Texas | State Parks

Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge (Anahuac)

The chorus of thousands of waterfowl, the splash of an alligator going for a swim, the rustle of wind moving through coastal prairie, the high-pitched call of a fulvous whistling duck are just some of the sound you may hear when visiting Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge. This 34, 000-acre haven for wildlife is located on the upper Texas gulf coast. The meandering bayous of Anahuac NWR cut through ancient floodplains creating expanses of coastal marsh and prairie bordering Galveston Bay.

Aransas National Wildlife Refuge (Austewell)

The bugle of an endangered whooping crane echoes across the far reaches of the marsh. Only at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge do North America's tallest birds find an enduring winter stronghold. Here, too, pelicans, herons, egrets, roseate spoonbills, ducks, and geese dine in brackish waters and salt marshes teeming with fishes, blue crabs, and clams. On shore, javelinas, bobcats and deer wander oak woodlands. Alligators peer from still waters of ponds and sloughs.

Attwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge (Eagle Lake)

Over a century ago, one million Attwater's prairie-chickens graced the Texas and Louisiana gulf coastal prairie. Each spring, males gathered to perform an elaborate courtship ritual. They inflated their yellow air sacs and emitted a strange, booming sound across a sea of grasses. Today, less than one percent of coastal prairies remain. With so little of its home left, the Attwater's prairie-chicken has come dangerously close to following the passenger pigeon to extinction.

Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge (Austin)

"I hear him over there!" Birdwatchers exclaim in hushed whispers as a black-capped vireo pops up from the shin oak thicket. Hidden within the observation deck, the visitors gaze through binoculars at their first sighting of the rare songbird only 20 feet away. Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge offers some of the best birdwatching and habitat left in Texas for two endangered songbirds - the black-capped vireo and the golden-cheeked warbler.

Big Boggy National Wildlife Refuge (Brazoria)

Big Boggy National Wildlife Refuge consists of flat coastal prairies, salt marshes, and two large saltwater lakes. Established to provide habitat for migratroy waterfowl and other bird species, Big Boggy includes Dressing Point Island in East Matagorda Bay, a major rookery for colonial nesting birds on the Texas coast. The refuge is the smallest in the Texas Midcoast Refuges Complex.

Grulla National Wildlife Refuge (Muleshoe)

Grulla National Wildlfie Refuge is located in Roosevelt County, New Mexico, near the small town of Arch, approximately 25 miles northwest of Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge. This 3, 236-acre refuge is managed by the staff at Muleshoe NWR. More than 2, 000 acres of the refuge is the saline lake bed of Salt Lake. When the lake holds sufficient water, Grulla NWR is a beneficial wintering area for lesser sandhill cranes.

Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge (Sherman)

Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge, a haven for migratory birds and other wildlife, lies on the Big Mineral Arm of Lake Texoma, on the Red River between Oklahoma and Texas. The refuge is made up of water, marsh, and upland habitat and visitors can hike, observe wildlife, hunt, fish at various times throughout the year. The main focus at Hagerman NWR is providing a winter home for thousands of waterfowl. Foremost among the waterfowl are Canada geese.

Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge (Muleshoe)

Muleshoe NWR is the oldest national wildlife refuge in Texas. It was established by Executive Order on October 24, 1935. Located on the high plains of west Texas, Muleshoe was established as a wintering area for migrating waterfowl and sandhill cranes.

Belton Lake (Belton)

Historical sites include the old "Charter Oak" on the Leon River, near the City of Belton, and the Stage Coach Inn in nearby Salado. Tour Miller Springs Nature Area located below Belton Dam. The nature area includes a hiking trail along the Leon River, a restored historic bridge, and several wildlife-viewing points. Belton Lake is located adjacent to the Fort Hood Army Base, which has several points of interest for the military buff.

Canyon Lake (Canyon Lake)

Area settled by early German immigrants.

Cooper Lake (Sulphur Springs)

When complete, will impound the South Sulphur River in Delta and Hopkins Counties.

Grapevine Lake (Grapevine)

Centrally located in the heart of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex just minutes from DFW Airport, Grapevine Lake offers a variety of outdoor recreation opportunities. Nationally recognized trails, full service campgrounds, and beautiful day use areas surround the 7, 276 acre lake which hosts over 2, 000, 000 visitors, annually.

Joe Pool Lake (Cedar Hill)

Joe Pool Lake is a 7, 400-acre impoundment located in the southern portion of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. The lake is centrally located between Dallas and Fort Worth and has four developed parks: Britton Park, Cedar Hill State Park, Loyd Park and Lynn Creek Park.

