Texas Parks & Wildlife Just Bought Land For a New State Park

Texas Parks & Wildlife

More land bought for new state park

Park will be along the Colorado River in Central Texas

Here's some great news for Texans and nature lovers, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) just bought a huge chunk of land to build a brand-new state park in Central Texas.

This beautiful property is 2,020 acres in Burnet County and sits along two miles of the Colorado River. It’s right across the river from Colorado Bend State Park and marks the first step in what could become an even bigger park project.

But there's more, did you know that the TPWD is also looking at another 1,100-acre property? It's nearby in Lampasas and Burnet counties. During meetings last week (January 22-23) the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission gave the TPWD’s executive director the okay to do what they need to get the second property from a willing seller. If that deal goes through, the park will total more than 3,000 acres.

The recently bought 2,020 acres came from a one-time mix of funding and money from the sporting goods sales tax. This is all part of the Centennial Parks Conservation Fund which is a $1 billion fund that voters approved back in 2023. The fund was set up to help Texas develop and expand its state parks, and that is exactly what they are doing!

This new park is just one of several land purchases TPWD has made recently. We wrote about the newly purchased 3,703 acres that will be added to the Enchanted Rock State Natural Area. They also purchased the 500-acre Lake Colorado City State Park.

When TPWD hears about available properties, they do a deep dive to make sure the land would be a good fit as a state park. For this one, the mix of natural beauty and historic value made it a no-brainer.

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This land has it rugged hills, native habitats, and two miles of Colorado River frontage. It’s about ten miles upstream from Lake Buchanan, this will be a great place for recreation and habitat protection. Personally, I have my fingers crossed for some camping sites too.

Now it's time for the TPWD to plan the park and they will be asking for your input and ideas soon. They say the planning process could take a while, but they will be updating us periodically. Get ready Texas soon there will be a new state park to play in.