As Texas State Parks ring in their 100th year, Palo Pinto Mountains State Park will open about 75 miles west of the Dallas-Fort Worth area in 2023.
Once developed, the Palo Pinto Mountains State Park will be nearly 5,000 acres of dedicated public land. The mountainous area was formerly a ranch. As a state park, it will offer hiking, camping, fishing, stargazing and other outdoor recreational activities.
Planned trails for the park will include a network of multipurpose paths and routes for hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding. Campsites are planned to include RV sites, walk-in tent sites, and rudimentary camping areas. Picnic areas and playgrounds will be established as gathering places for small and large groups.
Texas Parks & Wildlife Department purchased the initial 3,300 acres of this park in 2011. The land was bought with proceeds from the sale of the property on Eagle Mountain Lake, located north of Fort Worth.
The Palo Pinto Mountains were formed by erosion and uplift over eons. Presently, the area comprises plateaus overlooking sheltered canyons.
One early visitor, Pam LeBlanc, wrote of her trip to the Palo Pinto Mountains for Texas Monthly.
“These picturesque vistas look more like the Hill Country of Central Texas than the flatter expanse I’d expected,” said LeBlanc.
There are also some bodies of water in the new park, with the Palo Pinto Creek winding through its northern border.
However, the parkland’s major highlight is the 90-acre Tucker Lake, formed by a dam on Russel Creek. Tucker Lake will allow visitors to fish, boat, swim, and birdwatch. Motorboats will not be permitted.
The new park will offer plenty of green therapy since it is home to many native plants and wildlife.
Although the state park’s hills are about 1,400 feet in elevation, compared to Texas’s highest point Guadalupe Peak at 8,751 feet above sea level, the park still promises sweeping vistas and canyons for sightseers to visit later this year.
Between 75,000 and 100,000 people are expected to visit the park once it is open, a welcome opportunity for most of the 600 residents in the small town of Strawn — where the park’s entrance road will begin — to capitalize on the tourism.
Palo Pinto Mountains State Park will become the 90th park in the Texas state park system, which includes some of the most awe-inspiring terrains in the country.
James Adam, superintendent of Palo Pinto Mountains State Park, told The Dallas Express that it will be the first new state park for North Texans in a quarter century. He also lauded its qualities, referring to “majestic vistas, wild country, dark skies … [a] beautiful lake and creeks.”
“[It] will offer something for everyone. Whether you are a hiker, mountain biker, equestrian rider, angler, or paddler, we are building this park for you,” Adam said. “The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, and especially the team at Palo Pinto Mountains State Park, cannot wait to share the beauty and history of this area with our visitors.”
