Big Thicket National Preserve
Your first stop at Big Thicket National Preserve should be the visitor center where the staff will assist with orientation to the many units of the Preserve and the surrounding region. In…
Although over 96% of Texas remains in private hands, we still have an amazing network of open spaces accessible to all Texans.
That’s not only good for citizens, it also benefits our significant wildlife population whose management comes under the stewardship of the state’s Parks & Wildlife Department. State and federal regulations have helped us protect a number of endangered species including golden eagles, black bears, and sea turtles. Even our own white-tailed deer population, devastated by uncontrolled hunting in the first decade of the 20th century, is now a robust (and important economic) resource thanks to state wildlife management. Together with our national parks and forests, our wildlife refuges, our national seashore, and our state-managed lands, Texans have dozens of natural environments available for birding, hiking, fishing, camping, hunting, and wildlife watching. Our natural world provides more than just outdoor recreational opportunities and places to swim, camp, and hike. Connecting with the outdoors offers health benefits, both physical and emotional, providing an opportunity to sideline the pressures of jobs, family, and finances for a while and restore that important sense of peace, relaxation, and well-being.
Find more ways to experience Texas' scenic grandeur by visiting our Texas State Parks.
Texas has an abundance of scenic beauty. From the dense pine forests of East Texas to the high desert in the west. From beaches to canyons, you really can experience an incredible variety in terrain and scenic views. One of the best ways to experience the outdoors in Texas is by visiting one of our National Parks, National Natural Areas, or National Recreation Areas, so lace up those hiking boots and get outside.
Your first stop at Big Thicket National Preserve should be the visitor center where the staff will assist with orientation to the many units of the Preserve and the surrounding region. In…
Cave Without A Name is one of nature's magnificent masterpieces, the underground contains six cavernous rooms filled with enormous clusters of stalactites and stalagmites, delicate soda straws, rimstone dams, and unique flowstone…
Enchanted Rock was designated a National Natural Landmark in 1970 and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. The Rock is a huge, pink granite exfoliation dome, that…
Longhorn Cavern State Park is a scenic park in the rugged Hill Country. The state park opened on Thanksgiving Day in 1932 and was dedicated as a natural landmark in 1971. In…
Visitors enjoy picnicking, camping, backpacking, sightseeing, hiking, photography, bird watching, fishing, swimming and nature study. People should stay on designated trails, because maples have a shallow root system, and soil compaction from…
SPELUNKERS’ SPECIAL Flowstones, stalactites, chandeliers, stalagmites, and soda straws are all terms for the formations you’ll see in one of the most stunning show caves in Texas. Natural Bridge Caverns, located between…
Dinosaur Valley State Park, located just northwest of Glen Rose in Somervell County, is a 1524.72-acre, scenic park set astride the Paluxy River. The land for the park was acquired from private…
The “big bend” region of Texas, named for a horseshoe curve where the Rio Grande River carves canyons into the mountains along the border of the far southwestern portion of the state…
Established by Congress in 1972, Guadalupe Mountains National Park lies along the northern edge of the state’s “boot heel”, sharing a border with New Mexico. The park’s rugged beauty, comprised of a…
Excellent setting for water sports & protects some of the world's best examples of prehistoric American Indian art and artifacts. Camping, wildlife and birds! Area information available. The National Park Service oversees…
BEAUTY UNDERGROUND Co-founder of the National Speleological Society Bill Stephenson once said of the stunning environment found in the Caverns of Sonora that “…its beauty cannot be exaggerated, even by Texans”. It’s…
