Nature + Outdoors

Big Thicket Drift

Big Thicket Drift

“It’s not too often that you just don’t have anything to do,” our guide ... Read More »

The Art (and Fun) of Stacking Rocks

The Art (and Fun) of Stacking Rocks

Michael Grab wades into the waist-high water of the Llano River in Central ... Read More »

Favorite Big Bend Mountain-Bike Rides

Favorite Big Bend Mountain-Bike Rides

When out in Big Bend for the Chihuahuan Desert Bike Fest, I talked with multiple local riders to gather information for my story about mountain biking in the Big Bend region. I threw in an extra question for some of them: What’s your favorite ride? Here are their responses. Read More »

Biking Big Bend

Biking Big Bend

Chances are I won’t be hitchhiking out West any time soon to hire on with a ranch or join a sheriff’s posse. My boyhood fancies of a cowboy life on the open range, fueled by Lone Ranger reruns and imaginative bicycle escapades around the neighborhood, lost steam over time. But I’ve still got a Lone Ranger poster, and I’ve still got a mountain bike. And exploring the Texas countryside by bicycle still kindles my childlike excitement for adventure, freedom, and fun. Read More »

9 Divine Hill Country Hikes

In the Texas Hill Country, the flat Gulf Coastal plains to the east and the Texas brush country to the south collide with the Balcones Escarpment—a conspicuous topographic demarcation that nearly bisects the state from Del Rio northwest past Waco. West of the escarpment, which roughly parallels Interstate 35 in Central Texas, a land of contrasts presents itself as soaring limestone bluffs, rugged hills, and steep canyons. Read More »

Return to the Guadalupes

Return to the Guadalupes

I got to know the Guadalupe Mountains as a child in the 1970s, when my ... Read More »

Nature by Day … or Night

Nature by Day … or Night

The sun is low and the gate guarded as we arrive at the south shore of ... Read More »

The Sweet Side of Texas Summers? Swimming-Hole Satisfaction

The Sweet Side of Texas Summers? Swimming-Hole Satisfaction

In Texas, we love our swimming holes as much as we love barbecue and country music. We’ve got plenty of them worth bragging about, too. From east to west and north to south, shimmering natural ponds and river respites abound, beckoning us to kick off our sandals and take a flying leap. Our advice? Give in to the temptation. To help you plot your adventure, we’ve rounded up a few of our favorites. Read More »

Hail to the Boys of the CCC

Hail to the Boys of the CCC

When I was a child, Texas’ state parks were beloved vacation ... Read More »

Park the Car and See Galveston Island by Bicycle

Park the Car and See Galveston Island by Bicycle

Lucky us: A brilliantly sunny morning greets us on the day we plan to see Galveston by bicycle. It’s been years since I’ve looked at my favorite island from a bike seat, and I’m eager to revisit the sensory experience of taking in the sights and sounds and smells of a place that’s at once so historic and vibrant. Read More »

Daytripper: Balmorhea

Daytripper: Balmorhea

Amid the prickly-pear cacti and rocky hills of West Texas lies a literal ... Read More »

The Story of Our National Parks

The Lone Star State was a little late to the national parks game, but as ... Read More »

Silver Wings

Silver Wings

Sara Beesley, director of the Mitchell Lake Audubon Center in San ... Read More »

A Desert Diverse

Resting in the shade next to a pool of clear water, I could almost forget that miles and miles of West Texas desert surround me. But in fact I was in the middle of the Chihuahuan Desert, one of the most biologically diverse arid regions in the world. Read More »

Horse Sense

Horse Sense

Old Gonzo doesn’t want to trot. At first we thought it was because he ... Read More »

A New Dawn in the Davis Mountains

A New Dawn in the Davis Mountains

Dawn has just broken above the new Davis Mountains State Park ... Read More »

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