This park is the region of the famous “Lost Pines,” which is an isolated timbered region. The park is one of  31 in Texas that were constructed by the CCC and one of only five recognized as a National Historic Landmark.

Animal life
White-tail deer rabbits, squirrels, opossums, armadillos Cardinals and numerous bird species live in the park. Ten acres of surface water, in the form of small fishing ponds and lakes, are found within the park itself. It is also has the largest mating group of the endangered Houston toad on public land.

Plant life
T he chief feature of the park is the trees of Loblolly Pine. This pine woodland is cut off from the main body of East Texas pines by roughly 100 miles of post oak woodlands giving the Bastrop State Park Loblollies the nickname the “Lost Pines of Texas.”

Activities
You can enjoy many adventurous activities here. Here you can enjoy backpacking, picnicking, canoeing fishing, camping, hiking, bird watching, nature study and biking. You can go for relaxing drives along Park Road 1C between Bastrop and Buescher State Parks. Here you can also coolly enjoy fishing along the banks of Bastrop State Park Lake. If you are interested in golf then the Lost Pines Golf Club, is one of the finest and most scenic 18-hole golf courses in Central Texas.

Hiking
The Lost Pines hiking trail is a pleasant walk through a forested area in the Hill country resembling East Texas. The hike starts at the waypoint “Trailhead” which is right across the street from the parking area. From here the path descends into the small valley of a creek.

Camping
Many people come to this place all around the year to enjoy the pleasant camping of the park.  You have campsites with water and electricity, restrooms with showers and picnic sites, lodges with group barracks and a dining hall. You will also find a swimming pool and an outdoor sports area. Facilities are also their from youth group camping programs.

Silent woodland and rocky hills make this park one of the most beautiful in Texas. Near this place you can also visit Lake Bastrop, Lake Somerville State Park & Trailway, Buescher State Park and McKinney Falls State Park.

This Lost Pine Park gives visitors the much needed solace and peace that they are not able to get in large cities. The many facilities and tourists attractions make the Bastrop State Park one of the best in the Hill Country.

The 760-acre Bentsen-RGV State Park, together with over 1,700 acres of adjoining federal refuge land, promises all the year around nature adventures in the richest birding area north of the Mexican border. This park is exactly situated in southern Texas, adjacent to the Mexico border and it is now considered the best of the Rio Grande Valley parks. It is also the Headquarters of the World Birding Center.

Flora and Fauna
Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park features more than 325 species of birds and over 250 species of butterflies on 760 acres of riparian woodland. The neo-tropical varieties such as Ferruginous Pygmy-owl and Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet are also likely. Virtual clouds of migrating Swainson’s and Broad-winged Hawks are a popular spring and fall spectacle.

Some other varieties of birds that can be seen in this place are Ringed kingfisher, hook-billed kite, tropical parula, broad-winged hawk, red-billed pigeon and green kingfisher.

Activities
The park provides a chance to study unique plants, animals and birds of the region. You can witness amazing hawk migrations, and enjoy bird walks and natural history tours at this key migratory stopover. Visitors to the park have opportunities to enjoy camping, hiking along nature trails, picnicking, bird watching, nature study, boating and fishing. There is also a new Hawk Preservation Tower which you must visit while you are staying at this park.

Facilities
This place provides a number of facilities to the visitors. The park features nature trails, a hawk tower, birding blinds and viewing stations, primitive camping sites, tram tours and numerous opportunities for bird and wildlife photography. Here you will also find an exhibit hall, gift shop, coffee bar, meeting room and administrative offices. The two-story observation tower gives visitors a bird’s-eye view of the canopy as well as a peek into Mexico.

Some other amenities are restrooms with showers, picnic sites with tables, grills and water, pull-through campsites with water, electricity and sewer hookups.

If you really want to get up close and personal with wildlife then this is the place for you. The beauty of this park is very pure that would surely help you to carry back good memories.

Attractions
This beautiful park is among America’s top 10 state parks. It includes almost 5,000 acres of lakes, prairies and bottomland hardwood forests. Areas of vast live oak trees covered with Spanish moss can also be found here.  This park also possess 34 miles of multiple-use trails and the diverse ecology here offer visitors prime viewing of whitetail deer, alligator and more than 290 species of birds. Three small lakes and a winding, tree-lined creek which are all situated within the park offer excellent fishing facilities to the visitors.

Activities
This park is a mixture of many activities. It has lot of campgrounds in the vicinity. The activities in the park include hiking, camping, biking in its wide trails. Other recreational opportunities here include fishing, mountain biking and horseback riding. People can also enjoy picnicking with there family and friends near the lake area or within the peaceful wooded region.

