. When we do family vacations we always get suites with full kitchens, etc and never had a problem with cleanliness so this was a surprise. I just feel if someone is coming in weekly to clean between guests, it should actually be clean. Despite all that, with some NEEDED change in the cleaning dept, I would recommend.

Sarah C.

Our second stay in the Brown House and we love this place! Biggest draws for our family: ATV trails, pet friendly, hill country views and water features (creeks, hot tubs). Johnson City is just a few miles down the road for basic groceries and a cute coffee house and restaurant (Pecan Street). Arrive during daylight because it can be tricky to find the entrance to the ranch at night as it’s very dark (but that also makes for great stargazing!). This is our go-to place for hill country adventures.

Tonja C.

This was our second stay at Lighthouse Hill Ranch. We stayed out at the Brown House last October and this time in the Arc de Texas/Lafayette Suite. We have brought our side by side both times and enjoyed riding the trails. We also brought our fishing equipment and caught a few fish. The swimming pool is great at the Arc as the creek was a little low for swimming. We love staying here and will be back again.

Heather O.

We stayed at the Brown House & it was fantastic. The water & property was absolutely amazing and I honestly haven't had that much fun on vacation in a while. It was so relaxing. It is like your own personal Green Belt/ Barton Springs.

We caught a ton of fish in the lake/at the dam/ in the creek & swam in the clear, amazingly cold water & roasted marshmallows and generally just had a wonderful time.

The house had everything we needed to cook for the weekend and includes a washer/dryer so we didn't have to pack quite as much. I would highly suggest the Lighthouse Hill Ranch to anyone looking to get away and have an isolated socially distant vacation.

2 cons that are almost not even worth mentioning - the highway is pretty loud, but it becomes background noise anyways & the yard wasn't mowed. The yard wasn't a big deal at all though because there is ample concrete space to walk around on and all of the area by the fire pit is dirt so it was fine. Only reason I mention it is because we brought our dog & when we were unloading we saw a hognose snake in the grass by the front path (that we'd already walked past a few times probably). We also saw a tiny scorpion outside on the concrete one night-so definitely be aware that it is pretty wild out there! That is part of its charm, though.

10/10 would recommend. Literally cannot wait to go back. I've already checked the calendar to see when the house is available again later this summer.

Thanks again to the staff for everything!

Angie C.

We've stayed at Lighthouse Hill Ranch 4 times now and every time we enjoy ourselves fully and leave relaxed and rejuvenated. We've stayed at the Green House, Louiseville suite and the Log Cabin twice with a group of friends.
There's a little bit of everything to do on the property so it's not even necessary to ever leave during your stay. There's a pool, hot tub, spring creek and a wine bar at the main property with a rooftop patio to take in all the beautiful views. Each place we stayed was fully stocked, had all kitchen items to cook and stay in as well as a washer and dryer if needed.
Of course it's also close enough to Fredericksburg to go for a visit to Enchanted Rock, do wine tastings, shopping or grab a bite to eat.
We visit the Hill Country often and will definitely be back.