Old Tunnel State Park. The night that I went (early June 2018), it was at the end of a long day spent state parking with The Manling. We had adventure after adventure after adventure already on this particular day, but since seeing the bats emerge is a sunset activity and we were only an hour away, we decided to go for it.

First off, if you’re wondering what the big deal is, I’ll tell you, dear reader. The fine folks in the Texas Hill Country have this thing about watching bats emerge at sunset. All of these Mexican free-tailed bats hole up in the Hill Country for some reason April – October. Google it. You’ll see. There’s a bridge in Austin where millions emerge in a whispy-type ribbon that is completely mesmerizing. There are caves on privately owned Hill Country land where the things fly like bats outta you-know-where just because the sun is setting (see photos below) and you’d better not be nearby if one falls because, Hello! They will crawl up your legs until they are high enough to launch themselves back into the air from hanging on you! Knowledge is power, my friend, and that little tidbit of knowledge was enough to make me seriously consider power walking back to the car! And now? We discovered that there is a whole Texas State Park completely devoted to the little guys. Just go with it.

The Man and me a handful of years ago. The smiles were before the bats emerged from that abyss behind us.

Exactly half of us were “into” this several years ago when we Groupon’d a deal for viewing on someone’s private land in the Hill Country. Surprise, surprise, The Manling was in that camp.

I gotta say, on the private land with the hole-in-the-ground cave, we definitely saw bats. Maybe a little too closely? But we saw, smelled and heard them. Plus, the bit of education regarding the possibility of them crawling up your legs if they collided and fell is kinda priceless information in my book.

We arrived at OTSP about 8:35pm, quickly parked and made a beeline toward the people congregated on the upper viewing deck. Everyone was mostly quiet. I figured they must be anticipating the awe until I read the signage asking everyone to be library quiet. I started whispering to The Manling at this point because there was park staff on-site and I didn’t want us to get the boot so close to what was sure to be an amazing spectacle. After waiting – quietly – for about 10 minutes, we noticed another park staffer down near the tree line waving her hands to our park staffer, who let us know that they had begun their emergence. We saw nothing. We waited with baited breath. We still saw nothing. We kept our eyes peeled. Finally we saw what appeared to be the smoke monster from Lost smudging the view of the trees. We {quietly} asked our park staffer if that smoke was the colony emerging. She excitedly explained that it was! Bless her. She really digs the bats.

We eventually allowed the strongly-scented ammonia air (um, guano) to signal that we were good-to-go…home.

We hoofed it back to the Tiny Toyota Tardis (because the Yaris is bigger on the inside) and headed her toward our home away from home. As we were sharing our perceptions, The Manling noticed something traveling in the sky about 10 feet above our car. Bats!! Those little buggers were swarming just above our Tiny Toyota Tardis, helpfully devouring the mosquitoes that like to feast on our flesh during the summer here in Texas. They continued to travel with us for a couple of miles down that tiny Texas back road** until we finally out horse-powered them. (I envisioned our Tiny Toyota Tardis bursting free from the ginormous sand storm of bats that had completely enveloped us. It was epic.)

I just want to point out that the mom in the lower left of the picture is having to point out where her minion should be looking. The bats emerge into the trees and it’s hard to see from the upper observation deck. (The lower observation deck wasn’t open on the day of the week we visited.)

I seriously need to figure out how to up my selfie game.

Why We Love Old Tunnel State Park

Bats. Make sure you plan your visit April through October. And time your departure while they are still emerging because while we didn’t really see them from the upper observation deck, we definitely experienced them up close and personal on the road as we left!
Park Staff. These folks are enthusiastic about these bats. Ask questions – quietly, of course.

Must Do’s

See the bats emerge. It’s a Hill Country must.
Drive away while the last rays of sunlight are disappearing. Cross your fingers, drive slowly and maybe the bats will make your trip to OTSP as memorable as ours.

We’d love to hear about your experiences at Old Tunnel State Park! Please share your thoughts on this twilight Texas State Park in the comments.

*In all natural areas, you are a guest. Educate yourself on what lives in the areas before your visits, always talk to the Park Rangers upon arrival and take precautions so that your experiences end as positively as ours.

**Tiny Texas back roads are narrow. Please use extreme caution, especially when deer are present. We had two dart in front of our car as we drove home that night, a very dangerous thing when their weight rivals your Tiny Toyota Tardis! Upon the advise of friends, we bought these for future trips.

Purtis Creek State Park has been a favorite of ours since The Manling was a Cub Scout. It’s a smaller state park in the Prairies & Lakes region of Texas, an easy hour and fifteen minute drive from Dallas.

We love Purtis Creek because…

Trees. They are everywhere and in Texas shade is a savory thing. Plus, they’re pretty. Life is short, so enjoy the view.
Water. Water is always on our radar when traveling in Texas. Not only is it pretty (see #1), it is cooling on 100 degree days and it’s the best element in which to go fishing, which happens to be my manling’s love language. (Side note: We have literally never left Purtis Creek SP without catching* something. Ever. And catching is way more fun than just fishing.)
Uncrowded. Summer months can draw crowds (because of #1 & #2), but weekdays the rest of the year are blissfully uncrowded. You can almost trick yourself into thinking you’ve struck it rich and all this is yours. Love.

Must Do’s:

swim
fish – from the dam, the shoreline on the far side of the dam and the two piers in the camping area; we use canned corn and worms
hike one of the trails through the towering trees or the creative Solar Trail along the dam
interact with the park staff; their love for the park is contagious
camp (our personal picks are lakeside sites #21-24, but truthfully most of the campsites are private with plenty of shade and natural divisions)
enjoy the wildlife – moles, coyotes, birds, fish

We’d love to hear about your experiences at Purtis Creek State Park! Please share your thoughts on this East Texas gem in the comments.

*In all natural areas, you are a guest. Educate yourself on what lives in the areas before your visits, always talk to the Park Rangers upon arrival and take precautions so that your experiences end as positively as ours.