Flora and Fauna
The remains of the primeval coastal prairie stay alive here and also the dense bottomland hardwood forests and extensive marshes, making this park   perfect place for the American alligator and a good range of other reptiles, amphibians, and mammals. The park is a significant sanctuary for birds, with more than 300 species recorded, and wildflowers abound during the warmer months, drawing many butterflies to this region.

Attractions near this place
There are many attractive places near to this park. Some of the places are San Jacinto Battleground, Brazoria County Access Point, the Battleship, Galveston Island State Park, San Jacinto Monument, Sea Center Texas in Lake Jackson and the George Ranch.

Facilities
This park as many well maintained facilities for the visitors. Here you can usually find restrooms with showers, campsites with water and electricity, screened shelters, primitive equestrian campsite, a trailer dump station, a dining hall with ceiling fans, heat, kitchen facilities, a barbecue pit, tables and chairs, and a restroom. For those visitors who stop by during the day there are 3 separate picnic areas with picnic sites. Two picnic areas have a group picnic pavilion also.

This park also has a Nature Centre where you can get up close and personal with alligators. So, enjoy the facilities and activities of this park any time as Brazos Bend State Park is opened all the year round.

This park also includes the Cienega Project, a spring-fed desert wetland and canals that provide shelter to endangered fish, a variety of aquatic life, turtles, birds and other animals. Here you will also find cushy campground and a retro hacienda-style hotel with a southwestern adobe look and beautiful views of the scenic Davis mountain range.

The Civilian Conservation Corps known as the CCC also built San Solomon Springs Courts, which rents rooms available for overnight stays, a bathhouse, a playground, a concession building , an outdoor sports area and picnic sites. Camping and recreational vehicle sites are also available at this park for the recreational use of the visitors.

History
In 1849, the springs were called Mescalero Springs for the Mescalero Apache Indians who watered their horses along its banks. Paleo-Indian people camped near these springs thousands of years ago.  Spanish explorers arrived possibly as early as 1583.  Soldiers stationed at nearby Fort Davis visited the springs in the 1800s.  Mexican farmers gave the spring its present name, San Solomon Springs.

Camping
San Solomon Springs Courts has rooms with and without kitchens, a dining hall and meeting room. The facilities of camping that can be found here are restrooms with showers; campsites with a shade shelter and water; campsites with a shade shelter, water, and electricity and pull-through campsites with water, electricity, and cable TV hookups and many other amenities.

Animal Life
At this park you can find a large variety of animals including phoebes, rails, kingfishers, sparrows, quail, turtles, wrens, hawks, pigeons, hummingbirds, roadrunners and many more.

Main Attractions near the Park
Some places of attractions in and near this park are Replica of Judge Roy Bean’s West of the Pecos Museum, Sul Ross State University, Chihuahuan Desert,  Davis Mountains State Park, Indian Lodge, Fort Davis National Historic Site, McDonald Observatory and Research Institute.

Weather
From May to September you can find warm days with cool nights at this place.  There is low amount of dampness all the year round. Average rainfall is approximately 14 inches and August is the wettest month.

Visit this park with family and friends to spend enjoyable and fun filled vacations.

Facilities
The facilities at the beautiful Ratcliff Lake recreational area are open year-round.

1. The area includes 77 camping units, 17 single-family picnicking units, two picnic shelters, swimming area, and concession stand, bathhouse with showers, fishing piers with barrier-free sidewalks, wildlife viewing area, and playground.
2. There is also an amphitheater for evening programs. The 1-1/2 mile “Tall Pines” hiking trail can be accessed from the campground or the picnic area. A 3/4 mile “Trail Tamers” accessible trail can be accessed from the picnic area.
3. In the camping area are flush toilets, cold showers and centralized garbage containers.
4. Electrical hook-ups are available in the Dogwood Loop. Nine of the sites with electric hookups may be reserved; the remaining sites are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Visitors

There are certain rules and regulations for the visitors coming to enjoy there holiday in this attractive place and so all these rules must be strictly followed by them.

1. Visitors must swim only in the designated area delineated by buoys. There are no lifeguards on duty.
2. Fishing is permitted (except in the swim area) under applicable Federal and State laws. Only electric motors are allowed on the lake.
3. Visitors may want to hike the 20-mile-long Four C National Recreation Trail, which originates in the Ratcliff Recreation Area and goes to the Neches Bluff Overlook.

