Passport to Texas

This is Passport to Texas

Most of us think about going to the beach on spring break—but going coastal isn’t your only option for water-focused fun. Our State Park guide, Bryan Frazier says Inks Lake SP and Cedar Hill SP, have it all—except the seagulls.

People love to go to Inks Lake—it continues to be one of our most popular parks. And for spring break, people are ready to get to those limestone and granite cliffs. And the fishing is good, and the hiking is great. And it’s just near Burnet, Texas, if you’re familiar with the Hill Country. So, it’s easy to get to, and people flock there, and for good reason—for spring break—for their canoeing, and kayaking, and water fun with their family or friends or picnics. Inks Lake is hard to beat.

Cedar Hill, too, is a fantastic place. It’s up near the Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex. It’s on the banks of Joe Pool reservoir; its got more than 300 campsites, it’s got great bike trails—maybe some of the best in the state—and it’s close to where so many people live. It’s in Dallas County. You can literally see downtown Dallas and the Arlington Dallas Cowboy stadium from the park. So you’re right in the middle of it all, but can get away from it all at Cedar Hill State Park.

Thanks, Bryan.

That’s our show for today…with funding provided by Chevrolet…building dependable, reliable trucks for more than 90 years.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

Spring Break: Inks Lake and Cedar Hill State Parks Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This is Passport to Texas

You don’t have to go to Florida for sunshine, sandy beaches and ocean waves this spring break. Our State Park guide, Bryan Frazier says just head to the Texas coast for a classic getaway.

48—I’ve got to plug Galveston Island, which is a traditional spring break favorite—it has been for decades. It’s just outside the largest city in Texas, and that’s Houston. A lot of people still think the hurricane has prevented people from using the park, or that it’s not open. Well, hurricane Ike did do some damage a couple of years ago, but the park has been open for quite some time.

There’s beach side camping a restrooms and shows, there’s bay side camping and restrooms. It’s just fantastic what the friends group and the public has done to support that park and get it back on its feet; it doesn’t look exactly like it did before the hurricane, but there’s great fishing, great birding, great hike and bike trails; there’s canoe and kayak paddling trails around Galveston Island State Park. And it’s just fun in the sun in an old-fashioned Spring Break destination that can’t be beat.

Thanks, Bryan.

That’s our show for today…with funding provided by Chevrolet…building dependable, reliable trucks for more than 90 years.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

Spring Break Fun at Galveston Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This is Passport to Texas

March is traditionally the month when students—from elementary school on up—have spring break. The coast is a popular destination for spring breakers, and our State Park guide, Bryan Frazier suggests they consider meeting in the middle.

40—I want to look at the middle coast of Texas, which is a traditional spring break spot. You have Goose Island State Park, and Mustang Island State Park. And, Mustang Island, over by Aransas Pass has five miles of beach…you can do beach camping and tent camping on the beach, you can do RV camping. And the water is great with the big surf waves and bird—it’s just fantastic. Goose Island is more bay front, but you’ve got campsites all along the bay; you can fish from your campsite and the picnic shelter’s there. It’s a great destination for spring break. You’re not far from Corpus Christi on either Goose island or Mustang Island, so there’s lots to do. And, it’s easy access. I wholeheartedly recommend it.

Thanks, Bryan.

That’s our show for today…with funding provided by Chevrolet…building dependable, reliable trucks for more than 90 years.

Visit the Parks and Wildlife website to reserve your campsite.

We record our series at Block House Studios…Joel Block engineers our program.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

Spring Break Along the Mid Coast Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This is Passport to Texas

Nobody faults you for wanting to be indoors when it’s cold outside. However, if you bundle up and brave winter’s chill, you could be in for a wild(life) surprise, as our State Park Guide, Bryan Frazier, explains.

50—Wildlife are a lot like us; they don’t like to move around a lot when it’s really cold. During the colder weather and months, you can regularly pattern their behavior a little bit better because they still do have to move around to find food and water and shelter. So, what you can do is, when it’s cold, you can set up strategic places—and if you’re patient—you can get a very predictable pattern of where to view wildlife. If you set up near a food source, or near the edge of tree lines—critters like edge. So, if you can be patient with that, a lot of times you can get glimpses and close ups and great photographs that you can get this time of year that you can’t get other times of year. In addition to that, this time of year, we have residents here—migratory birds, birds of prey—that aren’t here any other time. So, this is your only shot of getting a photograph, or a good view of some of those creatures that call Texas home for only part of the year.

Find downloadable maps of Texas Wildlife Trails on the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.

That’s our show for today…with funding provided by Chevrolet…building dependable, reliable trucks for more than 90 years.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

Winter Wildlife Viewing Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This is Passport to Texas

If you’ve decided that winter is best spent indoors, then you can use this time to prepare for the outdoor season ahead, as our State Park Guide, Bryan Frazier, explains.

55—For a lot of the state the wintertime is fairly short, but it is a time where a lot of people consider it in-between seasons: hunting season has just ended; fishing season is around the corner…some people don’t really like to camp right now. So take this opportunity to really look at your gear: your tent, your boat, your fishing line. Clean your gun. Sight your bow. All those things where you are ready to go once the weather does turn—which is going to just be in a manner of weeks literally here in Texas before we’re into spring break trips and all of those fun activities that we like to do that are outdoor related. Don’t overlook this time to prepare and do some maintenance on your gear; it can save you some headaches, and it’s a safety issue. It’s something you really need to do during this down time or off season. Take advantage of that and it will get you motivated and that much more ready to get outdoors when the time does come.

That’s our show for today…with funding provided by Chevrolet…building dependable, reliable trucks for more than 90 years.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

Maintaining Your Outdoor Gear Play Now | Play in Popup | Download