I'm sure there is none in east TX, but what would be the closest?

Basham wrote:I'm sure there is none in east TX, but what would be the closest?

You're correct, no "alpine" within several hundred miles of East Texas. All you have to do is look out the front door to confirm. However, if you want to trundle your way up to Colorado, you'll be rewarded.

I'd just drive to Houston and fly somewhere. With 2 major hub airports, you can get to all sorts of mountaineering cheaply. For example, Houston-Calgary is less than $300 roundtrip.

When I lived in Austin and Fort Worth, I spent a lot of time driving to New Mexico and Colorado for my mountain fix. I also spent time on flying aluminum tubes to get to more exotic destinations such as the Cascades, Swiss Alps, and Mexican Volcanoes.

Not alpine terrain, but if you have not been to the Wichita Mountains, they are well worth the trip. When I lived in Dallas, I was there all the time. Considering they were just a few hours away and offered granite mountains, wilderness and unbeatable wildlife, for that neck of the woods they are tough to beat. Moreover, I would say geologically and culturally, they are more related to the west and not the south so you can get a taste of western mountains without going all the way to the rockies or other like places.