Attractions
Attractions to the Ratcliff Lake Recreation Area are closely linked to the picturesque 45 acre lake. This mesmerizing place provides solace and peace to the visitors. People can enjoy a lovely holiday at this place with their family and friends.

Activities
Ratcliff Lake Recreation Area offers visitors, camping, picnicking, a swimming beach and bathhouse, concession stand, an amphitheater, an interpretive forest trail, cold water showers, boating and fishing in a beautiful forest setting. No utility connections are provided in the area.

Directions
From Lufkin take Highway 103 west for 16 miles, where it merges with Highway 7. Continue west for 12 miles and turn right at entrance to the recreation area. From Crockett you should take Highway. 7 east for 15 miles and turn left on entrance road ($3 day-use fee per vehicle, per day at Ratcliff Lake).

Climate
The average annual rainfall of 35 to 50 inches in the Pineywoods region is fairly uniformly distributed throughout the year. Humidity and temperatures are typically high, during the summer months especially, and the area is comparatively free from persistent winds.

This is all about this exciting place; visit it to enjoy an amazing day with near and dear ones.

History
The city of Beaumont was named by Henry Millard for the family of his deceased wife, Natchez, Mississippi, belle Mary Dewburleigh Barlace Warren Beaumont. Millard came to Texas in 1835 and, along with his business partners, purchased some land between the settlements of Tevis Bluff and Santa Anna. On this property, they founded the city of Beaumont.

The First Congress of the Republic of Texas made Beaumont the seat of the newly formed Jefferson County and granted it a charter in 1838. Under a second charter municipal government was organized in 1840, but it was soon abandoned. Beaumont was a small center for cattle raisers and farmers in its early years, and, with an active river port by the late 1800s, it became an important lumber and rice-milling town.

Geography
The city of Beaumont is bordered on the east by the Neches River and to the north by Pine Island Bayou. Before being settled, the area was crisscrossed by numerous small streams. Most of these streams have since been filled in or converted for drainage purposes.

Government
Beaumont is a council-manager form of government. Elections are held annually, with the Mayor and Council members each having two-year terms. All controls of the City are vested in the Council, which enacts local legislation, adopts budgets, and determines policies. Council is also responsible for appointing the City Attorney, the City Clerk and Magistrates, and the City Manager.

Climate
The city of Beaumont, Texas is within the humid subtropical climate regime. This city is within the Piney Woods, which cover the eastern region of Texas, as well as adjacent Louisiana. This region of Texas receives the most rainfall in the state, with more than 48 inches annually. This is due to the warm gulf waters that carry humid air to the region, where it condenses and precipitates. The humidity of the region greatly amplifies the feeling of heat during the summer. The winters are kept moderate by warm gulf currents. Wintry precipitation is unusual, but does occur.

Economy
Beaumont’s economy grew with petrochemicals and synthetic rubber in the post-war era and reached a plateau about 1960, when the growth slowed. In the mid-1950s the city, which had been segregated since Reconstruction, saw the civil rights movement begin to gain momentum, as the local chapter of the NAACP won two consecutive desegregation suits, one of them at Lamar State College.

These are some main aspects of the city of Beaumont.

Description
“Amistad” is Spanish for “friendship”, as the Amistad Reservoir is located on the border with Mexico. Amistad is a land of contrasts and of hidden treasures. A splash of blue stands out against limestone cliffs. The honking of a great blue heron, interspersed with the descending trill of a canyon wren, can be heard off in the distance. This landscape, which at times appears stark and desolate, comes alive with color after a rainstorm.

History
Amistad National Recreation is administered under cooperative agreement with the International Boundary and Water Commission as Amistad Recreation Area, November 11, 1965. The reservoir, at the confluence of the Rio Grande, Devils and Pecos rivers, was created by Amistad Dam in 1969. It was authorized as a national recreation area November 28, 1990.

Activities
Most visitors come to Amistad for world-class fishing and boating, but there are a variety of other activities both in the park and surrounding area.

1. Amistad is known for excellent water-based recreation, camping and is surrounded by a landscape rich in prehistoric rock art, a vibrant border culture, along with a wide variety of plant and animal life.
2. Another popular activity is scuba diving, since the water is unusually clear, and there are interesting underwater rock formations including submerged caves.
3. Lake Amistad’s dark night skies are a special attraction to stargazers. Amistad also provides opportunities for picnicking, camping and hunting.
4. Other activities are Biking, Boating, Educational Programs, Hiking, Horseback Riding, Swimming, Water Skiing, Wildflower Viewing, Wildlife Viewing, Bird Watching, Nature Walks, Kayaking and Snorkeling.

