There is no better time in Texas to hike with your dog than in fall and winter. The brisk weather makes dog and owner feel frisky and ready to explore. Pack a picnic lunch, a copy of “Best Hikes With Dogs: Texas Hill Country and Gulf Coast” and head for some of Texas’ favorite dog-hiking trails.

“Best Hikes With Dogs” is a guide to 55 dog-friendly hikes. It includes seven of LCRA’s “nearby getaways:” parks and recreation areas that the author, Austin-resident Melissa Gaskill, discovered in her research for the book.

“I hiked all the trails with my two dogs,” Gaskill said. “One of the things I appreciated about the LCRA properties is that at some of them you can just wander around. You don’t necessarily have to stick to a trail.”

The LCRA properties described in the book include developed parks and recreation areas from the Highland Lakes in the Hill Country to Matagorda Bay along the Gulf Coast:

• Canyon of the Eagles Nature Park on Lake Buchanan
• Pace Bend Park on Lake Travis (operated by Travis County)
• Arkansas Bend Park on Lake Travis (operated by Travis County)
• Grelle Recreation Area on Lake Travis
• Muleshoe Bend Recreation Area on Lake Travis
• McKinney Roughs Nature Park near Bastrop
• Matagorda Bay Nature Park on the Gulf Coast

You can buy the book for $16.95 at Barnes & Noble, REI and Whole Earth Provision Company stores. You can also go to www.mountaineersbooks.org to order the book online or call
1-800-553-4453. The Mountaineers Books is the nonprofit publishing program of The Mountaineers, a nonprofit outdoor activity and conservation club based in Seattle, Wash.

For more information about LCRA parks and recreation areas, visit www.lcra.org/parks.

Katie Renaud, and her dog-friend Shelley, take a walk in LCRA's South Shore Park on Lake Bastrop.