Texas Parks and Wildlife – Big Guy Hiking

Longhorn Cavern State Park

I have hiked many different types of places this summer. I hiked canyons, mountains, rivers and lakes. I did not actually hike in rivers and lakes but you know what I mean. I finally got around to caverns. I have driven past this park many times but never thought of going to check it out. Now was the perfect time with 100 degree temperatures outside and the caves keep a constant 68 degrees. The park is located in Burnet, Tx and is five minutes away from Inks Lake State Park.

I started my hike by doing the trail that is outside. The park has a flat short trail that overlooks the hill country. The goes past a CCC observation tower and cabin. The trail has one really nice view of the hill country and the dam. The hike was quick and only about a mile or so long.Looking over the hill countryThe observation towerThe cabin

The second part of the hike was in the caverns. These were a different looking of caverns than I thought they would look like. Most caverns are filled stalagmites and stalactites but there only on section like this. They tour was nice and I saw plenty of half dollar sized bats. The history of the caverns was nice to hear. I have never tried taking pictures in caverns and most of them did not come out. It was more difficult than I thought. I could not get the camera to focus. The hike lasted an hour and a but was only two miles long. The pace was a bit slow for my taste but I had a wonderful time.No really but a nice signStairs leading to the cavernsOne of the better picturesTrying to get the length of the cavernsThe ceilingSurreal pictureThe little bat

Inks Lake State Park Again

I am back at Inks Lake State Park. I have one more trail here to hike and I would have hiked the entire park. I hiked Devil’s Backbone Nature Trail and that was it. This is one of my favorite trails now. The trail travels along the banks and cliffs overlooking Inks Lake. The lake level was the lowest I have ever seen and the waterfall was dry. I still enjoyed this trail and also seeing some people cliff diving into the lake.

The hike was peaceful and not many people on the trail. Most of the people were in the lake because it was another hot day in central Texas. I found different ways to get up and down the rock formations. I was trying to find the correct angles to get some good pictures. The only drawback was once again no Milky Way picture. The rest of the time was great.Trying to get all the colors of the parkI love the way the rocks enter in the lakeThe cliff jumping areaLake level viewBalancing rockWhere the waterfall use to be.

Another wonderful time at Inks Lake.

Caprock Canyon State Park Canyon Rim Trail

This trail was within walking distance of my campsite and although it is not a very long or a difficult trail the views were amazing. I walked passed the prairie dog area and there was the trailhead. I got out early in the morning and was the only one on the trail. The temperature was relatively cool but the horseflies were driving me nuts. The trail followed the rim of a small part of the canyon, hence the name. The canyon colors were on full display and the depth of the canyon was easily seen up close and personal.

The trail is a loop so I started on the prairie side of the trail and finished with the canyon rim side on the way back. The prairie side had great views of the other side of the park with the colorful vistas. The rim side of the trail overlooks the canyon.The prairie side of the trail with red rock in the backgroundThe white rock background off of the prairie sideI like the mix of colorsTrying to get the depth of the canyonLooking down at the canyons layersFinally got a picture of the entrance on the way out.

Bonus pictures

Guadalupe River State Park

I have been intrigued by this park for a long time. I have heard great things about this park. The Guadalupe River flowing through a picturesque park with high vistas, I thought this would be a great park to visit. I think I put this park on such a high pedestal. I really liked to park but it was crowded and the trail system was fairly simple. I would have liked for the trail system to run along the river longer and less people. The amount of people cannot be controlled by the park. The park is attached to the Honey Creek SNA which is available by guided tour only. I will need to do that hike and see what the other side has to offer.

The park is located in Spring Branch, TX which is north of San Antonio. This is in the hill country of Texas and a great area to hike all of the state parks. It is a great park if you like fishing or floating and playing in a river. The hiking is good but it is more of a water park.

The trails went through many different types of landscapes. They past lakeside, vistas and prairie lands. The trail was very rocky but that is not unusual for this area of Texas. There was not much elevation gain on the trails even though they start on the river and end overlooking the river from a bluff.This part of the river was moving pretty good.The river looked like this but full of people.My favorite part of the hike looking down on the river.Near the edge of the cliff.Hiking through a large open prairie.

Garner State Park Nature Trail

This is a short simple flat trail I hiked because of some time constraints. I wanted to do a different trail here but the Old Baldy hike took longer than expected. I decided to do this short loop trail to check out another part of the park. This is a good starter trail for those just starting off hiking. The trail had plenty to see to keep it interesting and no real elevation change. The trail has plenty of signage telling you what you are seeing. It was a good hike for myself to get my legs back from the high hill hikes the previous days.Straight and flatThis tree section caught my eyeLots of green alsoA little of everything

Six more summer hikes.

