Topic
The Great Outdoors
From the Gulf coast to the Hill Country, the Pineywoods to Big Bend, Texas is built for getting outside. These notes connect the places — lakes, state parks, rivers, and trails — to the counties around them, each pointed at the official source.
Local Notes
The Great Outdoors notes
Anderson County · Wildlife Management Area
Big Lake Bottom WMA Sits Along the Trinity River Southwest of Palestine
Big Lake Bottom WMA covers about 4,253 acres of Trinity River bottomland in Anderson County. It is open to hunting, fishing, birding, and hiking with a public hunting permit, but there are no roads inside.
Anderson County · Wildlife Management Area
Gus Engeling WMA Offers Hunting, Birding, and Hiking on 11,000 Acres
Gus Engeling WMA begins at 16149 North US Hwy 287 near Tennessee Colony, with 11,095 acres of Post Oak Savannah habitat and public-use permit rules.
Andrews County · Hunting / Wildlife
Mule deer hunting in Andrews County has a 20-inch antler rule
Andrews County is mule deer country, but state rules set a minimum 20-inch outside spread for legal bucks, so know the restriction before you hunt.
Angelina County · Outdoors / National Forest
Angelina National Forest provides camping, hiking, and forest access near Lufkin
The 153,179-acre Angelina National Forest surrounds much of Sam Rayburn Reservoir and offers free and fee-based camping, the Sawmill Hiking Trail, fishing, and wildlife viewing managed by the U.S. Forest Service.
Angelina County · Longleaf pine
Boykin Springs Shows the Old Longleaf Side of Angelina County
Boykin Springs is a forest recreation area near Zavalla where longleaf pine, seepage bogs, and spring flowers give the woods a different feel.
Angelina County · Fishing / Recreation
Sam Rayburn Reservoir is one of East Texas's major fishing lakes
Sam Rayburn Reservoir, a 114,500-acre lake on the Angelina River, reaches into Angelina County and is popular for largemouth bass, crappie, and catfish.
Angelina County · River country
The Angelina and Neches Put Water on Both Edges of the County
The Angelina River forms Angelina County's north edge, the Neches forms its south edge, and both belong to one larger East Texas river system.
Angelina County · Trail history
The Sawmill Trail Turns a Forest Walk Into Lumber History
The Sawmill Hiking Trail links Boykin Springs to the Aldridge Sawmill site, with Neches River views and pieces of the old logging landscape.
Angelina County · Wilderness
Upland Island Keeps a Rougher Forest Pocket Near Lufkin
Upland Island Wilderness gives Angelina County a quieter national-forest pocket reached from Highway 69 and Forest Road 314.
Aransas County · State park / Outdoors
Goose Island State Park: Bay Camping, Fishing, and the Big Tree
Goose Island State Park near Rockport offers bayfront camping, a 1,620-foot fishing pier, and access to one of Texas's most celebrated old-growth live oak trees.
Aransas County · Bay science
Mission-Aransas Turns the Bays Into a Living Classroom
The Mission-Aransas reserve and Rockport's Bay Education Center make the county's bays feel like habitat, not just water on the map.
Aransas County · Beach and harbor
Rockport Beach and the Harbor Turn a Waterfront Drive Into Birding Country
The public edge around Rockport Beach, Little Bay, Aransas Bay, and Rockport Harbor gives the county a shorebird-and-boat identity in one loop.
Aransas County · Coastal habitat
Rockport's Oak Mottes Are More Than Pretty Shade
The live-oak pockets around Rockport-Fulton help explain why birders slow down here during spring and fall migration.
Aransas County · Wildlife / Outdoors
Whooping Cranes at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge
Aransas National Wildlife Refuge is the wintering ground for the only wild flock of whooping cranes, one of North America's rarest birds, and is open to the public year-round for wildlife watching, fishing, and hiking.
Archer County · Fishing / Recreation
Lake Kickapoo offers fishing and boating in southern Archer County
Lake Kickapoo is a 6,028-acre lake in southern Archer County open for fishing, boating, and other water recreation.
Armstrong County · State parks / Outdoors
Part of Palo Duro Canyon State Park Lies in Armstrong County
Palo Duro Canyon State Park, known as the Grand Canyon of Texas, spans Randall and Armstrong counties. It offers hiking, camping, horseback riding, and a limited draw hunt.
Atascosa County · Landscape / Brush country
A 1722 Diary Saw Hundreds of Deer Near the Atascosa Line
An Aguayo expedition diary described flat country and 300 to 400 deer near today's Medina-Atascosa line, before dense brush covered as much of the South Texas Plains.
Atascosa County · Parks / Pleasanton
Pleasanton's River Park Fits Wheels, Water, Dogs, and a Trail
Pleasanton River Park combines lawns and shaded picnic areas with a splash pad, skate park, zip line, Bark Park, playgrounds, and the Pecan Orchard Trail.
