quests

TX State Parks Quest: End of Summer

State Parks Visited since July 1st

  • Mother Neff State Park

  • Meridian State Park

  • Lake Whitney State Park

  • Copper Breaks State Park

  • Lake Arrowhead State Park

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Mother Neff State Park

This park is nestled away and offers a variety of features for the hiker. The trails aren’t long, so it’s easy to hike most of the park pretty quickly. I went from expansive prairies to shaded forests with a cave like rock ledge and an observation tower along the way.

Highlights

  • Cool cave to walk through (under, it’s a ledge style)

  • Shaded paths (with big trees and a jungle feel)

  • Observation tower (with a view of trees, better than nothing)

  • There’s a mini library near the campground (if you’re into reading while camping)

  • It’s a really fun park to drive through too

Meridian State Park

I didn’t really know what to expect with this park - other the standard Texas State Park with a lake feel. The trail around the lake is wonderful and offers a lot of shade and spots for picnic lunches. The campsites, which I saw during a brief drive through, were nice and set in the woods with privacy.

Highlights

  • Great lake views, spots of shade, and varied terrain

  • Plenty of space to enjoy camping with a little privacy

  • Lily pads everywhere!

Lake Whitney State Park

This is your typical “lake” state park in Texas - the trails are basically non-existent and it’s very much lakeside camping/boating centric. All that being said, I did enjoy finding a semi-private beach area on one of the trails that not one person was at except out in the water.

Highlights

  • Private (ish) beach area on the Towash Forest Trail

  • Great if you’re into boating, bad if you like shade

Copper Breaks State Park

As one of my new favorite state parks, I can’t recommend going here enough. The trails are fun, and somewhat hilly, and the red rocks are similar to the parks further west and north. The park was expansive, had interesting trails, and plenty of shaded campsites for tents.

Highlights

  • Rocky Ledge Loop was well worth it

  • Check out the Bull Canyon Loop too

  • Enjoy the Juniper Ridge trail, but stay on the trail

Lake Arrowhead State Park

The park is fine, another one geared towards people who want to boat/fish and not much else. The trails are okay, mowed fields basically, but it is in the middle nowhere so it’s mostly quiet. I’d recommend this place if you have a boat or just want to camp close to town.

Highlights

  • View of the causeway

  • Mesquite Ridge trail was “okay”

TX State Parks Quest: Mid-July 2020 Update

State Parks Visited since January

  • Possum Kingdom State Park

  • Fort Richardson State Park & Historical Site

  • Caddo Lake State Park

  • Martin Creek Lake State Park

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Possum Kingdom State Park

I went into this park knowing it was small and mostly made for people to enjoy the lake. The trails were minimal, but the lake amenities and camping were vast. The campsites were nicely laid out, and there were amble restrooms and showers for campers. The beach looked great for swimming, and I’d gladly camp there for a night or two since it is close to the cities. As far as the trails go, they left me wanting more. There was a nice set of trails on the west side of the park that went up the ridge and offered expansive views of the lake. All in all, I’d visit this place again to camp with friends or something - if we can ever do that again.

Highlights

  • Has a great lake for activities - swimming, fishing, boating, paddling

  • Excellent campsite setups

Fort Richardson State Park & Historical Site

What a treat this park and trail system were to visit. I had no expectations, except that the trailway between the two sections of park was going to be nine miles. There is an old train depot, an actual preserved historical fort, and plenty of trails. I did not get a look at the campground portion of this park, but I’m sure it’s similar to most other places.

There are two sections of the park - one along the north side of the lake and the other along the creek. You can take a path from the more historical area to the lakeside area. I walked this path, in the middle of the day, under the beating sun and drank nearly three liters of water.

Highlights

  • Some shade, though few and far between

  • Variety of things to do and see - can easily explore over a weekend

Caddo Lake State Park

Caddo Lake is one of those dreamy lakes with the cypress trees growing along the edges, and through the middle, and murky swamp water. I felt like I was transported to a movie or something, it was very picturesque in a southern bayou kind of way. The park had a few trails, which were not marked that well, but were shaded and through gorgeous hardwood trees.

The drive in and out of this park will be one of the highlights, beyond the bayou. The trees are tall and it’s very green. I felt transported out of the Texas I’m accustomed to and it was glorious. The launch areas are fine, with ample parking. When not in lock down, you may rent boats to paddle through the bayou. It appears there was great fishing and signs even warned of gators.

Highlights

  • All of the glorious trees

  • Bayou feeling, mossy trees, big trees, trails through the trees.. have I mentioned the trees?

Martin Creek Lake State Park

I honestly did not know what to expect at this state park. I was pleasantly surprised that it had a few trails that seems longer than the others on this list. I did a few miles, hiking every trail in the park. I saw an island, a muddy forest, the lake, a power plant, pine trees, oak trees, and everything in between. This park appears to be a family favorite and offers a lot of activities. It would be a great place to launch a kayak!

Highlights

  • Heavily wooded trails

  • Lots to do for the family or not a family, whatever!

TX State Parks Quest: May 2020 Update

State Parks Visited since January

  • Fort Parker State Park

  • Atlanta State Park

  • Daingerfield State Park

  • Lake Bob Sandlin State Park

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Fort Parker State Park

I was looking through parks one afternoon, planning for the weekend, when I stumbled across Fort Parker. I wanted to stick within a couple hours of DFW and maybe knock two out in one day. When I pulled up the trail map I saw a paddling trail that went right across the lake and up the Navasota River which connects Fort Parker Lake and Lake Mexia. I loaded up the kayak and headed down on a Saturday morning. I had no idea how long it would take to kayak where I wanted to, but I gave myself the afternoon. I paddled about 4-5 miles overall, not quite going all the way up to Lake Mexia. I sat on the still river, enjoying the quiet and the birds. It felt so good to relax and float with nothing really going on besides nature. The park itself looked fine, had a neat lakeside campground and a nature center. The wind was at my back across the lake to the river, but heading to car was another story of getting wet and paddling hard through the waves. I would definitely recommend this place if you want a nice little paddle outside the city.

