After three years of construction-related delays, Palo Pinto Mountains State Park is set to open.
After the Star-Telegram reported earlier Wednesday that the park’s website was taking reservations for campsites starting Sunday, March 1, Gov. Greg Abbott’s office issued a statement saying this weekend will be a “soft opening.”
As of Wednesday morning, 24 of the park’s 57 campsites were available for Sunday.
Work continues at Palo Pinto Mountains State Park, including construction of a fishing pier as pictured on May 21 in Strawn. The park was initially scheduled to open in 2023, but visitors will have to wait until at least 2026, according to Park Superintendent James Adams. Amanda McCoy amccoy@star-telegram.com
A Texas Parks & Wildlife spokesperson said visitors should use caution since workers are still putting finishing touches on the 4,817-acre park. However, all trails and campsites will be open beginning March 1.
An official grand opening is planned for later this spring, the spokesperson said.
The governor’s announcement said the “soft opening” will allow early access ahead of that. “Palo Pinto Mountains State Park offers visitors a chance to escape from the bustling pace of the city into the juniper-topped hillsides and hardwood bottomlands of the Cross Timbers,” the statement said.
Parks & Wildlife said Wednesday afternoon that large numbers of visitors are expected at the park over the coming months. Advance reservations are recommended.
A newly constructed pavilion at Palo Pinto Mountains State Park on Wednesday, May 21, 2025, in Strawn. Amanda McCoy amccoy@star-telegram.com
Palo Pinto will be the first state park to open in North Texas in nearly 25 years. The park is in Palo Pinto County about 75 miles west of Fort Worth, near the small city of Strawn. It was initially set to open in 2023, then the opening was pushed to 2025. During a preview visit last year, James Adams, the park’s supervisor, told the Star-Telegram it would likely be 2026.
The park’s centerpiece is a 90-acre lake with a wooded shoreline, which the Parks and Wildlife spokesperson said is stocked with fish and will be open to anglers on March 1. Surrounding the lake are canyons, hills, plateaus and ridges, some offering spectacular views of the surrounding countryside. Adams has described the property as having a “Wild West” vibe that feels like Texas Hill Country.
A floating dock at the future Palo Pinto Mountains State Park on Wednesday, May 21, 2025, in Strawn. Amanda McCoy amccoy@star-telegram.com
Campsites at Palo Pinto Mountains are roomier than sites in older parks, offering a little more privacy and space for larger trailers. The park’s facilities and trails were designed to be more accessible for those with disabilities, and there are even off-road wheelchairs available.
The first land purchases for the park were completed in 2011, and the city of Strawn donated crucial land along the lake in 2014.
But the property was undeveloped ranch land at the time. That meant that the park had to be built effectively from scratch — everything from utilities, such as water and electricity, to new roads and trails, to the headquarters and maintenance buildings that will be park staff’s homebase.
In the last construction update posted to the park’s Facebook page on Feb. 3, a staff member said the park was nearing completion. She mentioned final work being done on pathways, roads and a campsite bathhouse, and she said the fishing pier in one of the day use areas was almost finished.
The most recent state park to open in Texas was Resaca de la Palma, deep in South Texas, in 2008. North Texas hasn’t seen a new state park open since Lake Tawakoni, east of Dallas, in 2002.
Last year, Texas Parks & Wildlife instituted a policy change that aims to open state parks faster in the future.
The expectation moving forward is that new parks will open within 12 months of land acquisition for “facilitated public day use,” which includes things like guided tours and special events. Within 18 months of land acquisition, parks must be “open for expanded public day use with access to basic essential components (e.g., limited trails, parking areas, restrooms).
Finally, new parks must be completely open to the public, with all infrastructure and facilities in place, within 48 months of land acquisition.
Rodney Franklin, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s director of state parks, told the Star-Telegram last year that the new policy wasn’t implemented in response to the Palo Pinto Mountains delays.
“There’s always been an interest in opening parks as soon as we could,” he said. “We just haven’t been able to deliver on that. We’re in a different time now with some of the funding the legislature and the public has voted on, and it’s given us the opportunity to have a little more flexibility.”
The governor’s statement on Palo Pinto included estimated dates for future state parks:
This story was originally published February 25, 2026 at 9:45 AM.
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Matt Adams is a news reporter covering Fort Worth, Tarrant County and surrounding areas. He previously wrote about aviation and travel and enjoys a good weekend road trip. Matt joined the Star-Telegram in January 2025.