Geology
Amistad National Recreation Area offers visitors many interesting natural features to investigate. The river and lake canyons have shear cliffs dotted with caves. The colorful canyon walls range from deep grays to bright yellows and reds as ground water oxidation makes them look as if large paintbrushes have painted them. These limestone cliffs are also full of marine fossils of the Permian era, over 360 million years old. Corals, gastropods (snails), ammonites and various bivalve fossils are common.

Ecology
Amistad National Recreation Area supports incredible biodiversity due to its location at the juncture of three Texas ecoregion. The east side of Lake Amistad is surrounded by hills covered in the shrubs and small acacia trees of the southwest Texas coastal plains, the Tamaulipan Chaparral ecoregion. Yet the western canyons of the lake are covered by the yuccas, cactuses and creosote typical of the Big Bend region, the Chihuahua Desert.  In the Edwards Plateau in the northern parts of the lake you can find juniper trees and scrub oaks.

Facilities
The facilities of this place include a Visitors Centers, Restaurant or Snack Bar, Picnic Areas, Groceries or Supplies, Comfort Stations, Museum Exhibits, Fuel Tours & Guided Activities and Medical Services.

Climate
Local weather includes long, hot summers perfect for cooling off in Amistad Reservoir, and relatively mild winters with only a few nights of freezing temperatures. Rainfall is about 18 inches per year, but amounts and timing varies erratically. Mornings can be humid and afternoons are usually breezy and dry.

Visit this borderline paradise to enjoy a fun filled vacation with family and friends.

Big Bend National Park is a national park located in the U.S. state of Texas. For more than 1,000 miles, the Rio Grande forms the international boundary between Mexico and the United States.

Attractions
Big Bend National Park has national significance as the largest protected area of Chihuahuan Desert topography and ecology in the United States .Superb desert scenery, curiously eroded rocks, volcanoes, faults, anticlines, fossils, hot springs, old mines, archeological sites and a high and dry wilderness ecosystem are among Big Bend’s fantastic wonders.

Flora and Fauna
The rugged mountains, harsh desert, and majestic river habitats of Big Bend are home to a wide variety of unique creatures. The extreme temperatures and geographic isolation of the place has given rise to animals specifically adapted to the area’s many environmental niches. The Colima warbler, the greater long-nosed bat, and the Sierra del Carmen Mountains white-tailed deer are found nowhere else north of Mexico. The endangered Big Bend mosquito fish lives only here.

The variety of cactus and other plant life add color to the Big Bend region. Cactus species in the park include prickly pear, claret cup and pitaya. In the spring, the wildflowers are in full bloom and the yucca flowers display bright colors. Bluebonnets are prevalent in Big Bend, and white and pink bluebonnets are sometimes visible by the road. Other flowering plants such as the desert marigold, desert willow, ocotillo, rock nettle and lechuguilla abound in Big Bend.

Tourism
A great place for solitude; this is one of the less visited national parks due to its isolated location. Visitation is highest in March and April. The park is extremely crowded during spring break, which is usually the second and third week in March. Easter weekend, Thanksgiving weekend, and the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day are also very busy. All lodging and campsites are usually full during these periods. Visitation is lowest in August and September.

Activities
There are plenty of things to do in this park. More than 150 miles of trails are available for hiking and offer plenty of opportunities for viewing the desert scenery and wildlife. For those who prefer water sports, floating the Rio Grande is available and trips can be arranged with several local outfitters just outside the park. Springtime brings an incredible variety of migratory birds through the area, with 446 species recorded so far. This abundance makes for some great bird watching opportunities. It is also a one of the best sand boarding destinations in Texas.

Accommodations
To accommodate the many visitors to Big Bend the NPS operates three campgrounds at Rio Grande Village, Chisos Basin, and Castolon, as well as Chisos Mountains Lodge. Primitive camping is also available at backcountry campsites and along backcountry roads, permits required. You can find additional camping and lodging outside the park.

Climate
Fall and spring are usually warm and pleasant. Summers are hot, although temperatures vary greatly between the desert floor and the Chisos Mountains; May and June are the hottest months. Afternoon and evening rains often cool the desert from July to October. Winters are generally mild, although periods of cold weather are possible.

Big Bend National Park offers panoramic views, hundreds of species of wildlife, and an array of activities for visitors.

