Texas

Palo Duro Canyon is considered the Grand Canyon of Texas and the Lighthouse is one of the most unique geological formations found there. In order to reach it you must enter the Palo Duro Canyon State Park and drive down Park Road 5 until you reach the Lighthouse Trailhead parking lot on the right...

Santa Elena Canyon is one of the crown jewels of Big Bend National Park, and something you surely don't want to miss if you pay the park a visit. To get here you will take the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive from Panther Junction, the park's headquarters. This drive has many pull-offs to take advantage...

Take the short drive up to the friendly little town of Sisterdale to find the General Store. Here you can safely leave your vehicle, rent kayaks and arrange shuttles for your trip of choice. There are plenty of different stretches of river to fit any adventure from short day floats to multi-day k...

About a half mile west from the Hwy 183 bridge that crosses the South Fork of the San Gabriel River lies approximately 12 dinosaur footprints embedded in the river bed. Not many people know about the dinosaur tracks just northwest of Austin in Leander, Texas. This is not a marked trail, there ar...

Witness the Milky Way in all of it's glory at Fort Griffin State Historic Site. The site offers a monthly Star & Skies of Texas viewing party and this is the only way inside of the Historic Site at night. The event itself lasts about 2-3 hours but they allow individuals to stay in the park as...

To get there, first talk to park ranger at the Pine Springs Visitor Center. There is a gate that you may need to borrow a key for. You will need to actually drive out of the park to get to the gypsum dunes, leaving and heading west on 62/180 for 14 miles and then take a right (head north) on priv...

Wild Basin Wilderness Preserve is managed as part of the Balcones Canyonlands Preserve and consists of 227 acres of beautiful Hill Country woodlands owned jointly by Travis County (164.4 acres) and St. Edwards University (62.6 acres). Wild Basin is open to visitors who can hike the 2.5 miles of t...

The hike to Emory Peak zig-zags up the face of the mountain, and only when you reach the peak do you get the full, 360 view of Big Bend National Park. Trust me, it's gorgeous. You get some pretty amazing views before reaching the peak, too, but you are hiking on the inside of the “horseshoe” loo...

The Cathedral of Junk is a hidden gem within the Austin City Limits, actually located in the Artists backyard. Construction was started back in 1988 by Vince Hahnemann and he still continues to add to it to this day! Climb to the top of the tower to rock out on the drum set or maybe even catch a ...

This is a 7.6 mile out-and-back trail snaking along the banks of Lake Georgetown. The trailhead is located in Cedar Breaks Park. There is no fee to hike the trail however there are fees for camping, boating, or picnicking so be sure to tell the attendants you are just there to hike. Once through ...

The largest undeveloped barrier island on Earth, the seashore is more than 130,000 acres of dunes, grasslands, and beaches. Drive over 60 miles along the beach to choose the perfect camping spot. Four-wheel drive is recommended to drive the full length of beach; however, two-wheel drive vehicles ...

The Window Trail is one of the most popular hikes in Big Bend National Park. Whether you're visiting for a day or camping at one of the sites in the park, the Window Trail is a hike worth doing, and can be done in just a couple of hours at a leisurely pace. The Window itself is a V-shaped canyon ...

Just north of 1604, off I10 is Friedrich Wilderness Park. This park, within the city limits of San Antonio, has about 10 miles of hiking trails varying from paved and appropriate for all ages and abilities, to challenging uphills and quick drop offs.This is just for pedestrian, so if you have a b...

The Monahans Sandhills are a surprise. They aren't as big as Great Sand Dunes National Park, but they are still fun for an afternoon or weekend adventure.  The State Park entrance fee is $4 per adult daily. There are sand toboggan/ disks rentals at the park's headquarters. If you are looking to s...

Dinosaur Valley is located in the small town of Glen Rose about an hour and a half Southwest of Dallas. While the main purpose of the park is the continual preservation of dinosaur tracks that were fossilized at the edge of an ancient ocean millions of years ago, there are also tons of activities...

If you're staying at Chisos Basin, the sunset at Window View Trail is one to see. The Window View Trail is a paved, wheelchair-accessible, 0.3 mile loop that starts near the Chisos Basin Store and leads to a viewpoint. The viewpoint provides an excellent view of the desert floor framed by the Ch...