Fall in Texas

Ben and I took a vacation from work and decided to take a day trip to do some hiking in Lake Bob Sandlin State Park.  The park is less than a two-hour drive from our house and is known for it's beautiful fall color so Ben and I decided to go check it out.

I found a map of the trails online so we were set!

We started with the Lakeview Loop, an easy walk with a view of Lake Bob Sandlin.

Our first view of the lake.

And some fall color already!

Next we decided to tackle the longer Dogwood Trail which would lead to a trout pond that is a popular place for fishing.

This walk was mostly through a pretty forest.

Not far into the trail, we spotted a deer!

During this hike, we learned about Beautyberry which is abundant in the state park.  Ben and I have seen it while hiking in Broken Bow also and I was happy to learn more about it.

Soon we were at the trout pond which was really stunning!  

I edited this picture on my phone -- which was of course cheating but I thought it was interesting.  Maybe in a few weeks it will look more like this!

It was beautiful just like it was.

Leaving the pond.

Happy hikers!

After a rest and a snack, we decided we had enough energy for one more hike.  So we did a short one which would lead us to something called Brim Pond.

It ended up being a pretty easy walk, nothing we couldn't handle!

I wasn't expecting much after seeing the trout pond, but this pond was also really pretty and made for some interesting pictures.  I promise these are not edited!

After the hike, we stopped at the day use area by the lake.  We had brought our swimsuits but decided it was too cool to get in the water so we just enjoyed the view instead.  On a future visit, this would be a nice place for a dip or a picnic after hiking.

On our way out of the park, we saw a turnoff called Dogwood Park so we decided to have a look.  It was another pretty place to keep in mind for a future visit.

We really enjoyed our day and it's nice to know there's a great lake with hiking, fishing and camping not too far from Dallas.  This is a place we would definitely come back to next summer or fall.

We hope to find a few more hikes close to home this fall.  Stay tuned!