Lavon Lake (Wylie)

The Heard Natural Science Museum and Wildlife Sanctuary in nearby McKinney features natural history exhibits and nature trails.

Lewisville Lake (Lewisville)

Just north of Dallas, popular Lewisville Lake is a 29, 592 acre lake with unlimited outdoor recreation opportunities. Over 20 parks surround the lake and offer camping, hiking, picnicking, horseback riding, boating, and golf.

Proctor Lake (Comanche)

Located in historic territory of the Comanche Indians, Proctor Lake offers a wide variety of activities both on and off the water. Whether your ideal camping trip includes fishing in one of Texas hottest Hybrid Stripper and Crappie lakes or site seeing in the historic areas that surround the lake, Proctor Lake has something for everyone.

Somerville Lake (Somerville)

Nearby points of interest include Bluebonnet Trails, Independence Day Trek and Salt Grass Trek.

Stillhouse Hollow Reservoir (Belton)

Historical sites include the Stage Coach Inn in nearby Salado. Stillhouse Hollow Lake is located near the Fort Hood Army Base, which has several points of interest for the military buff. Tour Chalk Ride Falls Environmental Learning Center located below Stillhouse Hollow Dam. The Center includes a hiking trail along the Lampasas River, a spring feed creek with a waterfall, and several wildlife viewing points.

Waco Lake (Waco)

Points of interest include Cameron Park, fourth largest municipal park in the U.S., and the Nation's oldest suspension bridge (1870) still in operation.

Whitney Lake (Clifton)

See the reconstructed Fort Graham, traces of the Old Chisholm Trail, and the dinosaur tracks at nearby Glen Rose. From Whitney, 5 mi SW on TX 22.

Aquilla Dam & Lake (Clifton)

This 3, 280-acre lake is located on Aquilla and Hackberry Creeks.

Town Bluff Dam B.A. Steinhagen Lake (Woodville)

Points of interest in this majestic "Big Thicket" region of Texas include 4 National Forests and an Indian Reservation.

Lake Georgetown (Georgetown)

Located 4 mi W of Georgetown via FM 2338, the lake is easily accessible from the Austin area. The dam impounds the San Gabriel River in the Hill Country of central Texas.

Addicks Dam (HOUSTON)

These normally dry reservoirs are on the west side of Houston on both sides of I-10 at TX6. They contain the largest municipal park in the Nation and provide a unique recreational experience for the metropolitan area. They contain facilities for golf, hiking, picnicking, field sports, horseback riding, shooting ranges, model airplane flying, a velodrome and other activities.

Wallisville Reservoir (WALLISVILLE)

Barker Dam (HOUSTON)

Pat Mayse Lake (POWDERLY)

Visit nearby John C. Gambill Canada Goose Refuge. Visit the web site for more information about this and other Tulsa District lakes.

Truscott Brine Lake, Area VIII (TRUSCOTT)

Lake Texana (Edna)

Lake Texana is formed by Palmetto Bend Dam which is feature of the Palmetto Bend Project. The lake provides over 11, 000 acres of water surface and 125 miles of shoreline. Accessible from numerous roads. Several boat ramps and camping facilities. Fishing year-round. Available species include black bass, white bass, crappie, walleye, and several species of catfish. Wildlife can be seen in the area.

San Bernard National Wildlife Refuge (Angelton)

Gaze across the rippling marshes and ponds of San Bernard National Wildlife Refuge and it's easy to imagine Texas as it was before settlement. Clouds of snow geese in winter or a warbler "fallout" in spring further convince any visitor that they have stepped back into earliest Texas. Less than half of the refuge is open to the public, leaving a vast landscape was wildlife sanctuary.

Guadalupe Mountains National Park (Salt Flat)

Rising from the desert, this mountain mass contains portions of the world's most extensive and significant Permian limestone fossil reef. Also featured are a tremendous earth fault, lofty peaks, unusual flora and fauna, and a colorful record of the past. Guadalupe Peak, highest point in Texas at 8, 749 feet; El Capitan, a massive limestone formation; McKittrick Canyon, with its unique flora and fauna; and the "Bowl", located in a high country conifer forest, are significant park features.

Rio Grande Wild & Scenic River (Big Bend National Park)

The Rio Grande Wild and Scenic River, or El Rio Bravo del Norte, provides protection and maintenance of the pristine character of the Rio Grande from the Coahuila/Chihuahua, Mexico, state border upstream from Mariscal Canyon to the Terrell/Val Verde County line in Texas downstream. The Wild and Scenic River designation extends for 196 miles along the river?s course.

Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge (Alamo)

Life tends to be richest at its borders. Here, on the international border between U.S. and Mexico, a host of nature's borders converge climate, community, land form and geography. Only 5% of the native landscape remains on the lower river and its nearby reaches, yet the diversity within these fragments adds up to an astonishing 1, 200 types of plants, 700 species of vertebrates (including nearly 500 bird species) and 300 kinds of butterflies.

Trinity River National Wildlife Refuge (Liberty)

Trinity River National Wildlife Refuge was established on January 4, 1994 with an initial purchase of 4, 400 acres. Since that time, the refuge has acquired additional acreage which now totals 17, 500 acres. The primary purpose of establishing this refuge is to protect a portion of the bottomland hardwood forest ecosystem along the Trinity River located in southeastern Texas.

Bardwell Lake (Ennis)

Built in 1963-65 to provide flood control and water conservation Bardwell Lake is 5.4 miles long and 1.2 miles wide. It has 3, 570 acres of water and 3, 918 acres of land. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers operates three campgrounds and one day-use park on Lake Bardwell. With six boat ramps, three picnic grounds, and three swim beaches operated by the Corps, and a privately run marina, there are ample opportunities to enjoy the outdoors at Lake Bardwell.

Benbrook Lake (Fort Worth)

Benbrook Lake is located in the scenic open countryside of rolling hills and prairie meadows southwest of Fort Worth, Texas. Conveniently accessible from the Fort Worth / Dallas metroplex, the lake is only 2.5 miles (4 km) south of Interstate Highway 20 on US Highway 377. Picnicking, camping, fishing, hunting, boating, hiking and birdwatching are just the beginning of the activities available in the parks and other public lands at Benbrook Lake.

Ferrells Bridge Dam Lake O' The Pines (Jefferson)

Lake O' the Pines includes about 18, 700 acres of water and 9, 000 acres of land located in the piney woods of Northeast Texas. The lake is located partially in Marion, Harrison, Upshur, Morris and Camp counties. Recreation opportunities are numerous with camping, boating, fishing, hunting, watchable wildlife, and bird watching, including wintering bald eagles.

Hords Creek Lake (Coleman)

Located approximately 8 miles west of Coleman is one of Texas* most pretty little lakes. Hords Creek Lake is surrounded by beautiful oak trees and offers many activities to all those who enjoy the outdoors. There is a park on each side of the lake, each providing roughly 60 campsites, all standard with water and electricity. The lake also provides premium sites including those with screened-in picnic tables, sewer sites, double sites, and even 50 AMP breakers.

Navarro Mills Lake (Purdon)

The best kept secret of the Fort Worth District. Home of the state record crappie!

Sam Rayburn Reservoir (Jasper)

A 114, 000-acre lake in the Big Thicket country of Texas, with native flora including orchids, insect-eating plants and scores of animal species.At 114, 000+ acres Sam Rayburn is the largest man made lake located totally within the boundaries of the state of Texas. The lake is located deep in the Piney Woods of Southeast Texas, nestled within the Angelina and Sabine National Forest.

O.C. Fisher Lake (San Angelo)

O.C. Fisher Reservoir was completed by the US Corps of Engineers in 1952 for flood control on the North Concho River. Most of O.C. Fisher is leased to the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department as is known as San Angelo State Park. It's located adjacent to the City of San Angelo and is an oasis of quality outdoor recreation in an area of west Texas known as Concho Country.

Wright Patman Dam And Lake (Texarkana)

Wright Patman Lake is located in the beautiful piney woods of northeast Texas. The lake includes about 30, 000 surface acres of water and 50, 000 acres of land. Numerous recreational opportunities are available including camping, boating, fishing, swimming, hiking, hunting, and wildlife viewing including wintering bald eagles, pelicans, and various migratory ducks.

Ray Roberts Lake (Sanger)

This 29, 350 acre rural lake is just a few minutes from the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex and is a great place to get away from city life. Visitors can enjoy boating, fishing, camping, hiking, and horseback riding in several Texas State Parks.For more information on and reservations at Texas State Parks, visit http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/park/rayrob/rayrob.

Granger Lake (Granger)

Operated by The U. S. Army Corps of Engineers, Granger Lake is one of Central Texas*s best kept secrets. Known for great white bass and crappie fishing, it also offers excellent hunting opportunities on the 10, 000+ acre wildlife management area. Granger Lake offers excellent recreational boating as well as jet skiing and sailing opportunities.

