Pam LeBlanc

Austin

Adventure and Travel Writer and Blogger at Freelance

Blogger at Pam LeBlanc Adventures

Freelance adventure and travel writer, fitness junkie, swim freak

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Articles

The Best Hiking Boots for Women in 2025

2 weeks ago | gearjunkie.com | Miya Tsudome |Chris Kassar |Morgan Tilton |Pam LeBlanc

From steep climbs to scenic strolls, the best hiking boots keep you moving with confidence and ease. Lucky for you, we’ve been testing the best hiking boots for women for years to bring you our favorites. Since 2021, we logged hundreds of miles across the rugged terrain of Torres del Paine, the steeps of the Tetons, the gentler hills of Virginia, and everything in between to test over 45 different pairs of hiking boots for women.
Sleeping in the Wild

2 weeks ago | tpwmagazine.com | Pam LeBlanc

June 2025 Issue If you've ever sweated your way through the night, zipped inside a sleeping bag that feels like a straitjacket, you know the importance of selecting the right camping gear for the conditions. And in Texas, we've got some pretty extreme conditions. Summers sizzle, plants seem determined to inflict damage, and sharp rocks, annoying insects and other critters all factor into what I pack when I head outdoors.
Watch the bats emerge at Bamberger Ranch Preserve

2 weeks ago | austintravels.com | Pam LeBlanc

People laughed back in the 1990s, when land conservationist J. David Bamberger, one of the co-founders of Church’s Fried Chicken, decided to build a bat cave on his ranch near Johnson City. The bats, they said, would never come. But Bamberger, now a spry and enthusiastic 97, remained optimistic.
TPWD to Launch New Podcast

3 weeks ago | tpwmagazine.com | Pam LeBlanc

Better Outside, a new Texas Parks and Wildlife podcast brought to you by Whole Earth Provision Co., will launch its first season in late May with programs on a variety of topics such as paddling the Devils River, a trail across Texas and a feral hog bounty program.
For Hard-to-Remove Unwanted Plants, Goats May be the Greatest of All Time

1 month ago | texascooppower.com | Pam LeBlanc

But not just any goat can make the Rent-A-Ruminant team. Only quiet goats that don’t pester people for food can become part of the traveling work crew, Carolyn says. Sometimes, onlookers set up chairs to watch the goats in action. That’s fine with the Carrs, as long as the humans don’t distract the animals by feeding or petting them. “They have a job to do, and this is not a petting zoo,” Carolyn says.
The 1,550-Mile XTX Trail Is Texas's Version of the Pacific Crest

1 month ago | cntraveler.com | Pam LeBlanc

Pam LeBlancJournalist Pam LeBlanc spent 21 years covering fitness and adventure at the Austin American-Statesman. Today she's on the loose as a freelance writer, covering adventure and travel around the globe. When she’s not writing, you’ll find her backpacking, paddling, skiing, swimming or scuba diving. In addition to Condé Nast Traveler, her work has appeared in Texas Monthly, The Nature Conservancy Magazine, Gear Junkie, AARP Magazine, Southern Living, and Texas Parks and Wildlife Magazine.
The 1,550-Mile XTX Trail Is Texas's Version of the Pacific Crest

1 month ago | yahoo.com | Pam LeBlanc

Pam LeBlancMud slurps at my shoes as I slog along the banks of the Rio Grande, deep in the heart of Santa Elena Canyon at Big Bend National Park. In front of me, Charlie Gandy, founder of the Cross Texas Trail, plunges into a dense thicket of reeds. Soon, we are scrambling over gravel bars and sloshing through knee-deep pools of water. Around us, sheer rock walls close in like curtains on a stage.
The 1,550-Mile XTX Trail Is Texas's Version of the Pacific Crest

1 month ago | flipboard.com | Pam LeBlanc

Most people probably think of San Antonio as the “home of the Alamo,” and while the city may be the birthplace of a certain Texan imaginary, it’s …
City launches free Zilker Park shuttle

1 month ago | austintravels.com | Pam LeBlanc

I’d rather ride my bike to Barton Springs Pool than fight the traffic and fork over $3 an hour to park my car there. Not everyone can make that work, though. That’s why I’m happy to report that the city is launching a free shuttle that will loop between the parking area on Stratford Drive and three locations inside the park. Read more: Cool summer staysThe free Zilker Loop will make stops at the Stratford parking lot, the Zilker playground, Barton Springs Pool and the Polo Fields parking area.
This Private West Texas Ranch, Just Saved From Development, Is About to Be Public Land

1 month ago | texasmonthly.com | Pam LeBlanc

If you’ve done a multiday rafting trip on the Rio Grande downstream of Boquillas in the Big Bend region, you probably lugged your boat off the river on a small sandy beach at Heath Canyon Ranch. If you’ve paddled the Lower Canyons, you likely launched from the same remote spot in the desert.