Texas State Parks To Visit

Stayed here for a night while on the way to Caprock Canyons. I rented a Yurt for the night too, which was fun and highly recommended if you want to camp but not stay in a tent on the ground. The yurt has a good amount of amenities, including water, electricity, mini microwave/fridge combo, fold out sofa, double and twin bunks and nearby restroom/shower facilities.

As far as hiking goes, the main trail is the 3.5 mile Abilene Dam Road trail that goes across the dam and into a wooded area on the other side. You can hike or ride your bike on this trail. It was cold and windy when I visited, especially on top of the dam.

The bird blind needed some care taken to it however. There was no feed in it when I visited.

Did my first day 2021 hike here! The weather was chilly but beautiful and perfect for a hike. Wildfires in 2011 and in 2020 damages a good portion of the pines in the 'lost pines'. The 2011 wildfire still has charred remnants standing in parts of the park. The damage and subsequent healing is especially apparent at the scenic overlook.

The trails are well traveled and well kept with bridges across the creek that runs through the park. A lot of the trails use sand, so be aware of that. The hike I did was the Scenic overlook and the lost pines loop which I cut short at the Old Road bed.

This is a park more for swimmers than hikers. I met my parents up here to spend Easter Sunday and it was a wonderful day outside. I didn't venture much further than the RV campground, however.

The one fun story I have from here is a tenacious wren fledgling terrorized the campground. It decided I was a tree and climbed up me. We returned it to it's family but it continued to hope around, cheeping. It tried to help itself to a neighboring camper!

Highly recommended, extremely good park! Here, you will find the official bison herd of the state of Texas and they freely wander the park (there are gates around the campgrounds however) Be careful, they will stand in the road and stare at you.

The canyon itself is extremely beautiful and part of the same system as Palo Duro canyon. The red rock is streaked with white gypsum and it really is striking. There are plenty of trails for everyone of every skill level. I hiked the North Prong Spur and part of the Upper North Prong Trail. The trails also allow horses if you plan to go that route.

The campgrounds are well maintained. I stayed at Lake Theo which you can fish if you'd like to. I used the showers at Honey Flat, they were clean save for some of the red dirt from the canyon.

There used to be a bird blind but it unfortunately no longer maintained. Perhaps some donations may help?

Other fun tip: there's a prairie dog town right next to Honey Flat and they are hilarious and adorable.

This place is for the birds. In a good way. This is a favorite spot for birders in Texas as it offers a wide diversity of species and even hosts those passing through (recently there was a spotted bittern from south America).