Lockhart State Park – Texas State Park 12/89

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The Deets

Lockhart State Park is located just outside Lockhart, TX, Billy’s hometown! It covers 263.6 acres and offers golfing, hike and bike trails, camping, fishing, and a swimming pool in the summer. They also have a fabulous gift shop! The cost of entry is $3 a day for adults and free for kids aged 12 and under (or completely free for everyone if using a Park Pass).

The History

Like most other Texas State Parks, this land was roamed and occupied by Native American tribes. Running right through the middle of the park is Clear Fork Creek, a solid water source that was sure to attract people to it. Things in the Lockhart area came to a head in 1840 with the Battle of Plum Creek. It took place a few miles from the park and effectively pushed the Comanche people northwestward. In the decades following the battle, small ranches popped up in the area of the park because of the water access and good soil.

In 1934, the land that is now the park was purchased from Henry Masur. CCC Company 3803 arrived in 1935, and construction began. Their contributions include the recreation hall (which was also the golf pro shop), the water tower, the park road, many bridges and check dams, picnic tables, and much more. When the park finally opened, it wasn’t fully to the public yet. A local country club leased the park to run the 9-hole golf course until 1948. After that, it was open to all as a state park.

Our Experience

It was interesting to visit Lockhart State Park because Billy had spent a large part of his childhood here. Many Boy Scout events and classes were held here for his troop, and he spent many summer days swimming in the pool. Funny enough, though, he’d not hiked any of the trails. We had gone to the park once when we first started dating (a good 10 years ago!) but didn’t explore the trails too much. We went down the stairs to a clearing near the recreation hall and we crossed the creek but didn’t go far. It was so great to finally bring this full circle!

It was bustling during our visit. We started hiking around 11:30 and saw a decent amount of people out on the trails. There were lots of families with small kids and plenty of folks out with their dogs. Everyone was friendly and shared the lane, and we didn’t have any trouble. By the time we left, the parking lot at the rec hall was full! It was New Year’s Day on a Friday, so I’m sure that added to the people out enjoying the sunshine.

The staff at the front were nice, and again, they have a great gift shop. There were so many great things to buy! The restrooms there were very clean also. The restrooms at the rec hall were locked, so we ended up back at the front entry to use those.

The Trails

For the most part, the trails here are pretty easy. There are some inclines/declines that are steep, but they aren’t rough terrain. The absolute hardest thing we faced out there was crossing the creek on the Clear Fork Trail. There is flowing water, the stones are wet, and good footing is hard to find. Luckily, you can start the trail at the other end if you don’t want to test fate by crossing the stones.

If you like plant information boards, you are in luck! I absolutely love them and I really enjoy learning about the plants that surround me. There are tons of information boards out on the Hilltop Trail, and they spill out onto the surrounding trails as well. It was great fun to read them all!

While we visited, there was also a reading walk on the Creekview Trail. Pages from a children’s storybook, it was The Gruffalo while we were there, are posted along the trail, and you read the book as you go. It is such a great idea and there were tons of families on this trail.

Some trails could definitely be better signposted, so keep that in mind. The CCC Trail and the Caddy Trail were the ones we struggled with. We got to where we needed to be, but I have no idea if we actually took the right path for the CCC trail!

Our Takeaway

Lockhart State Park has so much to offer and everyone can find something to do here. The golf course is the main draw, but there is so much else to do here. There is a great playground for the kids, and in the summer, the pool is full to bursting. You can also fish in the creek! We highly recommend visiting here. Plus, you can pop into Lockhart afterward for some killer barbeque! Of course, we’re a little biased to this one, but we think you’ll enjoy it nonetheless.

Prefer to see this park in action? Check out our vlog episode for Lockhart State Park!
Cheers,
Lydia and Billy