Welcome Y'all!
Ever thought of a happy medium that would make a parent and their little hooman happy? After binge watching Netflix during the pandemic that included Jurassic Park and its sequels (thanks to Spielberg!) there has been so much conversation at home about the grandiosity of these reptiles. We love hiking and when several acres of a Texas State Park is dedicated to the remains of dinosaurs, you know where we headed next - Glen Rose, TX aka The Dinosaur Capital of Texas!
For how famous this spot is to see and explore the dinosaur tracks in the Paluxy River, the beauty of the hiking trails and scenic view is not emphasized enough. Mostly populated with Junipers and Oak trees, this region was still plenty green and lush with hints of fall colors even though we were well into November by that time.
This view of the Paluxy river so reminds me of the view of Frio River from Old Baldy trail at Garner State Park.
Limestone Ledge Trail
Having spent quiet sometime in the Paluxy river bed discovering the Dino footprints, we took the trailhead from the riverbed that runs through a narrow trail with absolutely beautiful view of the grasslands, hills and the sunset. We started this hike closer to sunset and the hike for next several minutes felt like a cleanse to my soul. The Limestone Ledge Trail itself is just a mile long and the Overlook trail is a little over half a mile and both these trails offer scenic overviews. The hike was easy to moderate except for one spot that was tricky to balance. Wear good shoes and carry a cane depending comfort level. We hiked with a toddler and it took us a minute to get past this stretch.
The fall colors, view of acres of lush green trees, the river bed and the sunset was beautiful. Note that this State Park does not have street lights. If you do plan on hiking during the sunset for the view, be sure to carry a flashlight. While we can cross out the possibility of bumping into a real dinosaur, there are snakes and other wildlife that call this place home :)
We visited the Dinosaur models of Apatosaurus and T-Rex both while entering and leaving the park and recommend taking pictures for keep sake memories. It's amazing to learn how these reptiles moved between Montana and Texas. For History enthusiasts, the State Park's website shares so much wealth of information about Tonkawa, Wichita and Comanche being the early occupiers of this land before French traders got here in the 1700s.
This trip was so random and we left mid-day from Austin roughly 190 miles on a Veteran's Day holiday and did not plan an overnight stay, phew! If you do have more time and kids or for those who are kids at heart that would love exploring further, download the maps on your phone to Map the Dinosaur Tracks. I have intentionally not shared the pictures of the Dinosaur Tracks and saved it for your trip.
Edited: So, as part of our Thanksgiving weekend, we did a back to back at Cleburne State Park and couldn't pass along Dinosaur Valley State Park as it was just a hour's drive. We hiked a few more trails and below is how our second visit went.
Cedar Break Outer Loop
This is a 7.5mile moderate hike. Well, getting into this, I definitely knew my stretch goal would be 4 miles round-trip with the toddler and anything more than that would leave us stranded in the park all night. So, I took the Cedar Break Outer Loop trail and hiked about half a mile. What's cool about this loop is there is a variety to the landscape of the trails. Starting from a dense tree foliage to crossing the Paluxy river (below is a picture of the river and the stones that you would be stepping on to cross) to climbing up hill, this one gave us the excitement. End of November + a cold front made it chilly and fur babies did not want to dip their paws in water and pawsed crossing the river. Be prepared to carry them or cheer them to make it past the river.
When the trail branched out into Rocky Ridge Trail, I hiked less than a mile in Rocky Ridge Trail to the scenic overview. This was an easy hike minus the altitude at which you are climbing make it uphill and izza good cardio workout. The scenic overview was very similar to the one from Limestone Ledge Trail, so if you have limited hours in hand, pick one or the other.
Pro Tip: The Dinosaur tracks in the riverbed are not visible when the Paluxy river has a healthy flow. The river is said to almost dry up during summer and March through November is their busiest season. Plan accordingly.
Eat outs: There are few local restaurants and BBQ spots between the cities. We grabbed Burger King and stopped by D's Mediterranean in Waco, TX. D's is super personable and they even custom made our food to meet our needs.
Cheers,
JBawse :)
Comments