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Road-Trippin' Through the Hidden Places of Texas

Saturday, May 27, 2017 at 9:45 a.m.

Photo by steve baxter via CC Marvel at Marfa's Mystery Lights. Distance from Houston: 8 hours 24 minutes. 1/44

Photo by steve baxter via CC For a town as tiny as Marfa, Texas, it sure is a place full of rad stuff to do. If you road-trip it somewhere near this town — which you may, considering it's located between Big Bend National Park and the Davis Mountains — perhaps you should make plans to stay a night or two in order to check out the mystery lights. 2/44

Photo by Nicolas Henderson via CC (photo has been cropped) The mystery lights, Marfa's claim to fame, appear in the sky between Marfa and Paisano Pass on clear nights, and are visible when facing southwest toward the Chinati Mountains. The lights have been twinkling since at least 1883, when the first record of them appears, and have been puzzling viewers ever since. 3/44

Photo by Matthew Rutledge via CC At times the Marfa lights appear colored, and at others quite mobile, with some appearing to fuse and split with the others, and they disappear and reappear at will. No one's quite sure where they came from, but there they've been for over a hundred years. 4/44

Photo by mcdlttx via CC Diggin' Up Bones at Dinosaur Valley State Park. Distance from Houston: 4 hours 9 minutes. 5/44

Photo by mcdlttx via CC Well, please don't actually try to dig up bones at Dinosaur Valley State Park. You might get in a lot of trouble for pulling something like that. But do check out this massive state park in Glen Rose, Texas. 6/44

Photo courtesy of Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Dinosaur Valley State Park is located right on the Paluxy River, and yes, it has dinosaur footprints and all sorts of other cool dinosaur-themed stuff, but it's way more than just that. There are eastward-dipping limestones, sandstones and mudstones that were deposited about 113 million years ago when this park, which is also a National Natural Landmark, was the shoreline of an ancient sea. 7/44

Photo by mcdlttx via CC Dinosaur Valley State Park and the natural setting of the area are gorgeous and well worth a visit, even though it's less well known than Texas's other parks like Big Bend. 8/44

Screenshot of photo of Artist Brett-Livingstone Strong with his John Wayne sculpture; photo by NBCLA John Wayne's Head. Distance from Houston: 7 hours 54 minutes. 9/44

Photo is in public domain In Lubbock, Texas, there is a 13-ton boulder carved into the likeness of John Wayne's head. That's pretty much it, but does there need to be much more? It's John Wayne's head, on a boulder, in Lubbock. Could a landmark get any more Texan than that? 10/44

Photo by Leaflet via CC Lubbock also features the Panhandle-South Plains Fair, on the grounds of the South Plains Fairgrounds. 11/44

Photo by Billy Hathorn via CC While in Lubbock, be sure to visit the Buddy Holly Center, "where art and music collide." 12/44

Screenshot from masontexastopaz.com Searchin' for Topaz in Mason County. Distance from Houston: 4 hours 26 minutes. 13/44

Screenshot from masontexastopaz.com Mason County is the only place in Texas that you can hunt for natural topaz. 14/44

Screenshot from masontexastopaz.com Topaz is the state gem of Texas, and is usually found within streambeds and ravines, but still only in Mason County. 15/44

Screenshot from masontexastopaz.com There are a number of ranches in the area that will set you up with everything you need to go topaz hunting, unless they're closed for deer season, and since there's no commercial mining in the area, the entire experience is really unique. 16/44

Photo courtesy of Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Hiking to Gorman Falls. Distance from Houston: 4 hours 19 minutes. 17/44

Photo by Tnkntx via CC Gorman Falls is a secluded little waterfall that's located right in the heart of Colorado Bend State Park in the hill country. 18/44

Photo by Randall Chancellor via CC Colorado Bend State Park is a gorgeous area without the hike up to the falls, but if you happen to head out there, this is a hike you should definitely take. 19/44

Photo by Tnkntx via CC Gorman Falls will be about 1.5 miles up some pretty sticky terrain, but finding the oasis in the middle of Texas is well worth it. 20/44

Photo courtesy of Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Chilling Out at Enchanted Rock. Distance from Houston: 3 hours 59 minutes. 21/44

Photo by Kelly Harris via CC If you've never seen the Enchanted Rock State Natural Area, it's time you remedied that. Enchanted Rock is an enormous pink granite pluton dome that rises naturally out of the earth, and as a landmark, it is impressive all on its own. 22/44

Photo by Charlie Llewellin via CC But when you factor in the legend of Enchanted Rock — the folklore of the Tonkawa, Comanche and Apache tribes all describe the area as mystical and magical — it truly takes you to another place and time. 23/44