Texoma Lake (Denison)

The second most popular Corps lake in the country (after Lake Sidney Lanier, GA). Old Fort Washita is maintained as a museum by the Oklahoma Historical Society. A regional visitors center is planned for the lake.Visit the web site for more information about this and other Tulsa District lakes.

National Forests in Texas (Lufkin)

Located in east Texas, the National Forests in Texas are comprised of the Angelina, Davy Crockett, Sabine, and Sam Houston National Forests, and the Caddo-Lyndon B. Johnson National Grasslands in northeast Texas. There are 25 developed recreation areas, five scenic areas, five wilderness areas, a canoe trail, off-road vehicle trails, 52 miles of horse trails and four hiking trails totalling 185 miles.

Choke Canyon Reservoir (Three Rivers)

Choke Canyon Dam and and reservoir are features of the Nueces Project. The reservoir provides a water supply for Corpus Christi, Texas. Recreation at this reservoir is managed for Reclamation by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. When full, the lake provides approximately 26, 000 acres of water surface. Accessible from numerous roads. Several boat ramps and camping facilities. Fishing year-round.

Twin Buttes Reservoir (San Angelo)

Twin Buttes Dam and Reservoir, San Angelo Project, are immediately upstream from the Nasworthy Reservoir, about 6 miles southwest of San Angelo, Texas. Twin Buttes Dam controls the flows of the South and Middle Concho Rivers and Spring Creek. When full, the lake provides approximately 23, 000 acres of water surface. Accessible from numerous roads. Several boat ramps and some camping facilities. Open year-round for fishing.

Brazoria National Wildlife Refuge (Angelton)

The thunder of 40, 000 snow geese taking flight, the salty breeze off the Texas Gulf, or the sight of a 12-foot alligator loafing on a muddy bank make a trip to Texas Mid-Coast National Wildlife Refuge Complex a sensory banquet in any season. Three national wildlife refuges -Brazoria, San Bernard and Big Boggy - form a vital complex of coastal wetlands harboring more than 300 bird species.

Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge (Rio Hondo)

The south Texas landscape is a unique blending of temperate, subtropical, coastal, and desert habitats. Mexican plants and wildlife are at the northernmost edge of their range, while migrating waterfowl and sandhill cranes fly down for the mild winters. This combination makes Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge world famous for its birds, and home to a mix of wildlife found nowhere else.

McFaddin National Wildlife Refuge (Sabine Pass)

Bayous weave through a seemingly endless expanse of cordgrass, reptilian eyes at the water*s surface witness the ever-changing variety of waterfowl, and the call of the clapper rail reverberates through the marsh. For hundreds of years, many of the sights and sounds within this dynamic eco-system have gone untouched. Under the protective umbrella of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the hope and expectation is that they will continue for hundreds more.

Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge (Alamo)

Step into a rare tropical world at Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge. Spanish moss drips from trees. Noisy chachalacas welcome the morning dawn. A malachite butterfly flits from the shadows. The wildlife clientele is truly international here along the most southern stretch of the Rio Grande. Thanks to the foresight of those who succeeded in protecting the refuge in 1943, we can experience a natural world that has vanished from 95 percent of the Lower Rio Grande Valley.

Texas Point National Wildlife Refuge (Sabine Pass)

Palo Alto Battlefield National Historic Site (Brownsville)

On May 8, 1846 troops of the United States and Mexico clashed on the prairie of Palo Alto in the first battle of a two-year war. Signed into law in June 1992, Palo Alto Battlefield National Historic Site preserves the 3, 400-acre scene of this clash between nations and informs visitors about its national and international importance. As the only unit of the National Park Service with a primary focus on the U.S.

Padre Island National Seashore (Corpus Christi)

Padre Island National Seashore, encompassing 130, 454 acres, is the longest remaining undeveloped stretch of barrier island in the world, and offers a wide variety of flora and fauna as well as recreation. * After exploring the links on this page, click on the inDEPTH button for Frequently Asked Questions and info on Traveling Down Island, the island's history, and current issues. Call our Hatchling Hotline at (361) 949-7163 for information on attending releases of baby sea turtles.

San Antonio Missions National Historical Park (San Antonio)

Four Spanish frontier missions, part of a colonization system that stretched across the Spanish Southwest in the 17th, 18th, 19th centuries, are preserved here. They include Missions San Jose, San Juan, Espada, and Concepcion. The park, containing many cultural sites along with some natural areas, was established in 1978. The park covers about 819 acres.

Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary (Galveston)

The wonderful biological diversity and breathtaking beauty of the Flower Garden Banks prompted researchers and recreational divers to seek protection for this area. In the 1970's they launched what would become a 20 year effort, culminating in 1992, to designate the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary.In October, 1996, Congress expanded the Sanctuary by adding a small third bank. Stetson Bank is also a salt dome, located about 70 miles south of Galveston, Texas.

