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
5550 Jimmy Simmons Blvd. Beaumont, Texas 77710 (409) 880-1750 Website
Forest Trail Region
1300 Riley Fuzzel Road Spring, TX 77386 (281) 364-4225 Website
Lakes Trail Region
3921 Martin Luther King Blvd Dallas, TX 75210 (469) 945-FAIR Website
Independence Trail Region
Park Road 38 San Felipe, TX 77473 (979) 885-3613 Website
Hill Country Trail Region
Roughly bounded by Interstate 35, Robert T. Martinez Jr. Street, East 7th Street, and the Colorado River Austin, TX 78702 Website
Lakes Trail Region
3601 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd Dallas, TX 75210 (214) 428-7476 Website
Forest Trail Region
14078 State Hwy 110N Tyler, TX 75704 (903) 882-8696 Website
Independence Trail Region
Pier 21, Number 8 Galveston, TX 77550 (409) 763-1877 Website
Brazos Trail Region
1108 S University Parks Drive Waco , TX 76706 (254) 756-1633 Website
Tropical Trail Region
2710 North Shoreline Blvd. Corpus Christi, TX 78403 361-881-1230 or 800-477-4853 Website
Hill Country Trail Region
1400 Congress Avenue Austin, TX 78711 512-463-0063 or 512-305-8402 (group tours) Website
Independence Trail Region
225 Whites Memorial Park Dr. Anahuac, TX 77597 (409) 267-8363 Website
Hill Country Trail Region
810 FM 470 Bandera, TX 78003 830-796-3628 or 888-567-3049 Website
Forest Trail Region
420 Rose Park Dr. Tyler, TX 75702 (903) 531-1212 Website
Lakes Trail Region
213 McKinney Street Farmersville, TX 75442 (972) 784-6846 Website
Tropical Trail Region
750 Channel View Drive Port Aransas, TX 78373 (361) 749-6711 Website
Tropical Trail Region
2914 North Shoreline Blvd. Corpus Christi, TX 78403 800-523-9539 or 361-888-4873 Website
Hill Country Trail Region
443 Waterway Lane Burnet, TX 78611 800-474-8374 or 512-756-6986 or 800-728-8735 Website
Hill Country Trail Region
112 West Main Fredericksburg, TX 78624 (830) 990-8441 Website
Forest Trail Region
8854 Park Rd. 74 Lumberton, TX 77657 (409) 755-7322 Website
Brazos Trail Region
6220 Steinbeck Bend Road Waco, TX 76708 (254) 750-7946 Website
Hill Country Trail Region
Hwy 16 South Kerrville, TX 78028
Plains Trail Region
2301 North Soncy Road Amarillo, TX 79159 (806) 352-6007 Website
Hill Country Trail Region
Marble Falls Visitor Center 100 Ave G Marble Falls, TX 78654 (830) 693-4449 Website
Hill Country Trail Region
1000 Prospect Street San Marcos, TX 78666 (512) 392-3760 Website
Plains Trail Region
2601 Dumas Dr. Amarillo, TX 79107 (800) 383-4712 Website
Tropical Trail Region
2800 S. Bentsen Palm Drive (FM 2062) Mission, TX 78574 (956) 584-9156 Website
Tropical Trail Region
714 Raul Longoria Edinburg, TX 78540 (956) 381-9922 Website
Tropical Trail Region
1001 S. Loop 499 Harlingen, TX 78550 (956) 427-8873 Website
Tropical Trail Region
600 Sunset Drive McAllen, TX 78503 (956) 681-3370 Website
Tropical Trail Region
1000 New Carmen Ave Brownsville, TX 78521 (956) 350-2920 Website
Tropical Trail Region
610 N. Portscheller Street Roma, TX 78584 (956) 849-4930 Website
Hill Country Trail Region
1736 Y.O. Ranch Road Mountain Home, TX 78058 877-967-2624 or 830-640-3222 Website
Independence Trail Region
1170 S. Laurel Luling, TX 78648 (830) 875-5515 Website
Hill Country Trail Region
2220 Barton Springs Austin, TX 78746 (512) 477-8672 Website