Atascosa County · Ranchland / Wildlife
Running V Ranch Has Worked the Same Atascosa Ground Since 1916
The 5,600-acre ranch combines cattle production with water systems, cross fencing, brush treatments, wildlife habitat, youth hunts, and field research.
Atascosa County · Water quality
Water quality in the Atascosa River
The Atascosa River has documented water quality issues including elevated bacteria levels that affect contact recreation like swimming and wading.
Austin County · Creek country
An 1895 Railroad Map Kept Mill Creek's Palmetto Name
A Texas GLO sketch labels the forks of Mill Creek as Palmetto, preserving an old name tied to dwarf palms once seen downstream.
Austin County · Landscape
Austin County Crosses Two Texas Landscapes
Austin County's rolling Post Oak Savannah in the north and middle falls toward nearly level Coastal Prairie in the south.
Austin County · State park / Outdoor recreation
Stephen F. Austin State Park offers camping and trails near the Brazos
Stephen F. Austin State Park sits along the Brazos River in San Felipe and offers year-round camping, five miles of trails, and easy access to the adjacent state historic site.
Bailey County · Wildlife / Public land
Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge Draws Tens of Thousands of Sandhill Cranes Each Winter
Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge, established in 1935 and described by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as the oldest national wildlife refuge in Texas, sits 20 miles south of Muleshoe and hosts large concentrations of sandhill cranes during winter.
Bandera County · River park
Bandera City Park Turns Downtown Toward the Medina River
A downtown Bandera errand can turn into river time fast because City Park has fishing, swimming, picnic spots, and BBQ pits.
Bandera County · State park / Recreation
Hill Country State Natural Area offers rugged trails and horse camping near Bandera
Hill Country State Natural Area is a 5,000-plus-acre primitive park in Bandera County open to hikers, mountain bikers, and horseback riders, with camping available year-round.
Bandera County · Ranch landscape
Hill Country State Natural Area Still Feels Like Old Ranch Country
The primitive feel at Hill Country State Natural Area comes from the old Merrick Bar-O Ranch and the terms of the gift that helped create it.
Bandera County · Lake community
Lakehills Is Bandera County's Medina Lake Corner
Medina Lake reaches into Bandera County, and Lakehills grew around that water after the Upper Medina Lake area developed in the mid-1900s.
Bandera County · State natural area
Lost Maples Puts Bandera County Into the Sabinal Canyon
Lost Maples is not just a fall-leaf stop; it is Bandera County's high canyon country on the upper Sabinal River.
Bastrop County · State park
Bastrop State Park Holds the Lost Pines and CCC Stonework
Bastrop State Park pairs an isolated pine forest with cabins and gathering places built by Civilian Conservation Corps crews in the 1930s.
Bastrop County · Lost Pines
Buescher State Park Gives Smithville a Quiet Lost Pines Lake
Buescher State Park adds a calmer Smithville side to the Lost Pines story, with a 30-acre lake, forest trails, and CCC-built park bones.
Bastrop County · Riverfront
Fisherman's Park Is Bastrop's Riverfront Front Porch
Fisherman's Park ties downtown Bastrop to the Colorado River, the June Hill Pape Riverwalk, and the El Camino Real paddling trail.
Bastrop County · Fishing
Lake Bastrop Keeps Bass Moving Through Cooler Months
Lake Bastrop is a 906-acre cooling reservoir where warm water keeps largemouth bass active into winter and early spring.
Bastrop County · Colorado River
McKinney Roughs Puts Trails and Zip Lines on the Colorado River Edge
McKinney Roughs Nature Park gives Bastrop County a wilder LCRA park experience, with multiuse trails, a Colorado River setting, and outdoor programs.
Baylor County · Fishing / Recreation
Lake Kemp: the 15,590-acre reservoir north of Seymour
Lake Kemp sits on the Big Wichita River in Baylor County and covers about 15,590 acres. It offers public fishing for striped bass, white bass, catfish, crappie, and largemouth bass, with multiple boat ramp access points.
Bee County · Landscape
Bee County Slopes Through South Texas Brush Country
Bee County's 866 square miles slope toward the coast through grassland, thorny brush, clay, sandy loam, and three southeast-running creek systems.
Bee County · Hunting / TPWD
Hunting in Bee County: Seasons, Limits, and Restricted Areas
Bee County is in the South Zone for deer and turkey hunting. State law bans hunting along the Aransas River and Poesta Creek.
Bee County · Creek country
Poesta Creek Once Helped Tell Two Beevilles Apart
Court minutes used Beeville-on-the-Poesta for the new county seat and Beeville-on-the-Medio for the first site seven miles east.
Bee County · River headwaters
The Aransas River Starts with Three Bee County Creeks
Olmos, Aransas, and Poesta creeks meet two miles north of Skidmore and begin the Aransas River's forty-mile run to Copano Bay.
Bell County · River Park
Bend of the River Gives Temple a Leon River Park
Reuben D. Talasek Bend of the River is a 30-acre Temple park on the Leon River, donated by the Talasek family in 2011.
