when folks want real hiking and skiing and camping, do they go to Colorado from Austin? (El Paso: rental car)

[carolinajack]

where do most here go skiing and hiking for the season, Colorado, New Mexico, etc? how are is CS from Austin and do people drive it or fly, take a train?

[blakely]

If you want to hike MOUNTAINS, yes. Otherwise, there's plenty of great hiking here and great trails right in Austin.

Skiing- yes, you have to travel. New Mexico & Colorado are the closest skiing destinations. There's no such thing as a 3 hour drive to the mountains here.

[Trainwreck20]

For some terrain, Big Bend, New Mexico, or Colorado (or Ozarks in Arkansas). Lots of decent hiking relatively nearby, though, just not big mountains. No skiing in state (Mt. Aggie does not count ). Mostly driving and/or flying...Amtrak is too limited/expensive, generally.

[southdown]

Everyone I know who has gone skiing from Austin has flown to Colorado and rented a car from the airport

Some friends flew to El Paso and drove thru the NM mountains north but that was for the road trip not just the skiing. Big Bend gets mixed reviews from people I have met (I haven't been there) - if you love fishing/hunting etc apparently it's good, and there are some fun pre-organized gourmet camping trips available with horseback, canoe/kayak etc. Others think it's pretty dull for the 8-hour drive and would rather fly to somewhere more interesting. Diff'rent folks!

[chickenfry]

big bend grows on you. you have to appreciate how isolated and desolate and arid. and if you are ever there in the spring when the first showers arrive forcing the cacti blooms to explode, it's pretty darn amazin

[twange]

For skiing, I would head to either Colorado, northern NM near Taos or Ruidoso. Of course there's plenty of hiking in those states, but if you want to stay in Texas...

I just spent 5 days camping and hiking in Big bend last month and my wife and I thought it was pretty amazing. And yes, we've backpacked and camped in NM, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, AZ, California and all throughout the NE. Big Bend is a desert mountain region with the Chisos mountains being the lone exception. This means lots of cactus and rock with scarce water resources. There are some very unique things to Big Bend, so it's not just about "mountains" and "scenery". It's also very remote and sort of a "no frills" National Park. All good as far as I'm concerned.

There's also Guadalupe Mountains National park which I have yet to visit.

But if you're looking for mountains with tall pine trees, deep woods, mountain lakes and lots of streams, you won't like Big Bend. That leaves it uncrowded for the people who like it.

Here's a few pics I took last month (click to expand):

[carolinajack]

yeah i will either drive to Taos or fly up to steamboat, breck and hiking in RMNP

[TexasHorseLady]

New Mexico or Big Bend for hiking and camping if you're looking for mountains. Colorado for skiing.

[cz4ever]

Personally, I'd recommend Utah for skiing over Colorado. You can land in Salt Lake City and be on the slopes in under an hour easily. The rental cars are parked on the lowest level of the parking garage adjacent to the terminals, and it takes about 30 mins to drive to Alta/Snowbird/Solitude/Brighton/The Canyons (maybe 40 to Park City or Deer Valley). The skiing is at least as good as Colorado's top resorts, and the lines are a lot shorter since most people think "Colorado" when they want to ski.