Longhorn Caverns - Texas

I enjoy visiting caverns and there are several in Texas.  Some are pretty, some are unique, some are small, some are large and some have interesting history.  Longhorn Caverns near Burnet in the Texas Hill Country is a cavern with some history.

During the Civil War bat guano was mined to make gun powder.  A legend concerning the outlaw Sam Bass states Sam hid money from his activities in the cave.  Another story is told of a recuse of a kidnapped girl taken by Indians who hid in the cave.

Tour visit the large room

One of the interesting and unique formations

The stories surrounding the caverns led tourist to the area to see the sites.  By the 1020's the main room of the cave was being used as a dance hall and a place for concerts. 

Boys standing at the gated entrance to the cavern

In the late 1930's the cavern and many acres around it became a state park and open to the public.  In 1971 it was designated a National Natural Landmark.

Colorful formations

A dumbwaiter used the hole above to lower dishes and food during events in the main room. 

Entry to Longhorn Caverns

Longhorn Cavern sits inside the 645 acres Longhorn Cavern State Park and is open every day except Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.  Tours for the most part happen hourly (schedule changes during the winter - link to schedule and fees).

Footprint from an unknown human hardened in the stone

Next time you are in the Texas Hill Country stop by the Longhorn Cavern SP and enjoy the cavern.

Check out videos about Taking It Outside.

An Enchanted Hike

244 miles southwest of Dallas, Texas sits one of the biggest rocks in the USA, Enchanted Rock.  Enchanted Rock is a batholith, a large protrusion of cooled volcanic magma.  This huge rock rises 425 feet above the surrounding area to a height of 1825 feet above sea level.  It is also the largest pink granite monadnock in the USA.

Enchanted Rock from park parking lot

The rock is part of the Enchanted Rock State Natural Area.  The park is located 15 miles south of Llano, TX and 15 miles north of Fredericksburg, TX just west of TX 16 on FM 965.

Hiking is popular in the park.  There are two main trails, Summit Trail and Loop Trail.  Loop Trail is 4 miles and goes completely around Enchanted Rock and crosses Sandy Creek a few times.  Summit Trail is only 6/10 of a mile, but it rises 425 feet.

On Summit Trail look up Enchanted Rock

The Summit Trail starts on the northeast side of the Interpretive Center (map of the trail) and quickly crosses Sandy Creek.  The creek is easy to cross unless there has been a heavy rain recently.  The last restrooms on the trail are east of the trail after crossing the creek.  A little pass the restrooms is a stationary telescope that visitors can use to look up the rock.  A little after  1/10 of a mile the trail turns north and begins to ascend through some boulders and plants. 

My son looking a little worn from the climb

After the 3/10 mark the trail splits with the Echo Canyon Trail continuing northwest to meet the Loop Trail and Summit Trail veering northeast and becoming very steep as the trail is solidly on the barren rock.  The trail continues to the summit of Enchanted Rock where the 360 view of the Hill Country is amazing.  The average incline on the trail is 30%.  

There is a lot of room on the summit for the hikers.  There are numerous fissures and hallows that can be explored.  Some are very steep and narrow so caution should be exercised.  There are some cave-like features and areas that are fun to explore.  My son and I spent time exploring the features.

We explored the fissures and canyons while at the summit

We hiked to the summit during March and took water with us.  If one was hiking in the summer months they would need a good amount of water because the heat on the rock can get intense.  There is not much shade to be found on the rock.

A great view of the countryside

Wildlife is common around the park, especially deer since Gillespie County has the highest concentration of White-tail deer in the US.  The wildlife is more likely to be seen in the early morning or at dusk.  Wild Turkey, wild boar, bats, squirrels, and fox are seen often in the park.  My son and I saw deer early that morning on the way to the rock, but only birds and lizards once at the park.

The park has 46 camping sites near the visitor center with shower facilities and three primitive camping areas. This is a great park for camping and hiking.  The Hill Country is a great place for lovers of the outdoors.  Enchanted Rock is a unique geological feature and well worth visiting.

Petit Jean State Park, Arkansas

Arkansas is known as "The Natural State" and after spending some time in the state I would have to agree.  Arkansas has 52 state parks and acres and acres of undeveloped natural beauty.  Arkansas is a great place to ride motorcycles, camp, hike, and enjoy the great outdoors.

Valley as seen from Petit Jean Mountain

Petit Jean State Park is one of the state parks where I have camped and hiked is found northwest of Little Rock near the Arkansas River.  State Highway 154 runs through the park which sits high on a ridge south of the Arkansas River.  The mountain and state park takes their name from Adrienne Dumont who posed as a young man calling herself Petit Jean.  Click here for more on the Legend of Petit Jean.

