We are by no means professionals. You won’t see us going on 100 mile hikes or carrying tens of pounds of gear. But we do like to throw some water bottles in a bag, grab a camera and get a little lost.
Here are a few of our adventures around Texas.
The Adventure Collection
Spicewood Valley Trail
This is a great trail to visit in the early morning. It’s inside a neighborhood, so it isn’t far from “civilization” but it is a bit of a walk, just over 2 miles. The are plenty of side trails with some interesting finds for those who like to explore.
The majority of the trail is shaded, and in the early morning it is fairly cool. But the trail itself does become pretty popular and pretty hot later in the day.
San Gabriel River Trail/Goodwater Loop
This trail requires proper attire and footwear. My wife and I attempted this with myself being in motorcycle boots and a single bottle of water. Talk about poor choices.
That said, its a great hike. The loop itself is about 3 miles, but getting to it takes about another 3. There are some shaded spots, but most of the trail is in the sun.
The grotto was damaged by the ice storm of 21, however there is still flowing water and quite a few marshy plants that the butterflies and bumble bees love.
Horse Shoe Bay Nature Park
This really isn’t so much a hike so much as a “city park” with plants. I think if you went during the wet season it may be something nice. However, wife and I went in the summer. Everything was pretty dry and pretty dead, and there was only one bumble bee to be found that was going back between the only 5 flowers in the park.
Cactus Rock Trail Balcones Canyonlands
This was a great walk. Fairly rocky, so perhaps wear boots. Its just over a mile, so you can consider this a quick walk with some winding trails, most of which are shaded. We went during the summer, so most of it was dry or dead. However, what it lacked in lush vegetation, it made up for with energetic lizards that are more than willing to pose on a rock and let you snap a few photos.
Horse Shoe Bay
A quite neighborhood great for astro-photography. In 2023 it was pretty sparsely populated so you could camp out for a bit at midnight watching stars. That may change as time goes on.
Roughollow Lakeside Trail
This was a great trail with lots of trees and wild life. That being said, it isn’t all that far from people. If you wander off the trail too far you might end up in someones yard, however, there is still plenty of wild life to be found.
Doe Skin Ranch
This one is all about the weather, you will need to plan either a slow hike with a lot of water, or aim for a cooler day. Its a long trail, most of which is not shaded, but it is quite and not well traveled.
