Texas Parks and Recreation Areas with Boating and Watercraft

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. read more...

Phone: 409-951-6725   Price Range: N/A   Open Season: N/A   Camping: Yes
Nearest Popular City: Beaumont   Nearest Lake or River: N/A   Park Type: National Preserve   Activities: Backpacking, Biking / Bicycling, Birding, Boating and Watercraft, Fishing, Hiking, Horseback Riding, Hunting and Shooting, Kayaking, Swimming, Wildlife Watching, Camping, Auto Touring, Nature Walks, Interpretive Programs, Star Gazing   Details Provided By: Big Thicket

Big Bend is one of the largest and least visited of Americas national parks. Over 801,000 acres await your exploration and enjoyment. From an elevation of less than 2,000 feet along the Rio Grande to nearly 8,000 feet in the Chisos Mountains, Big Bend includes massive canyons, vast desert expanses, and the entire Chisos Mountain range. Here, you can explore one of the last remaining wild corners of the United States, and experience unmatched sights, sounds, and solitude. read more...

Phone: 432-477-2251   Price Range: $0 - $5   Open Season: N/A   Camping: Yes
Nearest Popular City: Big Bend National Park   Nearest Lake or River: N/A   Park Type: National Park   Activities: Backpacking, Biking / Bicycling, Birding, Boating and Watercraft, Fishing, Hiking, Horseback Riding, Kayaking, Rock Climbing, Whitewater Rafting, Wildlife Watching, Camping, Auto Touring, Nature Walks, Interpretive Programs, Star Gazing   Details Provided By: Big Bend

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. Up the sheltered creek beds stand cottonwoods, soapberry, and sandbar willows. By Public Law 101-628 on November 28, 1990, Congress renamed Lake Meredith Recreation Area as a National Recreation Area, “to provide for public outdoor recreation use and enjoyment of the lands and waters associated with Lake Meredith in the State of Texas, and to protect the scenic, scientific, cultural, and other values contributing to the public enjoyment of such lands and waters. The 50,000-acre national recreation area includes a 10,000-acre reservoir where visitors can enjoy a variety of recreational opportunities for a day or an entire vacation. read more...

Phone: (806) 857-3151   Price Range: N/A   Open Season: N/A   Camping: Yes
Nearest Popular City: Fritch   Nearest Lake or River: N/A   Park Type: Recreation Area   Activities: Birding, Boating and Watercraft, Fishing, Hiking, Horseback Riding, Hunting and Shooting, Swimming, Wildlife Watching, Camping   Details Provided By: Lake Meredith National Recreation Area

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. read more...

Phone: (361) 949-8173   Price Range: $5 - $10   Open Season: N/A   Camping: Yes
Nearest Popular City: Corpus Christi   Nearest Lake or River: N/A   Park Type: National Park   Activities: Backpacking, Biking / Bicycling, Birding, Boating and Watercraft, Fishing, Hiking, Horseback Riding, Kayaking, Swimming, Wildlife Watching, Camping, Auto Touring, Nature Walks, Star Gazing   Details Provided By: Padre Island National Seashore

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. read more...

Phone: (830)775-7491   Price Range: $0 - $8   Open Season: N/A   Camping: Yes
Nearest Popular City: Del Rio   Nearest Lake or River: N/A   Park Type: Recreation Area   Activities: Biking / Bicycling, Birding, Boating and Watercraft, Fishing, Hunting and Shooting, Kayaking, Swimming, Wildlife Watching, Camping, Interpretive Programs   Details Provided By: Amistad

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 rivers course. read more...

Phone: 432-477-2251   Price Range: N/A   Open Season: N/A   Camping: Yes
Nearest Popular City: Big Bend National Park   Nearest Lake or River: N/A   Park Type: National Park   Activities: Boating and Watercraft, Fishing, Kayaking, Whitewater Rafting, Wildlife Watching   Details Provided By: Rio Grande Wild & Scenic River