5 weeks, 7 State Parks

7 state parks, 2 national parks and a road trip in between. There’s a lot going on in May at HTXoutdoors.

March – May is my favorite part of the year. The days get longer, the air gets warmer {but there’s still a chill in the air at night}, and it’s an absolute perfect time to get outdoors. Luckily, we navigated the rain quite well this spring, so it didn’t hold us back at all!

But something did hold us back.

How often do we actually walk 10 miles at once in Houston? Or get hikes in with hills?  It’s extremely important to prepare for the trips you’re taking.  Going from minimal activity to doing multiple days of high mileage hiking at higher elevations is not the safest thing to do.

So how do you Make it Happen?

Start filling your weekends exploring Texas State Parks!  There are hundreds of miles of trails within 2 hours of Houston!  So it’s time to get outside and start training for your next big trip… while supporting, enjoying and exploring Texas State Parks.

Pictures and videos are from the Texas State Park website.

1.  Garner State Park – about 5 hours way, a perfect combination of warm during the day and cool at night.  Plus a river to play in!

2.  Palo Duro Canyon – about 10 hours from Houston, and is the 2nd largest canyon in the country!

3. Palmetto State Park – on your way to Austin, San Anotio or San Marcos, check out Palmetto State Park that runs along park of the San Marcos River.

4. Huntsville State Park – one of my favorites and about an hour from Houston!  Plenty of trails {with hills!} and a large lake. Watch for the alligators.

5. Lake Somerville – 2 hours from Houston, it’s perfect if you’re looking to play on the lake!  Plus about 25 miles worth of trails! Check the park site for trail closures as they got hit pretty hard by Hurricane Harvey and some may be closed still.

6.  Galveston Island State Park – Relax on the beach in just 1 hour from Houston!

7.  Martin Dies Jr State Park – I can’t say it better that TPWD, “Two rivers meet here on the eastern edge of Texas, creating wild and diverse habitats. Come explore the lake, sloughs and forest trails of this very special place at the edge of the Big Thicket.”