Highlights of the Texas Outdoors

Don't Mess With Texas!

Texas Weather & Climate

Before You Visit

Support Texas Nature Preserves

Where to take your family to explore the Lone Star’s natural beauty.

With family vacations becoming increasingly shorter and more expensive, taking a trip to the wrong spot of the state can leave you in a vast ocean of nothing-interesting.
If you know where to look, though, there can be some hidden gems in a desert of fly-over roads.

Read on ahead:
We’d love to have you experience some of the more gorgeous areas of the diverse Texas environments—without breaking the bank.

Below are some of the of the more scenic, highest rated, easiest to traverse trails in Texas; they are rated from easiest, to most challenging.

BASIN LOOP TRAIL

"Chisos Mtns., Basin Loop." Rick M. Jan 2019.

Despite the shrubbery, the trail is well groomed, and its ease makes it a popular spot to walk through, so expect company. It offers scenic images: enjoy shaded campsites under the greener side of the Texas desert; look up to the sides of the khaki red faces of the Chisos Mountain Range; bump into a family of friendly (if not sometimes shy) white tailed deer and say hi.

If you’re not done, you can walk on top connecting trails, such as the famous Lost Mine Trail, or Emory Peak Trail.

Pack water and leave the dogs at home, and avoid going during the rain seasons, as some parts of the trail become impassible.
Fees are paid per vehicle, or if you’re on foot and sunburnt, per individual.
The canyon offers campgrounds that can also be reserved for several days.

Located in the nationally famous Big Bend National Park, the desert trail is shaded by the canopies of trees.

-Located in: Big Bend National Park, TX.
-Climate Zone: West Texas
-Trail length: 2.4 mi
-Avg time to complete: 1.15 hrs
-Opening hours: 24/7 year round
-Best time to visit: September to May, where the heat will be more forgiving and the wind favorable.

NOTABLE WILDLIFE

CAPROCK CANYON RIM TRAIL

“Caprock Canyon Rim Trail,” Megan Kaus, Dec 25 2022.

Although rocky, and with little or no shade, this is one of the easier trails to bring kids in.
Unless you’re looking for a bit of a challenge, avoid going to the lower areas, as they are more strenuous.
Bison herds frequent the area, often traversing directly through the trail in close quarters; they appreciate the silence of the trail as much as anyone, if not more.
The red stoned canyon walls of the Canyon also contribute to the serene view of the trail.

You can bring leashed dogs here, and be sure to pack water.
A daily fee is paid–the most affordable of the whole list, and yet children 12 or younger can come free.

Found in the Caprocks Canyon and State Park & Trailway, this is a popular area, but the red stone and orange sand only offer the sounds of silence and nature, making it popular with bird watchers.

-Located in: 850 State Park Rd., Quitaque, TX 79255.
-Climate Zone: North Texas
-Trail length: 6.5 mi
-Avg time to complete: 2.3 hrs
-Opening hours: 8 a.m - 10 p.m CST daily year round.
-Best time to visit: Late Spring to early Summer tends to be the best time to trailblaze here.

NOTABLE WILDLIFE

LOST MINE TRAIL

“Lost Mine Trail,” Jay Mora, Oct 4 2022.

This is one of the longer trails that may necessitate camping or outright not completing in the same day, especially with kids.
Although the trail is hot, hiking up the mountain range to higher elevation will reward one with cool air—and spectacular views.
Just like most of these trails, the Lost Mine Trail is popular; expect company (say hi.)

Pack water and leave the dogs at home for this one.
Avoid going during the rain seasons, as some parts of the trail become impassible due to flash flooding.
Fees are paid per vehicle, or if you’re on foot and sunburnt, per individual.
The canyon offers campgrounds that can also be reserved for several days.

Offering high views over the desert shrubbery of the Big Bend National Park, take in the vast giant spaces of the desert and mountain ranges with some prime spots on the trail.

-Located in: Big Bend National Park, TX.
-Climate Zone: West Texas
-Trail length: 4.8 mi
-Avg time to complete: 2.4 hrs
-Opening hours: 24/7 year round
-Best time to visit: September to May, where the heat will be more forgiving and the wind favorable.

NOTABLE WILDLIFE

SANTA ELENA CANYON TRAIL

“Saint Elena Canyon Trailhead,” Jeff Burns, September 2019.

Cloudless skies brighten the edges of the Chihuahuan Desert brightly with specks of yellow green riparian vegetation and seas of tanned khaki and brownish-gray stone and dirt.

On the best days, the winds of West Texas will cool and offset the unforgiving sun shining on your back.
Show the folks the Rio Grande—the stretch of brownish green water that divides stone and countries at the mouth of the Santa Elena Canyon.
Just don’t fall in.

Pack water and leave the dogs at home, and avoid going during the rain seasons, as some parts of the trail become impassible.
Fees are paid per vehicle, or if you’re on foot and sunburnt, per individual.
The canyon offers campgrounds that can also be reserved for several days.

Also found in the Big Bend National Park, whenever you think of the environment of Texas, you’re probably thinking of this trail.

