Texas Hiking Trails

I recently posted an entry about trail journals which followed people attempting to hike major trails in the continental USA. That got me to thinking about hiking trails in Texas. Simply put, we really don't have access to truly long trails in the Lone Star State.

To my knowledge, here are the longest linear trails we have. Sources for these trails vary, and many do not have an official internet presence.

• The Lone Star Hiking Trail is currently measured at 128 miles, including loop trails. It begins in the west near the small community of Richards and ends in the east near Cleveland. It passes through the Sam Houston National Forest as well as a small portion of the Big Thicket. A portion of the trail slices through a corner of Huntsville State Park outside of Huntsville.
• The Northeast Texas Trail is working to become the longest trail in Texas. It follows an old rail bed from Farmersville through 7 counties to New Boston (near Texarkana). I'm not sure of the length, but highway miles from Farmersville to New Boston totals 123 miles.
• Caprock  Canyons Trailway, a 64 mile long trailway on a former railroad bed, is located in the canyon country of West Texas.
• Trail Between the Lakes is located in deep East Texas, between Sam Rayburn Reservoir and Toledo Bend Reservoir. Total length is 28 miles, all in Sabine County.
• Four Cs Hiking Trail lies within David Crockett National Forest, roughly between the towns of Alto and Ratcliff. The linear trail is about 20 miles. The unusual name comes from the Central Coal and Coke Company, which logged timber here in the old days. There is even an old rail bed that the trail follows at times. Donna and I actually hiked part of this trail years ago. You can view my hiking report here.
• Lake Mineral Wells State Park Trailway stretches about 20 miles from Mineral Wells in the west to Weatherford in the east. Access points are available in both towns named above as well as from within Lake Mineral Wells State Park and the small community of Garner. This trail is part of the Rails to Trails project. This is another trail that Donna and I have partially walked. We started at Weatherford, went west for 5 miles, then returned for a total of 10 miles. I never wrote a review of that hike.

The above are not all the trails, of course, but are only the ones I'm familiar with to some degree. The state and national parks around Texas as well as national forests have miles and miles of trails, but nothing of length that extends from point A to point B. For example, San Angelo State Park near me has over 50 miles of trails, but within that 50 miles are a dozen or more trails of varying length.

One of the best sources for hiking in Texas is a website called Texas Hiking. In the past, I had an account on this site and contributed regularly. I have not used the site in years, though. Some of my posts are still available under the user name "kcameron". You can also visit your local library and search for hiking books by Laurence Parent and Mickey Little. Both authors have written extensively about hiking and camping, in Texas as well as other states.

Hiking with Grandson

Our daughter and her 3 sons came down for a visit. Oldest grandson Xander (age 14) is on spring break, so it was a good time for them to visit.

We always try to find ways to entertain the young 'uns when they are here. Since the weather was good, I thought it might be fun to take Xander on a short hike. Xander has hiked a little on Boy Scout outings, but I don't know what kind of hiker he is, so I decided to keep the hike relatively short.

We set out to the north section of San Angelo State Park. There are some dinosaur tracks there I've wanted to see. I checked the Trails Map available on the park's website, and found the coordinates provided there: 31° 31'51.37" N   100° 33'37.52" W. I thought Xander would enjoy seeing the tracks.

We parked at the parking lot at the end of the pavement in the North Concho Camping Area. The trailhead here is known as Bell's Trailhead. Our route would follow one similar to hikes Donna and I took in "Hike Report: The Big Hill" in February 2014 and "San Angelo SP: January 23, 2012".

Grandson Xander at the trailhead. It was 43 degrees when we started our hike, but soon warmed up nicely.

Just past the trailhead, we took the biking trail for the Dinosaur Trail. At San Angelo SP, there are often parallel trails for bikes and horses. There are times when the trails merge, but for the most part, the trails run parallel, often just a few feet apart. If you know anything about horses, then you will know why this is a good idea. On the day of our hike, we saw about 10 horses in the campground near where we parked. A lot of folks had come out during spring break to ride the trails at the park.

