One Man’s Half-Century Project to Heal a Hill Country Landscape
In 1969, a San Antonio fried-chicken tycoon was struck by a life-changing idea: He would find, buy, and heal “the sorriest piece of land in the Hill Country.” Now celebrating its 50th anniversary, the Bamberger Ranch Preserve sprawls across 5,500 acres of grassy hills and wildflower meadows in Blanco County. When visitors arrive May 5 for the annual family day and picnic, they will repeatedly drive across a perennial stream that cascades through a series of waterfalls and d Read More »
Catch May’s Second Wave of Wildflower Blooms While You Still Can
This May, the Texas Hill Country is proving there is more than bluebonnets to revere. A second wave of blooms is eclipsing the dazzling bluebonnet crop with prolific Indian blanket, reddish-purple winecup, pinkish primrose, coreopsis, and others. The same combo of rain and sun that produced the bluebonnet displays are benefitting this second wave, as well. Read More »
Beginner’s Guide to Camping Gear
Start your camping experience off right with Texas-made products and equipment, from a sturdy cooler to a lightweight blanket Read More »
The Beginner’s Guide to Camping in Texas
I’d never understood the allure of camping. Perhaps it’s because my family was never very interested in spending time in the wilderness. We traveled quite a bit, but our destinations were always big cities with the inescapable smell of car exhaust and neon signs lighting up the night sky. In the outdoors, there were bugs, critters, and uncontrollable temperatures—and why would we voluntarily sleep on the ground when my parents worked very hard to put a roof over our heads? Whether due to nature or nurture, I knocked at the door of my 30s with no basic outdoor survival skills or knowledge. Read More »
Texas Parks & Wildlife’s Texas Outdoor Family Program Caters to Rookie Campers
Texas Parks & Wildlife ranger Immanuel Salas assists Texas Outdoor Family campers in building a fire. Photo: Tiffany Hofeldt Read More »
Balmorhea State Park is Ready for Summer Visitors
Sometimes the best summer moments are unplanned—a spontaneous road trip, a lazy day at the lake, or an impromptu backyard barbecue. But some of our state’s most memorable summer diversions require advance planning. Balmorhea State Park's star attraction, the pool, reopened March 1 after being closed nearly 10 months for repairs, and visitors are already returning in droves to cool off in the aquamarine water of the world’s largest spring-fed swimming pool. Read More »
The Daytripper’s Top 5 in Colorado Bend State Park
No need to travel “just around the bend” when the bend itself is the main attraction. From the tops of its panoramic vistas to the bottom of its darkened caves, Colorado Bend State Park offers more than 5,000 acres of pure Hill Country heaven to explore. Read More »
Tracking Elusive Mountain Lions in the Mountains of West Texas
The cat has been gone for hours by the time Bert Geary comes upon the footprint. He sees it as our utility-terrain vehicle bounces over a rough ridgeline trail, the wind gusting over golden grass, heavy and cool with incoming August rain. The tracks are perhaps 5 inches across, clear and distinct. “It’s too big to be a bobcat,” Geary says, swinging out of the vehicle to examine it. “I think that’s a mountain lion. Young one, too. Maybe 60 pounds.” Read More »
National Forests in Piney Woods Closing Some Trails, Campsites
Planning a wilderness escape to the Piney Woods? Consider double-checking the availability of your preferred camping areas and hiking trails—particularly in East Texas’ national forests, which are closing some campsites and trails to ease the financial strain. Read More »
Visit Canyon Lake in the Texas Hill Country with Our New Video Series “A Piece of Texas”
Check out our new video series “A Piece of Texas” and follow Rich, Amberly, and Luke as they head out on the road, making music and exploring the state’s hidden gems. First stop: Canyon Lake. Read More »
New Virtual Batting Cages Open in Round Rock
Game days at the Dell Diamond just got more exciting with Home Run Dugout Read More »
A Runner Reflects on Lady Bird Johnson’s Legacy and the Companionship of Nature
Johnson described nature as her daily companion. “The song of the wind in the upper branches of the pine trees is the most evocative symphony I’ve ever heard.” Read More »
Four New Trailheads Lead Hikers to El Paso’s Wild Outdoors
Four new urban trailheads opened this March in El Paso, providing stunning views and helpful amenities for hikers and mountain bikers trekking from the city’s streets into Franklin Mountains State Park, the largest urban park in the country. Read More »
A Palo Duro Canyon Community Offers More Than Meets the Eye
Your first time in Canyon, you’ll be forgiven for wondering where this Panhandle community of about 15,000 gets its name. Heading into town, you pass beehives from a local honey farm, the sprawling campus of West Texas A&M University, and tidy brick houses. What you won’t see is anything resembling a canyon. Read More »
Hike, Fish, and Play—but Watch Out for Bigfoot—at the Mineola Nature Preserve
Past the sign for a wastewater treatment plant on the southern edge of Mineola, one of the largest municipal parks in the nation awaits. The Mineola Nature Preserve sprawls 2,911 acres across garden trails, forests, wetlands, grassy fields, and river. More than 193 species of birds roam here, as well as delicate butterflies, roly polies, thundering buffalo, and Longhorn cattle. Read More »
Explore the Guadalupe Ridge Trail with Texas Highways and New Mexico Magazines
This month, we’re partnering with New Mexico Magazine to share the story of this dual-state treasure with our neighbors to the west. For our joint feature story, Managing Editor Wes Ferguson made his second trip to explore the Guadalupe Ridge Trail. As the fall 2017 artist-in-residence at Guadalupe Mountains National Park, he had spent nearly four weeks hiking and writing while immersed in the highest and wildest country Texas offers. “This assignment brought me back to the Guadalupes for the first time in nearly a year,” Ferguson says, “and it felt like a reunion with an old friend I don’t see nearly as often as I wish.” Read More »
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