Pam LeBlanc warms herself on a boulder next to a creek in the French Alps.

Every December, I shake the dirty laundry out of my suitcase, crumple up the last plane ticket, and reflect on the places I visited over the previous 12 months.

This year, I hiked hut-to-hut in France and Italy, sailed on a yacht around the British Virgin Islands, and listened to a glacier groan and splinter in Patagonia.

In all, I booked 17 round-trip flights. I stepped foot in eight states besides Texas and nine countries outside the U.S. I zoomed around Texas, too, reveling in horseback rides and paddling trips in this wildly diverse place I call home.

I did things I’ve never done before, like attach cramp-ons to my boots and scramble up a snow-covered a volcano, and a few I’d rather not repeat, like having my passport stolen in a foreign country.

It sure beats sitting at a desk in an office building. I’m flat-out, can’t-believe-this-is-my-life grateful for what I get to do for a living. And next year’s shaping up to be a doozy, too.

Without further ado, here are my top 10 travel experiences of 2025…

10. Route 66. Next year, the Mother Road will celebrate it’s 100^th anniversary. I zipped up to Amarillo, and from there explored 178 miles of the historic route that cut through Texas between Glenrio and Shamrock. It reminded me, once again, that no matter how far I roam, there’s always something new to experience in my home state.

9. St. Eustatius. So many islands in the Caribbean are crowded with tourists and hotels. Not the Dutch island of St. Eustatius, where I stayed at Golden Rock Resort and went scuba diving on lush tropical reefs, hiked to the rim of a dormant volcano, and gnawed on stalks of sugar cane fresh from the field. Next year, the island celebrates the 250^th anniversary of the First Salute, which officially recognized the United States after the American Revolution.

8. Biking in Idaho. I’ve snow skied and rafted in Idaho, but for years I’ve wanted to pedal some of the state’s Rails to Trails paths. I finally got the chance this year, when I visited the Idaho Panhandle in summer. The highlight? Riding the Route of the Hiawatha, a 15-mile gradually descending path that takes you through 10 tunnels and over seven trestle bridges.

7. BVIs. Time slows down when you kick off your shoes and spend a few days aboard a yacht that comes with its own captain and chef. All I had to worry about on my trip with Dream Yacht Worldwide was snorkeling, swimming and making sure I was back on the boat when it was time to sail to the next island.

6. Great Lakes. Cruises aren’t generally my thing – unless they’re wildlife and education focused, like the Viking trip I took through the Great Lakes. The bulk of the week-long cruise was spent in Lake Superior, stopping at several national parks in Canada. As a bonus, I got to show my husband a little of Mackinac Island, where I worked at a hotel one summer when I was a college student.

5. Yellowstone. I love our national parks, and I worry about their future. That’s why I signed up for an activism-themed trip to Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks with Intrepid Travel. The wolves gave us the shaft, but I watched a grizzly bear trot alongside a river, marveled at herds of bison, and admired the biggest moose I’ve ever seen. I also met Yellowstone National Park Superintendent Cam Sholly, whose father happens to be a good friend of mine.

If it hasn’t rained in many months, it’s possible to hike to Fern Canyon in Santa Elena Canyon. Pam LeBlanc photo

4. Santa Elena Canyon. I’ve visited Big Bend more than 30 times, but I still find new things to do and love while I’m there. This year, I joined Charlie Gandy, who’s putting together the new XTX Trail across the state, for a hike far into Santa Elena Canyon. You can only hike to Fern Canyon during times of drought, but the adventure still involved wading into neck-deep water, plodding through knee-deep mud, and scampering over boulders the size of Volkswagens. In a word, dreamy.

3. Chile’s Lake District. I somehow managed to land in Chile twice this year. A hike to a glacier atop Osorno Volcano that involved ice axes, helmets, harnesses, ropes and crampons highlighted the second trip, when I homebased at Hotel AWA on gorgeous Lake Llanquihue. And did I mention the visit to an estuary, where we ate oysters freshly caught by a diver on our boat?

2. French Alps. With mountain biking, white water rafting, canyoneering and hiking over a mountain pass from France to Italy on the agenda, what’s not to like? I spent a luxurious week at Eleven’s Chalet Hibou, where the focus is on adventure. And I’ll never forget taking a dip in an ice-cold alpine lake.