You can see the trail is clearly labelled for bikes. Bikes cannot ride on horse trails, and horses cannot ride on bike trails. However, hikers can opt for either trail.

Normally when hiking San Angelo SP, I opt for the horse trails, for I trust horses more than bikers, who come tearing around curves and over hills and almost always fail to follow trail etiquette. But I noticed that the horse trail was not as clear as the bike trail. With spring virtually here and snakes coming out of hibernation, I wanted a clear trail, especially since Xander was along. When Donna is along, I don't worry about snakes as much. I simply let her lead so if any snakes are out there, she'll be the target.

We reached the area where the dinosaur tracks should be. We spent close to half an hour hunting up and down the creek bank, but were unable to find the tracks. I guess I'll have to go out on a ranger tour some day to pinpoint the tracks.

The dinosaur tracks are somewhere up this creek bed. We hiked pretty far up the creek, but did not see them. More water is in the creek than normal, and that may have hidden them. Notice the trail on right.

We then followed the trail around to what is known as the Big Hill. It really isn't that big -- probably only 100 feet or so -- but it does stand out against the flat land surrounding it. In recent years, a commercial enterprise has built a large steel building atop the hill. There is also a large home (the owner of the business, perhaps) directly behind the business. Both of these take away greatly from the "wilderness" experience this hike used to have. They are located directly behind the large cross shown in  "San Angelo SP: January 23, 2012".

But while atop the hill, if you look in the opposite direction of the business, you still have some wonderful views of the North Concho River valley, O. C. Fisher Reservoir and dam, and the surrounding countryside. I was able to see numerous RVs in the park's camping area, distant ranches, and other sights.

View from atop the Big Hill. The tree line in distance is the North Concho River. If you click on the picture to enlarge it, you might be able to see O. C. Fisher Reservoir in far right portion of picture.

We continued on the trail to the bottom of the hill, then took the North Scenic Loop Trail as it dipped along the river briefly. We then rejoined the main trail to head back to the truck. We also opted to take the Shady Trail, which winds through the trees along the river for a half mile or so.

While on the North Scenic Loop Trail, we noticed this paved low water crossing on the North Concho River. I don't know who put this in; perhaps the rancher who owned the land prior to the park. Perhaps there once was a public road that ran through here years and years ago.

The North Concho River just upstream of the low water crossing in the previous picture.

North Concho River along the Shady Trail, one of my favorite trail sections in the park. This picture is looking upstream.

This picture is taken from the exact spot as the one above. I have simply pivoted to look downstream. I always am amazed how a river can almost disappear.

Twin Buttes Reservoir

San Angelo is on the edge of the Chihuahuan Desert, so things tend to be pretty arid out here. San Angelo is fortunate to have several lakes. Admittedly, none of these lakes is very large, and they do dry up during droughts, but right now, we do have some water in these lakes.

There are 3 branches of the Concho River (North, Middle, and South) as well as 2 pretty reliable creeks (Spring Creek and Dove Creek) which feed the lakes in our immediate area.

Recently, Donna and I drove out to Twin Buttes Reservoir to see how it is doing. There are actually 2 "pools" for this lake, the north pool (fed by the Middle Concho River, Spring Creek, and Dove Creek) and the south pool (fed by the South Concho River). The 2 pools share a common dam and are connected by a channel. On Google Maps, the lake looks like this:

Twin Buttes Reservoir

In reality, it doesn't look that good. At top, where "Twin Buttes Reservoir" is written, is the north pool. You can see the blue line running southerly to the much smaller south pool. That blue line is, of course, the connecting channel. The blue area to the east (right) is Lake Nasworthy. San Angelo is east and north of that lake. There is also another lake, O. C. Fisher, on the northwest side of town fed by the North Concho River.

We had not been out to see Twin Buttes Reservoir since February 2012. At that time, I snapped some pictures and encourage you to take a look at them in "Backroads: Sherwood, Texas".

These are the Twin Buttes for which the reservoir is named.

