With over 80 state parks, historic sites and natural areas, there are plenty of sites to visit within the Texas State Park system. Most Texans know about the popular sites, such as Garner State Park, Enchanted Rock or Palo Duro Canyon State Park. However, some parks could use some more love.
One state park saw only 897 visitors last year, according to visitation numbers from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD). It was the only site with fewer than 1,000 visitors. For context, the most visited state park, Garner, had 464,733 visitors.
MySA listed the bottom 8 of the state park system. While they’re the least visited, there are hidden gems at the parks that are worth a visit. Plus, you’re guaranteed some peace at the following 8 state parks:
Fort Boggy State Park has trails, primitive campsites, cabins and a 15-acre lake. (Courtesy of TxDOT)
No. 8 Fort Boggy State Park
In East Texas, there’s Fort Boggy State Park, which had 21,160 visitors in 2024, according to TPWD. It’s halfway between Houston and Dallas, along Interstate 45 (so make a step if driving through). The park’s name comes from an old fortress built in 1840 by early settlers for protection.
The 1,800-acre site is a tranquil patchwork of woods, fields and water. You could trek the 1.5-mile lake trail, kayak on the 15-acre lake or camp in the woods or at its primitive hike-in campsite. The site also offers glamping.
Hidden gem: The lake is spring-fed and cooler than the creek nearby. And, the site offers a forest-like feel.
Daily adult tickets are $3 and free for children under 12. Reserve and find here.
Resaca de la Palma provides a peaceful refuge for both wildlife and people. (Courtesy of TPWD)
No. 7 Resaca de la Palma State Park
In South Texas, Resaca de la Palma provides a peaceful refuge for both wildlife and people. It had 21,160 visitors in 2024. Wetlands, woodlands and savannahs make up its 1,200 acres, much of it wild and undeveloped, according to TPWD.
You can explore over eight miles of trails, one of which features plants that occur nowhere else in the United States. The Ebony Trail is the cloest trail to the visitor center and curves through old-growth ebony-anacua woodlands.
Hidden gem:Â Resaca de la Palma State Park is an especially rich birding environment. TPWD often sees colorful migrating birds here – like the Summer Tanager, American Redstart and Yellow-breasted Chat.
Daily adult tickets are $4 and free for children under 12. Reserve and find here.
Big Bend Ranch State Park. (Mark Newman/Getty Images)
No. 6 Big Bend Ranch
Skip the crowds at Big Bend National Park and check out Big Bend Ranch State Park, which is a three-hour drive away from each other. In 2024, Big Bend Ranch State Park had 13,206 visits. In comparison, Big Bend National Park had 561,458 visitors, its highest attendance since 2021, according to the National Park Service.
Bend Ranch State Park features rugged mountains, steep canyons, amazing views, unparalleled night skies and solitude in a high desert setting, according to TPWD. It also stretches along the Rio Grande in far West Texas.
Hidden gem: The park has 238 miles of multi-use trails, all for hiking, biking or riding horses. It’s also Texas’ biggest state park, so there’s lots to explore.
Daily adult tickets are $5 and free for children under 12. Reserve and find here.
“An old log cabin church building in the pine forests of Mission Tejas State Park in east Texas that was originally part of the Mission San Francisco de los Tejas, the first Spanish mission in Texas, established in 1690.” (agshotime/Getty Images)
No. 5 Mission Tejas State Park
Midway between Dallas and Houston, you’ll find Mission Tejas State Park, which had 9,203 visitors in 2024. The park features rustic beauty and tranquility among tall trees.
With pine savannas, upland forest and hardwood bottomlands, this is an untouched window into the natural scenery of Texas’ past, according to TPWD. You can hike the 8.5 miles of trails through the tall pines and past historic places.
Hidden gem: The park features a replica of the first Spanish mission in Texas, which was built in 1690. French colonists settled on the Texas coast in 1685. In response, the Spaniards built Mission San Francisco de los Tejas, according to TPWD.
Daily adult tickets are $3 and free for children under 12. Reserve and find here.
Fort Leaton State Historic Site, Texas USA (Martina Birnbaum/Getty Images)
No. 4 Fort Leaton State Historic Site
In far West Texas, you’ll find the Fort Leaton State Historic Site, which had 7,936 visitors in 2024. The site offers a glimpse of life on the border in the 1800s. The fort on the site served as a trading post on the Chihuahua Trail from 1848 to 1884.
In the unforgiving Chihuahuan desert, Fort Leaton offered a place of rest and protection for those travelers, some military forces, and other traders in the region during tumultuous times, according to the TPWD. Today, it serves as the western entrance to Big Bend Ranch State Park.
Hidden gem: The fort is one of the largest and finest historic adobe structures in Texas.
Daily adult tickets are $5 and free for children under 12. Reserve and find here.
The Devils River State Natural Area is a rugged wilderness experience – primitive and isolated. (Dale Blasingame / For the Express-News)
No. 3 Devil’s River State Natural Area
It’s not shocking that the Devil’s River State Natural Area is in the bottom eight because it’s in the middle of nowhere. It’s in a remote mountainous area in Southwest Texas that even TPWD stated on its website, “It’s not easy to get here, but it’s worth the effort.”
The Devils River connects the two units of the state natural area: Del Norte and Dan A. Hughes. Together, the units encompass 37,000-plus acres in Val Verde County. Del Norte (5,799) and Dan A. Hughes (1,975) had a combined 7,774 visits in 2024.
Hidden gem: The Devil’s River is the best feature. It’s a 1.3-mile hike from the parking lot to the river at the Del Norte Unit. Despite the beautiful setting, paddling the wild and scenic river can be strenuous. TPWD provides tips on how to prepare for the river.
Daily adult tickets are $5 and free for children under 12. Reserve and find here.
Kickapoo Caverns State Park, located near Bracketville, provides visitors the opportunity to visit massive caves on ranger-led tours. (courtesy, TPWD)
No. 2 Kickapoo Cavern State Park
West of San Antonio, you’ll find Kickapoo Cavern State Park, which had 3,863 visitors.
Visitors could explore some of the 20 known caves at the park, as well as hike one of the site’s eight trails. The Armadillo Lookout Trail offers a 137-foot ascent to a scenic overlook with a bench (we all love a good bench and overlook).
Hidden gem: The park’s two largest caves: Kickapoo Cavern and Stuart Bat Cave. Kickapoo Cavern is about 1,400 feet long, the result of 4 million years of geologic change, while Stuart Bat Cave is slightly shorter than Kickapoo and is the seasonal home to thousands of Mexican free-tailed bats.
Daily adult tickets are $3 and free for children under 12. Reserve and find here.
Devil’s Sinkhole ((Kurt Menking, courtesy))
Least visited Texas State Park: Devil’s Sinkhole
Less than three hours west of San Antonio, you’ll find the Devil’s Sinkhole State Natural Area, a site known for being home to one of Texas’ largest colonies of Mexican free-tailed bats. It only had 897 visitors last year, but that’s understandable, as access to Devil’s Sinkhole State Natural Area is only by guided tour.
Mexican free-tailed bats roost in the cavern from late spring through early fall. They migrate to Mexico for the colder months of the year. Evening bat flight tours are Wednesdays through Sundays, May 1 through October 31.
Hidden gem: The 50-foot-wide sinkhole that drops 140 feet, of course. The cavern itself has a diameter of over 320 feet and reaches 350 feet deep, according to TPWD.
Tours are $14 for adults, $11 for seniors 65 and up, $6 for children 4 to 12 and free for children under 4. Find out more here.
This article originally published at Texas’ least visited state parks are hiding incredible natural treasures.