Check out highlights from Palo Pinto Mountains - Texas' newest state park
STRAWN – Roughly an hour west of one of the nation’s largest metropolitan areas, a vast landscape of nearly 4,900 undeveloped acres stretches along the Western Cross Timbers.
Its rolling hills, coupled with blooming prairies and picturesque waterways, support habitat for hundreds of Texas species ranging from towering oak trees and endemic flowers to wild turkey and limber coyotes.
With its fate under the guidance of state officials, the land stands as the first area to be established as a Texas state park this century, with the previous established 25 years ago.
The Palo Pinto Mountains State Park was initially slated for completion in 2023, albeit an ambitious goal, as a celebration of the Texas state park system’s centennial. Park officials now say the public should expect an opening date sometime this year, though construction could continue into 2025, halting the park’s opening until next year.
Last week, an employee of the park – who referred to herself as “Ranger Kate” – detailed some of the amenities the public could expect to see, mostly concentrated in a 140-acre area. Among them: 60 campsites, which includes 25 RV sites with water and electricity, 13 hiking primitive camping sites, 12 walk-in tent camping sites and 10 equestrian sites for those with horses.
“When I say hiking (to the primitive sites), it’s going to be probably about a mile and a half to two miles of hiking," she said. "The view from up there is absolutely gorgeous – and it’s an easy hike. But they’re completely primitive, so there’s no water or electric out there.”
There will also be more than 12.5 miles of multiuse trails for hiking, biking and equestrian use along with kayak and canoe rentals.
Overlooking a 1,400-foot peak, the pavilion, available for rent, will serve as a space for group activities with two fire pits, picnic tables and electricity, she said. Also in the plans for the park is a playscape for children.
In 2011, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department purchased the initial 3,300 acres of the property with the sale of an undeveloped 400-acre site on Eagle Mountain Lake, and the City of Strawn donated an additional 120 acres surrounding Tucker Lake.
A public-private partnership with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation, the official nonprofit partner of TPWD, with a commitment to leverage $21 million of public funds for development, has further propelled the park’s future, according to the organization’s website.
About five miles north of Interstate 20, and exactly 75 miles between each Abilene and Fort Worth, the park is easily accessible to much of the state with an estimate to eventually attract about 75,000 visitors annually.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Highlights from Palo Pinto Mountains Texas' newest state park
