We kicked off the new year by trading Maryland’s biting winter chill for our very first Texas state park adventure. Back home, January meant freezing temperatures, but here we were greeted by a balmy mid-60s breeze and a sky that promised a bit of sun—even if we had to gamble with a threat of afternoon rain. It’s recommended to buy your entry passes online a few days prior if possible.

Our day began at the heart of the Pedernales Falls state park, starting with a quick stop at the charmingly tiny visitor center. From there, we wandered down to the local swimming hole, where a couple was quietly fishing, casting lines into the calm water. 

Wanting to make the most of the weather, we hiked up to the upper area of the falls, unpacking our lunch with the sound of rushing water as our backdrop. Afterward, we traced the path down the falls, eventually tackling the stairs that led us straight up to a stunning overlook. 

Ready for a real trek, we set off on a 5.5-mile loop around Wolf Mountain. While the distance was respectable, the gentle elevation was a welcome relief compared to the rugged climbs we were used to on the East Coast.

Armed with our day pass, we later drove over to the Madrone Juniper Ridge Trailhead. By the time we arrived, the afternoon light was beginning to fade. The bare, striking madrone trees grew thick along the path, casting long shadows. With the trail narrowing and my feet heavily protesting the miles we’d already logged, we decided to listen to our bodies and turn back.

To cap off the perfect day, we headed to The Salt Lick BBQ—a delicious nod to our very first trip to Austin. We arrived to a staggering two-hour wait for indoor seating, completely unaware of the ultimate insider secret: we could have ordered “carry out” and eaten immediately at the outdoor tables! But the wait flew by as we grabbed some local drinks and let the sounds of live music wash over us. When we were finally seated, the kitchen didn’t make us wait a minute longer; our food arrived almost instantly. We feasted on smoky brisket, tender turkey, and classic sides, completely satisfied before finally retiring to our hotel for a well-deserved night’s rest.

We started the next morning early, grabbing a quick McDonald’s breakfast for the road and picking up Subway sandwiches to pack away for later. Our destination was the incredibly popular Enchanted Rock State Natural Area. Even with our early start, a small line had already formed at the entrance during our “timed” entry. Once inside, we made a quick pit stop at the visitor center so I could collect my park stamps, a “penny” souvenir, and postcards, before packing our gear and setting off on what would be a fantastic three-hour hike.

Naturally, our first challenge was the massive pink granite dome itself. We joined the other hikers heading up the Summit Trail, and the higher we climbed, the more ferocious the wind became.

Up at the peak, the gales were so intense we had to strap our hats down securely, and the roar of the wind made it almost impossible to hear each other as we navigated our way diagonally up the rock face. Seeking a bit of peace, we hiked over to the far side of the dome to overlook the rest of the park, enjoying a quick snack away from the crowds.

From there, we descended the giant rock to begin a counter-clockwise route toward the Loop Trail. This took us through the Echo Canyon Trail, which treated us to a bit of fun, minor rock scrambling. We wound our way past Moss Lake where two kids were fishing and camping in that area. We finally connected with the main Loop Trail, eventually pausing for lunch on a rocky perch at the Scenic View Trail. It didn’t stay private for long, though—as other hikers began to join us, and with the persistent wind giving way to the afternoon heat, we packed up and pushed through the final stretch of the loop back to the parking lot. By the time we reached the car, our feet were thoroughly exhausted, prompting us to happily skip the short interpretive loop right by the trailhead.

While we could have made the drive home that afternoon, we decided to detour to the famous town of Fredericksburg—especially since we discovered Texas visitor centers offer stamps, too!

After checking into our hotel and freshening up, we headed out for dinner at The Auslander. The town is legendary for its summer peaches, so we embraced the local flavors. Our table was packed with comforting German dishes: a crispy chicken schnitzel paired with red cabbage, buttered corn, and a local peach lager, alongside a hearty Reuben sandwich served with hot German potatoes, pickles, and a crisp, peach-flavored white wine. We capped off the meal by sharing a warm apple strudel topped with ice cream, leaving us completely stuffed.

To walk off our dinner, we took a stroll through the Marktplatz as the sun set. We had examined the wooden replica of the Christmas pyramid at the visitor center and saw the 26-ft tall version out in this space. We also watched people ice skate under the evening sky before finally retiring to our hotel for the night.

