Top 10 Texas State Parks

Welcome to mr s travel quest i’m nick i’m ruth and today we’re going to highlight and discuss our top 10 texas state park stay tuned if you’re new to the channel welcome we’re a channel that focuses on texas state parks and beyond today we’re going to discuss and highlight our

Top 10 texas state park we visited 20 different texas state parks in 2020 and here’s our number 10 pick the massive pink granite dome rising above texas hill country enchanted rock is one of the more popular parks we have here in texas i enjoyed hiking the summit trail and

Seeing the 360 degree views of the texas hill country so when we went uh in january of last year that was the first park we went to remember yeah that was the very first part that got us hiking or that was the first one we were gonna start with

But i’m gonna tell you right now guys you better go in january because going into summer remember i went i took the kids over the summer we went in january and it was still warm going up and down i think um they sell snow cones at the bottom

And we were tempted to buy snow cone but we didn’t so i don’t know how you did it in the summer yeah it was hot uh guys i recommend not going over the summer uh there is no shade at all um so when you get to the top

You’re gonna be hot you’re gonna be sweaty uh but the views are amazing number nine penniless falls just 30 miles west of austin texas the falls were great just to sit next to and listen to the water we enjoyed a picnic on our visit and just hung out

They also have some of the nicest bird blinds i’ve seen in a state park the park has something for everyone biking hiking horseback riding and even tubing during the summer it’s worth the visit when visiting texas now what went to penn knowledge what did you like about it

Um i liked that it was easy to get down to the main area um the overlook was really nice i mean you can see um everything from the overlook you know what i love about uh penalties like that’s another like kind of popular and kind of busy park

Even though it was busy because remember we parked we had to find parking in the back right um that’s a busy park but when we got down to the falls it felt like we had the the whole park to ourselves right it’s pretty spread out yeah so

And this is this is before this is pre-covered guys um it’s a beautiful park it’s it’s spread out um the water to the other side um i don’t remember what that when you go swimming down at the lake i don’t remember what that area is called but

It’s a long way down there and we went swimming we still got in the water it was january and it was so beautiful that we still got in yeah and this is this park is number nine on the list um we went early in the year i’m pretty

Sure the park is way better over the summer uh because you can actually get in the water enjoy it it’s not too cold but it’s near austin texas worth the visit check it out when you get it when you get a chance number eight colorado bin

State park i didn’t know what to expect when visiting this park all i know is that we wanted to see gorman falls goldman’s falls is a 70-foot waterfall and they look beautiful so what did you think about um colorado bend state park um well i liked it i liked that um

It was kind of challenging in a different way to get there because the rocks are so big i’m gonna stop you real quick all right guys this is what it’s funny all right so this park was the first park that had a challenging i want to say it’s a challenging terrain

That we visited um and and i didn’t tell i didn’t tell roof here like you know it wasn’t a loop it was going there going down and seeing the falls and i want to say was it three miles round trip um i don’t know i i think so well anyway

It’s it’s it’s not a loop you have to actually there’s a lot of rocks and you’re going downhill the whole time and then you see the falls it’s beautiful it’s amazing um but then going back up now that’s a challenge because we have to go up you gotta go up you have

To do some climbing um and you’re already tired if you’re not ready for that you’re gonna be tired going back up um and then we saw the the scenic over overlook yeah i think that was two more miles added on to it but make sure you wear boots because

The rocks kill your toes yeah that park is definitely worth visiting and you want to book online in advance when visiting this park uh this park is hard to get into over the summer and on weekends so book in advance number seven dinosaur valley state park the official dinosaur capital of texas

Located in glen rose texas we went over the summer and my son loved it this park has real dinosaur tracks located inside the park i don’t know where else you could swim or hike to real dinosaur tracks if you or your kids love dinosaurs this park’s for you so what do you think

About dinosaur valley state park um i think it was it was a lot of fun it was a lot of fun for all of us looking for the dinosaur tracks and um it was kind of like you were on a quest to go look for dinosaur tracks and

We even had to get in the water we didn’t care we weren’t wearing any water shoes or anything but we just wanted to see the dinosaur trucks so you know what um we just jumped in i think the dog jumped in too yeah we had we brought peanut with us

And uh she she jumped in um you know this park was one of the first parks that we wasn’t really focused on hiking um usually when i make these videos we kind of uh highlight the hiking trails point of interest and then at the end of the video

We do campsites that video that we made we kind of was focusing on we just wanted to go we really were just wanting to go we just wanted to see the dinosaur tracks and uh the park’s cool like you know a lot of people ask are there real dinosaur tracks and

