I go to this park each week. The staff are friendly and very helpful. The park has wonderful trails some of which are flat or may have stones to walk on. There are many streams just waiting for some rain to fill them including a wonderful "wash pond". You have to walk the "Lost Trail" located in the area recently reopened after the flooding of the Leon River. It is beautiful with many trees, creeks waiting for rain and trails that tie into it. They also have great camping sites, really nice bathrooms, many picnic tables under trees and many other things to enjoy and explore. I have been to other State Parks and they all have something different to offer, but this one is my favorite. Whether you are there for the day or over night, I think you will really enjoy your time here. There is also some wonderful history here and I think that makes it more special. read more

Great experience at Mother Neff State Park. The park is peaceful, beautiful, and very well maintained, with scenic views and nice trails to enjoy. It's a perfect place to relax and spend time outdoors. Traveling in our Class A motorhome with our Jeep in tow, we found it to be a convenient and enjoyable stop. The sites were easy to access, and getting in and out of the park was manageable for a larger rig. Overall, a great place to unwind and we would definitely visit again. read more

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Small but very clean and beautiful State Park. We had a full hookups pull through perfectly level on a concrete slab! Dang near perfect for a state park. Nina Bonifer was absolutely awesome. Very friendly and professional. She is the best park employee I have ever met! We hiked most of the trails and enjoyed our stay. My only negative would be that bikes are not allowed on the trails. . No big deal but my mountain bike sat chained to a tree for three days. I would definitely visit her again! read more

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Nice, well kept state park. We walked all the trails over two days because it was so hot. We walked in the mornings. We had a little visitor at our travel trailer! We saw deer and heard lots of birds. We just relaxed!! It was very quiet. The staff were very kind and knowledgeable!!! read more

Mother Neff State Park - Parks Near Me - Moody, Texas

I've been anticipating the day where I finally get a chance to hike Mother Neff. After numerous failed attempts to book a campsite, this state park may be the smallest, but it is popular. On Thanksgiving Day, I set out to complete a morning hike. I was delighted to discover this is one of a few well maintained park. The headquarters and array of native plants surrounding it was laid out in sleek organization. The ladies restrooms were immaculate without any malodorous smell. Green tile lined the backsplash of the sinks and mirrors. Stalls were packed with an ample amount of toilet paper. Every campsite and RV sites were booked. I might have saw just one that was empty which is a rarity amongst other state parks in Texas. I had only two hours to spare for a hike before Thanksgiving dinner preparations started. I hiked the Wash Pond to Tower then into Cave then to the Bluff trails. Along the way, I spotted CCC Table, a dried up Wash Pond filled with sticks and debris, Tonkawa cave, and the CCC Rock Tower. All were very cool, but my absolute favorite was the cave. If you're a rockhound or someone who fancies geological formations like I do, you would be in wowzers over this giant quartz and limestone shelter that hovers over. To think, 200 years ago, it was used by the Tonkawa people. It was a popular attraction to see and got crowded with other hikers as well. I made a stop at the bird blind and of course, I didn't see any birds. While hiking the Bluff trail, there were a plethora of birds chirping and flying around. The trails moderately easy to maneuver, however, they were tremendously rocky and had plenty of rock and wood stairs. It might be a challenge to anyone with physical limitations or require assistive devices. Trekking poles could make it easier. Definitely wear some hiking shoes. I wore my Columbia hiking boots and felt comfort when jumping off of the rocks. The scenery is a stunner; some of the leaves turned into a deep red and orange hues through prairie grassland. The oak and juniper trees were unique. The temperature was quite cold; I dressed in layers with a mitten hat and warmed up quickly as the time passed. The park may be old, but it left a lasting impression on me. I enjoyed myself immensely! read more

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Small State park but very well done. Really liked the Indian cave. Has easy to moderate trails, a campground and park, restrooms day picnic area read more

