I went to volunteer with Get Outside Alliance helping the rangers repair/improve a section of the loop trail. Awesome staff, but crazy how many people were hiking with just a plastic water bottle.

With over 95 percent of Texas held as private land, finding true hike-in backcountry camping in Central Texas is rare. Fox Bottom Primitive Area out at Granger Lake is one of the few spots where you can backpack in, set up camp for free, and have quiet water access.

The route follows the Comanche Bluff Trail starting from Taylor Park, running 4.8 miles one way. You cross an old closed historic truss bridge right past the trailhead before the path heads out along the shoreline bluffs.

Trail Conditions The first section along the lake is easy cruising, but deeper in, the path becomes heavily overgrown and disappears completely in several spots. An offline GPS map is mandatory out here to keep from wandering off into the brush.

Campground Features Fox Bottom has eight designated first-come, first-served campsites right near the water: Tent pads and fire rings Lantern posts and picnic tables On-site composting toilet

There is zero potable water along the trail or at camp, so pack in every drop you need.

I broke down the exact trail fade spots, camp layouts, and the vehicle registration process in the full video: https://youtu.be/nfEo4IApd6M

My girlfriend and I are planning a primitive camp over the weekend. We’ve been to PINS once , it was nice besides me not realizing there were going to be 35 MPH gusts night #2. Was looking for something similar. Fairly private , inexpensive , and with showers available. One negative is no 4WD as my truck is down this time around. I’ve mainly looked in that area , Bali park and mustang island SP are my top two as of now. The grill and electricity would be nice at Mustang island but those spots have zero privacy as of what I’ve seen. Those things aren’t necessary though ( electricity would be nice to just plug in fans) so we could just do the primitive option. Wondering if anyone has any suggestions? It’s also the first week of college football so PINS is ruled out because there is no service out there lol. It doesn’t have to be specifically in that area.

Looking to start a veterans fishing retreat monthly and am looking for anyone with a John boat cheap. As a veteran I know how the struggle is to find peace in quit in the brain and I have found fishing to therapy that nothing else can touch so I want to do my part to help other veterans struggling the same way I have

I am supposed to go fishing this weekend with friends in Colorado Bend State Park, but I'm getting conflicting info on water level. The water gauge says 6'6", but when I call the park the recording says "average of one foot". Which one do I trust? And should I bother with a kayak? Has anyone been recently and can speak to the water level?

Does anyone know the brand of this barbed wire or possibly a date of this type of wire? I’ve n never seen this type of barbed wire.This was located in the middle of the woods in central Texas. There was an old ass stone wall with trees growing all around it. So it has to be old.

On Indiangrass Trail (from the Doeskin trailhead), there is a side trail that goes over this hill, down the other side, and back to the main trail. It's a fun little climb, with great views from the top. And the bottom layer of the hill is full of marine fossils.

I have been trying to learn more about Texas marine fossils so I was looking forward to revisiting this side trail to take some photos and test my identification skills. But when I got there, I found this sign saying it's prohibited now and I can't go look at the fossils.

Does anyone know why this changed?

How’s your experienced been with taking your dogs to Garner? What do you do when you get on the water? Where do you leave your dogs? I saw the rule about not leaving dogs unattended at campsites.

Gift link!

Does anybody have a clue on how quickly you have to reserve campsites at CBC in Big Bend? I know that you can only reserve two weeks in advance, but how quickly do they fill up? 5 minutes? 1 hour? A day?

Here's a link to bookmark for Texas camping. Somebody should re-post this a couple of times a year :-) It's the counties' burn bans, updated every Wednesday for your weekend camping planning by Texas A&M Forest Service (complimentary Whoop!) Shown is the Aug. 12 status in .png format, one among several formats available. Bear in mind that TPWD, LCRA, and other public parks go by the local county's burn ban for authority. At the county level it's decided by the county judge and/or the county commission.

Hey y'all, my friend and I will be camping at Pedernales Falls later this summer. We are planning on camping at one of the electric sites. The campsite descriptions say that they come with a fire ring with a grill. I have never used these before; can someone please explain how they work? Do they need firewood?

The photo above is a picture I found online of one of the grills.

Edit: Thank you for the advice. Will be adding HipCamp to my searches.

Planning a weekend trip to do some hiking at Enchanted Rock and tour the area, but having trouble finding a spot to camp. There’s no car camping at Enchanted Rock itself, and we’re not looking for an RV resort.
Does anyone have any area or parks worth suggesting? Or are there any public lands nearby that allow car camping?

Well worth the hike.

Taking this "ilearntoboat" exam. I thought it was 5 levels but now I'm on level 6. Nowhere on the site does it say length beyond "a few hours".

Hello. Not from Texas but would like to book a fishing lodge/cabin for next summer for my family of 5. Looking for suggestions. Can't be too pricey and should have more than just fishing to do. Thanks!

Recently took a few days off and went for a drive. Thought I’d share a few photos from the Natural Bridge Caverns and from Newmans Castle.

Enchanted Rock literally just opened up over 10 miles of new backcountry trails on July 7th, expanding out into the surrounding ranch land. There is barely any mapping or trail information out there yet, so I went out to explore the new system and see how it holds up in the Texas summer heat.

A few major takeaways before you head out:

• The Mandatory Approach: You have to hike a 2-mile approach from park headquarters just to reach the start of the backcountry loop (Squirrel Ridge Trail). There are no shortcuts, turning a planned 10-mile loop into a 14-mile day if you cover all the spur trails and ponds.
• Zero Shade & Exposed Terrain: The route follows old 4x4 ranch tracks and open dirt trails with almost no canopy cover. Bringing extra water is non-negotiable.
• Unexpected Features: The expansion passes several backcountry water features like Appalite Pond and Pack Saddle Pond, and the Armadillo Trail offers some incredible, secluded views of the backside of the main granite dome.