Palo Pinto Mountains State Park
State park in Palo Pinto County, in the Panhandle Plains region. Established 2011. 4,871 acres.
Palo Pinto Mountains is a brand-new state park on 4,871 acres of former ranchland, about 75 miles west of Dallas–Fort Worth. It has 16 miles of multiuse trails (1.25 miles accessible) for hiking, biking and horses, and 90-acre Tucker Lake for swimming, fishing and paddling. Motorboats aren't allowed, and you don't need a fishing license.
Things to do
Trails
Trails lead to wide vistas in remote parts of the park. The Texas & Pacific Trail is 5.7 miles (11 round trip). The park loans all-terrain wheelchairs.
Tucker Lake
Fish, swim and paddle. The kayak and canoe launch, pier and fish cleaning station are all accessible, and the park loans fishing gear.
Golden-cheeked warblers
Look for the endangered birds in the oaks and junipers in spring.
Trails
TPWD counts about 16 miles of trails in the park. These are the named trails it lists, with its own distances and ratings.
| Trail | Distance | Difficulty | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Connecting Trail | 0.5 mi | Easy | 20 min. |
| Raptor Ridge Trail | 0.5 mi. (1 mi. round trip) | Easy | 30 min. |
| Lakeshore Accessible Trail | 0.2 mi | Easy | 15 min. |
| Ben's Trail | 0.8 mi | Moderate | 30 min. |
| Tucker Lake Trail | 4.2 mi | Moderate | 2 hrs. 30 min. |
| Buttonbush Trail | 0.7 mi. (1.3 mi. round trip) | Easy | 45.min. |
| Cross Timbers Trail | 2 mi | Easy | 1 hr. |
| Palo Pinto Creek Loop | 1.3 mi | Easy | 45 min. from trailhead |
| Texas & Pacific Trail | 5.7 mi. (11 mi. round trip) | Moderate | 5 hr. 30 min. |
Source: TPWD trail list. TPWD doesn’t list trail surfaces. Printable trail map (PDF).
Camping
Choose water and electric sites, walk-in tent sites, hike-in primitive sites or equestrian sites.
| Site type | Sites | Sleeps | Per night |
|---|---|---|---|
| Campsites with ElectricityWater and electric | 23 | 8 | $30 |
| Campsites with Water (Walk in)Tent sites with water | 12 | 6 | $15 |
| Primitive Campsites (Hike-in)Primitive | 13 | 6 | $12 |
| Equestrian Campsites with ElectricityEquestrian | 10 | 8 | $30 |
| PavilionWater and electric | 1 | $150 |
Nightly rates are on top of the daily entrance fee. Book a site with Texas State Parks reservations, or call (512) 389-8900.
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
Swimming is allowed in designated areas. There are no lifeguards at Texas state parks.
Best time to go
TPWD says the park may reach capacity on weekends and holidays. Trails can close in wet weather.
Averages and busy season from TPWD. The Bortle scale runs from 1 (darkest sky) to 9 (inner city).
Getting there
Strawn, TX 76475
(254) 672-5684
Open in OpenStreetMap (32.5350, -98.5567)
| From | Approx. drive | Straight line |
|---|---|---|
| Fort Worth | 1 hr 38 min | 72 mi |
| Dallas | 2 hr 15 min | 106 mi |
| Waco | 2 hr 46 min | 105 mi |
| Austin | 3 hr 51 min | 162 mi |
| Tyler | 3 hr 53 min | 190 mi |
| Midland | 4 hr 8 min | 211 mi |
Nearby parks
Questions people ask
Can you swim at Palo Pinto Mountains State Park?
Yes, in Tucker Lake. There are no lifeguards.
How far is Palo Pinto Mountains State Park from Fort Worth?
About an hour and 40 minutes by car, based on OpenStreetMap routing.
Photo credits
- TAS star party at Palo Pinto State Park in Strawn Texas. Nov. 3, 2013 - panoramio.jpg by Bob Salazar, CC BY 3.0.
- Sympistis atricollaris 22342014.jpg by Annika Lindqvist, CC BY 4.0.
- Heterostylum robustum-hovering.jpg by Sam Kieschnick, CC BY 4.0.
Sources
Last checked October 14, 2026. Fees, hours and rules change; the official TPWD page for Palo Pinto Mountains has current alerts and closures.
- TPWD: Palo Pinto Mountains State Park, retrieved October 14, 2026
- TPWD state parks map (amenities, contact), retrieved October 14, 2026
- TPWD GIS: Texas State Parks Public Areas, retrieved October 14, 2026
- TPWD GIS Lab: Regional Divisions for Travel and Tourism Planning, retrieved October 14, 2026
- TPWD: Palo Pinto Mountains State Park campsites, retrieved October 14, 2026
- TPWD: Palo Pinto Mountains State Park trails, retrieved October 14, 2026
- TPWD: Palo Pinto Mountains State Park history, retrieved October 14, 2026
- TPWD: state park rules (pets, swimming), retrieved October 14, 2026
- Wikipedia: List of Texas state parks, retrieved October 14, 2026
- OSRM routing on OpenStreetMap data (approximate drive times), retrieved October 14, 2026
- Wikimedia Commons (photos), retrieved October 14, 2026