You Won't Believe This Town Is In Texas
Sitting at an elevation of nearly 5,000 feet, the small town of Fort Davis is not only the highest town in Texas, but also one of the coolest. While the state overall is fairly flat, you can count on having a mountain adventure in Fort Davis, complete with hiking, mountain biking, and camping. The area’s desert skies also make for some of the best night skies in the country, home to the famed McDonald Observatory. If you are looking for a vacation filled with western spirit and mountain terrain, Fort Davis will feel like a whole different side of the Lone Star State.
Davis Mountains State Park
Covering over 2,700 acres and sitting at an elevation between 5,000 and 6,000 feet, Davis Mountains State Park is unlike any other in Texas. Here, visitors come from all over the country to hike, mountain bike, go horseback riding, camp, and stargaze. Travelers hoping to explore the hiking and biking trails can do so along Skyline Drive Trail, a 4.5-mile path that winds through valleys and mountain ridges. Horseback riders, meanwhile, can enjoy 11 miles of trails that reach up to 5,700 feet in elevation, passing through rugged terrain and offering mountain overlooks. To spend the night in the park, you can either reserve a campsite or lodge in the park’s Indian Lodge, a 39-room motel with white adobe walls, a pool, and an on-site restaurant.
Regardless of how you decide to explore the park, you will have endless opportunities to appreciate the area’s nature. Volcanic activity from roughly 30 million years ago has resulted in exposed rock and steep canyon walls. Vital natural springs support a variety of native vegetation and wildlife. Inside the park, travelers will find junipers, oaks, pinyon pines, and grasses. Javelinas, black tailed rattlesnakes, mule deer, Montezuma quail, and mountain lions are also regular residents of the park. With so many interesting species, you are sure to see something surprising during your visit!
McDonald Observatory
One of the world’s leading research observatories is located in Fort Davis, giving you the chance to learn about the state’s starry skies like never before. The observatory’s facilities are located atop two mountains in town: Mount Locke and Mount Fowlkes, both showcasing some of the country’s darkest skies. The observatory is open to the public from Tuesday through Saturday, 12 to 5 pm. There are several daytime programs offered, including a theater-based solar viewing program that allows visitors to see live views of the sun, as well as guided tours. These tours last 90 to 120 minutes and include a visit to the large research telescopes that are part of the observatory.
Throughout the year, McDonald Observatory also offers special viewing programs in the evening, allowing you to see the stars through the research telescopes. Evening viewing programs include public viewings on the 36-inch telescope, as well as viewings on the Otto Struve 82-inch telescope, widely regarded as one of the largest and finest telescopes in the world. Passes for these night viewing programs range from $100 to $150 per person and are suitable for stargazers of all levels.
Chihuahuan Desert Nature Center and Botanical Gardens
Established in 1973, the Chihuahuan Desert Nature Center is situated at an elevation of about 5,100 feet in the Davis Mountains foothills. The center’s botanical gardens showcase an impressive amount of biodiversity, home to collections of cacti, gardens, grasses, and groves. The Maxie Templeton Cactus Museum Collection, for example, contains one of the world’s largest collections of Chihuahuan Desert cacti, featuring approximately 200 different species. Along the Trans Pecos Natives garden path, travelers will find nearly 165 native plant species from the Trans-Pecos Region, each labeled and grouped by family. Other notable exhibits include the Chinquapin Grove, home to Chinquapin oaks and wild roses, and the Native Grasses Exhibit, which features an impressive 26-species collection of native grasses.
The hiking trails in the Chihuahuan Desert Nature Center are just as beautiful as the botanical gardens. Travelers who feel up to a moderately challenging hike will enjoy the Modesta Canyon Trail, a 1.75-mile loop that crosses about a fourth mile of grasslands before descending into a rugged canyon. On the canyon’s floor, hikers will encounter a natural spring and pools, along with Texas Madrone trees, salamanders, tree frogs, and crayfish.
Anyone in Texas can tell you that the sweltering summer has already settled in. So why not escape to the mountains for a few days in Fort Davis? Here, you can hike through rugged canyons, stroll beneath groves of Chinquapin oaks, and enjoy crisp, cool nights under some of the darkest skies in the country. By the end of your trip, you will likely leave with a newfound appreciation for everything Texas has to offer.
