Palo Pinto Mountains State Park
PALO PINTO COUNTY, Texas - Since March, the first Texas State Park to open in 25 years has seen over 17,000 visitors. Park officials say they were pleasantly surprised at the popularity.
Palo Pinto Mountains visitors
By the numbers:
From March 1 to April 21, the park says they've seen a total of 17,172 visitors. Of those, 14,066 were day-use guests, while 3,106 stayed overnight.
According to a spokesperson for the park, which is located between Abilene and the DFW Metroplex, these numbers surpass the entire 2025 attendance of nine other Texas State Parks.
What they're saying:
"We weren't sure what kind of turnout we were going to get, but we are excited that we had so many people that wanted to come see Texas' newest state park. We're looking forward to many more coming through the gate from here on out," said James Miller, Palo Pinto Mountains State Park Assistant Superintendent.
Newest Texas State Park
Palo Pinto Mountains has 16 miles of multi-use trails perfect for checking out the colorful foliage or migratory birds that call the park home, like the endangered golden-cheeked warbler.
For water lovers, the park is home to Tucker Lake, a 90-acre lake where visitors can fish, boat and swim. Motorboats are not allowed in the lake.
The park was originally purchased in 2011 and was slated for a 2023 opening before some construction projects were delayed.
The park held a soft opening and opened to visitors on March 1.
Texas celebrates opening of first new state park in decades
Nestled between the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex and Abilene is more than 4,800 acres of former ranch land that is now home to the first new state park in North Texas in 25 years.
The Source: Information in this article comes from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.