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
411 Elm St. Dallas, TX 75202 (214) 747-6660 Website
Tropical Trail Region
501 E Ringgold Street Brownsville, TX 78520 (956) 542-2064 Website
Pecos Trail Region
101 N. Sweeten Street Rocksprings Visitors Center Rocksprings, TX 78880 (830) 683-2287 Website
Lakes Trail Region
1629 Park Rd 59 Glen Rose, TX 76043 (254) 897-4588 Website
Hill Country Trail Region
833 Dixie Dude Ranch Road off of RR1077 Bandera, TX 78003 830-795-7771 or 800-375-9255 Website
Hill Country Trail Region
15890 Hwy 16 S San Antonio, TX 78264 210-207-3000 or 210-207-3111 Website
Forest Trail Region
NW 1017 County Road Mount Vernon, TX 75457 (903) 537-4365 Website
Forest Trail Region
1601 Patterson Road Athens, TX 75751 (903) 675-5630 Website
Pecos Trail Region
500 City Hill Road Sonora, TX 76950 (325) 387-2615 Website
Mountain Trail Region
4301 Transmountain Road El Paso, TX 79924 (915) 755-4332 Website
Lakes Trail Region
2335 Sandy Lake Road Carrollton, TX 75006 (972) 466-3080 Website
Hill Country Trail Region
16710 Ranch Rd 965 Fredericksburg, TX 78624 (830) 685-3636 Website
Tropical Trail Region
146 Park Road 46 Falcon Heights, TX 78545 (956) 848-5327 Website
Lakes Trail Region
2540 Farmers Branch Lane Farmers Branch, TX 75234 (972) 406-0184 Website
Independence Trail Region
FBC Heritage Unlimited Museum 630 Charlie Roberts Lane Bates Allen Park Kendleton, TX 77451 (979) 531-8694 Website
Forest Trail Region
201 S. Kaufman Street Mount Vernon, TX 75457 (903) 537-7012 Website
Independence Trail Region
910 N Park Brenham, TX 77833 (979) 337-7250 Website
Lakes Trail Region
600 W. Campbell Road Garland, TX 75044 (972) 205-2765 Website
Lakes Trail Region
1424 Barnes Bridge Rd Mesquite, TX 75150 (972) 216-6468 Website
Forest Trail Region
East 6th and Lone Oak Streets 2 blocks east of town square Rusk, TX 75785
Independence Trail Region
1704 S. Main St. Anahuac, TX 77514 (409) 267-2718 Website
Brazos Trail Region
4994 Hwy 75 South Centerville, TX 75833 (903) 344-1116 Website
Tropical Trail Region
80 Fort Brown UT-Brownsville and Texas Southmost College Brownsville, TX 78520 (956) 541-5560 Website
Forts Trail Region
630 S. Oakes St. San Angelo, TX 76903 (325) 481-2646 Website
Mountain Trail Region
101 Lt. Henry Flipper Drive Fort Davis, TX 79734 (432) 426-3224 Website
Forts Trail Region
1701 N. US Hwy 283 Albany, TX 76430 (325) 762-3592 Website
Tropical Trail Region
West End Washington Street at Laredo Community College Laredo, TX 78040 (956) 721-5140 Website
Forts Trail Region
228 State Park Road 61 Jacksboro, TX 76458 (940) 567-3506 Website
Hill Country Trail Region
Fort Sam Houston San Antonio, TX 78234 (210) 221-6358 Website
Lakes Trail Region
1502 Commerce St Fort Worth, TX 76102 (817) 392-7111 Website
Lakes Trail Region
2155 CR 2008 Glen Rose, TX 76043 (254) 897-2960 Website
Forest Trail Region
18551 State Hwy. 7 East Ratcliff, TX 75858 (936) 655-2299 Website
Lakes Trail Region
1000 W. California Street Gainesville, TX 76240 (940) 668-4539 Website
Mountain Trail Region
1331 McKelligon Canyon Rd El Paso, TX 79930 (915) 566-6441 Website