Get ready for your next big Texas adventure.
Texas Parks and Wildlife announced Wednesday that it has purchased a massive new property in the Texas Hill Country that will eventually become the state’s second-largest state park.
Located about 150 miles west of San Antonio, Silver Lake Ranch spans nearly 54,000 acres across Edwards and Kinney counties. Once developed into Silver Lake State Park, it will rank behind only the more than 300,000-acre Big Bend Ranch State Park as the largest state park in Texas.
The future park will be packed with the kind of scenery outdoor enthusiasts dream about: caves, waterholes, steep canyons and towering limestone cliffs rising above rolling Hill Country terrain.
Several miles of the West Nueces River run through the property, which also includes the 30-acre spring-fed Silver Lake that gives the ranch its name, according to TPWD.
Anglers, hikers and wildlife watchers will have plenty to explore. The property features multiple creeks and natural swimming holes, including Sycamore Creek, Lost Creek, North Spring Creek, Blue Waterhole and Dutch Waterhole.
Live oak and juniper trees blanket much of the landscape, while native wildlife includes white-tailed deer, turkey, javelina, dove and aquatic species such as the greenthroat darter fish.
Silver Lake Ranch was gifted to the state by The Moody Foundation, which owned the majority interest in the property. TPWD purchased the remaining acreage for $11.85 million using money from the voter-approved Centennial Parks Conservation Fund and the Sporting Goods Sales Tax.
The park won’t open all at once. Officials plan to roll out access in phases following a community feedback process. Initial opportunities are expected to include guided tours and limited day-use access before broader public recreation becomes available.