Texas State Parks celebrate 100 years

By Jessica DomelMultimedia Reporter

This year marks a milestone for Texas State Parks-100 years of providing visitors a place where they can explore nature and Texas’ rich history.

“We invite all Texans to experience these precious public lands that truly belong to them,” Rodney Franklin, Texas State Parks director, said. “We hope this is the year every Texan visits at least one state park. We are going to take advantage of the excitement about the centennial to showcase everything our parks have to offer.”

Centennial celebration events kicked-off in January with first day hikes. According to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), nearly 8,000 participants traveled to one of the 83 participating state parks and hiked, biked and paddled a combined 17,190 miles.

Events continue this month with a special geocache challenge and hike to the dinosaur tracks Feb. 18 at Government Canyon State Natural Area, a career fair Feb. 18 at Ray Roberts Lake State Park and an interactive tour Feb. 18 at Huntsville State Park that allows visitors to experience a day in the life of a Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) enrollee who built the park in the late 1930s.

A list of upcoming events is available here.

State Parks staff are also looking to the future this year. They recently briefed the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission on plans for three new state parks and state natural areas.

Palo Pinto Mountains State Park in Strawn is under construction now and is expected to have a soft opening later this year.

The park is located 70 miles from Fort Worth and 70 miles from Abilene.

It is about 4,400 acres and includes a 90-acre lake, plateaus with vistas overlooking sheltered canyons, many native plants and a wide variety of wildlife.

“Tucker Lake will be one of the primary resources for recreation, fishing, paddle boating and other wildlife viewing opportunities,” Justin Fleury, lead park planner for Texas State Parks, said.

When open, the park will offer several camping options, multi-use trails for hikers, mountain bikers and horseback riders, opportunities for fishing, swimming and birding and playgrounds.

A full opening of the park is expected in 2024.

Texas State Parks also plans to open the Dan A. Hughes Unit at Devils River State Natural Area (SNA) in 2024.

“The property is about 20,000 acres on a pristine river, one of our most renowned sites for the natural resource,” Fleury said. “We’re pretty excited about that one.”

The Del Norte Unit, which is also part of the Devils River SNA, near Del Rio was acquired by the state in 1988. It’s about 13 miles upriver from the Dan A. Hughes Unit, which was acquired in 2010.

The SNA offers swimming, fishing, paddling, hiking and biking opportunities.

According to TPWD, the natural area also contains unique cultural and archeological resources, including Lower Pecos Style rock art. Evidence suggests that cultural influences from the west and east met at Devils River.

The Albert and Bessie Kronkosky State Natural Area is expected to open sometime in 2026, if all goes according to plan.

The SNA is located near Pipe Creek between San Antonio and Kerrville.

“That’s just under 4,000 acres, and it’s one of our most pristine sites that’s been protected over the last few decades for rare and endemic and natural resources,” Fleury said.

According to TPWD, several rare or endangered Hill Country species have been found on the property, including the golden-cheeked warbler, alligator lizard, sycamore-leaf snowbell, big-toothed maple, Boerne bean and Texas spring salamander.

The SNA, once open, will offers camping, backpacking, hiking and limited mountain biking.

Powderhorn State Park and Wildlife Management Area on the Gulf Coast is expected to open in 2029.

“To be clear, the Wildlife Management Area is already open and functioning. We’re talking about the state park portion. This is going to be a pretty unique property where we’re going to show off that divisional, cross-divisional collaboration, and the unique public use experience,” Fleury said. “It’s going to be a wildlife paradise for the resources that are there. We’re pretty excited to be opening that one.”

According to TPWD, Powderhorn Ranch is one of the largest remaining tracts of unspoiled coastal prairie in the state.

The WMA currently offers hunting and bird watching.

Each year, a unique fishing and hunting extravaganza at Powderhorn WMA is offered through the Big Time Texas Hunts drawing.

Chinati Mountains SNA in Far West Texas is projected to open in 2032.

“This is just west of Big Bend Ranch and is about 40,000 acres,” Fleury said. “Awesome mountain range. It really feels like you’re entering Big Bend National Park. The basin kind of surrounds you in mountains.”

According to TPWD, with a 4,400 foot elevation change, Chinati Mountains SNA has scenic and wild terrain. The park stretches from low desert to part way up Sierra Parda, the second highest peak in the Chinati Mountains. Sierra Parda and Chinati peaks are not in the park.

Ten species of bats, Nelson’s pocket mouse, white-tailed and mule deer, bobcats, mountain lions, birds and reptiles call the area home. The gray-checkered whiptail lizard is also found there.

Davis Hill State Park is projected to open in 2034, if all goes according to plan.

“Ironically enough, this is the property we’ve had the longest in our system, but it’s last on this list,” Fleury said. “One of the reasons for that, and an issue we look at with all of our properties, is what may prevent public access or legal restrictions that may restrict some public use.”

Davis Hill State Park was acquired by the state in 1983. It is approximately 1,700 acres of diverse wilderness about 40 miles northeast of downtown Houston.

If everything goes according to plan, Texas will have one new state park or state natural area every two to three years.

The opening of a new state park or SNA is a lengthy process. After TPWD acquires a property, a public use plan must be developed. The plan includes plans for facility development and programs for recreational use of a park.

“Generally speaking, a state natural area prioritizes resource protection and conservation, and has a smaller footprint than state parks,” Fleury said. “Though our general strategy in modern park planning, even our state parks have small footprints. Just relative to state parks, state natural areas have a conservation priority.”

The planning process also includes design, public comment and construction.

Fleury said these future state parks and state natural areas are all possible thanks to the sporting goods sales tax.

“We didn’t have money before, simply put, to make this possible. When that passed, it started us on this new era of opening future state parks and state natural areas,” Fleury said.

In Texas, a portion of state sales and use taxes imposed on sporting goods is allocated to TPWD and the Texas Historical Commission to protect natural areas, water quality and history by acquiring, managing and improving state and local parks and historic sites.

TPWD also relies on approval of funding requests by the Texas Legislature.