TX State ParksAn independent field guide

Chinati Mountains State Natural Area

State natural area in Presidio County, in the Big Bend Country region. 39,000 acres.

Map of Texas showing where Chinati Mountains isAbilene State ParkAlbert & Bessie Kronkosky State Natural AreaAtlanta State ParkBalmorhea State ParkBarton Warnock Visitor CenterBastrop State ParkBear Creek State ParkBentsen-Rio Grande Valley State ParkBig Bend Ranch State ParkBig Spring State ParkBlanco State ParkBonham State ParkBrazos Bend State ParkBuescher State ParkCaddo Lake State ParkCaprock Canyons State Park & TrailwayCedar Hill State ParkChinati Mountains State Natural AreaChoke Canyon State ParkCleburne State ParkColorado Bend State ParkCooper State ParkCopper Breaks State ParkDaingerfield State ParkDavis Mountains State ParkDevil's Sinkhole State Natural AreaDevils River State Natural AreaDinosaur Valley State ParkEisenhower State ParkEnchanted Rock State Natural AreaEstero Llano Grande State ParkFalcon State ParkFort Boggy State ParkFort Leaton State Historic SiteFort Parker State ParkFort Richardson State Park, Historic Site & Lost Creek Reservoir State TrailwayFranklin Mountains State ParkGalveston Island State ParkGarner State ParkGoliad State Park & Historic SiteGoose Island State ParkGovernment Canyon State Natural AreaGuadalupe River State ParkHill Country State Natural AreaHoney Creek State Natural AreaHueco Tanks State Park & Historic SiteHuntsville State ParkIndian LodgeInks Lake State ParkKickapoo Cavern State ParkLake Arrowhead State ParkLake Bob Sandlin State ParkLake Brownwood State ParkLake Casa Blanca International State ParkLake Colorado City State ParkLake Corpus Christi State ParkLake Livingston State ParkLake Mineral Wells State Park & TrailwayLake Somerville State Park & TrailwayLake Tawakoni State ParkLake Whitney State ParkLockhart State ParkLonghorn Cavern State ParkLost Maples State Natural AreaLyndon B. Johnson State Park & Historic SiteMartin Creek Lake State ParkMartin Dies, Jr. State ParkMcKinney Falls State ParkMeridian State ParkMission Tejas State ParkMonahans Sandhills State ParkMother Neff State ParkMustang Island State ParkOld Tunnel State ParkPalmetto State ParkPalo Duro Canyon State ParkPalo Pinto Mountains State ParkPedernales Falls State ParkPossum Kingdom State ParkPost Oak Ridge State ParkPowderhorn State ParkPurtis Creek State ParkRay Roberts Lake State ParkResaca de la Palma State ParkSan Angelo State ParkSea Rim State ParkSeminole Canyon State Park & Historic SiteSheldon Lake State Park & Environmental Learning CenterSouth Llano River State ParkStephen F. Austin State ParkTyler State ParkVillage Creek State ParkWyler Aerial Tramway
No openly licensed photo of Chinati Mountains yet. The map shows where it is.

Chinati Mountains State Natural Area is nearly 39,000 acres of volcanic mountains in the Chihuahuan Desert, south of Pinto Canyon Road near Marfa, with a 4,400-foot elevation change. It isn't open yet, and no opening date has been set.

Things to do

What's here

The largest volcanic eruption in the Trans-Pecos happened here more than 35 million years ago. Native Americans left pictographs and petroglyphs, and the gray-checkered whiptail lizard is found almost nowhere else.

Visiting with dogs

Dogs are allowed on a leash no longer than 6 feet. Like every Texas state park, they can't go into park buildings or designated swimming areas.

Swimming

TPWD doesn't list swimming for this park.

