Department Parks and Wildlife

Texans love to hike in our state parks, and we have a new tool to help you plan your next trip!

Many parks now have interactive trails maps, in addition to traditional print maps. These maps let you choose from map or satellite view. You can zoom in or out, or click on segments to check trail lengths and names.

Some maps offer street view as well. Just select and drag the orange person icon over the map. Roads or trails with street view imagery will turn blue. Drop the icon onto a blue line or dot to see the scenery.

Turn on location services on your cell phone to see where you are on the map.

A woodpecker pounds on a tree off to my right as I begin my trip around the lake at Fort Boggy State Park. I try to see the woodpecker, but the sound stops, then resumes. Farther down the trail, the path climbs abruptly, until splashes of green moss appear at the top. An oak trunk stabs its branches at the sky.

Without a doubt, hiking Fort Boggy offers solitude. And even a novice can hike all of the park's trails within a couple of hours.

Texas Rangers established a now-vanished log fort somewhere nearby in 1840. Its purpose was to protect settlers from raids by local Native American tribes. But Fort Boggy offers much more than history today.

The one-mile trail takes you first to a secluded cove. Relax a few minutes and watch the ducks, coots and grebes that shelter here. If you visit in the right season, a little further down the trail you'll pass a fragrant stand of blooming mountain laurel, filled with butterflies. Birds are hard to see on most of the trail but are easily heard as they flutter around.

At the halfway point, enjoy a view of the lake most park visitors won't see. Snap some photos before you continue through the woods and return to the trailhead.

What are some of your health goals this year? Your state parks can help you get there. Walk, run or bike your way to wellness, blaze new trails as a Texas Buffalo Soldier, or help your child become a Junior Ranger.