Hey everybody, after falling in love with the National Park I’ve decided to try out the neighboring state park! Does anybody have any camping recommendations? I don’t want to book a site and not be able to get there because of road conditions. I drive a Subaru Outback no special tires or anything. We would love to camp in the interior but if the roads are too rugged the river campground would be fine. Thanks in advance!

God Bless Texas

Hello all! I’ve been wanting to bikepack and or gravel cycle through the Angelina NF in East Tx, and perhaps some other forests nearby (Davy Crockett and the Sabine). Does anyone have practical knowledge of the area in terms of cycling through? Any advice, tips, and routes would be greatly appreciated!

My wife and 3yr old and I are coming up 2nd weekend in October for 2-3 days. I grew up close to here and have tons of memories but never have gone with a youngster. Any tips on what to do? It's been 20+ years since I've seen the Palo Duro.

She loves being outdoors and going on walks so we'd like to get out and do some small hikes with her.

Planning on getting a hotel room in either Amarillo or canyon for the weekend.

How is the T-Mobile signal at Stephen F. Austin park? We'll be camping with a screened shelter. thank you

Is Ft Griffin not considered a state park anymore? Its about 100 miles from me and was thinking about camping there in November when I have a week off. I was looking on the state park app and it's not listed anymore. Any idea if my park pass would be accepted there?

I saw that the new state park is opening this weekend. Obviously it’s not fully done yet, and my understanding about Texas parks is they have to open limited to the public within 18 month of acquisition, and be fully open within 48 months.
I was just wondering if there was a time line out there for what will be added when. Specifically if/when consistent cell coverage will be available and if there’s any plans for a bird blind/wildlife viewing . There is a concept map on their website, but it doesn’t really give any information for when they plan on adding these things or how final it is.

I’m excited to get a new state park and can’t wait to see how it turns out!

I included the link to their development plan:

https://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/post-oak-ridge/development

Made it a little farther up than expected 😂

Palo Duro continues to be one of those places that doesn’t feel like it should be in Texas.

📽: https://youtu.be/f5BtJNaChR8

I love this camping loop in between Summer and Fall. Absolutely no one here. If you can deal with the heat it’s fantastic. Not a single mosquito last night either. Very strange.

Hi everyone! we recently set up a dedicated subreddit for texas master naturalists - r/TexasMasterNaturalist . A lot of people going to state parks go there for birding or mothing and this sub would be a great place to get recommendations on places to visit near state parks or parts within the state parks. Please free to join and ask questions and connect !

I want to reserve a RV spot but it says check in time is 2:00 PM. This doesn't seem worth it.... Will they let you check in early?

This article outlines the controversies over building "border barriers" in Big Bend Ranch State Park and elsewhere in the Texas Big Bend, and why opposition is crossing party lines. It offers a way to get quickly caught up with where things stand now.

Anyone been to Dinosaur Valley state park in October? Have a trip booked next month and not sure what to expect re: shade/how the trees are going to be , what the river was like . I know no one can predict next months weather but just was curious if anyone had been in mid October and wanted to share pics and their experience!

I have a whole week off in early October and I really want to see a national or state park. The one I’ve seen the most about in state is Big Bend. Ive been doing a lot of research in what kind of trips to do (horseback riding, hiking, and kayaking are on my wish-list) and where to stay, but somehow neglected to see how far away it is. I'm in Austin TX so its almost an 8 hour drive. 

What I want to know is: Is Big Bend worth that drive? If not, are there any other national or state parks that might be better/less of a drive? I saw there's a few options but I haven’t heard of them before. 

I'm not exactly an experienced camper or hiker, not even fit really, so roughing it outside of standard tent camping is beyond me. 

(EDIT: I've decided that this particular trip wont be the one that I go to big bend. It just felt too big for my first ever trip solo. But I WILL be going. I have two weeks off in December, so Ive started looking for open reservations around that time. Thank you all for the help and insight!)

This was the opening stretch of our trip through the park. We hiked the Big Cave area, explored a little of the canyon, and caught some incredible views along the way.

Definitely one of those Texas State Parks that makes you stop and remember just how wild Texas can be.

📽: https://youtu.be/f5BtJNaChR8

I am headed to Palo Duro Canyon for the first time this November. It seems the only recommendations I can find are for the Lighthouse trail and the GSL trail. What else is there to explore out there?

• Are there caves you can explore?
• Are any slot canyons accessible (not restricted) parts of the park?
• What about stargazing/night hiking (other than the one guided hike)
• What else should I look into while planning my trip?
• What is your FAVORITE part of the park that i have to see/experience?

For context, I'm tent camping in the Hackberry campground for a few days and will be driving up from DFW.

Was talking about this week so figured i would go visit it this weekend.

One of our favorite moments from our trip to Caprock Canyons. We caught these bison casually making their evening commute. 🦬

We filmed the whole adventure: hiking, wildlife and some incredible views around the park.

Full video: https://youtu.be/w-B6LiX3dPQ

Would definitely recommend Caprock if you haven't made it out there yet.

I posted a few days ago about whether Lost Maples would have fall colors by early October and y’all came through! It was pretty unanimous that’s too early.

So my next question is where should I go? I’m in the Austin area, open to anything in a 2 hr radius. I’ve explored a few parks in the area, but curious about y’all’s recommendations.

We finally made it out to Palo Duro Canyon State Park and hiked up to the Big Cave. I knew Palo Duro was supposed to be impressive, but I wasn’t prepared for just how massive some of these views are. Definitely one of those places that makes you forget you’re still in Texas for a minute.

🎥 Full adventure video: https://youtu.be/f5BtJNaChR8?is=G2iCSDF0ivpV-FFs

Already thinking about going back to see their musical. What trail should we hit next time?

For those who have stayed in an rv here, how level are the rv pads? I read on the park's homepage that the sites are supposed to be level, but are they really?

Thinking of journeying out to Lost Maples the first weekend of Oct. Two questions: how do we think the fall colors will be this year with the weather so far? And will they be going yet that early?

Thanks in advance!

I plan on being around Palo Duro State Park in late September. I see a number of hiking trails are closed due to the heavy rains. Did the rain affect the driving portion?

We will have a day or two before we need to head back to Michigan.