Estero Llano State Park, Weslaco, Texas

In all the years I’ve lived in the Rio Grande Valley, I had never taken the time to visit Estero Llano in Weslaco, Texas. I’m not sure I can be proud of that statement. I’ve missed out.

Hiking hasn’t been my thing, ever. If you know me, you know that snakes scare the bejeezus out of me and bugs induce soprano tones from my throat. It’s no lie. Ask my kids. They’ll chuckle and tell you all about it.

Since life has us all turned around and masked up, the family has gotten creative about how we can safely see friends and loved ones. Frankly, we rarely go anywhere these days but over the holiday break, we wanted to see familiar faces and embrace the holiday spirit.

The solution, outdoor gatherings in large open spaces while masked. That’s what worked for us and honestly, it was a beautiful opportunity to do things I don’t generally do. I have to admit. This holiday break taught me to be a little more open minded about hiking and exploring the outdoors. Aside from being mildly scared of the wildlife, I found that I was mostly astounded by the beauty.

The cool breezes took me back to all the days I played outside as child and the outings kept nudging me to try some more. So over the holiday break, we not only explored this beautiful state park… we kept on exploring and I can’t wait to tell you about those.

Estero Llano has clearly marked trails that lead you to various bodies of water which are perfect to catch a glimpse of the many birds that travel through South Texas on their migration journeys. I hear there’s also an alligator which I did not get to see (thank goodness) and the kids were kind of bummed about missing “Alli the Alligator” as they called it.

There is an area with a small incline that leads you to a water reservoir… if you make it out there, the view is worth the extra steps. We saw plenty more beautiful birds and looked down to catch a glimpse of the park while we were up there. (I make it sound like a steeper mountain but it’s really just like getting to the top of a canal..)

If you plan to head out, take me with you next time. I’d love to document your family hike. :) (I promise not to hit the soprano notes on your outing…)

~Norma H