We drove out US 67 a few miles west of town, then headed south on the entrance road just past the Twin Buttes from which the reservoir gets its name. The area really isn't attractive, not even to Donna and me, and we love the desert. There is something of a park area on this side of the lake, but it really isn't well maintained at all. Personally, I would not feel safe coming out here to hike or camp. We noticed that there were a few folks out riding trails on their dirt bikes.

At the very end of the paved road is a boat ramp and the best view of the lake. Even though the lake is currently at about 20% capacity, it looks rather pitiful. But there were 4 or 5 trucks there with empty boat trailers, so people are out on the lake in their boats. We did not see them, though, so they must have been around a bend somewhere.

This is the end of the pavement. You can see the outline of the dam in the distance.

Boat ramp is currently accessible, but I don't know for how long. Looks like the level is receding.

Although this view of the lake does not show much water, it more clearly shows the dam than those above.

Compare the photos above with 2 I shot back in February 2012 ("Backroads: Sherwood, Texas"). There are a few scattered shelters in this area, but I do not know what condition they are in or how much they are used.

On the entrance road, we noticed a small ranch with the following sign:

Alpac-O-Rama near Twin Buttes Reservoir

Now, I don't know the finer nuances of alpacas and llamas. My understanding is that basically an alpaca is sort of a smaller version of a llama. But we did stop and snap a few photos.

Livestock at Alpac-O-Rama

More Alpac-O-Rama livestock

Just down the road, we spotted some wild pigs. I wanted to get a photo of them, but on our approach they scattered pretty quickly into the brush.

I'm always amazed at the interesting things we find out here when we get off the main roads and prowl about.

Getting Ready for an Invasion

We started the past week by taking a short trip to New Braunfels, as documented in the previous entry.

Thursday night, we attended the monthly dinner at Rio Concho West. We had a nice meal and were entertained by a resident who played the guitar and sang. It was a nice, peaceful evening.

We continue trying to walk as often as possible. With the weather warming, we are beginning to walk earlier in the day. I prefer to walk first thing in the morning, so I look forward to the time when the temps are warm enough at daylight to do my walking then.

We often see deer and turkeys in Rio Concho West. At dinner the other night, a friend of ours who lives about a quarter mile up the street told us that she also has wild pigs visit from time to time, as well as other critters, including an occasional fox. But we've never seen anything other than deer and turkey. I snapped the photos below earlier this week as we were on our way home following a shopping trip. We have 2 rafters (flock or gang) of turkeys in our development. Both rafters number about 10 or 15. Sometimes they are close together, and sometimes they are nowhere in sight of one another. We see them often; in fact, we've come to expect to see them anytime we drive through RCW.

These 2 toms were trailing their ladies.

Most of the hens had already turned the corner and were out of sight. There are lots of oak trees in this section of RCW, and the turkeys are emboldened to hang around close to the houses.

I saw these turkeys the next day, while I was taking an early afternoon walk. They like to walk along the back perimeter of RCW.

This morning, just before posting this entry, I looked out the kitchen window and saw some turkeys across the street in between houses.

Daughter and grandsons are invading our peaceful world on Monday. I hope to take oldest grandson (age 14) on a short hike at the park, while Donna hopes to take him fishing. Let's hope the weather cooperates during their stay. We haven't seen the little desperadoes since Christmas. Grandma is excited about their visit; Grandpa is worried.

Short Trip to New Braunfels

Donna and I were getting a bit restless, so we decided a short trip to New Braunfels was in order.

New Braunfels is a city of about 70,000 folks between Austin and San Antonio. It was settled by German immigrants about 1845 and retains much of the culture of its founders. I've always enjoyed this place; in fact, Donna and I became engaged here more years ago than I care to remember. But the town has grown so rapidly since then that it is beginning to lose its unique character. But that is the opinion of an old fossil; I suspect most people would really enjoy the place.

