Travel & Outdoors
June 17, 2021
Seven Outstanding Parks for Riding or Renting Horses
Hoof it to these parks with your steed (or someone else's).
Texas State Parks
Travel & Outdoors
June 17, 2021
Texas Parks by Horseback Offer a Whole Other View
Equestrians can ride their own steeds, or in a few cases rent them, on public lands across the state.
Travel & Outdoors
January 26, 2021
As More Novices Head to the Wilderness, Rescues Are Spiking at Some Texas State Parks
Big Bend Ranch State Park and Enchanted Rock State Natural Area both saw a 50 percent surge in backcountry rescues last year.
Politics & Policy
December 17, 2020
2020 Has Been Awful, but It Was a Good Year for State and National Parks
Two major conservation funding victories could create a brighter future for Texas's public lands.
Travel & Outdoors
April 25, 2020
I Visited a State Park This Week. Here’s What I Found.
The reopening of state parks has not come without critics, from those who say the new rules are impossible to enforce to those who think they are too restrictive.
Travel & Outdoors
April 20, 2020
Where to Get Outside While Social Distancing
There are places across the state where you can commune with nature, if not one another.
Parks & Recs
March 19, 2020
Is It Okay to Visit Texas Parks During the Coronavirus Pandemic?
Spending time outdoors is good for mental health. But as COVID-19 spreads in Texas, officials and citizens are grappling with whether, and how, we can enjoy public parks.
Travel & Outdoors
January 10, 2019
How Texas Parks and Historic Sites Are Dealing With the Government Shutdown
Volunteers and others step in to help maintain Big Bend, the San Antonio missions, and other beloved sites, but fears about lasting damage grow as the impasse drags on.
Parks & Recs
September 21, 2018
Blanco State Park Embodies True Texas Spirit
Despite threats to its survival over the years, the picturesque and petite park goes with the flow, just like its namesake river.
Parks & Recs
September 21, 2018
The Best of Blanco
Where to eat, drink, and play once you venture outside the park.
Travel & Outdoors
February 21, 2018
Star Search: A Night Guide for Urban Texans
Where to find wide-open skies—or a big telescope—if you live in the big city or in the eastern half of the state.
Travel & Outdoors
January 21, 2013
Into the Wild
Out of more than half a million acres of state parks and natural areas, we’ve chosen the ten best trips—where to camp, what to do, and what to look for when you head to the nearest town
Travel & Outdoors
January 21, 2013
A Q&A With Charlie Llewellin
Our outdoors guru on exploring the state’s parks, getting lost, and being next to alligators.
Feature
May 31, 2011
Outdoors 101
Nothing marks an expert camper more than a mastery of the essential skills, so study up on these backwoods tricks before your next expedition.
Travel & Outdoors
May 31, 2011
Ten More Trips Worth Gearing Up For
Even more camping suggestions, from El Paso's Franklin Mountains to Caddo Lake in East Texas.
Travel & Outdoors
November 1, 1996
Social Climbers
This month, a ragtag group of wanderers will descend on Hueco Tanks state park in West Texas, where they’ll spend their nights hanging out and their days hanging on to the most challenging boulders around.
Feature
November 1, 1975
The Strange Case of the Missing Parks
Why Texans don‘t get the parks they pay for.