In September of 2020, we made the genius choice to challenge ourselves with seeing every Texas State Park in one year. That was before we knew how many state parks Texas actually has. Turns out, it’s a lot. 89 to be exact. That means that we’ve got to average 7-8 parks a month. Can we do it?! We’re going to try! Here, you can find the basic details, history, and our experience of every state park we visit, including links to our vlog episode for each one. Let the adventure begin!
First State Park seen was on 4 October 2020. The countdown has started!
The Deets Palo Duro Canyon State Park is located a short 30-minute drive south of Amarillo, TX. It is known as Texas’ Grand Canyon and is the second-largest canyon in the country, being bested by the Grand Canyon itself. The park covers roughly 28,000 acres and offers an array of things to keep you busy. …
The Deets Big Spring State Park is located in Big Spring, TX. It covers nearly 382 acres and the main draw is the 3-mile scenic drive up to the top of the mountain and follows along the edge of the bluff. In addition to the scenic drive, there is a short nature trail and another …
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 …
The Deets Meridian State Park is located 50 miles northwest of Waco, TX, near Meridian, TX. It is a lovely park that surrounds Lake Meridian. While visiting, you can swim, fish, get out on the lake, camp, enjoy the wildlife, and hike more than 5 miles of trails. The cost of entry is $5 per …
The Deets Listed as a State Natural Area, not a State Park, Lost Maples is located near Vanderpool, TX. The nearest big city is San Antonio, TX, a drive of just under two hours to the east of Lost Maples. Lost Maples State Natural Area has quite a bit to offer, including over 10 miles …
The Deets Blanco State Park is located in the small town of Blanco, TX. It is about an hour west of Austin, TX, and an hour north of San Antonio, TX. The park is rather small, covering only a one-mile stretch of the Blanco River, which is the main attraction. The park offers two walking …
The Deets Old Tunnel State Park is located in Kendall County, just 20 minutes south of Fredericksburg and a little over an hour north of San Antonio. If you’re looking for a full day out, combining Old Tunnel and Fredericksburg is perfect. The park is a small one, only offering half a mile of walking …
The Deets Fort Parker State Park is located just outside of Mexia, TX (pronounced Muh-hay-uh) in Limestone County. It is roughly 45 minutes east of Waco, TX, and 1.5 hours south of Dallas, TX. The park covers 1458 acres, 700 of which comprise Fort Parker Lake. The park has a lot to offer, including camping, …
The Deets Mission Tejas State Park is located just over 20 miles outside Crockett, TX, a small town with its claim to fame being that Davy Crockett made camp there on his way to the Alamo. The park is roughly 2.5 hours east of Waco, TX, and 2.5 hours southeast of Dallas, TX. Nestled in …
If you missed our travel update (or didn’t know we had a YouTube channel at all), you can check it out here. The short story? We canceled our stay in Arkansas at the 1886 Crescent Hotel (covid, money, travel time, etc.), but we still wanted to do something during our week off of work. Somewhere …
