Urban Hikes near College Station, Texas

This trip to College Station hasn’t been going as well as we hoped. Our plan had been to do some major work on our rent house but the stars don’t seemed to be aligned to allow that to happen. We also thought the tenant was leaving early but it appears as if that process has slowed way down.
Therefore to fill in the time we have been on some walks in the area between rain events (College Station has been unusually wet this spring). Granted there aren’t any hills here but at least there are still some appealing springtime walks and in this blog I’ll mention our favorite places.

 One of our all time favorites is Texas A&M University. There are a lot of trees and gardens so it is always a great place for a walk. The history and the architecture add to the experience of seeing one of the largest Universities in the United States.

No trip on campus would be complete without walking around Kyle Field, the schools enormous football stadium which seats around 102,000 fans. The twelfth man statues, banners of notable former players and the monument to the school mascot, Reveille add to the festive atmosphere. Another not to be missed feature on campus is the Century Oak (header picture on top).  

 This massive Live Oak has branches reaching out so far they are draped on the lawns below. Several branches have been braced to keep them off the ground so as to prevent decay and disease to the tree. We always pause there to rest on a bench in its shade to admire this beautiful tree. At the alumni center is a huge replica of the Aggie ring which is a fun photo op.

 Another great place to walk to get a feel on the nature in the area is Lick Creek Park. This natural area was put aside for citizens of the Brazos Valley to enjoy. Lots of trails meander through it which depict the typical flora and fauna found in the Post Oak Savannah region of Texas.

Noted for it clay soil most trees are smaller in stature and look a bit rougher. Trees like the Post Oak and Blackjack Oaks seem to struggle for existence but are perfectly adapted to this area. Lots of wildflowers can be found walking through the park and nearly every time we walk the trails I will see some Tiger Beetles, which are green iridescent beetles who tend to fly off the ground only to stop shortly in front of you… over and over again.

Another great walk can be found at the Texas A&M Research Park where there is a paved trail meandering around a few man made ponds. While not a real exciting trail there are patches of wild flowers and the lake houses a lot of native turtles and a few tame ducks. This park also has a disc golf course on it but it has been so wet recently we haven’t had the opportunity to play it.

The last walk I will mention is a shorter walk but very nice nonetheless. This would be the one that takes us through the George Bush Library Gardens. They really do a great job of landscaping with a mix of native and non native plants on the parks grounds. There is a small pond with a quaint gazebo. In fact one day we saw a small wedding ceremony taking place under the gazebo.

Since President Bush had passed since we were last here we stopped by his grave site to pay our respects. No matter the political affiliations, we feel all might agree George Bush ‘43” was a good man and a good president. I am sure we will walk this park one more time before we leave…

NOTE: We are now in College Station Texas until mid-May.