Colorado Bend State Park consists of 5,328.3-acres of land. It is located west of Lampasas in San Saba county. The park has 32 miles of trails that are perfect for casual hiking and biking.

The park is also home to Gorman Falls, a 60-foot-high waterfall that cascades down travertine formations covered in lush vegetation. 

The falls' travertine formations and associated lush vegetation are very scenic. The formations and habitat are extremely fragile, therefore there is no swimming, wading, climbing or fishing allowed in the falls area.  For swimming, there is a spring fed swimming hole located on the opposite end of the park, as well as the river that runs through the park.

In addition to the falls, there are numerous caves throughout the park. Tours of these caves are available at the ranger station. 

When I visited, I went on the shortest cave tour, which lasted about 30 minutes and was not physically demanding. There are more strenuous tours available which require repelling down the side of a cliff in order to reach the cave.

Barr Trail gains 7,400 vertical feet over 13 miles (one way). Because of afternoon thunderstorms in the summer, it is important to leave early enough in the morning to be back down below treeline by noon.

I arrived at the trailhead in Manitou Springs at 5:30am. Even if you don't plan to hike all the way to the summit, it is still nice to leave early because the first section of the trail is not well shaded and becomes very crowded with runners coming down from the Manitou Incline by 7:00am. I didn't take any pictures for the first portion of the trail.

 The half-way point! My camelback was less than half full and warm, so I was excited to be almost to Barr Camp so that I could refill. At the camp, there is a cold stream nearby and the camp has water filters available to rent. I was too preoccupied with my short break that I didn't get any photos of the camp.

After refilling my water, I took a quick detour to go check out Mountain View, which is a small station for the cog wheel rail that is situated on the side of the mountain. If one of the trains passes by while you are there, expect a lot of people hollering encouragement from the train.

After my little detour I continued up the mountain until I reached the A-frame emergency shelter, which is right below treeline. At this point I checked the sky to make sure there were no storms rolling in early. The sky was clear and I decided to keep going.

Past the treeline, you will enter a boulder field. I was lucky enough to briefly gain some company. Besides this lovely buck, I saw lots of marmots dashing around and barking when I ventured to close to their boulders.

Only two miles left to go! I felt exhausted, but at the same time I was thrilled.

As you might notice, it was also around this time that the sky was starting to look ominous. Part of what makes these storms so dangerous is that they can form very quickly. I weighed my options and decided to keep going up since I was less than 2 miles from the summit.

I think it was the most difficult 2 miles I have ever hiked. The winds were strong and cold. Even though it was July, sections of the switchbacks were still covered in snow.

These snow crossings were very slippery and required care when crossing so that you didn't step wrong and fall through the snow and into the water flowing underneath.

As soon as I reached the summit I had to layer up. It was so cold! 

     

White Sands National Monument has 10 primitive campsites that are accessible by hiking along a backcountry loop trail. In order to camp at White Sands, you must register and get a permit at the visitor center.

      Because it was the Sunday before Memorial Day, we arrived 45 minutes before the visitor center opened to make sure we were able to get a campsite. Advanced reservations are not available, it is first-come-first-served. There was already four other people waiting in line for the doors to open. We took our place in line and chatted with the people in front of us.

      Once we secured our permit, we spent the morning hiking through the glistening sand. During our exploration, we came across these large ant mounds, exposed by the wind and shifting sand. We cooled off in the shade of these mounds and the trees growing on top of them.      

We returned to the car and gathered our camping gear onto our backs. We soon discovered that climbing the gypsum dunes with camping gear strapped to your back is not the easiest task. Our site was one of the farthest spots from the parking lot. Eventually we made it to our site and set up camp.

      In the evening and at night is when the real magic of the dunes happens. We climbed to the top of the nearest dune and watched the sunset. As the sun moved behind the mountains, the wind picked up and the temperature began to cool. That night it was overcast and no stars could be seen.

      Our initial plan was to stay only one night, then continue on our journey. However, we were disappointed we did not get to see the stars, so in the morning we went and reserved our campsite for another night. It was worth it!      

That night, we were treated with the beauty of the light of an almost full moon reflecting off the grains of sand. It was so bright we didn't need flashlights. Once the moon moved below the horizon, the milky way began reaching across the sky.

St.Mary's Falls Trail, trail #624, is a moderate hike in North Cheyenne Cañon/Pike National Forest near Colorado Springs, CO.

The trailhead is located just above Helen Hunt Falls. At the end of the trail awaits St. Mary's Falls, a 300ft waterfall. The distance to reach this waterfall is almost 6 miles roundtrip with about a 1,300 foot elevation gain.

Before reaching the trail for St. Mary's Falls, you will hike along Upper Gold Camp Road. Along the way, you will be treated with scenic views of the surrounding canyon and mountains.

The first portion of the trail is fairly easy with gradual elevation gain. A mountain stream runs alongside the trail and there are numerous small waterfalls.

When you are about 0.2 miles away, the trail becomes much steeper and more difficult. After some switchbacks you will reach a sign that says the base of the falls is 500ft away.

I went in the late spring, when the snowmelt was cascading down the side of the mountain. The icy cold water spray was so refreshing.

At the base of the falls, there are benches to rest at. We ate our lunch here and relaxed before heading back. Another option is to continue up the mountain for another 3 miles to reach the summit of Mt. Rosa.

      Pedernales Falls State Park is located Johnson City, TX and 30 miles west of Austin. The park has 19.8 miles of hiking and mountain biking trails, 10 miles of equestrian trails, and 14 miles of backpacking trails. The Pedernales River flows over tilted, layered stair steps of limestone and through channels carved by the river.
          There is a short trail from the parking lot to the Pedernales Falls Overlook and a set of steps leading down to the river. Once down at the falls, there is little shade and the sun bounces off the limestone. For this reason, I recommend visiting the falls either in the early morning or late evening.

      Due to the turbulent water and tendency for flash floods, swimming in the falls area is not permitted. However, there are other areas in the park where you are able to swim.

      If you walk up the river, past the limestone slab, you will be rewarded with another group of waterfalls. Do not cross the river in this area, as the other side of the river is private property.

      There are several small creeks that flow through the park. The creeks are spring-fed and the cold water flows over slick limestone.

      This is a 584-acre open space located behind The University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. It consists of the Pulpit Rock area, University Park, and Austin Bluffs. During my summer in Colorado Springs, I hiked to the top of the bluffs nearly every evening.

      This quiet park is uncrowded and offers great views of Colorado Springs, Pikes Peak, and the front range. I found it to be an exceptional place to watch the sunset.

      Throughout the park you will find interesting rock formations.  This open space has been ranked as "unique" by the United States Forest Service for its distinctive rock formations.

      Aside from the Pulpit Rock area, most of the park lacks developed trails. However, well established social trails wind through the entire open space. Additional developed trails have been planned by the city. Both these planned trails as well as the developed trails can be viewed on the trail map.

To get there:
From I-25 take the Garden of the Gods exit, which turns into Austin Bluffs Parkway. Turn left onto Union Boulevard. Turn left on Ranch and left on Montebello. Turn right at University Road and park near the intersection of University Park and Rockhurst. Trail map.