San Jacinto Battleground State Park & Historic Site

The 1,200-acre San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site, which is also a national Historic Landmark,  consists of the Battleground, Monument and Battleship Texas. It is located within minutes of downtown Houston and a short distance to the beaches of Galveston Island. Millions of visitors come to this area each year to enjoy the mild coastal climate and cultural and sports activities. Visitors can experience history first-hand through living history at the San Jacinto Battleground and Battleship Texas State Historic Sites.

The famous Battle of San Jacinto that brought Texas its independence was fought on this site. Texian troops under General Sam Houston achieved the independence of Texas by defeating a Mexican Army led by General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna on April 21, 1836.

Battleship TEXAS

Port Isabel Lighthouse State Park & Historic Site

Of the 16 lighthouses originally constructed along the Texas coast, Port Isabel is the only one open to the public. With a perch 50 feet above the ground, it is always popular with photographers and other visitors, because they can enjoy great views of South Padre Island and the beaches. In fact, a number of couples have climbed the 75 winding stairs, including 3 short ladders, to exchange wedding vows on top of the tower.

Beacon Of The Night

Welcome to Hueco Tanks State Park and Historic Site. This earthcache will teach you about some of the processes that have shaped this area. There is no physical cache container to find; to log this earthcache, you will need to send us the answers to the questions below using the email or send message links in our profile. The questions are repeated in the unencrypted hint for your convenience. No tour is necessary to visit this cache, but there is an entrance fee to the park.

Hueco Tanks Earthcache

Bastrop State Park

In September 2011, Bastrop State Park and the surrounding pine forest were stricken by wildfire that affected 96 percent of the park. However, firefighters were able to save the historic cabins and facilities that were constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s. The park is recovering from the fire, and most trails, campsites and facilities have reopened to the public.

Let's Get Down To The Nitty Gritty!

McKinney Falls State Park 

McKinney Falls State Parkin Travis County, located in South Austin, is a 726-acre park acquired in 1970 from private donation and was opened to the public in 1976. The headquarters of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department are near this location.

The park is named for Thomas F. McKinney, who came to Texas in the early 1820s as one of Stephen F. Austin's first 300 colonists. Sometime between 1850 and 1852, McKinney moved to Travis County and to his property on Onion Creek, where he became a prominent breeder of racehorses with his own stable and private track. He built his large two-story home, stone fences and the first flour mill in the area with slave labor.

Shelter Rock ~ Mckinney Falls State Park

State Parks Challenge - Texas (25)

Enchanted Rock State Natural Area

Why is this giant dome here?

One billion years ago, this granite was part of a large pool of magma, or hot liquid rock, perhaps seven miles below the earth’s surface. It pushed up into the rock above in places, then cooled and hardened very slowly, turning into granite. Over time, the surface rock and soil wore away.

The Enchanted Rock

Palo Duro Canyon State Park

Palo Duro Canyon is the second-largest canyon in United States. It is 120 miles long and a maximum of 20 miles wide. At some points it is almost 800 feet deep. The largest canyon, the Grand Canyon is 277 miles long, 18 miles wide, and 6,000 feet deep. The name Palo Duro means "hardwood" and refers to the hardwood shrubs and trees found in the canyon. Palo Duro Canyon is about 90 million years old and carved into the eastern Caprock Escarpment of the High Plains by the Prairie Dog Town Fork of the Red River during the Pleistocene Epoch. The steep sides of Palo Duro Canyon consist of bright, banded layers of orange, red, brown, yellow, grey, maroon, and white rocks that represent four different geologic periods that span 240 million years. These periods include the Pliocene, Miocene, Triassic, and Permian.

The Second-Largest Canyon in the United States

TxGCC13 Buescher II

TxGCC13 Falcon III

Goliad State Park & Historic Site

The park complex, located on the San Antonio River, contains a refurnished restoration of the Spanish Colonial Era Mission of Nuestra Señora del Espíritu Santo de Zuñiga, reconstructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in the 1930s. Just down the road from the main park headquarters office, visitors can also tour the ruins of the 1750’s Mission Rosario State Historic Site (by appointment) and visit the museum at Zaragoza Birthplace State Historic Site, which is open on Saturdays.

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