In This Issue:
 Holiday festivities in Texas State Parks are unique! Turkey trots, historical home tours reminiscent of Christmases past, trails through merrily decorated campgrounds, or traditional holiday storytelling – park staff “elves” are planning a sleigh full of special activities.
Check the Holiday Calendar for the very full list of events or check the calendars of parks close to you. Visit the State Parks Holidays page for more fun ideas or download a PDF brochure about holidays in parks. Here is a sample of the imaginative activities planned for visitors:
Thanksgiving
Foods and Arts and Crafts
Decorated Campsites (at many parks)
Culture and History
Music
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 Create a new holiday tradition - plan a group gathering in a state park. Round up the shopping sisters, the football-fan uncles, the restless kids yearning for something new, or a few friends, and head out to spend time in nature at one of over 90 Texas State Parks.
Your gathering can be plain or fancy. Maybe your trip is just an informal picnic, or perhaps you take advantage of group facilities, such as pavilions, indoor dining halls and overnight facilities, including barracks and screened shelters. Time to make some memories!
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 Give the gift of Texas State Parks. Explore these opportunities to share your love of the great outdoors.
- Special State Park Pass Offer - Unwrap the wild this holiday season! For a limited time, Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation is offering the opportunity to buy a State Park Pass as a gift for $65 - that's $5 off the regular price. Visit the Foundation website to take advantage of this online-only offer. 100% of the money goes back to support Texas State Parks.
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State Park Ornaments - Each year Texas State Parks creates commemorative ornaments that make great holiday gifts. The three ornaments for 2014 feature images of a cabin, bison, and a horsewoman on a West Texas horizon. Ornaments are $8.95 each, or $19.95 for the set of three. Check the State Parks Ornaments page in December to order.
- State Park Gift Cards − Gift cards are fully transferable and can be purchased in any amount (minimum of $5). Recipients can apply them towards state park passes, merchandise at state park stores and entrance and facility fees. You can purchase Gift Cards at most State Parks or by contacting the Call Center at (512) 389-8900. If you purchase a Texas State Park Gift Card valued at $75 or more during the month of December, you can also receive a FREE 2014 ornament.
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 Raise your hand if you know Texas is a famous rock climbing destination! Some sites even attract European and top U.S. climbers.
Fans of bouldering (crawling up boulders using only your hands and feet) and canyoneering (climbing and rappelling) know that Texas has some of the world’s best rock.
Four Texas State Parks offer a variety of rock climbing opportunities:
Read about Texas rock adventures in two first-person stories in Texas Parks & Wildlife magazine:
Some parks limit access to protect fragile environments and for safety reasons. Call before you go.
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 Birding is big in Texas, and many state parks have birding stations to match that interest.
Try your bird-watching luck in the luxury of the new birding station at Davis Mountains State Park. Built by park staff, the new 20’ x 20’ facility features a rainwater collection system and a solar-powered pump to provide water for wildlife, a tongue and groove ceiling, solar fans and a tile floor. And the birding’s good too. Sharp-eyed visitors may see a western scrub-jay or acorn woodpecker, or catch a glimpse of the rare Montezuma quail, to name a few.
The birding station that opened last year at Inks Lake State Park features a large space, Plexiglas windows, a solar-powered water feature, photography portals and a rainwater collection system. Led by the Texas Master Naturalist Highland Lakes Chapter, the project was also supported by Texas Department of Transportation and Burnet's Triple C Feed Store.
The Birding page offers tips on how to bird, where to see bird species, and opportunities to learn more about this popular activity. Check the Fall/Winter Birding Calendar from Texas Parks & Wildlife magazine or the Birding Calendar for birding walks and talks with park staff and local experts.
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 Start the year off on the right foot, the left foot, any foot – plan to take a First Day Hike on January 1. There's no better place to kick off the new year than in one of over 90 Texas State Parks!
Take it in stride – your stride, that is. Watch this video to envision your options. Walk a one-mile nature trail or launch yourself into a strenuous uphill climb to a wide Texas horizon. State park hiking trails offer scenery, wildlife watching, tranquility, and a wide variety of terrain and trail lengths. Many state parks offer First Day Hikes guided by state park staff and volunteers and feature an interpretive message about native plants, animals or park history. The walks average one to two miles in length, but many parks also offer shorter or longer trek options.
Check the calendar in December to find special First Day Hike events to suit your mood and ambitions.
Can’t make it on Day 1? You have 364 more opportunities! Check the Hiking Calendar anytime for organized walks and hikes with a park ranger or volunteer.
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 Visitors to the San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site will find new interpretive panels placed at strategic locations across the 1,200-acre park. The famous Battle of San Jacinto that brought Texas its independence was fought on this site. Texan troops under General Sam Houston achieved the independence of Texas by defeating a Mexican Army led by General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna on April 21, 1836.
Walk the Battleground and relive the famous battle for Texas Independence. The new panels enhance a walking tour to the locations of the Texan camps, the Mexican camps, the site of the advance by Texan forces and other strategic parts of the battle. Watch a video overview.
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 Well-established (with its 80th birthday this year) and peaceful, Meridian State Park is a 505-acre park with a 72-acre, no-wake lake, great fishing, hiking trails, excellent birding, including the endangered golden-cheeked warbler (March – July). Many features of the park were constructed in 1933-34 by Civilian Conservation Corps, Company 1827, a rare group comprised of World War I veterans. It also features primitive campsites, screened cabins and pull-through RV sites.
Watch a video about the park and use the park map and park birding list to plan a trip.
P.S. - Did we mention that fishing is always free in Texas State Parks? No fishing license is needed.
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