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…
Hill Country Trail Region
4801 La Crosse Ave. Austin, TX 78739 (512) 232-0100 Website
Tropical Trail Region
22817 Ocelot Road Los Fresnos, TX 78566 (956) 748-3607 Website
Plains Trail Region
FM3519 Justiceburg, TX 79330 (806) 775-2673 Website
Lakes Trail Region
229 Park Road 63 Wichita Falls, TX 76310 (940) 528-2211 Website
Forest Trail Region
341 State Park Rd. 2117 Pittsburg, TX 75686 (903) 572-5531 Website
Forts Trail Region
200 State Highway Park Road 15 Brownwood, TX 76801 (325) 784-5223 Website
Tropical Trail Region
5102 Bob Bullock Loop Laredo, TX 78044 (956) 725-3826 Website
Plains Trail Region
4582 FM 2836 Colorado City, TX 79512 (325) 728-3931 Website
Tropical Trail Region
23194 Park Road 25 Mathis, TX 78368 (361) 547-2635 Website
Forest Trail Region
1220 South Bolton St. Jacksonville, TX 75766 (903) 586-3510 Website
Forest Trail Region
300 State Park Rd. 65 Livingston, TX 77351 (936) 365-2201 Website
Plains Trail Region
141 South Mackenzie Road Silverton, TX 79257 (806) 633-4335 Website
Plains Trail Region
419 East Broadway Fritch, TX 79036 (806) 857-3151 Website
Forts Trail Region
100 Park Road 71 Mineral Wells, TX 76067 (940) 328-1171 Website
Hill Country Trail Region
18216 Weiss Lane Pflugerville, TX 78660 (512) 990-6350 Website
Lakes Trail Region
10822 FM 2475 Wills Point, TX 75169 (903) 560-7123 Website
Lakes Trail Region
50 Park Road 20 Denison, TX 75020 580-564-2334 or 903-465-4990 Website
Brazos Trail Region
1752 Eichelberger Crossing Waco , TX 76633 (254) 848-9654 Website
Forest Trail Region
64 Clear Springs Park Texarkana, TX 75501 (903) 838-8781 Website
Plains Trail Region
One mile south of Lamesa on Hwy. 87 Los Ybañez, TX 79331 Website
Hill Country Trail Region
110 Golf Course Road Corner of Landa Park Drive and Golf Course Rd. New Braunfels, TX 78130 (830) 221-4350 Website
Tropical Trail Region
1200 Ross Avenue Port Aransas, TX 78373 (361) 749-4158 Website
Forest Trail Region
200 West Church Street Livingston, TX 77351 (936) 327-3656 Website
Independence Trail Region
2012 State Park Road Lockhart, TX 78644 (512) 398-3479 Website
Lakes Trail Region
2100 Log Cabin Village Lane Fort Worth, TX 76109 (817) 392-5881 Website
Forest Trail Region
104 I-45 North Conroe, TX 77301 (936) 522-3842 Website
Hill Country Trail Region
6211 Park Road 4 South Burnet, TX 78611 (512) 715-9000 Website
Hill Country Trail Region
37221 FM 187 Vanderpool, TX 78885 (830) 966-3413 Website
Plains Trail Region
2401 Landmark Drive Lubbock, TX 79415 (806) 742-1116 Website