You can hear Perito Moreno Glacier crack and splinter when you stand in front of it. Pam LeBlanc photo

1. Patagonia. From giant, creaking glaciers to jagged towers of rock and windswept hills of grass, the landscape in Patagonia simply stuns. I visited national parks in Chile and Argentina, hiked to the base of Torres del Paine and through the French Valley, admired Perito Moreno Glacier, and toured an estancia on a 10-day jaunt with Smithsonian Journeys. I’m still blown away.

In between all that were ski trips and visits to the Texas Coast, camping trips to state parks, and a visit with dear friends in Cape Cod.

Already on the schedule for 2026? A long-anticipated trip to Antarctica, a hiking tour through the Cotswolds, rafting down the Nahanni River in the Northwest Territories of Canada, and a trip to Nebraska to watch the sandhill crane migration.

Vincent VanGo, Pam and Chris LeBlanc’s campervan, parked at Site 3 at Cedar Point Recreation Area. Chris LeBlanc photo

I’ think I’ve discovered the best drive-up campsites in Central Texas, and it’s set on a peninsula of land that stretches into Lake Buchanan at Cedar Point Recreation Area.

Now I can’t wait to go back with my kayak and paddle from the park to the Fall Creek waterfall, located on the lake’s northern edge. It’s a 4-mile paddle each way.

We made the hour-and-a-half drive to the park yesterday, taking advantage of the first brisk weather of the season. Our trip coincided with the monarch migration, too – I’ve never seen so many butterflies clustered onto tree branches in the Texas Hill Country.

Another reason to go now? After more than five years of drought, lake levels are up. All the campsites are truly waterfront once again.

The park remains under a burn ban, so we cooked in Vincent VanGo, our camper van. I stepped out in the middle of the night and caught a sky full of stars. This morning, temperatures hovered in the mid-30s.

The sun sets at Site 3 at Cedar Point Recreation Area. Pam LeBlanc photo

The park is one of more than 40 owned by the Lower Colorado River Authority between the Texas Hill Country and the Gulf of Mexico. There are no electric or water hookups, just primitive sites.

If you head to the park, try to get Site 3. It’s set off by itself, with a hill between it and other campsites on the peninsula. A picnic table offers a spectacular view of the surrounding lake.

Six other campsites are located on the peninsula, but they’re all grouped together, so there’s not much privacy. Site 2 is also good, but the road leading to it is rough and rocky. And Site 1 has hardly any shade.

Read more: Entry is free to all Texas State Parks on Nov. 2

The park doesn’t have flush toilets, but it does have a pit toilet and a port-o-potty.

The 310-acre park is located 80 miles from downtown Austin on the south shore of Lake Buchanan, which is known for white bass and striped bass fishing. It’s got a boat ramp and 3.5 miles of shoreline. Campsites cost $25 a night and include a picnic table, fire ring and grill. Pets are allowed.

The park is just down the road from tiny Tow, Texas, home of Fall Creek Vineyards, which opened in 1975. It’s also about 20 minutes from Inks Lake State Park and Longhorn Caverns.

Monarch butterflies gather on a tree branch along Lake Buchanan on Oct. 30, 2025. Pam LeBlanc photo

Entry is free to Texas State Parks, including Pedernales Falls State Park, on Nov. 2. Pam LeBlanc photo

Heads up, park lovers.

Admission is free to all Texas State Parks on Nov. 2, otherwise known as Texas State Parks Day.

You’ve got 89 to choose from, including Inks Lake State Park, which just opened its new headquarters building; Pedernales Falls State Park, where water spills over huge limestone slabs; Blanco State Park, one of my go-to parks for swimming; or Guadalupe River State Park, where towering cypress trees with knobby knees lean over the river.

“We hope that Texas State Parks Day will inspire all Texans to get outside and explore what our great state has to offer,” State Parks Division Director Rodney Franklin said in a press release. “We encourage you to spend time with family and discover what makes our state parks so special.” 

Pam LeBlanc sits under the spillway at Blanco State Park. Photo by Chris LeBlanc

Visit the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department website for activities and events in a park near you.

And another reminder – veterans, active duty and Gold Star family members can get free Parkland Passports that give them free entry to all Texas State Parks.

Reservations are recommended, especially on weekends. Make them online.

Mission Tejas State Park will celebrate its grand reopening on Nov. 8. Photo courtesy TPWD

Mission Tejas State Park in East Texas will celebrate the completion of a three-year renovation project with a grand reopening celebration on Nov. 8.

