The state of Texas bursts with outdoor activities suitable for everyone. Texas is a large state and has many types of environments, from beaches to desert areas to forests.
Hiking is a great way to see nature and exercise at the same time. If you are bringing your family and have smaller children, Pedernales Falls is a good choice. The park contains a duck pond with just a quarter-mile hike to the overlook for Twin Falls. There are other easy trails that pass through small canyons and even a viewing station with wheelchair access. Tougher hiking trails run through Big Bend State Park near the Rio Grande area of Texas. Other parks that offer challenging hikes are Palo Duro Canyon State Park and Caprock Canyons State Park. If you prefer to hike in a wetter area, try Brazos Bend State Park where the nature trail passes marshes with alligators napping.
Texas has large numbers of lakes and rivers that are full of fish, perfect for trips. Most fishing lakes contain the usual bass, catfish, sunfish and others. If you are looking for unusual fish, try for Guadalupe bass at Inks Lake, Lost Maples or South Llano parks. Chain pickerel fish live in Caddo Lake. Fairfield Lake is one of several inland lakes that are stocked with redfish. The coastal region of Texas offers plenty of surf fishing with jetties and piers. There are also charter boats to take you out into the Gulf of Mexico for the larger sport fishes. Several lakes in Texas have facilities geared for the serious angler. Ray Roberts Lake State Park and Possum Kingdom Lake particularly stand out for their largemouth bass.
No trip to Texas would be complete without saddling up a horse and exploring the wilds. Several parks are home to stables with horses that you can rent, while others have horse-friendly areas for bringing your own. Palo Duro Canyon has horseback tours to Timber creek Canyon and all-day rides to Lighthouse Rock, which is their symbol for the park. Hill Country State Natural Areas has plenty of rugged land and large barns and water for your horses.
Maybe you would prefer not to have to feed your ride. Texas parks and cities offer many biking trails for beginners and experienced cyclists. Copper Breaks and Tyler State Park offer some of the top mountain biking trails in the area, for mainly expert cyclists. Ray Roberts Lake is home to more family friendly biking. Dinosaur Valley State Park has trails in and out of the same valleys where dinosaurs once walked.
Swimming in Texas is almost a year-round occupation if you know where to go. Plenty of fast-moving rivers, ocean surfs and lakes offer many types of water activities. Down in the Hill Country, there is the Guadalupe River. This widely known, but very cool river is famous for inner-tubing trips. Blanco State Park contains excellent swimming opportunities for children. A calm and shallow swimming area is created from two small low-water dams. Boating, water-skiing and scuba diving are just a few of the many other water activities found in Texas.
