Go Somewhere You Couldn’t Go Last Fall!
Texas road trips usually involve revisiting an old favorite. This fall offers a rarer proposition: point the car west of Fort Worth and explore a state park that did not exist on last year’s map.
Palo Pinto Mountains State Park opened in March, becoming North Texas’ first new state park in more than 25 years. Its 4,871 acres of former ranchland sit near Strawn, about 75 miles west of Fort Worth, where the Western Cross Timbers begin looking decidedly less suburban.
Sixteen miles of multiuse trails carry hikers, cyclists and horseback riders through sheltered canyons and broad views. At 90-acre Tucker Lake, visitors can fish without a license, launch a canoe or kayak, or swim. Motorized boats are prohibited, which preserves the sort of quiet that makes a picnic seem like a legitimate afternoon plan.
First Fall on the Trails
October brings a welcome advantage to a park still introducing itself: cooler weather. The terrain is rugged, and the most remote trails are better appreciated when summer has stopped behaving like a personal grievance.
The park opens daily from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Admission is $7 for visitors 13 and older, while children 12 and younger enter free. Weekend capacity can fill, so reserving a day pass ahead of time is the sensible move. Trail closures are possible after wet weather, making a same-day conditions check equally wise.
This first autumn also offers something beyond daylight. Palo Pinto Mountains is working toward Dark Sky Park certification, and the darkness gets a public test during the October 10 Star Party.
Stay Until the Sky Shows Up
From 8 to 9:30 p.m., members of the Fort Worth Astronomical Society will set up telescopes at the main trailhead for views of planets, nebulas and galaxies. The program is free with park admission and weather dependent. Bring a chair, water, bug spray and a red-light flashlight. Regular white beams are excellent for finding dropped keys and less excellent for everyone’s night vision.
Food planning can bracket the day nicely. Near Strawn, PK General Store serves made-to-order burgers, chicken baskets and other sturdy road-trip fare. Travelers approaching from the east can stop at locally owned Joytown Coffee in Mineral Wells for coffee and lunch before continuing toward the park.
The pleasure here is discovery rather than nostalgia. Texans get to learn the bends, overlooks and night sky of a landscape newly opened to the public, then begin the pleasant work of deciding which trail deserves a return visit.
Find more places to get outside in the Guide to Texas sports and fitness directory: https://www.guidetotx.com/sports-fitness
