Hiking,  Outdoors,  Texas,  Travel & Places

In the Company of Giants | Bald Cypress Trail at Guadalupe River State Park

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When many people think of bald cypress trees they immediately think swamps and wetlands, maybe focused in on the areas in the southern US. But the Texas Hill Country has some stellar examples of these trees growing along their creeks and rivers, and the ones lining the Guadalupe River are excellent specimens to behold! Some of the largest trees we’ve seen can be found on these banks, somehow evading the logging industry when their swampy counterparts didn’t.

The ones along the Guadalupe River were a feast for the eyes and it didn’t take much to want to hug them and ask them what they had seen over the centuries, to know how the river had changed and how many floods they had withstood. Or to ask the ones that didn’t make it, what the death knell had been. They continue to be tough as visitors walk over their exposed roots and sit in the crook of their trunks. They sit there patiently while six-year-olds slide down the larger anchored roots, pretending the tree is a playground. And while all of this goes on, they continue to stand firmly rooted, holding in the shoreline against the time honored tradition of riverine erosion.

4 Comments

  • shoreacres

    Ha! I know exactly where this spot is, even though I’ve never visited, and didn’t know it existed until I read this post. The state park is almost directly due west from where my car broke down for the second time on highway 281, north of Spring Branch. I can guarantee you had more fun on your visit!

  • Patrice La Vigne

    I think I’m becoming more and more obsessed with trees! I just love how different they are in every part of the country. I do remember encountering these in our travels (maybe Congaree NP mostly?), and thinking they are giant and cool looking!

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