Mountain park featuring high-desert hiking trails, scenic overlooks, historic Civilian Conservation Corps structures, wildlife viewing areas, camping facilities, and exceptional dark-sky stargazing opportunities.
General Information
Park office: 8:15am to 4:45pm daily
Skyline Drive closes at 10:00pm
Children 12 and under: Free
Additional fees apply for camping, lodging, and select facilities
How to Get There
From Fort Davis (4 mi): Take TX-118 northwest from Fort Davis, continue approximately 3.5 miles, and follow signs to the park entrance on Park Road 3.
Davis Mountains State Park is a 2,709-acre (1,096 ha) state park located in the Davis Mountains in Jeff Davis County, Texas. The closest town is Fort Davis, Texas. The park elevation is between 5,000 and 6,000 ft (1,500 and 1,800 m) above sea level. The original portion of the park was deeded to Texas Parks and Wildlife Department by a local family.
Original improvements were accomplished by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in 1933, during the Great Depression. After this federal investment, the park was opened to the public around 1938. Indian Lodge was expanded and campground facilities were added by the state in 1967.
The park is next to the Fort Davis National Historic Site and the two are connected by four miles of hiking trails. Within the park is the "Indian Lodge", an adobe motel with thirty-nine rooms. Sixteen were built by the Civilian Conservation Corps during the 1930s (completed in 1939) and twenty-four were added in a 1967 expansion by Texas Parks and Wildlife. A large bird blind next to the main road offers enclosed and open viewing areas for the many species of birds that are attracted to the feeders near the blind.
The park has seven miles of equestrian trails in the special use Limpia Canyon Primitive Area, the section of the park north of Texas State Highway 118.
Things to Do
Hike Mountain Trails
Explore more than 12 miles of trails through volcanic mountains, canyons, and high-desert landscapes. Trails range from short nature walks to challenging mountain hikes with panoramic views.
Drive the Scenic Skyline Drive
Follow the park's famous mountain road to historic stone overlooks built by the Civilian Conservation Corps and enjoy sweeping views of the Davis Mountains, Fort Davis, and the surrounding desert.
Visit the Historic Indian Lodge
Stay or explore the historic 1930s adobe-style lodge built by the Civilian Conservation Corps, one of the park's most iconic landmarks.
Visit the Interpretive Center
Learn about the region's geology, wildlife, history, and ecosystems through exhibits and educational displays.
Top Trails
Skyline Drive Trail
Distance: 4 miles round trip
Difficulty: Moderate to Challenging
Highlights: Nearly 900 feet of elevation gain, spectacular overlooks, mountain scenery, and access to historic CCC structures.
Old CCC Trail
Distance: 1.6 miles one way
Difficulty: Moderate
Highlights: Follows a historic road used during park construction and connects to Fort Davis National Historic Site.
Indian Lodge Trail
Distance: 1.5 miles one way
Difficulty: Challenging
Highlights: Steep climb behind Indian Lodge leading to excellent views of the surrounding mountains.
Montezuma Quail Trail
Distance: 0.9 miles one way
Difficulty: Moderate to Challenging
Highlights: Canyon views, wildlife observation opportunities, and scenic mountain terrain.
Sheep Pen Canyon Loop
Distance: 5.6 miles
Difficulty: Moderate
Highlights: High-elevation plateau, oak-juniper woodland, grasslands, and some of the park's best vistas.
Limpia Creek Trail
Distance: 2.4 miles one way
Difficulty: Moderate to Challenging
Highlights: Canyon scenery, mountain views, and access to more remote sections of the park.
Nearby Attractions
Visitors often combine a trip with Fort Davis National Historic Site and McDonald Observatory, both located nearby.
Additional Details
Davis Mountains State Park receives more rain than the surrounding desert. A variety of trees are found here, such as Mexican pinyon (Pinus cembroides), Emory oak (Quercus emoryi), gray oak (Quercus grisea) and one-seed juniper (Juniperus monosperma). Shrubs such as scarlet bouvardia (Bouvardia ternifolia), little-leaf leadtree (Leucaena retusa), trompillo (Ipomoea hederifolia), evergreen sumac (Rhus virens), fragrant sumac (Rhus aromatica), Apache plume (Fallugia paradoxa), little walnut (Juglans microcarpa), tree cholla (Cylindropuntia imbricata), Torrey yucca (Yucca torreyi), catclaw acacia (Acacia greggii), and agarita (Mahonia trifoliolata) abound. The high elevations 6,000 to 8,360 ft (1,830 to 2,550 m) above sea level, not in the park, boast ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) and quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides).
Montezuma quail are regularly observed in the park. Woodhouse's scrub jays, white-winged doves, curve-billed thrashers, white-tailed deer and rock squirrels are among the most common wildlife seen. Collared peccary, cougars, and American black bears have also been recorded in the park.
This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Davis Mountains State Park", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0
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