Lone Star Travelers Blog

Visit our Paria Rimrock-Toadstool Photo Gallery

The Paria Rimrocks hike near the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area is a pleasant 1.5 mile round trip jaunt taking you to the hoodoos and balanced rocks.  Actually located in the Grand Staircase Escalante this is a fairly easy hike that the whole family can enjoy.  To find the trailhead from the Glen Canyon Dam drive 30 minutes north on highway 89.  Just after you pass Utah mile marker 19 turn off the highway in to the dirt parking area.  Be sure to sign the register before you head up the wash.  About halfway out there is an area that requires a little rock scrambling.  You may require a boost if your hiking skills are rusty however most people make it without difficulty.  When you arrive the sight of various balanced rocks jogs your sense of logic as the hoodoo gardens fill your imagination with mystical wonderings as only nature can.  If you have the time continue beyond the hoodoos, scramble down into another wash and follow it back out to your car.  There are no designated trails so you want to check your compass and make sure you are headed in a westerly direction towards the highway and the parking lot.  As with any hike in Canyon Country be sure you bring enough water, wear sturdy shoes, apply sunscreen frequently and don’t forget your hat.  Tip:  Maps are available at the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument Visitor Center in Big Water which you will pass on the way to the trailhead.

Lake Arrowhead State Park in Clay County is just 18 miles south of Wichita Falls, Texas.  At 524 acres this is a small park on a very large (16,200 acres) reservoir with 106 miles of shoreline.   Fishermen  are drawn to the large abandoned steel oil derricks that dot the lake and  yield the fish.  Lake Arrowhead State Park participates in “Loan A Tackle Program” where the park lends fishing tackle to the visitors.  A Kids Fishing Contest and an Adult Rough Fish Contest are held in June.  Check the park calendar for current schedule.  When not fishing there are 5 miles of mostly flat and grassy trails shared by hikers and equestrians to enjoy.  If you bring your horse there are 4 equestrian campsites.  48 campsites with water and electric as well as 19 sites with water only are spacious and partially shaded.  We stopped at this park on our way home from Utah in the summer of 2008.  Close to Hwy 287 it is a welcome respite from the roadside highway campgrounds.  Tip:  Lake Arrowhead State Park is home to an active black-tailed prairie dog “town.”

Good news for boaters headed to Lake Powell this summer.  Spring runoff is expected to open Castle Rock Cut by June 2008 and it is expected to remain open until 2010.  Due to drought conditions Castle Rock Cut has not been usable since 2003.  Boaters launching from Wahweap Marina or Lone Rock Beach save about 12 miles on the way to popular areas such as Rainbow Bridge, Padre Bay and Warm Creek Bay.  Snowpack in the upper Colorado River basin is expected to give Lake Powell it’s highest level in years.  Castle Rock Cut is passable when the lake level is at 3,618 ft or better.  The expected drop in water level next winter is projected at 3,828 ft which is excellent news.  The National Park Service released an environmental assessment in February 2008 examining the possibility of further deepening the Castle Rock Cut so it would be passable to boats at lower lake levels.  That project is currently on hold since there is not enough time to put the excavation equipment to work before lake levels rise this year.

 For more information on Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and Lake Powell please go to our website lonestartravelers.com

Visit our Guadalupe River State Park Photo Gallery

All of the Texas Hill Country State Parks are great family destinations and the Guadalupe River State Park (1938.7 acres) in Spring Branch Texas is no exception.  Located on 4 miles of one of the most picturesque sections of the Guadalupe River high limestone bluffs and giant bald cypress line the spring fed river as it winds through the park.  Natural rapids flow into tranquil swimming spots before disappearing around the bend. (more…)

Visit our Rainbow Bridge Photo Gallery

“How do I get to Rainbow Bridge?”  This was a question we answered many times as volunteers with the National Park Service at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.  There are two ways you can get to Rainbow Bridge while you are visiting Lake Powell. (more…)