Hiking In Texas

Accessibility gets high marks at Bastrop State Park's Tree Army trails If your once-ambulatory hiking companion ends up having to use a wheelchair then you know how difficult it is to enjoy your shared hobby of hiking in a world that's still designed mostly for walking people. National and state parks tend to cater to the those who can walk. After all, when we think about wilderness settings we seldom see images of people in wheelchairs or mobility scooters rolling through them. So, when we discovered Bastrop State Park in Texas (30.110567 -97.2930493), and its Tree Army Trails that are all solid surfaces with mostly flat elevations, we were ready to explore. Tree Army was a nickname for the Civilian Conservation Corps that did much of the work building the park , and many other public works projects in the 1930s.  A sufficiently-charged power wheelchair or mobility scooter should handle these trails well. If you are powering your own chair, or someone is pushing, you'll ...

Texas Oak Trail with Opossum Loop and Alternate return on Council Bluff Trail Lake Brownwood State Park has some scenic and challenging waterfront hikes . If you want to enjoy a variety of landscapes and trail types, look no further than the Texas Oak Trail. This 1.4 mile trek with connection to the Council Bluff Trail to take you back to the parking area at the fishing pier, provides a round trip of about 1.7 miles.  If you add a jaunt around the Opossum Loop and then do the .14 mile portion of the Texas Oak Trail two times because you have to backtrack, you get a nice 2.25 mile journey through some fascinating woods and fields. You will also do some rock scrambling and pass through some very cool rock-walled inclines. Oh, and you just might see one of those Scissor-Tailed Fly Catchers that start showing up once the mesquite trees leaf out. The most rugged portions of these combined trails are at the beginnings of the Texas Oak Trail and the Council Bluff Trail when approaching f...

Deep dive on the Nopales Ridge Trail at Lake Brownwood State Park The Nopales Ridge Loop trail at the Lake Brownwood State Park is a true gem of a trail. It offers a good long hike with a few rocky portions, a small elevation gain, some long distance views of the lake and if you go there in March and April you'll likely get treated to expansive stands of wildflowers.  In the summer months you'll find some nicely shaded spots interspersed with full sun sections. On clear winter days you will have lots of sunny trail and stands of trees and brush to provide a break from any northerly winds that might intrude. Special note for those using wheelchairs or mobility scooters. The early portions of the trail in either direction are flat and wide so if you wanted to get a little deeper into nature beyond the picnic table and bench at the trailhead, you have that option. Small stands of oak make wonderful places to sit and commune with nature. This trail gets used by mountain cyclers, ...

Hike the Dogleg Canyon Trail at Colorado Bend State Park When was the last time you took a really challenging hike where you surprised yourself at how incredibly fit you were? Well, if it's been awhile, and you are hankering for that feeling again, then consider setting out on the Cedar Chopper to Dogleg Canyon hike at Colorado Bend State Park . Unlike many hikes, on this one you go downhill first, leaving the more challenging uphill portion for later in the day when you are more tired! When you pull into the parking area (31.0426123 -98.4766015) for the Cedar Chopper Loop trail, you'll get the impression the trail is pretty tame. While that might be true for the portion of the Cedar Chopper Loop you'll use to connect to the Dogleg Canyon trail, once you've covered that initial 8/10ths of a mile, you'll get into the more challenging stuff. From the parking lot you go a tenth of a mile across grassland punctuated with junipers. At the junction to Cedar Chopper, you h...