We woke up to a quiet, cloudy spring morning, perfect for a quick two-hour exploration of a cozy local park, Stephen F. Austin. As we arrived, we noticed a few campers waking up and a handful of cyclists already hitting the paths, but for the most part, we had the peaceful trails to ourselves. Because it’s a smaller park, we were able to explore almost the entire trail system in one go.

We wove our way through a web of connected paths, starting on the Ironwood and Opossum trails before transitioning to the Brazos Bottom and Cottonwood trails. The routes eventually looped us out onto the main park road, giving us an easy walk back to the car. The terrain itself had zero elevation—mostly wide, flat paths where we could comfortably walk side-by-side.

However, nature definitely made us work for it in other ways! We had to dodge a few massive, intricate spiderwebs stretched across the paths, and the spring bugs were out in full force, proving pesky enough to bite right through our long sleeves. I’m not great at capturing birds but there was a bingo sheet they had at the visitor center, I only saw one red bird, maybe a Vermillon flycatcher or a cardinal!

We paired our morning hiking adventure with grabbing something delicious nearby. This time, we visited a local Mexican restaurant to fuel up on a spectacular spread of chilaquiles and fresh fish tacos. The meal was the perfect backdrop for a new personal milestone: I’ve officially started using Duolingo to freshen up my Spanish! Now that we are living in Texas, my goal is to confidently order our meals in Spanish in the near future. It was the perfect, flavorful end to a classic Texas morning.

We finally explored the Texas Panhandle this fall. Since it’s 9 hours north of Houston, we stopped by Dallas for the state fair and drove up in the morning. After visiting the visitor center, we were lucky to see a bison walking by on the road to the trailhead.

We skipped the Haynes Ridge Overlook Trail and stayed on the North Prong Spur to see the “last dance” rock formation off the Upper North Prong Trail (2 miles in and out). Lots of up and down, plenty of bison cow pies on the trail so we had to watch where we stepped.

We spotted many prairie dogs right by the campground and two more bison by Lake Theo on the way out. I’m glad it wasn’t too busy on a cloudy Sunday afternoon.

Caprock Canyon is fairly closer to Palo Duro Canyon (1.5 hr) in relative terms when you’re already in the area. We did a morning half-day visit to hike the famous “Lighthouse” (3 miles in and out), took us 3.5 hr total with a lunch break at the top. It is a pretty rewarding hike to see this rock formation that connects to the Castle Peak. We rested in the shade for a quick snack.

There were a few other groups of hikers that come and go. I also saw two different dung bugs rolling poop right on the trail! One had a shiny green wings, it’s likely a Rainbow Scarab. What do you think?

Since half the park was closed due to a recent flood, we backtracked to the top for a view of the canyon and visited the visitor center for my stamp collection. I can see why this park is popular to visit, but it is a good drive across Texas!

With the intense summer heat/humidity dying down by late October, we finally visited the Brazos Bend State Park in mid Nov. I read about their trail/water system and its alligators—which is different than the parks we prefer to visit. We visited all of the main areas of the park, saw a peek of the Brazo Bend River on the Red Buckeye trail (~1.3 mile loop). This trail also had a section of a bird nest, as evidenced by feathers and droppings.

Next, we stopped by Elm Lake to look for birds and alligators but there were only a few white egerts in the water. Since it was bit windy and sunny, we didn’t do the 2 mile loop. We swung by the small nature center/shop to grab my stamp and enjoyed seeing some baby alligators in the tank.

George Observatory (operated by the Houston Museum of Natural Science) is also located right across the nature center so we walked over to see the observatory during the daylight. The stargazing programs are only on Saturday nights and requires advanced timed tickets to attend. When I looked, all the slots have been booked for the rest of the 2026. I’ll have to keep an eye out in the near future.

The last stop was to see the 40 Acre Lake on the fishing pier but I didn’t see any fish in the lake and the lily pad flowers were post-bloom. It looks about half mile walk to the 3-story observation tower, but we didn’t go that day. We decided to head out for lunch nearby and return in the near future.

A few other state parks I want to visit this winter are:

1. Big Bend, Garner, Lost Maples, and Palmetto in Dec
2. Galveston Island in Dec/Jan
3. Goose Island and Mustang Island when visiting Corpus Christi