Room to Spare
Beat the crowds at state parks with a weekday excursion.
By Phil Hewitt
So you’re beginning to believe that all of Texas has discovered your favorite state park? Here’s a secret: If you have the time between Monday and Thursday, most state parks have the space.
Enchanted Rock in the Hill Country is crawling with visitors every weekend. The same can be said of many state parks — from Cedar Hill outside Dallas to Bastrop State Park near Austin. What many folks don’t realize is that during the middle of the week, at some parks, you can hike, canoe, fish and picnic and rarely see anyone else but an occasional retiree or the park staff.
At Fort Richardson State Historic Site, just outside of Jacksboro and only 60 miles west of Fort Worth, attendance drops from mostly full on the weekends to about 25 percent of capacity on weekdays. Choice spots are available among the park’s 41 RV sites, and almost no one can be found in the primitive camping area. You often can have your pick of screened shelters if you show up between Monday and Thursday. Many Texans and out-of-staters know Fort Richardson as a historic site, with the ruins of the old 19th-century fort to explore. Few know that the park’s trails are multi-use — horseback riding and biking as well as hiking are allowed. And the nine-mile trail connects with the city of Jacksboro’s Lost Creek trail. So, if you want a new experience that combines history and a quiet outdoor experience, try Fort Richardson.
Palmetto State Park is only 20 minutes from San Marcos; close enough for a long lunch hour. It is only 45 minutes from Austin and less than an hour from San Antonio. Created by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s, Palmetto still has CCC structures that can be used for family reunions and overnight group functions. Located a few miles from historic Gonzales, Palmetto offers campsites with water and electricity, some with water only, and 19 RV sites. Park staffers say that during the week only about 30 percent of the sites are in use. In addition to the usual amenities such as showers and clean restrooms, Palmetto offers canoe and paddleboat rentals on its oxbow lake. The secret to this lake is that the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department stocks it with bass and catfish. But you don’t have to rent a boat to fish; you can use the fishing pier.
With more than 4 million people living in the Houston area, its nearby parks receive a lot of visitors. Historic parks such as the Battleship Texas and San Jacinto Battleground draw hundreds of thousands of visitors annually. If you’re looking to get sand between your toes, try Galveston Island or Sea Rim state parks. Or for a quiet park experience drive north on I-45 about 70 miles to Huntsville State Park, with 2,100 acres of rolling East Texas pineywoods to explore. Though busy on weekends from May through September, the park is usually more than half empty during the week. The accommodations include more than 100 tent camping sites, 63 RV sites and 30 screen shelters. The central attraction is Lake Raven. Fish from one of two piers or rent a canoe and try out that rod and reel on bass, catfish and crappie. In addition, there is horseback riding, a 15-mile-long hike-and-bike trail and a nature center.