The 659-acre park, which bristles with tall pines, was built by the Civilian Conservation Corp in the 1930s to commemorate the first Spanish mission in East Texas. It was transferred to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and opened as a state park in 1957.

Today it’s known for its forested grounds, remnants of Spanish efforts to settle the area, a log home built by pioneers in the early 1800s and, in the spring, its blooming dogwood trees.

People come to fish, camp and hike 8.5 miles of trails. The Nabedache Loop trail leads hikers past part of El Camino Real, a historic route built in the late 1600s that led from Mexico City to Louisiana.

But most of the park’s facilities, including the mission, campground, fishing pond, day-use area and access to El Camino Real, have been closed since January. The renovation project includes improvements throughout the grounds by the Texas Department of Transportation and TPWD.

The reopening celebration is scheduled for 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.

Mission Tejas State Park is known for its tall pines and historic features. Photo courtesy TPWD

Visitors can meet new Superintendent Josh Diamond and see newly displayed historic artifacts donated by Stephen F. Austin State University. The park’s campground has 15 sites with water and electric hookups, and two with just water.

The park is located at 19343 State Highway 21 East near Grapeland, at the north end of Davy Crockett National Forest.

And heads up, park lovers. Entrance to all state parks is free for day-use visitors on Nov. 2.

The Shoal Creek Trail has long been a great place to hike, bike or get lost in nature. On Saturday, Oct. 25, it’ll be a great place to catch live music and mingle with others, too.

The first ever Concert on the Creek is scheduled for 3-7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 25, behind GSD&M along Shoal Creek at 828 W. Sixth Street.

The musical lineup includes Rosie Flores and the Talismen, The Lost Pines and the Texas String Assembly.

Tickets are $50 general admission or $150 for VIPs. Children 12 and under are free. Food and drinks will be available, along with family-friendly games. Buy tickets here.

Proceeds from the event benefit the Shoal Creek Conservancy, stewards of the 13-square-mile Shoal Creek watershed and creek and the trail running along it.

Filmmaker Ben Masters’ latest documentary, which traces the Colorado River from its headwaters in the Rocky Mountains to the deserts of Mexico, premiers next week in Austin.

“The American Southwest,” a full-length feature film, chronicles life and death along the 1,400-mile waterway, as it transitions from forests and canyons to diversion tunnels and irrigation canals. The Colorado, the most litigated river in the world, provides water to more than 40 million people.

The documentary makes its debut Thursday, Sept. 4 at AFS Cinema,6406 Interstate 35 in Austin. It opens in theaters around the Southwestern United States on Friday, Sept. 5.

Masters teamed with American Rivers, a non-profit organization that works to restore and protect wild rivers, on the project and its call to action.

Quannah ChasingHorse narrates the film, which also features the artwork, architecture and culture of indigenous people who have lived along the Colorado River for generations.

Watch the Official Trailer here, and click here to buy tickets for showings at local theaters.

Three special screenings that will include Q&A sessions with Masters and Matt Rice of American Rivers are planned for Texas.

• San Antonio – Wednesday, Sept. 10

• • Happy hour: Santikos Palladium Café, 5 p.m.
  • Film: Santikos Palladium, 6:30 p.m.

• Dallas – Thursday, Sept.11  

• • Happy hour: Londoner Pub, 5:30 p.m. 
  • Film: Angelika Film Center, 7 p.m.

• Houston – Friday, Sept. 12

• • Happy Hour: Goode Co. Kitchen & Cantina, 5:30 p.m.
  • Screening: River Oaks Theatre , 7 p.m.
  • Bonus showing: a sneak peak of Master’s next film, a sequel to 2022’s “Deep in the Heart: A Texas Wildlife Story.”

Masters is best known for his most recent film, “Deep in the Heart,” narrated by Matthew McConaughey, which highlights the wildlife of Texas, from black bears to mountain lions.

He made two earlier films, “The River and the Wall” which follows five friends who ride horses, bike and paddle1,200 miles from El Paso to the Gulf of Mexico, and “Unbranded,” which tells the story of four young men who adopt, train, and ride a string of wild mustangs 3,000 miles from Mexico to Canada.

I spent a day with Masters in 2020, when I crawled through the South Texas brush looking for ocelots with him. Read my story in Texas Monthly here.