Texas Trails. Hiking Gear Reviews. Brutal Honesty.
A post covering everything you need to know about a national park or state park in Texas.
Guadalupe Mountains National Park is a kick-your-ass kind of park. Coloradians may turn their noses up at us but consider this: Guadalupe Peak has a total ascent of about 4,278. That’s comparable to (harder than, actually) many of the “easier” 14er hikes. Hell, the standard route on Colorado’s popular 14er Mount Sherman gains a mere … Read more
Guadalupe Mountains National Park has some fantastic trails – but which ones are the best? Let’s talk about the 3 most epic hikes in the park.
The lazy hearted, short on time, injured, small child toting or not so outdoorsy types will love the Big Cave of Palo Duro Canyon State Park. And to be honest, so will all my fellow crazy, outdoorsy, over-ambitious hikers too! This may just be the most fun, easily accessible, family friendly feature of Palo Duro. … Read more
The trail’s description proudly proclaims that the only way to access the Rylanders Fortress Cliff Trail is via the Rock Garden Trail, which is a somewhat steep jaunt up some canyon cliff sides. Being the masochistic solitude seeker that I am, I instantly wanted to hike Rylanders Fortress Cliff Trail in the hope of finding … Read more
This pleasant little nugget of a trail runs alongside Prairie Dog Fork of the Red River, crossing it several times. It can be accessed from Park Road 5 or near Fortress Cliff Camp area or it can be used to create an easy loop with Juniper/Cliffside trail, Rojo Grande Trail and itself. Hiking Sunflower Trail: … Read more
Have I mentioned yet that Big Bend is a special place? Just as its flora is impressive, so is its fauna. Big Bend is home to an incredible diversity of wildlife. Animal species in the park include 11 species of amphibians, 56 species of reptiles, 40 species of fish, 75 species of mammals, over 400 … Read more
You’re spoiled for choice when camping in Big Bend National Park. There are four very diverse main campgrounds in Big Bend – the Chisos Mountains campground, Rio Grande Village campground, Rio Grande Village RV park, and Cottonwood Campground. There is also a lodge in the Chisos Mountains or you can choose from a number of … Read more
Big Bend National Park is home to more than 1,200 species of plants. Of those, there are 60 different species of cacti. In fact, there are more types of cacti in this park than in any other National Park or in the entire state of Arizona. Let that sink in, ya plant geeks (I mean, … Read more
And how do you use one? The first time I ran across a composting toilet was in Big Bend National park, up the junction of Pinnacles trail, Emory Peak and Boot Canyon. Horrifying and hilarious by turns, this toilet is only partially enclosed and has no door. How fucking awful would it be to walk … Read more