Best national parks in Texas

The state's two national parks are so big that they are considered giants. The state's highest peaks and colorful fall foliage lure hikers to the 135-sq-mile Guadalupe Mountains National Park, which is outside the oil-field emptiness.

As well as these two top-tier national parks, a slew of other protected reserves, from scenic seashores and ancient flint quarries to Spanish colonial missions and frontier forts, welcome travelers who have history and geology on their mind. The top protected spaces in Texas are listed here.

1. Big Bend National Park – best for stargazing

Big Bend National Park sprawls across 1252sq-miles and is anchored by the Chisos Mountains. The Window View Trail leads to a view of the sunset from the Chisos Basin. Beyond the mountains, the desert reveals its secrets through roadside pull-offs and hiking trails, where you can look at historic frontier ruins, dinosaur fossils and desert flora. There is a view of the limestone walls of Santa Elena Canyon at the end of the Ross Maxwell scenic drive.

Big bend is different from other national parks. It has a lot of dark skies. The stars, planets, and comets are visible in the sky at night. In 2012 the park earned a gold-tier International Dark Sky certification due to its remote location and lack of artificial light. It is possible to spend a night in the park and attend an evening event.

Hiking, cycling and paddling on the Rio Grande, which separates the park from Mexico, are popular outside. The national park and Amistad National Recreation Area can be reached by car from the upper 69 miles of the river. The best times to visit are in the spring and fall due to the high temperatures and cold mountain weather.

2. Guadalupe Mountains National Park – best for fall foliage

How do you find a national park? Driving between El Paso and Carlsbad Caverns National Park is most likely an accident. There aren't many people in the reserve, but that's just one of many changes. There are no paved roads in the wilderness of the park. There are no formal lodging or restaurants to be found. The highest point in Texas is next to gypsum dunes, deep canyons and an exposed 265-million-year-old reef, which formed when a vast tropical ocean covered the region.

The visitor center at Carlsbad Caverns is southwest of the park. Every fall, leaf peepers from all over Texas converge on McKittrick Canyon for its colorful foliage display. The big tooth maples are bright in yellow, orange and red from October through November. The annual color show information can be found in the fall colors report.

The park has more than 80 miles of hiking trails and is located in the middle of the desert. The top of Texas is known as "The Top of Texas" due to the fact that it is at a height of 8ft. Pine Springs and Dog Canyon can be booked through the government's recreation portal.

3. Fort Davis National Historic Site – best for time travel

Fort Davis feels like it has stayed the same for a long time. The red-brick houses on Officers' Row beneath Sleeping Lion Mountain have not changed since they were built in the late 19th century. Visitors to the fort are reminded of the fort's military past when they hear periodic bugle calls. Reenactments in period garb station themselves at various buildings around the fort during the summer.

Visitors can see what life was like for the soldiers who were sent here to protect mail coaches and freight wagons on the San Antonio- El Paso road. Black cavalry and infantrymen who enlisted after the American Civil War were the sole staff of Fort Davis.

The Fort Access Trail leads into the Davis Mountains State Park, where sunsets cast a vivid glow. The first section of Indian Lodge was built in the 1930's by the Civilian Corps. It's an atmospheric hotel with a pool, adobe-walled rooms, and a big program of Ranger activities.

4. Padres Island National Seashore – best for beaches

Padres Island National seashore is a haven for both humans and animals. There are beaches, dunes, grassland, and tidal flats within the protected reserve. More than 400 species of birds have been spotted at the seashore, which is a favorite resting spot for Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtles.

Driving on the beach is one of the recreational activities. Sport-fishing is popular in both the Gulf and the lagoon and paddlers and windsurfers gather on the hyper-saline lagoon. Two developed campgrounds are located at the park. North Padre Island is not the same as South Padre Island, which is further south, because it is a national park.

5. Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument – best for geology

Humans arrived 65 million years too late to be compatible with dinosaurs, but they did share the high plains of the Texan Panhandle with mammoths and other Ice Age animals. The Alibates flint was used by prehistoric mammoth hunters for spear points and tools for stripping carcasses of meat, and later Native American hunters used it for arrowheads. The strong pieces were dug from hundreds of quarries by the indigenous people.

The quarries were used between 1150 and 1450CE. The Lake Meredith National Recreation Area is a man-made lake along the Canadian River that has become a major water sports adventure zone.

6. San Antonio Missions National Historical Park – best for a sense of history

The Mission Trail runs from the outskirts of San Antonio along the San Antonio River to the four Spanish colonial missions. The missions were constructed in the early 1700s to serve as a way station for the Spanish colonial expansion effort.

If you want to get to the more peaceful Mission Reach Hike & Bike Trail, you can take Mission Road. The first San Antonio mission and a legendary battleground during the Texas Revolution are linked to the hiking and cycling trail. The main visitor center of the historical park is located at Mission San José.

7. Big Thicket National Preserve – best for paddling

The Big Thicket National Preserve is a place where Civil War draft dodgers used to hide. Depending on the route, kayakers and other paddlers can wind through cypress bayous or the edge of the white-sand creek. Pick up a free permit at the visitor center if you want to make a night of it.

There's more to this preserve thanaddling. The upland is filled with longleaf pines, and the forested slopes are made of beech and magnolia. Bald cypress and tupelo trees are found at the lowest levels. In well-watered areas, look out for pitcher plants.

8. Lyndon B Johnson National Historical Park – best for followers of the national story

The Texas White House is Lyndon B Johnson's country ranch that is maintained by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. He was never far away from the issues confronting the country during the turbulent 1960s, despite being geographically distant from Washington, DC.

The green acres of the family ranch and Johnson's childhood home are encompassed by the historical park. There is a family cemetery on the grounds of the ranch. The humble house that was the former president's birthplace can still be seen even though the ranch house has been temporarily closed.

The article was last updated about 2 hours ago.