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Cute little state park. Definitely smaller than a lot of the others but it has character. Came here for the first time for our first day hike with me, my husband, and our dog. The tower was alright, the cave was probably one of the cooler things we saw. And then we went to one of the picnic areas on a trail and it had a nice view (better than the tower in my opinion) and we had some tea and stroopwaffles to warm up as the sun was going down. Can't say it's one of my top favorites, but it's definitely cute and has some character. read more

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Small park but a nice one. Stayed two nights at a campsite and it was great. Park employees couldn't have been nicer. read more

3.5 This park is pretty small compared to other state parks but that doesn't mean there aren't cool things to see here. We took the cave path trail and got through most of the paths as they all seemed to meet up. Some streams are running through the park and there are some places shut down because of the flooding. This said there are mosquitoes, huge ones. I got nailed several times. I had to turn back because of it so cover yourself with Deet or whatever works for you. You will thank me for it. The visitor center is pretty small and has only a few artifacts though the bathrooms seem to be airconditioned which is a godsend. It's a nice park but I might have to be more careful with bugs next time. read more

Mother Neff State Park - Parks Near Me - Moody, Texas

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Lovely small park with about 3.5 miles of trails. Trails to tower, CCC table, cave, and wash pond were nicely canopied. Beautiful facilities. Extremely clean park and warm staff! Give it a try! read more

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Beautiful State Park! Try not to go when middle schoolers are getting a tour, or it will take you forever to climb up the rock staircase, LOL. But once you do, it will be very worth it. The staircase, originally built as a water tower by the CCC, allows you to see for miles in every direction. I loved learning about the story of Mother Neff and the land. I got some post cards and a hoodie as a souvenir. I washed the hoodie and like so many tiny fuzzies came off of it and are flying all around every time I wear it. It's very soft and comfortable but I'm a little disappointed in how many fuzzies I am having to deal with now. read more

Mother Neff State Park - Parks Near Me - Moody, Texas

Texas' oldest and smallest state park! The parks system is turning 100 this year, which makes it this park's century anniversary as well! Congrats to Mother Neff! This park is only about 15-20 minutes off of I-35, offers RV camping, tent camping, and hiking! We stopped by, and enjoyed their clean, air conditioned restrooms, and ranger station. They showed us about the furs of various animals that hang out at the park- coyotes, fox, squirrel, and even a beaver! No, it's not Buc-ee, it's a real beaver that chews down the trees- they proudly display one in the corner at the park HQ. The park offers tranquility and silence along the trails. When we went, it was so hot, I'm pretty sure we were the only ones crazy enough to be out there in the heat. But it's only a short, short hike from parking to the cave that the Tarankwa Indians hung out in, and a quick stroll from parking to the tower that is in all the photos of this place. The cave was underwhelming, but you could feel the history. The tower was made by the Civilian Conservation Corps, who thought it'd be a great place to take a gander from. In all, it's a magical place, a park that kicked off a century of Texas State Parks! Wow! read more

Cool park and some classic Texas history. Great staff that are friendly and passionate. Well maintained.

Fun to get to explore the first state park in Texas! Was in the area visiting Waco and made a detour to take a look at this special place - the park is quite small, but it has a lovely tree-covered drive that is very unique. It basically feels like you are driving through a constant archway of trees - very mystical! We visited in May so we did not do any hiking because of the heat, but we did enjoy the selection of wildflowers around the park. read more

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David H left a great review that covers it all. Luckily, I read it so that I was prepared for the traffic noise and it's small size. And now SpaceX is a few miles away so there is that additional noise but it wasn't awful. I was a bit worried about this park but we ended up really enjoying it. The park ranger was extremely friendly and the place was immaculate. They literally rake the gravel! It was a quiet park which we liked. Probably not the type of park to bring a big group of friends. And holy smoke, the bathrooms were beautiful. We were pretty hiked out having just come from 2 other state parks so the 3.5 miles of trails was adequate. Overall, we loved this park for a one or two night stay. read more