BAT SPECTACULAR The Devil’s Sinkhole, located a few miles northeast of Rocksprings along State Highway 377, is a National Natural Landmark and believed to be the largest known single-room cave in the…
IT CAME FROM OUTERSPACE The Odessa Meteor Crater, location of a catastrophic mash-up from space, offers an interpretive center full of science fact alongside a giant hole in the ground that may…
Contrasting spectacularly with its surroundings on the dry windswept Llano Estacado, Lake Meredith is truly one of the gems of the region. The Canadian river has cut and re-cut 200 foot canyons…
Established in 1935, Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge is the oldest National Wildlife Refuge in Texas. The refuge includes several intermittent salinas, or salt lakes, some of which have been modified to extend…
WHERE THE CLIFF SINGS AND THE CANYONS DANCE Palo Duro Canyon, considered the “Grand Canyon of Texas” for its geological variation and rich color, is 120 miles long and 800 feet deep…
The Longest Stretch of Undeveloped Barrier Island in the World Padre Island National Seashore is a barrier island separating the Gulf of Mexico from the Laguna Madre. The park protects 66 miles…
Lakes Trail Region
6900 Smoky Hill Court Granbury, TX 76049 (817) 326-6005 Website
Forest Trail Region
571 State Park Rd 56 Livingston, TX 77351 (936) 563-1100 Website
Hill Country Trail Region
300 Alamo Plaza San Antonio, TX 78205 (210) 225-1391 Website
Forest Trail Region
111 Walnut Bridge Rd. Zavalla, TX 75986 (936) 897-1068 Website
Plains Trail Region
37084 Alibates Rd Fritch, TX 79036 (806) 857-3151 Website
Lakes Trail Region
201 E. Exchange Parkway Allen, TX 75002 (214) 509-4670 Website
Plains Trail Region
1400 Streit Drive Amarillo, TX 79106 (806) 352-6513 Website
Pecos Trail Region
9685 Hwy 90 West Del Rio, TX 78840 (830) 775-7491 Website
Forest Trail Region
111 Walnut Bridge Rd Zavalla, TX 75980 (936) 897-1068 Website
Independence Trail Region
10000 Farm-to-Market 50 Brenham, TX 77833 979-836-5548 or 800-441-0002 Website
Independence Trail Region
1 Wildlife Circle South of Austwell on Hwy 2040 Austwell, TX 77950 (361) 286-3559 Website
Lakes Trail Region
6701 West Parker Road Plano, TX 75075 (972) 941-7250 Website
Forest Trail Region
500 North Murchison Street Athens, TX 75751 (903) 675-5762 Website
Hill Country Trail Region
24518 FM 1431 Marble Falls, TX 78645 (512) 339-9432
Pecos Trail Region
9207 Hwy 17 South Toyahvale, TX 79786 (432) 375-2370 Website
Forest Trail Region
6284 State Highway 155 N. Gilmer, TX 75644 903-738-0002 or 903-797-4066 Website
Mountain Trail Region
HC 70, P.O. Box 375 Terlingua, TX 79852 (432) 424-3327 Website
Independence Trail Region
6003 Memorial Drive at Westcott Street Houston, TX 77007 (713) 639-7750 Website
Mountain Trail Region
Hwy 385 Big Bend National Park, TX 79834 (432) 477-2251 Website
Mountain Trail Region
1900 Sauceda Ranch Rd Presidio, TX 79845 (432) 358-4444 Website
Forest Trail Region
3800 FM 2025 Approximately six miles west of Shepherd, and a parking lot is conveniently located off FS 217. Coldspring, TX 77331 (936) 653-3448 Website
Forest Trail Region
1670 FM 488 Streetman, TX 75859 (903) 928-2251 Website
Plains Trail Region
No. 1 Scenic Drive Big Spring, TX 79720 (432) 263-4931 Website
Forest Trail Region
6102 FM 420 Kountze, TX 77625 409-951-6700 or 409-951-6800 Website
Hill Country Trail Region
300 Pecan Blanco Town Square Blanco, TX 78606 (830) 833-4525 Website
Hill Country Trail Region
101 Park Road 23 Blanco, TX 78606 (830) 833-4333 Website
Forest Trail Region
601 W Division Orange, TX 77630 (409) 883-1011 Website
Lakes Trail Region
1700 University Drive Fort Worth, TX 76107 (817) 332-4441 Website
Hill Country Trail Region
3700 North St Marys San Antonio, TX 78212 (210) 207-7275 Website
Independence Trail Region
21901 FM 762 Needville, TX 77461 (979) 553-5101 Website
Hill Country Trail Region
333 North Park Street Uvalde, TX 78801 (830) 278-5018 Website
Brazos Trail Region
100 Park Road 1E Smithville, TX 78957 (512) 237-2241 Website
Plains Trail Region
U.S. 60 between Hereford and Canyon Texas Umbarger, TX 79091 (806) 499-3382 Website
Plains Trail Region
9999 High Meadow Road Lubbock, TX 79404 (806) 747-3353 Website
Forest Trail Region
2701 Procter Ave Port Arthur, TX 77642 (409) 982-9319 Website
Lakes Trail Region
300 South Main Street Paris, TX 75460 800-727-4789 or 903-784-2501 Website