Abilene State Park – Texas State Park 8/89
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The Deets
Abilene State Park is a mere half-hour outside of Abilene, TX. The park has much to offer, including camping, a volleyball court, horseshoe pit, a basketball hoop, and a swimming pool for use during the summer months. Lake Abilene is available for swimming, fishing, boating (no-wake), and canoe/kayak rentals. You can also fish in Buffalo Wallow. In addition, you can also explore more than 5 miles of trails. Keep in mind that you’ve got to drive down the road a minute or two if you want to visit the lake. Admission into the park is $5 per adult and free for children 12 and under (or free for everyone if using a Park Pass.)
The History
The land used to be frequented by the Comanche people, especially the pecan grove where you can now picnic. Many, many years later, in 1933, the state acquired the land from the city of Abilene, and the park began. Comprised of nearly 530 acres, the park opened to the public on 10 May 1934.
The CCC companies that arrived to build the park were comprised of WWI veterans. They built the concessions building and pool, the water tower, and some of the picnic tables. A historical marker and a stone carved with the CCC company number 1823 sit in a grassy area of the pool parking lot.
Our Experience
In all, we really enjoyed our visit here. The park was tidy and well maintained (even if one of the roads was closed due to road work and we had to take the long way around to our campsite). The staff were incredibly nice as well and, it may not seem like much on paper, but there were heaters on in the bathrooms! When it’s 30°F outside and you have to pee in the middle of the night, that heater is a huge bonus!
We did notice A LOT of wild pig activity out there, so be careful if you intend to go on a night stroll or something. There were quite a few near the bathrooms when we went to brush our teeth around 10 PM, and they were pretty active around our campsite in the Pecan Grove area, even tearing into the neighbor’s trash and strewing it all over the place.
The Trails
Every trail we hiked (which was all of them except the Abilene Dam Road) was very easy and mild. One trail (the Eagle Trail) requires you to cross the creek on stepping stones, but that was the only bit that wasn’t easy flat ground. There was at least one set of stairs that I remember as well (on the Elm Creek Nature Trail).
The trails were very nice and quite beautiful. We went at a slow pace and finished all of the trails inside the main park in about an hour and a half. The amphitheater area was closed, so we didn’t look at it that much, just viewed it from the road. We also stopped at the bird blind for 10-15 minutes but didn’t see many birds. The building can be quite loud when entered, so step lightly when you go in. We scared off all of the birds that were there on accident.
Unfortunately, there was a hunt on in the lake area, so we couldn’t even drive in to look at the lake. We’re sorry that we can’t offer any advice or insight into that area of the park!
Our Takeaway
From what we got to experience, Abilene State Park is a quaint, beautiful park. I’d imagine it’s really hopping in the summer months when the pool is open. The trails were nice and well-maintained. The facilities were also clean and tidy. The staff members were INCREDIBLY nice! One of the ladies in the front gave me a booklet of all of the state parks in Texas, which I intend to use as a keepsake to mark all of the parks with the dates we visited. They were incredibly nice and a joy to talk to! In all, we really enjoyed our short visit!
Again, remember the pigs. We didn’t bother them so they didn’t bother us, but they can get aggressive. Keep an eye out and stay alert, and you’ll be fine.
Enjoy Abilene State Park if you get the chance to visit! We absolutely did.
Prefer to see the park in action? Check out our vlog here.
Cheers,
Lydia and Billy
