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…
Forest Trail Region
1869 Pine Island Rd Karnack, TX 75661 (903) 789-3384 Website
Forest Trail Region
2203 Martin Luther King Blvd. Tyler, TX 75702 (903) 593-0121 Website
Plains Trail Region
Hwy 60 north of Canadian Canadian, TX 79014 (806) 323-6234 Website
Hill Country Trail Region
16942 RR 2341 Burnet, TX 78611 (512) 334-2070 Website
Plains Trail Region
FM1065 Quitaque, TX 79255 (806) 455-1492 Website
Forest Trail Region
756 Pine Island Road Karnack, TX 75661 (903) 679-3020 Website
Forest Trail Region
Neches River Landing Downtown Beaumont Beaumont, TX 77701 (409) 651-5326 Website
Forest Trail Region
125 South College Tyler, TX 75702 (903) 592-5993 Website
Hill Country Trail Region
228 S. Laredo St. San Antonio, TX 78207 (210) 226-4801 Website
Hill Country Trail Region
226 Cascade Caverns Road Interstate 10 exit # 543 Boerne, TX 78015 (830) 755-8080 Website
Mountain Trail Region
Hwy 385 Big Bend National Park, TX 79834 (432) 477-2251 Website
Hill Country Trail Region
325 Kreutzberg Road Boerne, TX 78006 (830) 537-4212 Website
Pecos Trail Region
1711 PR 4468 Sonora, TX 76950 325-387-3105 or 325-387-6507 Website
Lakes Trail Region
1570 West FM 1382 Cedar Hill, TX 75104 (972) 291-3900 Website
Mountain Trail Region
610 W. University Ave. El Paso, TX 79968 (915) 747-5565 Website
Mountain Trail Region
800 South San Marcial Street El Paso, TX 79905 (915) 532-7273 Website
Pecos Trail Region
535 Independence Creek Road Dryden, TX 78851 (713) 703-6615 Website
Forest Trail Region
1200 CR 4405 Jacksonville, TX 75766 (903) 683-3322 Website
Mountain Trail Region
43901 State Highway 118 Fort Davis, TX 79734 (432) 364-2499 Website
Mountain Trail Region
1 Hot Springs Road Presidio, TX 79845 (432) 229-4165 Website
Mountain Trail Region
HCR 67, Box 44 33 miles south of Marfa Marfa, TX 79843 866-496-9460 or 432-229-3737 Website
Hill Country Trail Region
140 City Park Road Boerne, TX 78006 (830) 249-4616 Website
Lakes Trail Region
567 Maddux Road Weatherford, TX 76068 (940) 682-4856 Website
Forts Trail Region
6031 Colorado Park Road Bend, TX 76824 (325) 628-3240 Website
Brazos Trail Region
1739 FM 2705 Mexia, TX 76667 (254) 472-0959 Website
Lakes Trail Region
1690 FM 3505 South Sulphur Unit Sulphur Springs, TX 75482 (903) 395-3100 Website
Plains Trail Region
777 Park Road 62 Quanah, TX 79252 (940) 839-4331 Website
Forest Trail Region
455 Park Road 17 Daingerfield, TX 75638 (903) 645-2921 Website
Lakes Trail Region
8525 Garland Road Dallas, TX 75218 (214) 515-6615 Website
Mountain Trail Region
41042 State HWY 118 Fort Davis, TX 79734 (432) 426-2390 Website
Mountain Trail Region
16310 Park 3 Rd. Fort Davis, TX 79734 (432) 426-3337 Website
Forest Trail Region
18551 State Highway 7 East Kennard, TX 75847 (936) 655-2299 Website