Trying to find a road less traveled during spring break can often be difficult. The Texas State Parks System, with over 90 parks, can offer a welcome break from crowds and a chance to explore the outdoors. Since I have only visited 34 of the 90 state parks to date, I have many more parks left to explore! Purchasing the annual Texas State Park pass for $70 is a bargain for the family, and provides free entry to the parks, and discounts on camping, park store purchases and equipment rental. Because of the great value that the park system offers, reservations are required months in advance for holiday weekends and spring break.

March 2013-To take advantage of the cooler temperatures during the spring, we decided to spend spring break in west Texas outside the town of Fort Davis. We rented a small home from VRBO for the stay.

Since we had a state park pass, we spent the afternoon exploring the Davis Mountains State Park. After stopping at the visitor center and listening to a ranger presentation on birding, we walked over to the “best little bird blind in Texas”. We hiked the old CCC trail up to the Skyline Drive Trail (4.5 miles roundtrip). Since the initial hike paralleled the road, it was a few miles before we felt the wilderness experience. Views were nice from the top, despite seeing that some of the areas were scarred from prior fires. A weekend trip would be sufficient to explore the trails and experience some of the ranger options. Indian Lodge, a beautiful historic 39 room motel, was worth touring and is a nice option for those who prefer not to camp.

One of the highlights of the trip  was visiting McDonald Observatory, which boasts of some of the darkest night skies in the continental U.S. Thankfully, I had made reservations for the Twilight Program and Star Party in advance. All of the tours were completely sold out when we arrived. The Twilight program was about one hour and explained what we would  see at the stargazing party. The constellation demonstration afterwards was geared more for the kids. The Star Party, which began after dark, lasted about two hours. Due to large crowds, there were extra volunteers and staff on hand to provide plenty of telescopes to allow everyone multiple views. The presenter with a laser light clearly pointed out all the constellations visible and provided a wealth of information. The highlight was seeing the details of Jupiter and its moons, and Orion Nebula. Not realizing how much the temperatures drop in the desert at night, we wished we would have brought more layers of warm clothing.

A leisurely drive on the 75-mile Davis Mountains Scenic Loop was one of the best ways to take in the beautiful mountain range. There were multiple pull out locations to view the “Texas Alps” and to stretch your legs by walking or climbing trails and boulders.

The biggest surprise during spring break was visiting the Chihuahuan Desert Nature Center & Botanical Garden. We were stunned by the beauty of this 507-acre center, which did an excellent job of displaying the diversity of the desert. They offered a hike up to Clayton’s Overlook which had spectacular views and an outstanding geological presentation, and a hike down to the protected Modesta Canyon Springs. The hikes were moderately strenuous to navigate and poles would have made the traversing easier. The information center had a nice bookstore and cacti food to sample. The botanical gardens were interesting and quite large, but the cactus greenhouse had the most outstanding variety! There was also a mining exhibit that my boys enjoyed visiting. We later realized that we should have stopped by Stone Village Market (The Whole Foods of Fort Davis) on our way here to get a sack lunch so we could have spent the entire day at the nature center.

For the history lovers, a visit to Fort Davis National Historic Site is a must with over 20 buildings and 100 ruins. During spring break, they offered period dress programs to bring the history alive. The site was considered to be one of the best-preserved 19th century frontier forts in the Southwest. Overland Trail Museum in town offered unique displays of early life in the West, as well as guided tours by reservations.

We ended our time at Fort Davis with a quirky road trip to the town of Marfa. Unexplained Marfa Mystery Lights have been seen and studied for years. National Geographic and the University of Texas have been unable to explain the lights. The local high school’s gifted and talented program made a well-designed viewing area just outside of town. Hundreds of people patiently waited to see the lights appear as the sky darkened. Although we didn’t see any lights ourselves, it was fun to listen to those who thought they saw lights. There were stories of UFO’s, secret military testing, magnetic energy or even just plain car lights. We chalked the adventure up to an interesting experience of the local culture.

Spring break in Fort Davis was time spent on the road less traveled and  increased our appreciation of the Chihuahuan desert, the star constellations, and the history of  West Texas.