Photo by BevoStevo via CC Creaking and "groaning" can be heard from Enchanted Rock at night, and while scientists attribute this noise to the cooling of the rock after it's been heated by the sun during the day, the Native tribes attributed it to ghost fires. They also believed that the rock made them invisible when Anglo settlers started to come to the area, and a number of legends surround the rock to this day. 24/44

Photo courtesy of Sanaturalareas.org Kayaking on Medina River. Distance from Houston: 2 hours 57 minutes. 25/44

Photo by Soham Banerjee via CC While the area surrounding Medina River is quite popular for water fanatics, the river has managed to skirt a lot of the rowdier toobers, and has found its niche with the more sedate — and nature-loving — kayakers instead. 26/44

Photo by Paul Schultz via CC The Medina is a pristine, greenery-covered waterway, free of overly tenuous whitewater rapids or the like. It's basically made for relaxation, and kayaking it is the perfect way to experience that. 27/44

Photo by mario via CC Birds chip, fish jump and frogs croak, and you'll be able to hear all of it without having to hear "Spring Break, YEAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" over and over, quite unlike what you'll find on some of the more hard-partyin' rivers in the area. 28/44

Photo by Jinx! via CC Giant Steer Statue at Big Texan Steak Ranch. Distance from Houston: 8 hours 57 minutes. 29/44

Photo by Hans Marschdorf via CC Eh, it may take you a bit more time than that to get up to Amarillo, but if you happen to make it up to the very distant area, you should swing on by the giant steer statue at the Big Texan Steak Ranch. 30/44

Photo by Bradley Gordon via CC Oh, and then you should go into the Big Texan Steak Ranch and challenge yourself with that huge 72-ounce steak that the place has become famous for. 31/44

Bradley Gordon Remember when Bobby Hill killed that challenge after being dumped by the vegan chick on King of the Hill? Yeah, that's the place. And you know you want to go. 32/44

Photo by Nic5702 via CC Asserting Artistic Expression at Cadillac Ranch. Distance from Houston: 8 hours 47 minutes. 33/44

Photo by longhorndave via CC Oh, and if you do make your way up to Amarillo, be sure to stop by the Cadillac Ranch. 34/44

Photo by johrling via CC The enormous public art installation is amazing, with a number of junked-out old Cadillacs half-buried with their noses in the ground. 35/44

Photo by Jinx! via CC The cars are repainted periodically to provide "fresh canvases" for visitors, who are invited to spray-paint them to their heart's content. So awesome. 36/44

Photo courtesy of Cascadecaverns.com Cascade Caverns. Distance from Houston: 3 hours 19 minutes. 37/44

Screenshot from Cascadecaverns.com The caves at Cascade Caverns are simply breathtaking. And at points slightly claustrophobic, but that's besides the point. 38/44

Screenshot from Cascadecaverns.com What is the point, however, is how stunning geologic formations like the ones found at Cascade Caverns can be. 39/44

Screenshot from Cascadecaverns.com Check out the Cascade Caverns. Texas sure is awesome, ain't it? 40/44

Photo courtesy of Texas Parks and Wildlife Department "Texas' Grand Canyon," or Palo Duro Canyon. Distance from Houston: 9 hours 14 minutes. 41/44

Photo by Martin Konopacki via CC The Palo Duro Canyon, nicknamed the "Grand Canyon of Texas" due to its massive size, dramatic geological attributes and those steep mesa walls, is the second-largest canyon in the United States. There are plenty of trails meant for hikers — but if you're a novice, start slow — which lead down to the area's most impressive sights, like the Lighthouse Peak. 42/44

Photo by RichieBpics via CC The area around Palo Duro Canyon is rich with history, especially about the Native American tribes who were once its prime inhabitants. If you've never seen the Grand Canyon and are a bit afraid of heights, perhaps this is the place to start. 43/44

Photo by Martin Konopacki via CC And even if you've seen the Grand Canyon, you should still check out Palo Duro Canyon. It's Texas through and through. 44/44

Road-Trippin' Through the Hidden Places of Texas

Oh, there's so much to see in Texas. From the white sands of the coastal shores to the deep canyons on down, our state has so much to offer.

And while everyone knows about some of our more national attractions, this is an enormous state, covering 268,820 square miles of land. With girth like that, there are bound to be a number of hidden gems in Texas that are just itching to be explored. Here are the best hidden places to road-trip in Texas. Saddle up, y'all, but leave the spurs at home.