The mighty Arkansas River

Accommodations include the 24 room Mather Lodge overlooking Cedar Creek Canyon, 21 fully equipped cabins, 12 overnight cabins, and 125 individual campsites.  Petit Jean also boast as being the only Arkansas state park with its own airport.

Another view from the Petit Jean Overlook

In July 2010 a friend and I reserved a tent campsite.  The campsite was well shaded in the late afternoon, had a nice level areas for a tent, and a picnic table.  We arrived around 5:00 P.M., sat up our tent, and then proceeded to investigate the park before dinner at Mather Lodge Restaurant.

Most campsites at Petit Jean SP are shaded.

We rode to the Petit Jean Mountain Overlook.  The overlook provides a great location to view the Arkansas River and the valley below.  The overlook is also the location of the Petit Jean grave and legend says her ghost still hangs around the mountain.

Site of Petit Jean's grave

After spending some time at the overlook we decided to get some dinner at Mather Lodge.  The restaurant is small and cozy with a great view of Cedar Creek Canyon.  While eating dinner we watched a raccoon climb on the back porch and roam around for a while.

Our dinner guest

View from the porch of Mather Lodge

After a relaxing dinner we sat and watched the sunset and walked around the lodge.  After a good night rest we packed up and decided to hike down to Cedar Falls.  The trail is 2 miles and starts at Mather Lodge.  The trail descends 200+ feet with a series of switchbacks and steps.  It is a out and back trail so hikers have to hike back up the canyon.  The 90 foot waterfall depends alot on the rainfall.  During raining seasons the fall can be very spectacular.  When we were there it had not rained a lot so the falls was very light but, still pretty.

Cedar Falls seen from the trail

There are numerous trails in the park.  One could spend many days at the park and enjoys some great sights. If you are looking for a good place for camping and hiking check out Petit Jean State Park in Arkansas.

Ft. Parker - near Mexia, Texas

Getting away from the Dallas/Ft. Worth metromess is always a treat.  It is great to get away from the traffic, the noise, the air pollution, and the light pollution.  Texas has many great places away from the big metropolitan centers to visit.  One such place is a small historic Fort Parker State Park just south of Mexia, Texas.  - Map

Fort Parker State Park is one of two area historic sites connected to the 1836 abduction of Cynthia Ann Parker, mother of the last Commanche Chief Quannah Parker.  The other site is the Old Fort Parker Historic Preservation.

The state park has 750+ acres of land and a 700 acre lake on the Navasota River.  The heavily wooded area is home to a variety of wildlife including raccoon, opossum, deer, coyote, squirrel, and a wide range of birds.  The lake is a popular site for canoeing and fishing.

Most campsites are shaded and many are heavily wooded on at least one side.  The park is away from the state highway so it is a quite campground.  We set up our camp on site 12.  It had a nice flat area for the tent, a fire ring, and a picnic table.  The showers were about 100 yards from the site and the pier was about the same distance.

We enjoyed two nights of fine campfire cooked food, quite evenings around the fire, and unobstructed views of the stars (we had to walk out from under the trees, but there was no noticeable light pollution).  On the second day camping out we visited the Old Fort Parker Historic Preservation in the morning and in the afternoon we went on a short hike in the park.

After breakfast we drove 3.7 miles to the Preservation (map).  The Old Fort Parker Historic Preservation is a 37.5 acre park that was rebuilt in 1967 by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC).  This is the actual site of the abduction of Cynthia Parker.  We visited the visitor center and gift shop after touring the fort and viewing the cabins.  When touring the fort we were able to climb the blockhouse and look over the top of the fort walls.  It was quite enlightening to see how the fort was constructed and how the defenses were arranged.  My son and his friend really enjoyed it.

Once back at the park the boys, my friend, and I decided to go on the short hike to the Fort Parker Lake spillway.  The Springfield Trail Loop was about 3miles.  The trial winded through the forest tracing the northeast end of the lake.  There was not much change in elevation.  There were two different piers we walked out on to view the waterfowl and the lake.  Once at the east end of the lake we viewed the spillway and then proceeded to the end of the trail where there is a natural spring.  We backtracked for about 0.2 miles and then the loop took us north and away from the lake.  We crossed fields with wildflowers and Texas shrubs.  We did notice deer tracks, but saw no deer.  The loop took us to the Springfield Cemetery where there are some very old graves, including soldiers from the Civil War.  The trail then continues back to the trailhead.

The park is very simple, but a nice place to get away and get outdoors.  I highly recommend Fort Parker State Park for a good camping experience.