They’re real dinosaur tracks and you’re swimming you’re in the water i want to say it’s blue hole and then the ballroom dance site there’s there’s tracks all over but yeah so if you you love dinosaurs and that’s something that you’re interested in and your kids are interested in go

Check out dinosaur valley state park number six guadalupe river state park many folks come here to swim but the park is more than a great swimming hole i know we enjoyed hiking and seeing the beautiful scenery the giant ball cypress trees were amazing to view in person

They have another side of the park and perfect for hiking the bauer unit this park is also a short drive from san antonio and austin i can see this park being packed during the summer months so ruth what did you think about this park well i like

Everything about it i like um the scenic overviews i liked going down to the river i’m getting to visit the big cypress trees um and the bower unit the bauer unit was amazing we got lost just because i told you to take one way let me see the map

I was wrong guadalupe river state park it’s amazing great for swimming right but unfortunately we didn’t get to swim at this park and somebody’s a little upset with me about that but there’s always next time and this summer already making plans for guadalupe river state park anything you want to add or

No i mean i wanted to go swimming but i did enjoy the bauer unit i mean i think the hiking was great yeah the ball unit is pretty cool but you know what the coolest thing about the park obviously we didn’t swim we can’t talk about swimming but those trees

Tell me those trees wasn’t cool no they were cool but i think we should mention right quick that it does take you a while it takes you about 20 minutes to get from guadalupe the the main area park all the way to the bauer unit well you know what guadalupe river state park

In the bowel unit they’re the same park system but they’re actually in a different town and uh we actually got lost like we took a wrong turn remember yeah it was like just yeah it’s like a curvy road and and we took a wrong turn somewhere

But we found it and what’s cool about it is that they have the cold the gated cold uh it’s right there in the park and you see a lot of people jogging bike riding um in the bowel unit so if you’re big on hiking like us we love hiking

Uh check out the bowel unit if you visit guadalupe river state park before we get into the top five like subscribe and hit the bell notification to keep up to date we post state park videos all the time on the channel now back to the video number five lake mineral wells state park

This park’s about 45 minutes west of fort worth all i have to say is penitentiary hollow this park is another rock climbing park when you walk into the hollows you don’t even feel like you’re in texas anymore the history of the park in town mineral wells is interesting

As well you have to try out the flavored mineral water if you visit this area this is one of our favorite parks that we visited in 2020 so i know this is one of your favorite parks mineral wells right so tell me tell me a little bit about it

Uh well i like the park because as soon as you come in you get to see the water what is what they call it the spill the spillway the spillway you get to see it right away um tell them about it uh what the spillway is well you get your drive

Right next to it it’s like the water is right here and your car is just driving well when you when you first go into the park you’re going to notice it you are obviously you pay your interest fee right and then you drive up into your

Immediate left you see the lake you see the first part of the lake and then there’s a spillway that i guess if you want to go to your campsites yeah you’ll drive down and you know you’re driving right under the water like the water’s kind of uh

Above you yeah so we’ll show you a little clip right here uh of uh us driving by but that’s pretty unique and the cabins the cabins were all facing the lake area that was cool um and then when we got to penitentiary hollow i say it’s something like out of outlander

Because it really does look like you went somewhere else well you know you know what i posted some pictures online right and a lot of people asked me they were like where is this they thought it wasn’t even in texas and uh it’s a rock climbing park

Obviously you gotta you gotta make it well and they have like the elm trees they’re lined up it’s like the rock area and then the elm trees um and then there’s a cave there and it’s pretty neat we spend weather good hour down there yeah and this park’s also a trailway and

If you like bike riding and stuff like that uh it’s definitely worth checking out uh but the hollows that was definitely a highlight for us and then what’s cool is that the the town you know well is rich with history they have uh a hotel a historic hotel there that

They’re actually renovating right now and we wanted to get mineral water and they have um what store did we go to to get that like a specialty store like a tourist store anyway we got flavored mineral water and and since i came from mineral wells like after that park

That’s all i’ve been drinking is mineral water right like i can’t stop drinking this stuff it’s so good crazy water crazy water yes have you tried the crazy water or bunch of mineral wells let us know in the comments number four lost maples i love lost maples

This park is very popular during the fall months where else can you see fall colors in texas with rocks looking like a monkey and scenic views along the top of a 2200 foot cliff i just love this park and i love hiking at lost maples lost maples i know that’s not your

Favorite park that’s my personal favorite part i have i love it i have a love hate relationship with lots of maples and i love lost my i like the the trail the bottom trails like monkey rock um well that’s a that’s a point of interest but yeah but but it’s along the hike

But when you have to go up to the scenic everything we did was on east trail and um we’ve done it twice we done we’ve done lost maples twice last year and both times it’s funny because the first time we did it i didn’t tell her about the elevation game

