TYLER, Texas — Spring wildflowers are blooming and temperatures are warming rapidly. It's time to take a hike!
No really, dust off those hiking boots and hit the trails. There are plenty across East Texas, many offering miles of outdoor opportunity.
CBS19 recently visited Tyler State Park where we talked to Park Interpreter, Boyd Sanders. He said the state park has 11 miles of trails and 990 acres to explore.
“Personally I like the Blackjack Nature Trail because it is in that different eco-region," Sanders said. "It’s prairie grasses, prairie wildflowers, with mixed trees, brings in a diversity of wildlife, birdlife, things like that. It’s just so different than the rest of the park."
Tyler State Park welcome thousands of visitors every year. Park rangers do controlled burns. These prescribed fires are bringing the trails back to a life this forest knew when European settlers first set foot in the piney wood.
Closer to Tyler, there's Faulkner Park. There are different skill levels and trail lengths but all will give you a chance to experience serenity within the city.
If you live closer to Athens, and you'd like to take a relaxing, easy hike, head over the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center.
The Woodlands trail offers an immersive chance to see all kinds of wildlife, waterfowl and soak in the sounds of nature. The trail works to capture the essence of the piney woods. There are giant hardwoods, the kind you see in northern parts of East Texas and there are low-lying wetland areas that are found in Deep East Texas, sometimes called the "Big Thicket". One of the highlights unexpectedly sprouts up from the ground. These odd looking features are called "Cypress Knees".
Farther down the trail, hidden in the trees, nestled next to the pond, you'll come across a wildfowl viewing blind. Tom Lang, director of the Freshwater Fisheries Center says watching ducks make their approach and landing on the pond can is something you've got to see.
“When they cuff their wings or curl their wings, then them holding then dropping, if you’ve entered waterfowl hunted that’s a sign that’ll just make your heart skip a beat," Sanders said.
Back at Tyler State Park, there are plenty of birds to see. An estimated 230 species of birds make their way through the park every year. A few years ago, a rare white wing scoter chased south by some very cold weather around the Great Lakes stopped at the park and stayed all winter.
The longest trail in this part of the state is just a few hours south of here. The Lone Star Hiking Trail is just east of Huntsville. The trail winds 96 miles through the Sam Houston National Forest.