Buda resident visits every state park in Texas

BUDA — Carol Swanson Rodgers, a Buda resident, visited Lockhart State Park with her son years ago as a way to introduce her family to what the state has to offer. Thirty-seven years later, she has visited all 106 state parks of Texas.

Rodgers was always a child of nature. She often spent her time at local trails near her home, boating and playing in the trees. Despite loving the outdoors as a child, her goal was never to visit all the state parks; it happened naturally over time.

“The state parks all focus around some unique feature and there’s something different in all of them. We went through a few and we went through all of them in the area, then we went further,” explained Rodgers. “As the years went by, I just managed to get to all of them.”

About two decades in, her goal to visit them all began. But, she was in no rush to complete the ever-changing list and only recently completed it in June 2023 by visiting Devil’s Sinkhole State Natural Area. Texas currently has 89 state parks, but due to land ownership exchange, designation changes and size, the number fluctuates, which explains how she's visited more parks than exists today.

The hobby began as a family adventure, constantly squeezing trips into weekends, spring breaks and summers, but now retired, Rodgers frequents parks whenever she chooses.

“A lot of parks in the United States have a Park Host Program. You go and be a Park Host for a campsite. You have to put in 24 hours of work a week if you’re single, 30 hours of work a week if you’re a couple, and you do all sorts of fun things for the park. You get to live there and work with the staff,” said Rodgers. “I’ve actually gone to live in a number of state parks for a month at a time.”

When asked why she would spend so long there, her response was that someone could visit a park and go sit at the pool or they can “go out on this trail and see a waterfall or see a pond with fish and watch the deer or come out of your tent in the morning [and see] armadillos roaming around.”

Her love for the park isn’t purely recreational. Rodgers has spent several years working with both Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts — first with her children, then as a scout leader, a venture crew advisor and a sea scout skipper's mate — volunteering, building trails and more.

“I love being outdoors, camping and hiking. I learned my skills through scouting,” said Rodgers. “I started off with my children and ended up with everybody else’s child. The whole drive behind boy scouting is that the outdoors is your classroom. You learn leadership, management, problem solving, skills and self-reliance all outside.”

It’s evident, with her smile, laughter and bright eyes, that Rodgers has found a safe space in hiking through forests, kayaking on rivers and spotting deer.

“There’s a peacefulness. There’s a self-reliance that’s fun,” she said.

Contributed Photo
Rodgers smiles next to Devil’s Sinkhole which is the final stop on her expedition to finish visiting every state park.[/caption]

Her experiences with the Boy Scouts are among some of her most precious memories.

“Our challenge with scouts and Enchanted Rock was ‘never come down off the rock the same way twice.’ We’d go up and there’s a couple of big rocks up there, big monoliths, and following these teenagers — I always worked with older scouts — down off that rock, if you didn’t come home with somebody in your group having their pants ripped to shreds, you didn’t do it right,” gleamed Rodgers. “We’d scramble and leap and jump and there’s a cave up there on the rock, which is always interesting to go through. That’s a rock climb through the dark and don’t get claustrophobic! You’ll go crazy.”

She also mentioned a time when she shared a bathroom sink with a tarantula while brushing her teeth, “They’re harmless. They’re just creepy, but I had to get over that.”

Rodgers, after stating that this question was like asking who her favorite child was, listed that her favorite parks depends on what she wants to do: Enchanted Rock for rock climbing, the views and adventure; Bastrop State Park for running through the woods, camping and history; Pedernales Falls for swimming in the river and picnicking; Fort Davis for trails, the animals and proximity to the McDonald Observatory; and Palo Duro Canyon for the history and to stargaze.

In all her love for state parks, she often sees the pollution and the effect of climate change and population. The phrase “loving our parks to death” is due to an increase in population and visitors literally trampling parks to death due to overcapacity.

“I always kayak with a trash bag. The littering is rough to see. It really bothers me,” said Rodgers. “[Climate change] is tough, it’s a lot more rain. It affects your campfires.”

She does her part in helping to keep the parks clean by practicing and teaching the seven principles of Leave No Trace. According to Leave No Trace, individuals should plan ahead and prepare, travel and camp on durable surfaces, dispose of waste properly, leave what they find, minimize campfire impact, respect wildlife and be considerate of others.

“That’s a way to preserve [parks] for future generations. If you’re going to start getting [on the trails] more, look it up,” said Rodgers.

Rodgers hopes to continue to visit more state parks as Texas adds them to the list. For now, she is focused on visiting every paddling — canoeing and kayaking — trails in the state.

As an avid nature lover, Rodgers would encourage others to visit to learn more information on the state parks and visit them to see the beauty — “It’s a great way to get to know the area and they’re affordable and unique.”