Photo: Balmorhea Springs Pool

On a recent road trip, my girlfriend and I stopped to camp at Balmorhea State Park in West Texas. We knew little about the park, only that it was on our way to New Mexico and had a funny name. Imagine our joy at finding this when we arrived - the "world's largest" spring fed swimming pool. It's almost 2 acres in size, 25 feet deep, filled with catfish and turtles and ringed by views of the Davis mountains. And the water temperature is always 74 degrees, just right for swimming on this sunny (and delightfully deserted) February day.