East Texas and Hill Country Camping

Enchanted Rock State Park , near Fredericksburg

This was our one and only attempt at camping in the summer time...weather in the high 90s, anyone? Despite the heat, we hiked to the top of this unusual geological formation and enjoyed the breeze.  We had a run-in with some pesky racoons, but the jackrabbits, hawks and butterflies helped make up for it.

We had a run-in with some pesky racoons, but the jackrabbits, hawks and butterflies helped make up for it.

We also spent the day in nearby Fredricksburg, Texas, which is a historically German town with a naval museum and lots of great shopping.

 Lake Texana State Park

An hour outside of Houston, this park has a man-made lake full of interesting birds, turtles, snakes and other wildlife. We found it to be a bit over-crowded, but since we went on a March long weekend in 2005, that was to be expected. It wasn't our favorite park ever, but for a quick getaway from Houston, it was perfect.

Guadalupe River State Park, near New Braunfels

We took a long weekend here in October, 2005 and loved it. The primitive sites border the Guadalupe River, and there's an easy hiking trail running alongside the river as well. It was late in the season so there were no tubers, but we floated around in the river near the campsite's beach. There was tons of wildlife- we saw several deer, a whole flock of wild turkeys, a family of raccoons, and Jessica's favorite, countless armadillos! This was by far our favorite campsite to date.