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RM 473: Comfort to Highway 281, Hill Country, Texas
Photo: Jonathan Cutrer from San Angelo, United States · CC BY 2.0

Drives Texas Austin, San Antonio and the Hill Country

RM 473: Comfort to Highway 281

RM 473, Sisterdale Road · Comfort → RM 473 at US-281

Leisurely33 mi40 min2,000 ft climbHigh point ≈ 1,600 ftOne way
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The drive

RM 473 starts in Comfort, a Hill Country town founded in 1854 by German immigrants who came west from New Braunfels, and runs east across rolling ranch country. It passes under I-10/US 87 without connecting to it, then carries on through limestone creek crossings toward Sisterdale.

Sisterdale was founded in 1847 by the German surveyor Nicolaus Zink, and it later drew the Forty-Eighters, German liberals who left after the failed revolution of 1848. Here RM 473 briefly overlaps RM 1376. The road continues through Kendalia and past Twin Sisters, then meets US 281, where this drive ends.

RM 473 itself carries on east, sharing about two miles of US 281 before it resumes toward RM 32 near Fischer.

Along the way

  1. Comfort (RM 473)
  2. Sisterdale
  3. RM 473 at US-281
Elevation
2,000 ft of climbing · high point ≈ 1,600 ft
ComfortRM 473 at US-281
Curves
Mostly gentle curves
ComfortRM 473 at US-281
GentleHairpins

Good to know

  • Low-water crossings and creeks can flood after heavy rain; check road status after storms.
  • RM 473 overlaps RM 1376 briefly at Sisterdale, then continues east.

Open all year, weather permitting. Roads close for snow, fire, storms and repairs: before you set off, check TxDOT DriveTexas.

Questions about this drive

How long does RM 473 from Comfort to US 281 take?

RM 473 from Comfort to US 281 is 33.3 miles and takes about 40 minutes.

What is Sisterdale, Texas?

Sisterdale is a Hill Country community on RM 473, founded in 1847 by the German surveyor Nicolaus Zink and later settled by German Forty-Eighters.

Is RM 473 twisty?

Only mildly. RM 473 is a rolling ranch road with gentle bends, better for scenery than for sharp curves.

What you get in the app

Turn by turn, on this roadSpoken directions along the exact route. Carve never reroutes you onto a faster one.
Preview it in 3DFly the whole drive over satellite and terrain before you go.
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More drives near here

Distance, time, elevation, curves and intensity are from Carve's route. Checked 2026-10-28.

Map of RM 473: Comfort to Highway 281, from Comfort to RM 473 at US-281