The Lone Star State is home to 14 parks, monuments, memorials, recreation areas, and national historic trails operated by the National Park Service. Bask on a Gulf Coast beach, explore American presidential history between wine tastings, hike through high desert ecosystems, paddle a wild and scenic river, and soak up the rich history of Texas, all on NPS land.
Big Bend Country
The arid expanses of West Texas are home to the state’s tallest mountain (Guadalupe Peak) in Guadalupe Mountains National Park and some of its most popular hiking trails in Big Bend National Park. Campers who venture to this remote corner enjoy backcountry camping beneath dark skies, paddling on the Rio Grande Wild & Scenic River along the border with Mexico, outdoor sightseeing in the Chihuahuan Desert, and frontier history at Fort Davis National Historic Site. Chamizal National Memorial in El Paso commemorates the peaceful resolution of a century-long border dispute. Further east, get out on the water or spend the night in one of five campgrounds at the Amistad National Recreation Area.
Texas Hill Country
For a taste of Texas presidential history, plan a road trip to the rolling Hill Country for a visit to Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park. Tour the 36th president’s birthplace and boyhood home, the Texas White House. While there’s no camping inside the national park, you’ll find plenty of RV parks and state park campgrounds surrounding the nearby community of Fredericksburg. Head further south to San Antonio for some Spanish history at San Antonio Missions National Historical Park—the only UNESCO World Heritage site in Texas.
Gulf Coast
At the Padre Island National Seashore near Corpus Christi, enjoy primitive beach camping along 60 miles of Gulf Coast beach, or choose between two campgrounds for tent camping and RVs just steps from the water. The outdoor adventure menu at the park includes fishing, boating, windsurfing, kayaking, and bird watching. Come between mid-June and August to see the release of Kemp’s ridley sea turtle hatchlings into the sea. Head further inland toward Brownsville to visit the site where US and Mexican troops clashed during the US-Mexican War at Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Park.
Central Plains
Step way, way back in time at Waco Mammoth National Monument in the Central Plains. Ice Age Columbian mammoths weighing some 20,000 pounds once roamed these lands, and you can see their fossilized remains along the park’s hiking trails.
Texas Panhandle
On the windswept plains of the Texas Panhandle, Lake Meredith offers a stopover for migratory birds, wildlife, and Texans looking to beat the summer heat. This national recreation area features opportunities for fishing, boating, and hiking. RV sites offer electric and water hookups, and you can camp for free at the tent camping sites. Nearby Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument was once frequented by mammoth hunters as a source of flint.
East Texas
Big Thicket National Preserve in southeast Texas near Beaumont protects an impressive diversity of habitats, including pine forests and bald cypress bayous. Paddle along the waterways through nine different ecosystems, explore 40 miles of hiking trails, or find your perfect primitive camping spot in the backcountry.
National Parks in Texas.
Gulf beaches, desert mountains, and presidential history are on display in Texas national parks.
The Lone Star State is home to 14 parks, monuments, memorials, recreation areas, and national historic trails operated by the National Park Service. Bask on a Gulf Coast beach, explore American presidential history between wine tastings, hike through high desert ecosystems, paddle a wild and scenic river, and soak up the rich history of Texas, all on NPS land.
Read more...The Lone Star State is home to 14 parks, monuments, memorials, recreation areas, and national historic trails operated by the National Park Service. Bask on a Gulf Coast beach, explore American presidential history between wine tastings, hike through high desert ecosystems, paddle a wild and scenic river, and soak up the rich history of Texas, all on NPS land.
Big Bend Country
The arid expanses of West Texas are home to the state’s tallest mountain (Guadalupe Peak) in Guadalupe Mountains National Park and some of its most popular hiking trails in Big Bend National Park. Campers who venture to this remote corner enjoy backcountry camping beneath dark skies, paddling on the Rio Grande Wild & Scenic River along the border with Mexico, outdoor sightseeing in the Chihuahuan Desert, and frontier history at Fort Davis National Historic Site. Chamizal National Memorial in El Paso commemorates the peaceful resolution of a century-long border dispute. Further east, get out on the water or spend the night in one of five campgrounds at the Amistad National Recreation Area.
Texas Hill Country
For a taste of Texas presidential history, plan a road trip to the rolling Hill Country for a visit to Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park. Tour the 36th president’s birthplace and boyhood home, the Texas White House. While there’s no camping inside the national park, you’ll find plenty of RV parks and state park campgrounds surrounding the nearby community of Fredericksburg. Head further south to San Antonio for some Spanish history at San Antonio Missions National Historical Park—the only UNESCO World Heritage site in Texas.
Gulf Coast
At the Padre Island National Seashore near Corpus Christi, enjoy primitive beach camping along 60 miles of Gulf Coast beach, or choose between two campgrounds for tent camping and RVs just steps from the water. The outdoor adventure menu at the park includes fishing, boating, windsurfing, kayaking, and bird watching. Come between mid-June and August to see the release of Kemp’s ridley sea turtle hatchlings into the sea. Head further inland toward Brownsville to visit the site where US and Mexican troops clashed during the US-Mexican War at Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Park.
Central Plains
Step way, way back in time at Waco Mammoth National Monument in the Central Plains. Ice Age Columbian mammoths weighing some 20,000 pounds once roamed these lands, and you can see their fossilized remains along the park’s hiking trails.
Texas Panhandle
On the windswept plains of the Texas Panhandle, Lake Meredith offers a stopover for migratory birds, wildlife, and Texans looking to beat the summer heat. This national recreation area features opportunities for fishing, boating, and hiking. RV sites offer electric and water hookups, and you can camp for free at the tent camping sites. Nearby Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument was once frequented by mammoth hunters as a source of flint.
East Texas
Big Thicket National Preserve in southeast Texas near Beaumont protects an impressive diversity of habitats, including pine forests and bald cypress bayous. Paddle along the waterways through nine different ecosystems, explore 40 miles of hiking trails, or find your perfect primitive camping spot in the backcountry.