Purser Family Park is Harker Heights' lighted-trail and dog-park anchor

The lights on the one-mile loop at Purser Family Park come on after dark, and in a town built around Fort Hood's shift work that's the whole point. People walk this trail before the sun is up and again after dinner, and the lit path on West Mountain Lion Road lets them. The park runs 35 acres, close enough in that it's an everyday stop rather than a weekend outing.

Beyond the trail it covers most of what a neighborhood park gets asked for. The dog park is split into separate runs so the big dogs and the small dogs don't have to share, and there's a Frisbee disc-golf course, two pavilions, picnic units, playground equipment, and restrooms. None of it asks much of you: no boat, no long drive, no planning an afternoon around it.

If you want one of the pavilions or shelters for a birthday or a reunion, the city takes reservations through its online rental system rather than first-come on the day.