Highlights

  • Most main places are lakeside, which is nice

  • Great paddling river without a current for a peaceful time

Atlanta State Park

This park is a little gem on the northeast corner of the state that I can’t wait to revisit. The trails were dirt, with some roots, and not many rocks - which is a nice change in Texas. Big trees of pine and oak tower over, casting shade and allow for fern and moss to grow below making this place feel a little more “up north” than other Texas State Parks. If you’ve ever been to Tyler State Park, or any of the other ones on the east side, you’ll find it to be similar. I can’t wait for cooler weather so I can bring the tent and hide out for the weekend.

Highlights

  • Shaded paths with varying foliage

  • Lake views or forest walks, either way it’s a lot of peace and quiet

Daingerfield State Park

Daingerfield is another smaller park packed with gorgeous trees, lake views, and just enough trail distance to get away from the potential crowds. We enjoyed a walk around the lake, which was shaded and very green. The place smelled of pine and that breeze off a lake you sometimes get. This is another park I can’t wait to revisit, and camp a few nights in the fall to see the colors in the trees.

Highlights

  • Trails are shaded and gorgeous

  • Varying terrain and scenery offers great retreat from the cities

Lake Bob Sandlin State Park

This park had more towering trees providing much needed shade as the day warmed up and trails with very few people on them thanks to restricted access. On the Homestead trail, look out for an old grave site - pretty cool! Enjoy the shade or the lake and have a good time at this one.

Highlights

  • Lovely wooded trails with tall pines and towering oaks

  • Very active lake area - great for boats

TX NPS Quest - January 2020

January 2020 in Review

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Park Units Visited

  • Guadalupe Mountains National Park

  • Chamizal National Memorial

The visits in January bring my total to three out of fourteen NPS managed sites in Texas. I was pleasantly surprised by Chamizal National Memorial and intrigued by Guadalupe Mountains because I had limited time and only saw so much. I learned more at Chamizal than I ever though I could have while only spending a little bit of time there on my quick day trip.


Keep reading for my thoughts on these two wonderful pieces of public lands.

Guadalupe Mountains National Park

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As far as places in Texas go, GUMO is pretty badass. Big Bend is still my number one, but this is definitely second so far in terms of NPS sites. The mountains themselves are gorgeous from afar, and I saw them at sunrise which only added to their magnificence. I only had a few hours to see this park and get to the next location, near El Paso, so I did a short hike in the McKittrick Canyon area. Originally, I went to the Pine Springs area, but decided to go back up and see McKittrick for a more direct hike.

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Guadalupe has several visitor/contact centers, but I’d have to venture a guess and say Pine Springs is the central location for most activities. As I mentioned, I visited Pine Springs first, but it was before the doors opened. I walked the nature trail around the visitor center then moved on up the road to McKittrick Canyon. The drive to McKittrick is long and winding, but offers views of the mountain range you’ll eventually be hiking through. That visitor center/contact station there was empty, so I just signed in and went for a stroll. I went about a mile before turning back. In that mile, though, I crossed a creek, saw varying landscapes, and enjoyed several different plants. I was sick, with a bad cold, so I just wasn’t feeling up to going any further. The weather was sunny and cold, with a little wind that died out as I hiked further into the canyon. I was prepared for the winter temperatures and conditions, but I was exhausted and stuffed up so it just wasn’t going to happen.

The small amount of exploration at both visitor centers really inspired some plans for the future. There are SO MANY great looking trails, so I can’t wait to revisit when it’s a little warmer (but not scorching) and I’m not snotty and exhausted. I’ll report back with an update to this once I visit with more time.

Guadalupe Mountains National Park NPS website

This was my FIRST hike of 2020, check it out

Chamizal National Memorial

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This little gem of an NPS site is tucked in along the Rio Grande in El Paso, Texas. I had no expectation for this memorial, nor did I have any prior knowledge of what it was about. I knew where it was on a map and I knew I’d be swinging through El Paso, so I stopped.

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After battling some local construction traffic that rerouted the people heading to Mexico, I made it to the parking area. There weren’t many people there, which is always appealing to me in a sense of getting to relax in the experience. As you approach the visitor/education center, there are gorgeous murals on the exterior that showcase the history of Chamizal. I walked in and was greeted by a friendly ranger who handed me a brochure and told me to go watch the short video to get a real feel for the culture and history this piece of land represented. I did as instructed and was blown away by what I learned. Essentially, the river, which divided our two countries, shifted and land became disconnected from Mexico thus displacing people on the land. The NPS website does a great job of summing it up, with more concise words than I could come up with, so check it out HERE.

The culture and history are alive at the memorial grounds, with murals, structures, and paths to experience it all. This is my first National Memorial visit, and I am genuinely excited to see others. I was mostly a parks and monuments guy before this, but this place really helped me expand my horizons.

A Chance Encounter

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While at Chamizal, a beautiful moment of chance occurred - I ran into the Parklandia Podcast guys Matt and Brad! I was mostly starstruck at first but they’re cool, so I felt at ease as soon as we started walking and talking together. If you haven’t checked out their podcast, and you love NPS sites, you really should. They sold their loft in Chicago and hit the road in a camper. Those wonderful dude have visited SO MANY parks and have two great seasons of episodes about their travels for you to enjoy - plus plenty of bonus content. Thanks to them for being gracious and kind! My only regret, not taking more photos together.

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