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Texas

National Parks Hall of Fame: Best Solitude

If less people, more elk has become your mountain mantra, check the Guadalupe Mountains backcountry camping sites and trails and get that so sought after alone time.

Quick Escapes: 10 Trails Near Major Cities

The perfect metro-area trail: close, wild, uncrowded. Here are 10 major city options.

Natural Wonders: Tallest Hoodoo, Largest Gators, Lost Maples

These three treks to life-list phenomena will take you to Bryce Canyon, Florida gator land, and fall foliage in the Texas desert.

Master the Steeps: High-Angle Hiking Trails

First, check out our tips for healthy hiking on steep terrain in the May 2009 issue then, put them to the test on one of our favorite high-angle trails from California to North Carolina.

SOUTH
Special Survey: Best Cities to Raise an Outdoor Kid

Accessible national forests like the George Washington and Jefferson surround national park gems like Great Smoky and Shenandoah in a southern terrain that varies dramatically from Florida's Everglades to West Virginia's wilderness.

Perfect day: Big Bend, Texas

Mike Long, a 20-year veteran, snares a primo big-water day on the Rio Grande.

Hikes and Trips in US Cities

Use our comprehensive city-specific pages to find hikes near your hometown or in a city you're planning to visit.

Quick Fix: Big Bend National Park

Scout for gold–and desert views–amid this Texas park's spray of late-fall foliage.

Where Can I Find: Fall's Best Birdwatching?

Looking to catch some migrating birds? Find out where to look.

Top 3 Paddling Treks

These weekend float trips have side hikes that rival the paddling for scenery and solitude.

Highpoint Texas

Traverse Guadalupe Mountains National Park to the state's airiest perch.

How to See More Bats

Whether you fear, respect, or applaud these complex creatures of the night, the tips below will help you find and observe them.

Three Southwestern Hikes to Test Your Senses

Joshua Tree, Zion, and the Guadalupe Mountains are three hike-worthy desert destinations.

Adventure Guide: Big Bend National Park

Texas-sized solitude is practically guaranteed when you explore the high peaks and striking river canyons of this lightly visited wilderness.

Paddling's Greatest Getaways

16 wild ways to find backcountry solitude and big-time scenery. All this, and you can bring the ice chest, too.

Ultimate Summer Escapes: The Best Dayhikes and Backpacking Trips Near You

Coming soon to your city: far-out adventures that are shockingly close to home.

High Points: Guadalupe Peak, Texas

This peak lives up to its reputation.

Hike Texas's McKittrick Canyon

This canyon in the Guadalupe Mountains offers an endless cluster of colors mixed together with some famous geology

Dinosaur Valley State Park

This Texas park holds true to its name with some of the best preserved dinosaur tracks in the world.

Best Backpacking In Texas

Our comprehensive guide to the best backpacking you can find in Texas.

Quest For The Jackalope

Is the legendary jackalope the most endangered species in the Lower 48 or just an old cowboy tale that refuses to die?

Texas' Enchanted Rock State Natural Area

Hike or climb this pristine pink-granite wonderland just outside Austin.

Texas' Hill Country State Natural Area

It's amazing what nature can do with pasture a decade after the cows go home.

Big Bend Birding In Texas

The best bird window coincides with the best hiking season in the Chihuahuan Desert.

Texas' Guadalupe Range

If you think west Texas is nothing but tumbleweeds and cattle, you haven't walked 62 miles across one of the world's most famous geological formations.

Caprock Canyons State Park

History and landscape meet at Caprock Canyos State Park.

Texas' Palo Duro Canyon

The colorful walls of Palo Duro Canyon will delight hikers with masterpiece washes of color.

Texas' Big Slough Wilderness

Texas' Big Slough is as wet as the Big Bend is dry.

Texas: Lost Maples State Natural Area

Texas' Lost Maples has beautiful desert vistas -- and mountain lions.

Lone Star Hiking Trail, Texas

Smooth and easy hiking deep in the heart of Texas.