Tag: wildlife

Enchanted Rock State Natural Area

by John L, posted in Enchanted Rock State Natural Area, General, Hiking, TexasStateParks

Continuing on our quest to visit all the Texas State Parks we decided to hit up Enchanted Rock State Natural Area back on March 23rd. The 21st was my birthday and I couldn’t think of a better way to spend that Saturday than another great day visiting state parks. I want to take a moment to thank the Texas State Trooper who gave me a warning instead of a ticket. “Happy Birthday and slow down. I think you’ll make it before the park closes from too much traffic.”

For those that haven’t made it out to Enchanted Rock it is important to note that during peak visiting season the park can be so popular that they run out of parking and close the park. It can be rough to make a 2+ hour drive only to find the park is close. Luckily there are other attractions close by if this happens to you. LBJ, Pedernales, Inks Lake, Longhorn Cavern, and several others are close by and won’t be closed for lack of parking.

So we headed out highway 71 and zoomed straight to the park. It was cloudy that day and that probably helped with traffic/parking. We were able to park and get to the trail fairly quickly.

Enchanted Rock formationsEnchanted Rockenchanted rock from the summit

rest of the pics

We walked for a little while after coming down for the summit. The echo canyon trail is fun, but is very popular and can be crowded, and loud…really loud, during peak times.

echo canyon trailhead

This is a great family park and one that I’m sure I’ll revisit many, many times in my lifetime. Do yourself a favor and move this park to the top of your list. It’s worth any drive.

Longhorn Cavern State Park

by John L, posted in General, Hiking, Longhorn Cavern State Park, TexasStateParks

This weekend I visited another central Texas state park. After a quick brunch with some cousins at Bluebonnet Cafe in Marble Falls I made the short drive to Longhorn Cavern State Park. I’ve made one short trip to this park previously back in March (more posts to come soon on this 5-parks-in-one-day trip). We didn’t have enough time to go on the cave tour on that visit. This time I did and I’m glad I made the return trip.

The cave is quite the hidden jewel with, as the tour guide said, “just as wonderful of a human history as its natural history.”

The entrance to the cave along with a good portion of the cave was constructed and cleared out by the Civilian Conservation Corps. Both the entrance and the cave look much the same today as they did in the 1930s. Working at $1/day for 8 years the CCC cleared out the soft debris in the cave and the result was a beautiful cavern that people still enjoy today.

The tour is $14 for adults. They do offer several different tours including the “Wild Tour” where customers get down and dirty with the bowels of the cave. Call ahead for the Wild Tour.

cave entrance
Entrance to cave
large cave
one of the bigger rooms in the cave
cave formation called the queen's throne
queen’s throne
dog shaped formation in cave
dog shaped formation in cave

rest of the photos can be found in this album

Fellow Texas State Park Adventurers

by John L, posted in Hiking, McKinney Falls State Park, TexasStateParks

I’ve heard from a few fellow park travelers and nature lovers.

Check out Sandi’s blog which also has some posts and pics related to her attempt to visit all 93 Texas State Parks. There’s some great pics of McKinney Falls State Park and Pedernales Falls State Park.

picture courtesy of http://todayiwillmake.blogspot.com/

Pedernales Falls State Park

by John L, posted in Hiking, Pedernales Falls State Park, TexasStateParks

Pedernals Falls State Park - The Falls

Park #2 on our quest to visit all 93 State Parks of Texas was Pedernales Falls State Park.

Pedernales Falls State Park is in Johnson City, TX about 35 minutes outside of Austin.

Park 2/93 February 9, 2013

Pedernales Falls State Park is one of my favorite parks. I’ve visiting many times and could write for hours about the Wolf Mountain Trail and about the falls themselves. This visit only included a short hike around the falls where we spent an hour exploring the boulders that are normally hidden by water during the wet seasons. We stopped by the headquarters and got our lapel pins, maps, and well-wishes from the park rangers. From the headquarters we headed down the winding, hilly road to the falls. You can park at the end of the road at the large parking lot/restroom area. From there we headed down the gravel-paved path to the falls. This is about a quarter of a mile path that is really easy to make for most people. From there you can take pictures from the multiple overlooks. If you’re feeling more adventurous take either path down to the falls from the main overlook. We took the path (left from looking out over the falls) and continued across the falls. It was relatively dry when we were there so we were able to walk straight across the falls without having to get wet at all. If you have the time (and there’s no chance of rain) head further North and explore some of the beautiful rockscapes formed by the river. There’s a great formation of rocks which is pretty difficult for me to describe so I’ll let the picture below do the talking.
The falls at Pedernales Falls State Park

There’s a “floating” boulder inside of the “eye” in that formation. The light in that picture wasn’t great.

We had another state park to visit that day so we headed back to the car after getting some pictures of that formation.

McKinney Falls State Park

by John L, posted in Hiking, McKinney Falls State Park, TexasStateParks

Old house at McKinney Falls State Park

Park #1 on our quest to visit all 93 State Parks of Texas was McKinney Falls State Park.

McKinney Falls State Park is in Austin, TX.

Park 1/93 – January 26, 2013

Map of Park

Map of Trails

We started at the Park Headquarters which is just off of McKinney Falls Pkwy. We picked up our lapel pin and headed to the trail. We decided to do the Homestead Trail. It was not marked well at all and instead of a 3 mile quick hike we ended up walking over 7 miles. It was good exercise, but overall a disappointing way to spend out time at the park. The trail forked a lot with no marker to tell you which way is the trail and which is a maintenance drive or private property entrance. We seemed to always choose the wrong path at the forks. The falls were ok and I’m sure they will be prettier in the Spring (we visiting January 26, 2013). Watch out for the iron rebar sticking out of the rocks at the falls. They stick out of the slippery rocks by the falls/trail. While an oasis in the city, it’s not exactly the best park the state has to offer.

An Adventure for the Ages – 93 State Parks of Texas

by John L, posted in General, Hiking, TexasStateParks

At some point all of us ask ourselves, “What do you want to do before you die?”

When asked this question recently I answered without pause.

“I want to visit all of the State Parks of Texas.”

At first, it seemed like a daunting, out-of-reach goal. Well, my friends and I are 8 parks into this epic adventure and I can’t wait to see the remaining 85 parks. I am going to keep track of our trips on my blog. If you have any questions or comments please feel free to contact me.

A must-have for anyone attempting this amazing bucket list item is a Texas State Parks Pass. It’s a ridiculously cheap annual pass and will save your group a lot of money.

Doeskin Ranch – Balcones Canylonlands National Wildlife Refuge

by John L, posted in Hiking

Saturday September 22, 2012

I went on a hike at Doeskin Ranch on Saturday. This hiking area is part of the Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge. The entrance to Doeskin Ranch is located at Mountain Creek Road and FM 1174 Northwest of Austin.

Map of Parking lot at doesking ranch

There’s just over 5 miles of trails at Doeskin. I covered the entire distance in just over two hours. I stopped a few times to take pictures, rest, and of course enjoy the amazing views.

Check out the Friends of Balcones site for more info.