The list of things to do in New Braunfels is endless, especially if you are young and you love the water. Some of the major attractions include Schlitterbahn Water Park, Natural Bridge Caverns and Wildlife Ranch, Gruene Hall, Wurstfest, and many, many more.

Donna and I have done many of the things in New Braunfels, so we really go there to just soak in the culture.

We made our headquarters at the Faust Hotel. This was our second time to stay here, and it may be our last. We picked the Faust because we like old hotels and it is conveniently located on the edge of downtown, but the rooms really are not that comfortable. I think we are just a bit more demanding these days, and rooms in old hotels are usually small, especially the bathrooms. Heating and cooling often do not work well, and lighting can be poor. But if you can overlook these snags, then the location is excellent.

Front of the Faust Hotel.

Lobby of the Faust

On the day we arrived, we visited the Phoenix Saloon, about 2 blocks from the hotel. We like the Phoenix, and we especially like their chile. This place has been highlighted on more than one travel show, including The Daytripper. One of the things we like about the place is that on Sunday afternoon, they have a music matinee. It's a pretty laid back event, and it's free. So, sit back, enjoy one of the many brews available on tap, and tap your foot along to some Texas music. During our visit, Jeffrey Ryan Vaughn was on stage. From time to time, a friend would join Vaughn for a song or two. It's a good way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

The bar at the Phoenix hosts an impressive array of beers on tap.

Front area of the Phoenix

Jeffrey Ryan Vaughn on stage at the Phoenix

On Monday, we set out to do some shopping. But first, we needed some fuel, so we headed a couple of blocks down the street to Naegelin's Bakery, which touts itself as the oldest bakery in Texas. I can't verify whether this declaration is true or not, but I can verify that this little bakery does produce some might tasty items. Donna and I both enjoyed a Danish cream kolache, and they were excellent. Donna had some type of white icing cookie while I enjoyed an apple fritter, though the lady called it by another name. There is no place inside to sit and eat, so we took the items out to the truck and enjoyed our makeshift breakfast there.

Interior of Naegelin's is rather small, but the taste is big.

Then we headed to the outlet malls in nearby San Marcos. There are 2 malls on the interstate just south of San Marcos, Tanger and San Marcos Premium Outlet. I'm not much for shopping, but I do appreciate a trip to the Haggar outlet stores. I find these stores are one of the few places you can find a pair of pants with an odd inseam length. My perfect length is 31, but most stores only stock even inseam lists. So I stocked up on a few pairs of pants while in the area.

After a morning of shopping, we headed to Lockhart for some BBQ. We've eaten at all the places in Lockhart, so we debated about which one to try this time. It had been 4 years since our last stop in Lockhart, so we wanted to choose wisely; however, we failed. We opted for Smitty's, which I've enjoyed in the past, but on this day, we were disappointed. The brisket had lots of fat; the ribs were dry; and the sausage was dry. None of the meat had the smoked taste we long for. Well, you win some and you lose some, so we'll cross Smitty's off our list for now.

We were disappointed with the meat at Smitty's this trip. Jalapeno sausage on the right, ribs in the center, and brisket on left. Notice the large amount of fat on the strip of brisket nearest the bread. The meat all lacked the smoky taste we crave.

When you enter Smitty's from the back, you get up close and personal to the pit.

Back in New Braunfels, we decided to visit Krause's. This turned out to be the favorite spot for us on this trip. One of the waitresses visited with us for a while and told us the place had just opened less than 2 months ago. There is a café inside, but we spent our time in the biergarten. The weather was perfect during the day, with a pleasant breeze blowing through. For chilly days and nights, there are 6 propane heaters that line the perimeter of the biergarten. We enjoyed watching all sorts of people come and go while we were there. This is going to quickly become one of the favorite watering holes in New Braunfels. Should we return to New Braunfels, we'll certainly visit this place.

Exterior view of Krause's. The domed area is the biergarten. A farmer's market is held on Saturdays in the area where the cars are parked.

 

Another exterior view of Krause's showing the mural.

The draft beer selection at Krause's is more extensive than that at the Phoenix, located across the street.

