Texas is a land of astonishing mass and diversity — a state so vast that it encompasses deserts, pine forests, mountains, swamps, and rolling hills. For hikers, it’s a boundless playground. In his guidebook “100 Classic Hikes in Texas,” author and photographer E. Dan Klepper captures this diversity, highlighting and curating routes that reveal the Lone Star State’s natural grandeur and wild character. Klepper’s work is both a practical guide and a love letter to Texas’ untamed landscapes.
Klepper divides the state into seven major regions — from the Panhandle Plains to Big Bend Country, Hill Country, and the Piney Woods — each with its own distinct terrain, flora, and wildlife.
His selection of hikes encourages readers to experience Texas beyond its highways and cities, to feel the land underfoot and appreciate its contrasts. In the desert Southwest, The Window Trail and Lost Mine Trail in Big Bend National Park challenge hikers with elevation and heat, rewarding them with sweeping views of canyons and mountains. In contrast, Pedernales Falls State Park and Enchanted Rock in the Hill Country offer river crossings and granite climbs that capture the region’s rugged charm.
Farther north, the Guadalupe Peak Trail ascends to the highest point in Texas — a grueling trek with a summit that gazes over an ancient seabed turned desert.
Meanwhile, the Lone Star Hiking Trail in Sam Houston National Forest stretches 96 miles through towering pines and shaded creeks — a reminder that East Texas feels more like the Deep South than the Southwest.
And in the Panhandle, Palo Duro Canyon’s Lighthouse Trail showcases vivid red cliffs and surreal rock formations in America’s second-largest canyon.
Klepper also emphasizes that hiking in Texas requires respect — for the land and for others. Trails here can test endurance and demand preparation. Hikers share the backcountry with mountain lions, bears, and alligators, and temperatures can swing from scorching to freezing. Trail etiquette is not just courtesy; it’s safety — yielding to uphill hikers, staying on paths, and leaving no trace.
Guest:
E. Dan Klepper is an artist, photographer, and writer. He’s the author of “100 Classic Hikes in Texas.” Klepper has resided in the small, West Texas community of Marathon for over 25 years. As an outdoor adventurer, he has written and photographed dozens of articles for Texas’s leading magazines and is author of the off-the-grid memoir “Why the Raven Calls the Canyon.”
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This interview will be recorded live Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025.
