I spent a year and a half serving a mission for my church in Seattle, Washington. When people asked where I was from, I would describe West Texas as a land of nothing but dirt and oil rigs. If you have driven through West Texas than you know, it ain’t pretty. Once in a while though West Texas will surprise you and normally that is in the form of a state park! So if you want to see the real beauty in the desert, you HAVE to visit the West Texas State Parks.
How many State Parks are in West Texas?
There are 12 state parks in total in the West Texas region and 1 State Historic Site. West Texas boundaries go from the tip in El Paso as far east as Brownwood, it borders the hill country area. It loops down through Big Bend and over to Junction. The farthest north it goes is Lubbock and Plainview, any farther north and you are in the pan handle area/north Texas.
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What are the West Texas State Parks?
- Franklin Mountains State Park
- Hueco Tanks State Park & Historic Site
- Balmorhea State Park
- Davis Mountains State Park
- Fort Leaton State Historic Site
- Big Bend Ranch State Park
- Monahans Sandhills State Park
- Big Spring State Park
- Lake Colorado City State Park
- Abilene State Park
- San Angelo State Park
- Lake Brownwood State Park
- South Llano River State Park
Why you will love these West Texas State Parks
Balmorhea State Park
Welcome to the best gem that West Texas has to offer! That’s saying a lot too cause West Texas also has the national parks in it, Guadalupe National Park and Big Bend National Park. Balmorhea is the world’s largest spring-fed swimming pool. This is literally an oasis in the middle of nowhere.
This unique pool is home to tons of fish and turtles and you swim with them! You literally are surrounded by fish! The water is so crystal clear and just absolutely gorgeous!
One of the number one activities that people enjoy while visiting this park besides just swimming is snorkeling! The water is so clear and so filled with fish and turtles that you will love snorkeling here! To truly have the best experience here, bring your flippers, goggles, and snorkel!
Another unique activity offered, scuba diving! Bet you never thought of scuba diving in the middle of West Texas desert. $5 and either an instructor or a certified diver buddy is required to dive!
Other than the pool there are also plenty of campsites! Be aware that this oasis gets booked up fast so make sure you book at least 3 weeks to a month in advance if you are going in the summer or a weekend.
Admission: $7 daily, 12 and under FREE
Camping Cost: $20 a night
Hours: 8am-7:30pm or sunset (whichever comes first), pool is closed for a week once a year for cleaning usually the end of May
Location: 9207 TX-17, Toyahvale, TX 79786
Things You Will Need When Visiting Balmorhea State Park:
Sunscreen, snorkeling gear, underwater camera, floats, picnic, towel, swimsuit
Lake Colorado City State Park
One of the strangest things to me when I moved to Texas was the fact that most of the Texas State Parks do not have lakes. I lived in Colorado before moving to Texas and almost every state park in Colorado is a lake that you can swim in. So Lake Colorado City State Park felt more familiar to me than most of the other West Texas State Parks.
Obviously from the name you can tell that this state park is surrounded by a lake! You can swim in the lake, fish in the lake, paddleboard or kayak/canoe in the lake, and hike around the lake. Pretty much all the activities you can think of when it comes to a lake.
Camping is also available! My personal favorite activity is hiking though. There are 2 trails in this state park. There are 2 trails in Lake Colorado City State Park and they are both very easy hikes. The hikes will take you alongside the lake and just give you different viewpoints of the lake.
Another thing you will see throughout the hike is cactus! This state park is covered in cactus! Not only is there are lake of water, there is a lake of cactus! Just be sure you wear good hiking boots to protect your feet while hiking. Those cactus spines will go right through a regular shoe.
Admission: $4 adult, 12 and under FREE
Camping Cost: $22 with electricity (pull through), $20 with electricity, $15 with water
Hours: 6am-10pm
Location: Farm to Market 2836, Colorado City, TX 79512
Things you will need when visiting Lake Colorado City State Park:
Sunscreen, Swimsuit, beach towel, water shoes, hiking shoes
Monahans Sandhill State Park
This is the most unique state park in all of West Texas! This state park is nothing but sand dunes as far as the eye can see! What is so unique about this state park is that you can walk anywhere on the dunes! I mean there are a couple trails to hike, but you can pretty much go where ever you want!
This year, 2023, it has actually tied with being the most family friendly state park in Texas. (The other is Dinosaur Valley State Park). If you have kids, they will LOVE this park! For one they have sand to play in and what more could a kid need!? It also has dune boarding!!
Dune boarding is pretty much like sledding/snowboarding in the snow, but on sand! This state park does rent out sledding disc and wax to go down the dunes, but sadly they do not work that great. Any sort of weight on these discs causes you to sink into the sand, so you don’t slide very well.
Getting an actual dune board or a skim board will really help you get some speed on the dunes! Make sure you bring some wax too to help your board slide.
The other activities offered are equestrian trails, hiking, camping, volleyball!
Admission: $8 adult, 12 and under FREE, $6-$8 to rent a disc board, $1.25 rent wax
Camping Costs: $15 a night
Hours: 7am-10pm
Location: Exit 86, 2500 I-20, Monahans, TX 79756
Things you will need when visiting Monahans Sandhill State Park:
Dune board, wax, sunscreen, sand toys, sunglasses
Big Spring State Park
I am going to be honest, I am not a fan of Big Spring at all. I think it is actually a creepy, broken down town. When I found out there was a state park there I was super surprised, but pleasantly surprised.
This state park is a teeny little park, and doesn’t have much too it other than hiking. The hikes though are really nice. There are 2 hikes up the one and only hill in Big Spring. These hikes really show the best of West Texas. There are a ton of different types of cactus and desert plants throughout the hike. Both hikes lead to the top of the hill where you can overlook the town.
You might want a good pair of hiking boots. Whether to protect your feet from all the cactus, help you climb the rocky trail, or protect your feet from potential snake bites. This is rattlesnake territory after all.
Admission: FREE
Hours: 8am-sunset
Location: 1 State Park Rd 8, Big Spring, TX 79720
Things you will need when visiting Big Spring State Park:
Hiking boots, sunscreen, rattlesnake bite kit
San Angelo State Park
Fishing, camping, hiking, and Buffalo! That’s right San Angelo State Park has not only buffalo, but also longhorns! Seeing the buffalo is definitely the highlight of this desert state park. They even had some calves and they were adorable!
Unfortunately a couple years ago San Angelo State Park experienced a fire, so as for looks this is not the most beautiful state park due to the burn damage. There are lots of crispy fried cactus and mesquite trees around the park.
Despite the fried land, the hikes are still open! They may not be at their full beauty, but there is something cool about seeing land recover and plants grow amidst such a traumatic event. There is an upper park and a lower park both with trails. The lower park has the buffalo and the upper has the longhorns.
Admission: $4 daily, 12 and under are free
Camping Costs: $20 a night, $10 for tent only water sites
Hours: 8am-5pm
Location: 362 FM 2288, San Angelo, TX 76901
Things you will need when visiting San Angelo State Park:
Hiking boots, sunscreen, rattlesnake bite kit, fishing gear, fishing permit
Other Fun Things To Do In West Texas:
Go on a Painted Boot Hunt around Pecos, Texas
Hike around the ruins at Fort Phantom Hill in Abilene, Texas
Play at the Fredda Turners Children Museum in Midland, Texas
Take fun pictures with the art at the Pop Museum in San Angelo, Texas
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