One end of the biergarten with stage at right. Notice the standing propane heater in left center.

People seem to just drop in, have a beer or two, visit a bit, then move along somewhere else. It's a nice place to spend some time.

The original party girl enjoying a pint of Fat Tire.

Springing into March

Well, February is gone and we are springing into March. Time continues to roll on.

It's been a pretty good week here at Rio Concho West (RCW). The week began with warm weather, even reaching the mid 80s once or twice. The last 3 days, though, have been cooler, only getting into the mid 60s. We've had pretty good winds as well, making the temp seem cooler than it actually was. One night we dipped to 27 degrees.

But this coming week looks pretty good, weather-wise, with daily highs in the 70s and 80s.

The RCW bus took a load of inmates to the Old Gin Steakhouse in nearby Wall for lunch on Wednesday. Wall is a small German community just east of San Angelo on the Lipan Flats. This is farm country, with cotton being the main crop. Right now, the fields are pretty bare except for some winter wheat planted here or there. The Old Gin Steakhouse is just that, a steak house in an old cotton gin. It's a pretty rustic place, but the food is good. All 17 of us on the bus ate the buffet, which had Tex-Mex, fried chicken strips, and all the sides. We had peach cobbler and ice cream for dessert. It's good grub, but just a tad on the expensive side for my cheapskate tastes.

We visited our local Home Depot this week and picked up a couple of chairs and small tables for our front patio. We normally sit on our back patio. We have 4 rocking chairs out there, and the view is nice as we can see so much of RCW from there. The front patio has a brick wall that comes up to my lower chest, so it is difficult to see anything from there when sitting. But during cooler times, it has almost full sun, so we can sit out there those times and let the sun warm our old bones.

We grabbed a burger on Friday. As we often do after eating lunch out, we decided to drive around a bit. We normally drive around Lake Nasworthy, but this time we drove out to San  Angelo State Park, which is just 2 or 3 miles from RCW. We were fortunate to find the bison herd next to the fence grazing, so we snapped a few pictures. Lake OC Fisher still looks pretty good. It seems to be holding what little water it has. It currently is at 14% or 15% capacity. That certainly is better than being bone dry, as it was just 2 or so years ago.

Below are some pictures from our drive through the park:

Bison grazing near entrance to the park

Lake OC Fisher from the Lakeview Camping Area of San Angelo State Park.

Lake OC Fisher from Pulliam Ridge, the highest point in the south section of San Angelo State Park.

Following Trail Journals

For the last 10 years or so, I've regularly followed people hiking the long trails of the U.S by reading their online trail journals. I enjoy following their daily progress,  and experiencing vicariously what they see, what they do, what they eat, and other things related to the trail.

If this sounds like something you might enjoy, then visit the Trail Journals web site @  http://www.trailjournals.com/.

You'll notice that the major long trails in the U.S. are listed. I have only followed folks who attempt to hike the big 3 trails: the Appalachian Trail, the Continental Divide Trail, and the Pacific Crest Trail. I wrote about these trails a few years back; you can find that entry at "The Big 3 Hiking Trails of the Continental U.S.A." (June 2013).

At the web site, just select the trail you are interested in. You will then be presented with a massive list of people who have signed up to maintain a trail journal for their hike. The problem is deciding which one(s) to follow. I usually scan through the list, mainly looking at the pictures. Normally, I try to select someone about my age so their trail experience would be something I might experience were I to attempt the trail.

I usually pick several folks to follow. Usually only about 10% of the people who start the trail finish, so there is a good chance that if you only pick 2 or 3, those folks may only last a week or month before dropping off the trail.

This is the time of year to do this, as most hikers opt to start their hike in early spring. A few will pick a later date, especially if they opt to hike north to south rather than the more traditional south to north, as most hikers prefer to "hike with spring".

The idea of doing a long hike has appealed to me for years, but I like my creature comforts too much to attempt such an undertaking. I'd rather others suffer while I sit in my comfortable house and read about their exploits. I'll stick with doing day hikes.