Palo Pinto Mountains State Park, 75 miles between Fort Worth and Abilene, promises diverse outdoor activities, trails, camping, and water recreation, according to a D Magazine article. They report,

“Halfway between Fort Worth and Abilene, 75 miles from both, the hills and soft cuestas of the Western Cross Timbers break through the prairie. This is where North Texas will have its first new state park in 25 years, Palo Pinto Mountains State Park.

“The goal of this property is to provide more outdoor recreation opportunities for Texans, especially from the Metroplex,” says James Adams, the park’s superintendent. Among those opportunities will be 12.5 miles of multiuse trails of varying difficulty, primitive camping areas, and plenty of water activities.”

At the park’s end on Farm-to-Market 2372, a welcoming center will guide visitors to canyons, scenic views, and a natural playscape, according to a Weatherford Democrat article. They report,

“Future visitors to the park, at the dead end of Farm-to-Market 2372 a couple of miles west of Strawn, will be greeted by a visitors center and park headquarters.

Those will lead to canyons and vistas of a piece of Texas known as the Northern Gate to the Hill Country.

“You can kind of see, off to your right, the view from some of these campsites,” the superintendent said, driving along a crest that will be home to a multi-use campground near a “playscape” of swings, slides and places to climb created from natural terrain.”

Palo Pinto’s 4,900 acres offer typical outdoor activities, and plans for an additional 18 miles of hiking trails aim to explore its rich historical spaces.