Staying safe at the parks
We are continuing to follow COVID guidelines to keep parks open for you.
Parks have reduced the number of visitors to allow for social distancing and enhanced cleaning. As a result, we highly recommend that you make reservations for both day passes and overnight stays.
Make reservations online or by calling (512) 389-8900.
Read through our guidelines before your visit.
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Get your park pass here!
Start the new year with a plan to get outside more often (where life is better, as we like to say). You can do that in a cost-effective way: with a state parks pass.
Texas state parks passes allow unlimited entry to all 89 state parks for you and guests in your car. You also get discounted camping and park store purchases. Passes cost $70 and are good for one year.
Hike Pick: Nature Trail
Fairfield Lake State Park
You'll find views of scenery and wildlife on the easy Nature Trail at Fairfield Lake State Park.
This trail meanders through a forest of oak, hickory, redbud and loblolly pine trees and along the reed-fringed lagoons of Fairfield Lake. Keep an eye on the shoreline to catch a glimpse of the river otters and beavers that live in the shallows. Look upward to spot the bald eagles that winter here.
The Nature Trail is a two-mile loop near the campgrounds. Water and restrooms are in the Post Oak Campground.
TPW Magazine: Park News
Bringing a park to life
A new chapter is unfolding in Palo Pinto County. For the first time in nearly two decades, a new state park is in development in North Texas.
The story of how Palo Pinto Mountains State Park came to be is many years in the making, with many characters and a complicated plotline. There’s even a subplot with a fatal shooting that ended with this very land changing hands.
The place itself is a well-rounded character with many pleasing attributes. Just 75 miles west of Fort Worth, the 4,800-acre site includes rolling hills, a beautiful creek and a quiet lake.
Thanks to Toyota for providing support for the mobile version of the Texas State Parks website.