Getting there

1900 South Sauceda Ranch Road
Marfa, TX 79843

Open in OpenStreetMap (29.8816, -104.5811)

From the nearest cities in this guide
FromApprox. driveStraight line
El Paso5 hr 47 min175 mi
Midland5 hr 59 min208 mi
Lubbock7 hr 58 min299 mi
San Antonio8 hr 59 min365 mi
Austin9 hr 47 min409 mi
Amarillo9 hr 58 min401 mi
Map of Texas showing where Chinati Mountains isAbilene State ParkAlbert & Bessie Kronkosky State Natural AreaAtlanta State ParkBalmorhea State ParkBarton Warnock Visitor CenterBastrop State ParkBear Creek State ParkBentsen-Rio Grande Valley State ParkBig Bend Ranch State ParkBig Spring State ParkBlanco State ParkBonham State ParkBrazos Bend State ParkBuescher State ParkCaddo Lake State ParkCaprock Canyons State Park & TrailwayCedar Hill State ParkChinati Mountains State Natural AreaChoke Canyon State ParkCleburne State ParkColorado Bend State ParkCooper State ParkCopper Breaks State ParkDaingerfield State ParkDavis Mountains State ParkDevil's Sinkhole State Natural AreaDevils River State Natural AreaDinosaur Valley State ParkEisenhower State ParkEnchanted Rock State Natural AreaEstero Llano Grande State ParkFalcon State ParkFort Boggy State ParkFort Leaton State Historic SiteFort Parker State ParkFort Richardson State Park, Historic Site & Lost Creek Reservoir State TrailwayFranklin Mountains State ParkGalveston Island State ParkGarner State ParkGoliad State Park & Historic SiteGoose Island State ParkGovernment Canyon State Natural AreaGuadalupe River State ParkHill Country State Natural AreaHoney Creek State Natural AreaHueco Tanks State Park & Historic SiteHuntsville State ParkIndian LodgeInks Lake State ParkKickapoo Cavern State ParkLake Arrowhead State ParkLake Bob Sandlin State ParkLake Brownwood State ParkLake Casa Blanca International State ParkLake Colorado City State ParkLake Corpus Christi State ParkLake Livingston State ParkLake Mineral Wells State Park & TrailwayLake Somerville State Park & TrailwayLake Tawakoni State ParkLake Whitney State ParkLockhart State ParkLonghorn Cavern State ParkLost Maples State Natural AreaLyndon B. Johnson State Park & Historic SiteMartin Creek Lake State ParkMartin Dies, Jr. State ParkMcKinney Falls State ParkMeridian State ParkMission Tejas State ParkMonahans Sandhills State ParkMother Neff State ParkMustang Island State ParkOld Tunnel State ParkPalmetto State ParkPalo Duro Canyon State ParkPalo Pinto Mountains State ParkPedernales Falls State ParkPossum Kingdom State ParkPost Oak Ridge State ParkPowderhorn State ParkPurtis Creek State ParkRay Roberts Lake State ParkResaca de la Palma State ParkSan Angelo State ParkSea Rim State ParkSeminole Canyon State Park & Historic SiteSheldon Lake State Park & Environmental Learning CenterSouth Llano River State ParkStephen F. Austin State ParkTyler State ParkVillage Creek State ParkWyler Aerial Tramway

Nearby parks

  1. Fort Leaton State Historic Site28 miles away. $5 per adult, kids 12 and under free.
  2. Indian Lodge62 miles away. Free entry. Swimming allowed.
  3. Davis Mountains State Park63 miles away. $6 per adult, kids 12 and under free.
  4. Barton Warnock Visitor Center65 miles away. $5 per adult, kids 12 and under free.
  5. Big Bend Ranch State Park65 miles away. $5 per adult, kids 12 and under free.

Straight-line distance. See every park in the Big Bend Country.

Questions people ask

Is Chinati Mountains State Natural Area open?

No. No opening date has been set.

Photo credits

    Sources

    Last checked October 14, 2026. Fees, hours and rules change; the official TPWD page for Chinati Mountains has current alerts and closures.

    1. TPWD: Chinati Mountains State Natural Area, retrieved October 14, 2026
    2. TPWD state parks map (amenities, contact), retrieved October 14, 2026
    3. TPWD GIS: Texas State Parks Public Areas, retrieved October 14, 2026
    4. TPWD GIS Lab: Regional Divisions for Travel and Tourism Planning, retrieved October 14, 2026
    5. TPWD: state park rules (pets, swimming), retrieved October 14, 2026
    6. OSRM routing on OpenStreetMap data (approximate drive times), retrieved October 14, 2026