And i was really stuck on seeing all the points of interest and uh you know she was so mad at me she was so mad at me but we did it and in the second time we did it wasn’t so bad it was still it was still a challenge

But it wasn’t as bad as the first time we did it um but the views on top are amazing and that park is popular even after what october november yeah um but you got to check the the park website to see the foliage to see if the leaves are changing colors

And i was a little disappointed on our last we went too early we went too early uh because it was like a drop going on and um but yeah you want to check the uh the park website and they’ll let you know even facebook that facebook page does a good job of

Letting you know uh when to go check it out before we get to our top three texas state parks here are some honorable mentions [Applause] Number three apolloduro canyon the second largest canyon in the country lies in the heart of the texas panhandle palo duro is amazing you can drive in the canyons for a scenic drive or hike our favorite trails during our recent visit was rock garden and the lighthouse the park is very popular during the

Summer months they have an outdoor musical called texas outdoor musical this park is huge we are already making plans to camp here to visit the rest of the trails this park is a must visit when traveling to texas now guys this was a tough choice because number two was gonna be number three

Right so we we sat down and kind of talked about it um we love paulo doro scenic scenic views are amazing uh there’s tons to do inside the park and all you know that part kind of reminds me of another park right what’s that garner

All right um they have a store or what is it called the post yeah i mean they have two stores just like garner yeah the park kind of reminded me of garner not not the scenic views and stuff like that uh because you’re on a texas panhandle

But as far as the activities in the park there’s a musical which is which i want to go to it was closed due to kovich um going on covet but they had they actually gonna reopen it in 2021 so we want to check it out over the summer it’s only available in the

Summertime guys but there’s activities in the park there’s horseback riding there’s tons of trails tons of campsites uh it reminds me a lot of garner like activities inside the park um they had a museum yeah that museum was pretty cool and it kind of has the history uh talks about native americans

Uh the bisons that kind of roamed that area at the time and uh it’s in canyon texas and we love the park it’s great but the only only thing that’s the downfall because it is a popular part it’s very crowded would you agree no uh

I think all of the trails that we were on it was like heavy traffic um i don’t think we went during uh any regular time did we did it was it we went during thanksgiving break and oh okay so a lot of people had time off and

But the lighthouse trail i’ll show you a clip right now um this is super crowded i mean i know that’s one of the most popular i think that’s the number one trail at that park but it’s still worth i think that was i enjoyed that trail the lighthouse

Trail well we enjoyed the park you know but uh and you can eat right after yeah that’s what we did we go anywhere they uh that’s what we liked about the park too like you really don’t need to go out there have a park store and at the end uh

We decided to eat a burger and you know what’s new to the park too they opened uh those luxury uh cabins yeah they’re laughing they’re glapping started glamping so that cabinet clamping right yeah yeah that’s pretty cool that’s new number two cap rock canyons where the bison roam yes you heard that right

Bisons roam freely here at cap rock canyon this park has over 90 miles of trails this park is unique with bison and prairie dogs hiking on haines ridge overlook trail was a challenge but the scenic views were amazing what’s crazy is that this park isn’t even crowded

So what do you think about cat rock i know we talked about this one we’re kind of going back and forth with uh polidoro and caprock and you know i love parloduro you love capra after talking about it we decided that’s our number two park that we visited

In uh 2020. now tell me why did you pick cowboy i like i like cap rock because i mean number one because of the bison and because you got to see them roam you got to see them nap you got to see them eat you got to see them

All right guys no what i loved about the park is that we visited over 20 different texas state parks right in 2020 and out of all the parks that we’ve been to i never see any anything like that like the bison seriously once you cross that gate they tell

You they’re roaming freely even on the trails they give you warning like hey they could be on the trails and um you know the park is which is crazy it’s it’s near paul juro right the views are kind of similar um but there’s like nobody there we was on

Haines ridge where we ran into one person hiking that trail yeah no i think yeah i think we ran into a family we ran into one person yeah but compared to paulo duro paulo drew we ran to a lot of people um but cap rocket just felt like you

Know and it was cool too they have a museum and they talk about the history of the park they talk about the bison and how important uh it was to uh to keep the bisons in that area and they don’t because they almost went extinct well and the hiking was good too

I mean it’s a little challenging in the beginning the way we went no that you know what in that park haines ridge was the first time we did a very challenging trip yeah because usually we do chat we do challenging right moderate and challenging and that one we did very challenging

Yeah i think we hiked what six seven eight eight miles miles and you know what we did eight miles that day guys and you know what we’ve been kind of doing what four four to five miles every time we visit a park but that that that park is so beautiful so