East Texas

East Texas, the land between the Sabine and Trinity rivers, is Southern in character, with pine-covered hills, cypress swamps, and remnants of the great cotton plantations founded before the Civil War. Cotton farming has been supplemented by diversified agriculture, including rice cultivation; almost the state’s entire huge rice crop comes from East Texas, and even the industrial cities of Beaumont and Port Arthur are surrounded by rice fields.

Rivers and Lakes

Texas’s largest river is the Río Grande, which flows southeastward for 2,100 km long the border between Texas and Mexico. The principal rivers that flow across the central part of the state from the Great Plains or Central Lowland to the Gulf of Mexico are the Colorado, Trinity, and Brazos rivers.
The Colorado River is particularly important because it has been dammed to form several large artificial lakes. Two other large rivers are the Red River, which forms most of the boundary between Texas and Oklahoma, and the Sabine River, which marks part of the border between Texas and Louisiana. Shorter rivers that flow across the Gulf Coastal Plain include the Nueces, the San Antonio, the Guadalupe, the Lavaca, and the San Jacinto.

Gulf Coast and plains

The Gulf Coastal Plains stretches from the Gulf of Mexico inland to the Balcones Fault and the Eastern Cross Timbers. This large area stretches from the cities of Paris to San Antonio to Del Rio but shows a large variety in vegetation. The industrial heart of the coastal area is Houston, the fourth largest city in the nation. Houston’s development was spearheaded by the digging (1912-14) of a ship canal to the Gulf of Mexico, and the city today is the nation’s second largest port in tonnage handled.

Rio Grande Valley

The long stretch of plains along the Rio Grande valley is largely given over to cattle ranching. Texas has 1,610 km of border with Mexico. Some S and W Texas towns are bilingual, and in some areas persons of Mexican descent make up the majority of the population. Laredo is the most important gateway here to Mexico, with an excellent highway to Mexico City and important over-the-border commerce.

Interior Lowlands

The Interior Lowlands are bounded by the Caprock Escarpment to the west, the Edwards Plateau to the south, and the Eastern Cross Timbers to the east. This area includes the North Central Plains around the cities of Abilene and Wichita Falls, the Western Cross Timbers to the west of Fort Worth, the Grand Prairie, and the Eastern Cross Timbers to the east of Dallas.

Blackland Prairies

The first region to be farmed when Americans came to Texas in the 1820s was the bottomland of the lower Brazos and the Colorado, but not until settlers moved into the rolling blackland prairies of central and N central Texas was the agricultural wealth of the area realized. The heart of this region is the trading and shipping center of Waco; at the southwest extremity is San Antonio, the commercial center of a wide cotton, grain, and cattle country belt.

High Plains

The Balcones Escarpment marks the western margin of the Gulf Coastal Plain; in central Texas the line is visible in a series of waterfalls and rough, tree-covered hills. To the west lie the south central plains and the Edwards Plateau; they are essentially extensions of the Great Plains but are sharply divided from the high, windswept, and canyon-cut Llano Estacado in the W Panhandle by the erosive division of the Cap Rock Escarpment.

This is all about the geography of the state of Texas.

Activities
The spring fed San Marcos River provides a refreshing playground for swimming, canoeing, tubing and even riding a glass bottom boat at Aquarena Center. San Marcos Parks and Recreation invites you to experience a variety of recreational and leisure activities throughout the year. Another park is the Wonder World Park, a one-of-a-kind Theme Park, known as the 1st show cave in Texas. Visitors have enjoyed touring the Balcones Fault Line Cave for over 105 years, and now, the park has many other attractions for family fun and entertainment.

Culture
The culture of San Marcos is greatly enriched by the city’s diversity. It is a home to a growing Hispanic population, and a small but influential African-American population, the city hosts many annual events that highlight its different cultures, such as the annual VIVA, May Celebration, the Texas Natural & Western Swing Festival, Juneteenth celebrations, and the Sights and Sounds of Christmas.

The River System
The San Marcos River rises from the San Marcos Springs. The springs are home to several threatened or endangered species, including the Texas Blind Salamander, Fountain Darter, and Texas Wild Rice. The river is a popular recreational area, and is frequented for tubing, canoeing, swimming, and fishing. The river begins at San Marcos Springs, rising from the Edwards Aquifer into Spring Lake.

Entertainment
You can find many sources of entertainment in this lovely city. You can engage in shopping at historical downtown shopping centers, prime outlets and Tanger outlet centers. There are also many famous museums and recreational parks in this city like the Aquarena Center, Tube San Marcos and The Wonder World Park.