Garner State Park Old Baldy Trail

The first time I was Garner State Park I did not get a chance to hike this trail. I have hiked some pretty tough trails in the Texas hill country but this one was one of the toughest. It is only about a half mile to the top but it is a 300 foot incline the entire way. You get little to no break the entire hike. It is not too long but on average you get 600 feet of elevation gain per mile. For reference, to hike to Guadalupe Peak, highest point in Texas, you would get 375 feet of elevation gain per mile. It is steep. The trail is partially single track plus some bouldering and loose gravel. I loved the trail and got the pictures that I wanted. I once again hiked midweek but I decided to start early trying to get multiple hikes at the park. The top already had several people up there relaxing and taking pictures. I met some nice people on the way up and they were going to some hidden caves in the park. I did not have time to go but I have taken a mental map for the location. View from the topAnother view from the top, the water is so clear you can see the bottom of the riverTrail near the topHalfway there and feeling the burnAt the beginningWhat a way to start

I cannot wait to get back and finish some other trails at Garner State Park.

Lost Maples SNA East Trail

I am still on my running break and I am getting to hike places I want to revisit. I was here two years ago and loved it. I have not had a chance to get back till now. I wanted to do the East Trail because I missed it the last time. The trail also has two landmarks that the park features. I wanted to see Monkey Rock and the Grotto. Plus I love the view from the top of the park and the waterfalls. The park offers a view of the Milky Way due to the dark sky and lack of light pollution. I wanted to get a view of the Milky Way and I did but no pictures. I tried to get a few but phone cameras are not meant for this type of photography.

The day was very hot but not as humid as it has been lately. I got a good 5 plus miles with over 1200 feet of elevation change. It was a midday midweek hike so not many people on the trail. I saw most of the people in the first and last mile. I was lucky that nobody was up on top of mountain. The views were awesome like last time but greener. The rain has kept the trees greener for a longer time. The hike was just as difficult as last time even though I went counter clockwise this time. Monkey RockThe GrottoAlmost to the topMade it to the topMust have pictureBest picture of the dayWaterfall

I had a really good time and I still need to do the West trail.

Spicewood Springs Colorado Bend State Park

I got back to Colorado Bend State Park and it was much overdue. I hiked the Spicewood Springs area of the park. I hiked down Spicewood Springs and up Spicewood Canyon trails and it was five miles of leg busting beauty. My first trip I did Gorman Falls and that area but I wanted to do the other side of the park this time.

It was the usual hot and humid Texas summer weather. I got to hike it with little to people because I was out there midweek and midday. I can say I did not get lost but just misdirected two or three times. Hiking these trails counter clockwise was not a good idea. I hit all the steep hills on the back half of the hike and the gradual downhills at the beginning.

I wanted to do this section for the waterfalls and the crystal clear pools of water and it did not disappoint. The views were breathtaking and it is hard to put in words all the combinations of sights and sounds. A view from the top of the first big waterfallClear water pool from the waterfallOver the ledge view of another waterfall and clear waterTwin waterfallAnother set of twin waterfalls and more clear waterClear swimming hole Final view from the top

The Texas Hill country is the place to be this summer.

Revisiting an old post

Miscellaneous Hiking Post with a List

In this post there is a 15 before 50 list, I am happy to write I am done with almost half of what I listed. I am surprised that I have done as many as I have done. I focused more on trail running than hiking the last two years but still do some hiking in between races. I am not going to change my list but will recap my progress.

Finished:

4. I hiked to the summit of Elk Mountain on my father’s birthday.

5. I actually hiked to the summit of Pinnacle Mountain twice and the second time was a great solo hike.

7. I had an amazing hike to Cedar Falls in Petit Jean SP. The waterfall was everything I had hoped to see.

8. Canyon Loop Trail in Caprock Canyon SP was awesome and dangerous due to the quick temperature rise.

9. I am counting hiking the Lighthouse Trail in Palo Duro SP even though it was cut off. I hiked all of it that was open.

14. I found Twin Falls in Pedernales SP last week. It was a fun short hike.

15. The Moss Lake and Echo Canyon trail hikes were fascinating and one a my many times I got lost hikes.

Not yets:

2. and 3. I had it planned for this summer but my schedule is getting crazy.

6. Mountain Top trail has not been in my plans. I will look to get this one in early next year.

11. and 12. Hiking Old Baldy and Crystal Cave Trail are in the plans for summer of 2020 because this might be a family trip.

13. My East Trail hike is planned this week. I will be heading to Lost Maples SNA and another state park in the San Antonio area.

As for #1, I had a chance to do Mount Scott hike today. I have also had two previous chances but did other hikes. I am thinking about a day trip to get it done. I also want to do it as an overnight trip for the stargazing

Pedernales Falls SP Pedernales Falls Trail

I am back at Pedernales Falls Trail and this time I went further upstream. Just to get this out of the way, I got lost on the way back and had to follow the horse trail to the main road. I used a compass to go in the right direction and from the main road I hiked back to the parking lot and trailhead.

The falls were flowing with more intensity than the last time I was here. I decided to go to the obvious picturesque spots then headed up the river. I was happy that there were few people out today and got all the pictures I wanted. It was a midday day middle of the week hike so I did not expect to see many people. As most know I love waterfalls and I just kept following them further up the river. I would have kept going but the sound of thunder and a cool breeze with darkened clouds cut my hike short. It did not rain but this area is prone to flash floods and the river rises fast. I did get to parts of the park I had been to before and it was a great hike. The park gets better every time I am here and it did not disappoint. My favorite picture of the dayFour armadillosTrying out new settings on my camera phoneMy favorite beach spotSky was changingClear water and darkening clouds