Buffalo Lake National Wildlife Refuge (Umbarger)

Once buffalo grazed the shortgrass prairies you see today at Buffalo Lake National Wildlife Refuge in the Texas Panhandle. Once a lake reflected the clouds. The buffalo have vanished. The lake has dried. But the shortgrass prairie remains as one of the best in the high plains grassland ecosystem. In fact, this prairie is so important that 175 acres of it carries the designation of National Natural Landmark. Over 4, 000 acres of grasslands are the best you'll see anywhere in the area.

Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument (Fritch)

For thousands of years, people came to the red bluffs above the Canadian River for flint, vital to their existence. Demand for the high quality, rainbow-hued flint is reflected in the distribution of Alibates Flint through the Great Plains and beyond. Today this area is protected by the National Park Service and is the only National Monument in Texas. The monument can only be viewed by ranger-led guided tours. Tours are offered by reservation only, please give us plenty of time to arrange a tour.

Amistad National Recreation Area (Del Rio)

A splash of blue stands out against limestone cliffs. The honking of a great blue heron, interspersed with the descending trill of a canyon wren, can be heard off in the distance. This landscape, which at times appears stark and desolate, comes alive with color after a rainstorm. Amistad is a land of contrasts...and of hidden treasures. The same water that draws people to boat and fish today, sustained over 300 generations of hunters and gatherers.

Big Bend National Park (Big Bend National Park)

Big Bend National Park is a land of borders. Situated on the boundary with Mexico along the Rio Grande, it is a place where countries and cultures meet. It is also a place that merges natural environments, from desert to mountains. It is a place where south meets north and east meets west, creating a great diversity of plants and animals. The park covers over 801, 000 acres of west Texas in the place where the Rio Grande makes a sharp turn - the Big Bend.

Big Thicket National Preserve (Beaumont)

The Preserve consists of nine land units and six water corridors encompassing more than 97, 000 acres. Big Thicket was the first Preserve in the National Park System established October 11, 1974, and protects an area of rich biological diversity. A convergence of ecosystems occurred here during the last Ice Age. It brought together, in one geographical location, the eastern hardwood forests, the Gulf coastal plains, and the midwest prairies.

Chamizal National Memorial (El Paso)

The Chamizal Convention was a milestone in diplomatic relations between Mexico and the United States in 1963. Chamizal National Memorial was established to commemorate this treaty which resulted in the peaceful settlement of a century-long boundary dispute between the neighboring countries. Far more than mere acreage, Chamizal is an idea, a dynamic process, dedicated to furthering the spirit of understanding and goodwill between two nations that share one border.

Fort Davis National Historic Site (Fort Davis)

Set in the rugged beauty of the Davis Mountains of west Texas, Fort Davis is one of America's best surviving examples of an Indian Wars' frontier military post in the Southwest. From 1854 to 1891, Fort Davis was strategically located to protect emigrants, mail coaches, and freight wagons on the Trans-Pecos portion of the San Antonio-El Paso Road and the Chihuahua Trail, and to control activities on the southern stem of the Great Comanche War Trail and Mescalero Apache war trails.

Lake Meredith National Recreation Area (Fritch)

Contrasting spectacularly with its surroundings, Lake Meredith lies on the dry and windswept High Plains of the Texas Panhandle. The lake itself was created by Sanford Dam on the Canadian River; it now fills many breaks whose walls are crowned with white limestone caprock, scenic buttes, pinnacles, and red-brown, wind-eroded coves. Lake Meredith?s shores are dotted with mesquite, prickly pear, yucca, and grasses of arid plains.

Lyndon B Johnson National Historical Park (Johnson City)

Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park tells the story of our 36th President in a unique and encompassing way. The story begins with Lyndon Johnson's ancestors, tracing the influences his family and his beloved Texas Hill Country had on the boy and the man. In Johnson City, the visitor can see how LBJ influenced his home town by bringing the resources of the U.S. Government to bear on improving the lives of his friends and neighbors.

NARA's Southwest Region - Fort Worth (Fort Worth)

Historical ResearchOriginal recordsNARA's Southwest Region in Fort Worth has more than 84, 000 cubic feet of archival holdings dating from 1806 to the 1980s, including textual documents, photographs, and maps. These archival holdings were created or received by the Federal courts and 85 Federal agencies in Arkansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Texas. Federal law requires that agencies transfer permanently valuable, noncurrent records to NARA.

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