Exploring the variety of Texas State Parks ⋆ Wherever You'll Go

May 03, 2023

Exploring the variety of Texas State Parks

I already spend a lot of time outdoors, but like many people during the pandemic, I was looking to spend more time in the state parks. Texas has 51 state parks, compared to its 2 National Parks. So, this was a good year to invest in a Texas State Park Pass and state exploring. Here’s a few of the stops I made.

Bastrop State Park – This is a small park super close to Austin, and the proximity makes for an easy camping weekend or day hike and keep this park quite busy. Many will remember it was ravaged by wildfires 10 years ago, and the burnt trees still standing are an important reminder. There are few miles of easy hiking trails and good paved trails for biking, or hook up with the neighboring Buescher Park for some hilly road cycling.

Palmetto State Park – This little park was a great day trip but camping is also available. You can SUP, they even have rentals, or enjoy hiking some easy flat trails through the Palmettos.

Goliad State Park – This historical park has short trails but is right on the San Antonio river, where you can camp, paddle and learn more about Cinco de Mayo. Spend time exploring the mission and the museum down the street. Even if you don’t hike or camp, it’s worth a stop for the beautiful mission.

Caddo Lake State Park – Close to the Louisiana border, this park was definitely worth the drive. We booked a shelter only because it was the last camp stop available, which was lucky when a thunderstorm rolled in the first night. I couldn’t believe it didn’t flood and wasn’t very muddy, and the shelter was just enough to keep up dry. And the bathrooms were clean. Make sure to SUP or paddle, weaving in and out of the spooky baldy cypress trees takes you to the river. There’s only about 2.2 miles of trails, but we spent most of the day on the water. For the scenery and water fun, this was an excellent road trip.

Inks Lake State Park – Another very popular park in the Texas hill country. On a calm day you can SUP, but it’s very hard on a windy day! Lots of people enjoy hiking and boating here, and there lots of shaded picnic tables for day or overnight use.

Palo Pinto Mountains State Park – I signed up for the Ultra Expeditions Hidden Hills Race specifically to check out this new state park that’s not yet open to the public. The race gave us a small glimpse of the park with fields of wildflowers galore and also a lot of mosquitos. The hills weren’t too bad, and there were good stretches of the 10k that were relatively flat. I can’t wait for the park to be open, but that will probably be a few years out.

Mustang Island State Park – The Padre Island National Seashore protects 70 miles of beach, in addition to that there are other protected areas. Indoor and outdoor showers, and covered picnic structures make beach days even better.

Aransas National Wildlife Refuge – We went for the whooping cranes, but got to see so much more wildlife than I expected. Deer, alligators, and a variety of birds like spoonbills can be seen from the trails or view points. Bonus – this park is near the oldest tree in Texas.

Lost Maples State Natural Area – I’d been wanting to go here for years, and even though I thought the timing was right the maples weren’t showing off just yet. This park is very popular for day or overnight camping. The primitive camp sites are an easy mile+, but some of the hikes that offer amazing views are very steep. I’m glad I finally went, but it wasn’t more amazing than many of the other parks.

Hill Country State Natural Area – I was here for a trail race and what most struck me was the trails I explored were all exposed. Which is something to consider in the summer, although my primitive campsite was shaded. Well marked trails and nice vistas, and close proximity to Bandera, but otherwise not a park I’d go out of my way to visit.

Guadalupe River State Park – An easy two hour drive from Austin, but definitely in a flight path, as we heard many planes passing overhead. Even though Guadalupe River State park is close, it was my first visit and definitely worth it. I’m sure with the easy river access, it’s a popular park in the summer. We rented a teardrop camper for the two night trip, and it was a lovely sunny couple of days. 70 degree high in February is perfect camping weather. Our camper had a bed and kitchen, so the clean and brand new bathrooms with private showers were very ideal. It was an easy 6 mile afternoon hike, although there were more miles of trails on the other side of the river you can drive to. The wildlife was pretty good – 3 does, more armadillos than I could count, one possum and lots of birds – although it wasn’t golden cheek warbler season yet.

What’s your favorite Texas State Park and why? The vastness of the state lends itself to a variety of parks, so get out there and enjoy!