Bell County · Outdoors / Camping
Camping at Belton Lake and Stillhouse Hollow
The Army Corps of Engineers operates multiple campgrounds and day-use parks on Belton Lake and Stillhouse Hollow Reservoir with reservable sites near Belton.
Bell County · Waterfall Trail
Chalk Ridge Falls hides a waterfall below the Stillhouse Hollow dam
Chalk Ridge Falls is a free Corps of Engineers nature area below the Stillhouse Hollow dam, with a riverside trail that leads to a small natural waterfall.
Bell County · Lake Trail
Dana Peak Trail is Stillhouse Hollow's hike, bike, and horseback ground
Dana Peak Trail at Stillhouse Hollow Lake is a Corps-managed system of hiking, mountain biking, and horseback trails near Harker Heights.
Bell County · Fishing
Fishing at Belton Lake and Stillhouse Hollow Reservoir
Belton Lake and Stillhouse Hollow Reservoir, both managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, offer fishing for largemouth bass, catfish, and other species within Bell County.
Bell County · Belton Park
Heritage Park is Belton's big all-purpose park
At 155 acres, Heritage Park is Belton's largest park, with athletic fields, a community garden, a fishing dock, pavilions, and an accessible playground.
Bell County · Killeen Park
Lions Club Park is Killeen's close-in spot for a walk or a gathering
Killeen's Lions Club Park pairs a 1.4-mile hike-and-bike loop with pavilions, an amphitheater, and indoor meeting rooms you can reserve.
Bell County · Temple Park
Lions Park is Temple's everything-at-once park
Temple's 108-acre Lions Park brings fields, trails, disc golf, a dog park, playgrounds, picnic shelters, and a pond into one busy park.
Bell County · Nature Center
Miller Springs is the free trail land below the Belton Lake dam
Miller Springs Nature Center is a 260-acre preserve below the Belton Lake dam, free and open every day, with more than 10 miles of hiking and biking trails.
Bell County · Nolan Creek
Nolan Creek is downtown Belton's little tube-and-kayak run
Belton has turned Nolan Creek into a small recreation corridor with limestone drops, a tube-and-kayak put-in, and creekside parking near downtown.
Bell County · Harker Heights Park
Purser Family Park is Harker Heights' lighted-trail and dog-park anchor
Purser Family Park gives Harker Heights a 35-acre neighborhood park with a lighted one-mile trail, split dog parks, disc golf, pavilions, and playgrounds.
Bell County · Killeen Trail
The Andy K. Wells trail was Killeen's first hike-and-bike path
Killeen's 2.5-mile Andy K. Wells Hike and Bike Trail, off East Veterans Memorial Boulevard, was the city's first such trail and grew from a family land donation.
Bexar County · Urban Park
Brackenridge Park Sits Just Below the San Antonio River Headwaters
Brackenridge Park holds a stretch of the San Antonio River just below its headwaters, plus the Zoo, the Japanese Tea Garden, and 11,000 years of human history in one place.
Bexar County · Boating / Invasive species
Clean, drain, and dry after boating on Medina Lake
TPWD lists Medina Lake as infested with zebra mussels, so a boat leaving the lake needs careful cleaning and legally required draining before its next launch.
Bexar County · Hilltop Park
Comanche Lookout Park Adds a Hilltop Landmark on the Northeast Side
Comanche Lookout Park is a 96-acre city park built around one of Bexar County's high points, topped by a 1920s stone tower and steeped in old travel-route history.
Bexar County · Natural Area
Eisenhower Park Keeps a Natural-Area Feel on the North Side
Eisenhower Park is a designated natural area near San Antonio's northern edge, with hiking trails and an overlook tower where the city starts turning rocky and hilly.
Bexar County · National park / History
Four living mission communities make one San Antonio national park
Concepcion, San Jose, San Juan, and Espada are historic places, active parishes, and four parts of one free national park along the San Antonio River.
Bexar County · Natural Area
Friedrich Wilderness Park Gives Northwest San Antonio a Real Canyon Hike
Friedrich Wilderness Park gives northwest San Antonio about 10 miles of hiking trails through steep hills, deep canyons, and protected songbird habitat.
Bexar County · Fishing / Parks
Government Canyon is not a fishing stop
Texas has a license-free state-park fishing rule, but Government Canyon has no permanent body of water and does not offer fishing or swimming.
Bexar County · State parks / Hiking
Government Canyon protects drinking water under 13,000 acres of trail country
This north San Antonio natural area protects the aquifer recharge zone while opening about 40 miles of grassland, ridge, and canyon trails.
Bexar County · Creek Trail
Leon Creek Greenway Connects Parks Across Northwest San Antonio
Leon Creek Greenway gives northwest San Antonio about 20 paved trail miles that connect parks, limestone bluffs, UTSA, and a west-side transit center.
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