Hundreds of visitors gathered on New Year’s Day for a first look at Texas’ newest state park, Palo Pinto Mountains State Park, ahead of its official opening later this year.
According to an article by The Texas Tribune, families and outdoor enthusiasts traveled from Austin, Dallas, Beaumont, and San Antonio to explore the nearly 4,871-acre site, which stretches across Palo Pinto and Stephens counties.
Park staff welcomed attendees with water bottles branded with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department logo and guided them on tours of the sprawling former ranchland.
New Year’s Day featured reserved group hikes, allowing visitors to experience the park’s trails and scenery before it opens to the general public.
Ranger Kate Fisher led the first hike along the one-mile Raptor Ridge Trail, guiding about 30 hikers, including sisters Christine Ledermann, 53, and Cheryl Keenan, 51. Christine said, “It takes us away from all the hustle and the bustle in the city.
We love nature so much, and it just means so much to us to be in that environment, just to hear the wind.” Her sister added, “We’ve been waiting forever,” noting she had been following park construction updates for three years.
Both said they have hiked Texas state parks together since childhood and wore matching park shirts for the occasion.
The park’s landscape is defined by a series of cuestas—gradual slopes that drop sharply on one side—rising nearly 1,400 feet and offering expansive views of canyons carved over millennia.
“I like to describe these as baby mountains,” said Fisher. The terrain is often compared to the Texas Hill Country but is unique due to its mix of rock formations and vegetation, including mixed-grass prairie, hardwood forests, and Ashe juniper.
Wildlife in the park includes white-tailed deer, bobcats, wild turkeys, and the endangered Golden-cheeked warbler, which Fisher described as “little engineers” for the way they build nests from tree bark.
Tucker Lake, a 90-acre reservoir originally built in 1937 to supply drinking water to Strawn, serves as the centerpiece for recreation at the park.
Once fully open, the lake will host fishing, paddling, swimming, birdwatching, and picnicking. The park will also feature roughly 60 campsites, including spaces for RVs, tent camping, and an equestrian campground.
The creation of Palo Pinto Mountains State Park was more than a decade in the making. Initial land purchases began in 2011 through a partnership between the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and The Nature Conservancy, followed by further acquisitions and funding approvals, including $12.5 million from the Texas Legislature and up to $9 million raised by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation.
Construction began in 2021 and has progressed despite COVID-era supply chain challenges, according to Park Superintendent James Adams, who confirmed the park is on track to open sometime in 2026.
The park’s scenic trails, lakeside activities, and dedicated RV and camping facilities make it a major new destination for outdoor recreation in North Texas, offering opportunities for family visits, adventure travel, and expanded access for RV campers.