Have you noticed that state parks are looking particularly lovely these days? Maybe they’re glowing in anticipation of a special upcoming birthday party. The state park system turns 100 in 2023, and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is preparing to mark the occasion in a big way. We've got a lot to celebrate: 86 state parks covering 600,000 acres, with intriguing new parks on the way.
Texas state parks contain many of our state’s most spectacular natural features — the dramatic canyons of the Caprock Escarpment, the cypress-filled bayous of Caddo Lake, the desert mountains of West Texas, the spring-fed waters of the Guadalupe River and the peaceful piney woods of East Texas. Our new magazine photographer, Maegan Lanham, has checked off 70 state parks on her quest to visit them all. Through her lens, these wild places glow with a magical light.
