6 underrated Texas state parks

1. For mountain bikers: Big Bend Ranch State Park

Location: 285 miles southeast of El Paso

For rugged mountain biking, head to this Far West Texas park with more than 300,000 acres of harsh, remote desert—the reason it’s called “The Other Side of Nowhere.”

Hardy cyclists can pedal the 60-mile Fresno-Sauceda Loop, designated one of the International Mountain Biking Association’s “Epic” trails: challenging routes through beautiful backcountry that the association deems exceptional. The prickly landscape dips into dry creek beds filled with sand and rocks, and cuts along rugged canyons.

For something less strenuous, explore part of the Contrabando Trail system, accessible from a paved road on the park’s southeast side near the Barton Warnock Center. The system’s Crystal Trail leads to a hillside covered in sparkly calcite crystal rocks.

Whichever park trail you choose, you can often bike (or hike) for miles without encountering another soul, and the interior drive-up campsites are so secluded that nobody will hear you howl at the moon. If you visit in summer, when the ground and rocks can reach 130 degrees during the daytime, protect yourself from the extreme dry heat by riding only very early in the day.

2. For cavers: Kickapoo Cavern State Park

Location: 150 miles west of San Antonio

Speleologists have discovered 27 caves at this park, including its namesake Kickapoo Cavern, the only one open to the public (via 3-hour guided tours). Given the 1,400-foot cavern’s unstable ground, adventurous visitors need a limber body and good hiking boots.

Enter through a Volkswagen Beetle–sized opening, then scramble over rocks while making your way deeper into the quarter-mile passage. Each sweep of the flashlight reveals dramatic geological formations that resemble castles, gnomes, bacon strips, and in one case, Bob Marley. You can also see graffiti that dates to the 1880s, when locals explored the recess using torches to light the way.

3. For hikers and anglers: Lake Somerville State Park and Trailway

Location: 88 miles east of Austin

Meander the nearly 40 miles of trails that snake through the grassland prairies and hardwood forests surrounding 11,630-acre Lake Somerville at this park and trailway. A 13.4-mile trailway connects 2 larger parcels—the Birch Creek Unit and the Nails Creek Unit—and spur trails lead to swampy Flag Pond, where migratory birds gather.

Grab a backpack and head out for an easy overnight adventure at the Newman Bottom camping site, where you can pitch a tent in a keyhole-shaped clearing cut into a thicket of oaks and ash juniper. You might spot a bald eagle that nests in the area.

4. For birders: Bentsen–Rio Grande Valley State Park

Location: 12 miles west of McAllen

A whopping 366 bird species have been spotted on this floodplain forest near Mexico (the Rio Grande borders the park’s southern edge). Neotropical birds not eyed anywhere else in the U.S., such as Altamira Orioles and Great Kiskadees, are regular visitors, and the park has recorded the first and only documented sightings in the U.S. of the Bare-Throated Tiger Heron, Masked Tityra, and Stygian Owl.

Credit all this feathery action to this bird haven’s location at the convergence of 2 migratory flyways. Private vehicles are prohibited here, but a free shuttle stops at a small nature center, feeding stations, bird blinds, and an observation tower high above the tree canopy.

5. For equestrians: Hill Country State Natural Area

Location: 65 miles northwest of San Antonio

Explore canyons, creek bottoms, and tabletop plateaus at this former 5,400-acre cattle ranch, with horseback the preferred mode of exploration. Visitors can bring their own horses—equestrian campsites have overnight pens—or arrange a guided trail ride with one of the local outfitters. On the mellow, 3.1-mile Wilderness Trail, dip into a low valley encircled by a crown of green ridges.

For the best sunrise this side of the Pecos, leave your horse at camp and hike up the 1.2-mile (round-trip) West Peak Overlook Trail at dawn. You’ll gain 360 feet of elevation, sometimes walking over loose rocks and ruts, but the reward comes when you take in the panoramic vistas at the top.

6. For history buffs and stargazers: Copper Breaks State Park

Location: 158 miles southeast of Amarillo

A big draw at this state park is the resident herd of longhorn cattle, some with a 6-foot horn span. These scrappy beasts, descendants of the wild cattle that roamed Texas until the end of the Civil War, are part of the Official State of Texas Longhorn Herd. Educational tours focus on this breed and the significant role it played in boosting the state’s flagging economy after the war.

Nighttime is special at this designated International Dark Sky Park, too. Without bright city lights, you’ll get dramatic views of the night sky.