-Located in: Santa Elena Canyon Trailhead, Terlingua, TX 79852.
-Climate Zone: West Texas
-Trail length: 1.7 mi
-Avg time to complete: 45 min
-Opening hours: 24/7 year round
-Best time to visit: September to May, where the heat will be more forgiving and the wind favorable.

NOTABLE WILDLIFE

RIVER PLACE PANTHER HOLLOW & CANYON TRAIL

“Riverplace Nature Trail,” D Beasley, June 18 2017.

The trail commonly has a just combination of uphill inclines and easy flats, and takes you through serene forest paths, where you would encounter picturesque waterfalls and all sorts of forest wildlife.
Most of the path is shaded, so despite the length, it makes it more forgiving and easier to enjoy the experience, rather than be distracted by fatigue.

Be sure to bring water anyways.
The trail is well traversed and well marked, making it difficult to get lost.
Although there is a fee for each visitor, kids 12 and under go free.
Dogs are welcome, so long as they are leashed and behave.
Bring water and maybe insect repellant.

The River Place Nature Preserve hosts Austin’s best plot of greenery.
Though it is considered somewhat challenging; with inclines, stairs, and sometimes narrow walk paths to navigate through, it is a rewarding experience to go through.

-Located in: 8820 Big View Dr., Austin, TX 78730.
-Climate Zone: Hill Country
-Trail length: 5.5 mi-Avg time to complete: 2.3 hrs
-Opening hours: 6 a.m - 10 p.m CST daily year round.
-Best time to visit: Late Spring to early Summer to avoid hotter temperatures and crazy weather.

NOTABLE WILDLIFE

Don’t Mess With Texas
Cities, people, and society as a whole has changed in Texas, but much of the untouched landscape and vegetation—particularly those that are protected—has remained the same.

Texas does not ask much from visitors:
Be polite, be courteous, don’t litter.

We hope that in your travels experiencing the natural beauty of the Lone Star State, you can bring back some illuminating experiences out in the wild.
But please, do not leave anything in exchange.
We can keep Texas beautiful by cleaning up after ourselves.

Be a good neighbor, and help us keep Texas beautiful and clean.

Texas Weather & Climate
Generally, Texas usually enjoys long stretches of sunlight in the summer, usually between 2600-3700 hours of sunlight year round depending on the area.

Winters tend to be mild, and in some areas, are arguably worsened by the addition of the wind and rain, particularly during the end of our rainy seasons in Spring and Fall.
Due to the size of the state, temperature and rainfall varies wildly.

Hill Country tends to be hot and stuffy in the Summer, and the cold is mild in the Winter, with the occasional cold snap.
April to May are the rainier months, and are sometimes vulnerable to extreme weather and certain lower elevation areas are prone to flash floods (expect mud, and rain probably.)

West Texas, on the other hand, is almost always sunny and hot regardless of season, and rain comes and goes so rarely, you wouldn’t notice if a shower burst just hit you.
Due to it being a desert, the region is known to be windy, and may host a tornado on rare occasions.
Bring water, and maybe some sunscreen.
But it's mostly just sun, so if you’ve never trailblazer under the sun before, rethink about doing it here.

The plains of North Texas, with their sub-tropical and semi-arid climates, are a frequent spawn point of tornadoes in the “panhandle,” also referred to as Tornado Alley.
Summer tends to have clear sky days, but this far north, this part of Texas sees snow more regularly than the rest of the state.
Due to its unique location, it is one of the most cursed areas of Texas, with the eastern side of seeing snow, rain, hot stuffy days, tornadoes, flash flooding, cold snaps, and plenty of dry lightning storms, all depending on the time of the year—and God’s current sense of humor, apparently.

Before You Visit
Texas is big, and as a consequence, it's difficult to understand the variation of weather.
Generally, pack for winter conditions if visiting the north during Winter or early Spring.
Pack raincoats if visiting the Hill Country during the rainy season.
Wear light clothing if visiting West Texas.

Always bring plenty of water, and understand and be able to perform first aid.
Some of these areas are habited by dangerous fauna, such as coyote packs, black bears, or mountain lions.
Do not run from them—Stand your ground.
Having a hiking stick with you can be the best way to repel them, as they tend to only want easy prey that won’t put up a fight and hurt them.

Be wary of Bison in some areas—stay clear of any bovine species.
Most of Texas is home to smaller critters, such as Armadillos, white tailed deer, big-horned sheep, and turkey vultures.
They almost never pose any sort of bodily harm.
Snakes, a few of which are deadly (such as Diamondback Rattlesnakes) also will absolutely not attack unless cornered and chased after.
There are also skunks, most of which don’t care if the trail is frequented by humans.

All of them can be easily dissuaded or avoided without the use of lethal force.
Preferably, understand the more dangerous fauna and have a plan of action on what to do if attacked by a venomous animal or bitten by animals that can carry rabies, have first aid supplies at hand—and maybe also a spare change of underwear.

In general: respect the local population, but stand up for yourself if necessary.
So treat them how you would treat strangers you don’t want to talk to but can stare at and take pictures from afar.

About us

Contact us

Terms of use

Privacy and cookies

Volunteer for your local park

Support the page at Patreon

Learn more about Texas wildlife

Follow our socials for more pics

and stories of the Texas environment

#HOTTO

(This is another page)