Amazing we we decided to do eight yeah no it’s um the views are perfect the bison are perfect the fern cave it’s weird to see a fern cave uh you know what’s crazy we went in december right and it was 70 degrees the next day that we went was a little

Colder but we had two days we had two days at the park but um when we were in the fern cave it felt like we were in ac yeah it was cold like the rest of the park you know it was kind of warm you know we was hiking and but once you

Get in that area i felt really cool it was it was dry i don’t know if anybody ever been and they have water going right we saw like it looked like a stream so but it was getting dark on our visit unfortunately and uh we we kind of

Finished the rest of the trail hiking as fast we could to get out of there if you haven’t been check out cap rock canyon state park here’s our number one pick garner state park this comes at no surprise for anyone who has been here this park is great for swimming hiking

Or enjoying a relaxing weekend the park offers plenty to see and do we went over the summer and we still talk about it this park has mini golfing a candy store an ice cream shop and a dance hall built by the ccc you’re going to want to visit this park

When in texas this park is very popular and definitely need to reserve online in advance to visit you’re going to want to visit this park winning texas roof let’s talk about garner state park it’s not number one park why is our number one park because you can do anything imaginable fun wise

Well we i had guys i had so much footage of this park i’m gonna put this i’m gonna put those links in the description below i had so much footage i made three different videos of it the first day we did old baldy all right why is garner our number one state park

Because everybody in our family enjoyed this park everybody there was something for everybody to do and to enjoy um at the park and at the time i think like um you and isabel got to go hiking well you know what the first day we got to the park we wasted no time

It was very hard to get into the park um we had we reserved what a month ahead of time and you know what it was father’s day weekend the first day we got to the park we did old baldy super challenging the views were amazing and well y’all went to old baldy you

Guys you went putt-putting and um to the candy store you guys have fun you guys have fun doing that right and then day two we uh we had so much fun we spent time in the water we rented a kayak right and then we just spent seriously

All day at the park we got there eight o’clock and we didn’t lead to what nine all right guys you definitely want a book in advance we’re staying at garden state park when we stood there it was a half capacity uh so they only let 50 percent

Uh of people going into the park and camping uh which is unfortunate so we actually had a hotel room outside the park which was like what 45 minutes away from the park but going into the park there was a line outside the gate this is how popular

This park is there’s a line outside the gate um to old baldy it was amazing uh the scenic views were great and then second day we went swimming right and you guys loved that park and then the kids all the kids were asking us to go to the candy store

It was great everything kind of close by by the river right so the second day we got there we had stayed in a little town right outside it was like 30 45 minutes we said and so we went to grocery store um picked up everything we were going to eat for that

Day and we swam all day we grilled out there um we we grilled enough so we could eat all day um y’all did some hiking that day no we did hiking on the last day but y’all did swimming with us all day so we did swimming and we got to

The park at eight o’clock and i don’t know how it is like we went during this father’s day weekend and uh i don’t know how it is on a regular season but we got tables right away well we got there really early well we got there eight o’clock yeah

Really early so we got a table right away but i mean if if you plan to get there any later you’re gonna have a hard time yeah and i noticed i noticed that what 10 or 11 it starts to kind of pick up some traffic

But we the second day we were there we swam like all day long and we ate lunch and dinner there and we had a we had a blast the kids didn’t want to leave uh we didn’t want to leave but we only had a day pass and then the third day

Me and isabel uh we did uh some other hiking trails which were amazing and we hiked so much i didn’t run into one person it was crazy and well it was summer i don’t know well i mean we went early in the morning we went early in the morning and and

I mean we went to old baldy that had some traffic that had some people but the other trails were empty and uh i like that you know and so i got to spend time with isabel and after we got done hiking we jumped back into the frio

I mean what better way uh to end the hike jumping into some cold water right um the park’s amazing i highly recommend going to garnet state park it’s our top park out of the 20 parks that we visited in 2020 in texas that’s our number one park and uh and

Again it’s our number one because everybody in our family enjoy you enjoyed it and guys don’t kill us uh in those comments remember this is our top 10 texas state parks and who knows it might change uh there’s over 90 texas state parks and you know who knows what’s out there that’s

That’s our goal on this channel is to to travel to visit to explore and to hike every single texas state park and you know tell you guys our experience of the parks uh we want to bring that information to you i know when creating this channel

I know uh there’s a lot of videos uh showing popular texas state parks but i don’t see too many showing the you know the smaller parks um like uh mother ness that’s our that’s my favorite small park i want to hear from you guys what is your top texas state parks let

Us know in the comments below i know this will probably change i will continue to visit other texas state parks if you haven’t already please remember to subscribe to mr s travel quest thanks for watching guys we’ll see you in the next video you

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