Texas Parks and Recreation Areas with Interpretive Programs

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. read more...

Phone: (915) 828-3251   Price Range: $0 - $3   Open Season: N/A   Camping: Yes
Nearest Popular City: Salt Flat   Nearest Lake or River: N/A   Park Type: National Park   Activities: Backpacking, Birding, Hiking, Horseback Riding, Wildlife Watching, Camping, Nature Walks, Interpretive Programs, Star Gazing   Details Provided By: Guadalupe Mountains National Park

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

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. read more...

Phone: (806) 857-3151   Price Range: N/A   Open Season: N/A   Camping: No
Nearest Popular City: Fritch   Nearest Lake or River: N/A   Park Type: National Monument   Activities: Interpretive Programs   Details Provided By: Alibates Flint Quarries

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

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. read more...

Phone: (432) 426-3224   Price Range: $0 - $3   Open Season: N/A   Camping: No
Nearest Popular City: Fort Davis   Nearest Lake or River: N/A   Park Type: National Historic Site   Activities: Hiking, Nature Walks, Interpretive Programs   Details Provided By: Fort Davis