Mother Neff State Park - Parks Near Me - Moody, Texas

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Lovely place! Staff is super organized and friendly too. Bathroom is clean and trails well marked. The RV spots are huge!!! read more

Mother Neff State Park - Rock tower - Parks Near Me - Moody, Texas

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This is probably our favorite State Park and the one we visit the most when we can get in! Great trails, beautiful camping sites. I really, really wish they would make plans to move the CCC building. It's so rich in history and to let it go to rot is just terrible. read more

MNSP has the nicest campsites in Texas! The bathrooms are always clean too! Go to Mother Neff! read more

When I was a kid, we collected giant acorns at this park. Sadly, a flood apparently has since killed the old oak tree(s) that grew the huge acorns. We were unable to even visit the flood-damaged area. Still, this is a nice park that served as a convenient stop, twice, on a road trip through Texas. read more

Mother Neff State Park - "GRUMPY" at site 3 - Parks Near Me - Moody, Texas

We decided at mid day to give this park a try. It is about 30 minutes away from our home. So a half day trip really. We both feel we got our admission charges worth. It is still 2 dollars an adult for a day pass. There appears to be a lot of things to see here. We only had time to see a bit but will come back. We explored the tower overlook as well as the bird blind. The blind really I believe is for the early AM. I will point out there is a bit of walking and it isn't exactly on level ground. I only state this as I have had knee surgery recently and it was a bit of a struggle. I documented the path in pictures. It is somewhat steep and there are no guardrails. It was a good challenge for me though as I got a good report and my knee surgery for my most recent knee was about 6 months ago. However I was happy my wife was along as it was a good assurance as well as she is great company. They have overnight camping as well and many things to do. You might consider exploring here it was a great experience especially in late November as there are fewer bugs and cooler weather. Will add to review later on and perhaps add that last star later after seeing a bit more of the park. The last few steps up to the car were pretty hard. I am not gonna lie. All in all a great time though. read more

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Mother Neff State Park has a special place in my heart. My siblings and I try to go here at least once a year as it is the midpoint between Austin and Dallas. It is a nice quiet park with great amenities and trails. There are also two playgrounds for the littles. It is a kid-friendly park, and the trails are small and easy hikes. There are well-kept campsites available and the restrooms are some of the cleanest I've seen! The wash pond is my favorite area of the park. Mother Neff, I believe, is the oldest state park in Texas. Go visit!! read more

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The park is absolutely beautiful and lots of wild life. We only had time to hike to the tower and look at the wash pond but definitely will be back. read more

One of my favorite state parks. The trails are always wonderful and the views are great. The kids love the playgrounds.

Decided to go hiking at Mother Neff State Park last Saturday. We had a blast. My husband grew up coming here as a child so it was nice for him to walk down memory lane. We hiked for about 2 hours. Lots to see and just being able to get away was nice. We enjoyed nature at its best. We would highly recommend Mother Neff State Park read more

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This small park was the first state park in Texas, and led to the development of what has become one of the premier park systems in the country. The older section of the park is currently closed due to flood damage, with very limited access. Fortunately, there are well-groomed hiking trails in the new, higher & drier portion of the park. This is also where the new campground loop is located. It has a combination of back-in and pull-through sites, each with sewer, water, 30 amp & 50 amp hookups. Level concrete pads make setup easy, and the campsites are paved with a fine gravel which minimizes tracking mud. Each site has a picnic table, fire ring, and a metal hook which allows hanging lanterns at 2 different heights. Our site, #7, had four large stone blocks providing seating near the fire ring. The only thing our site was lacking was a charcoal grill, but the fire ring worked fine for cooking steaks and grilling bratwursts. Like many state parks, Mother Neff hosted a company of the CCC during the 1930s. There are plaques and markers around the campground, and along the hiking trails, which point out projects, artifacts, and areas of interest related to the Civilian Conservation Corp's activities. I had an opportunity to visit with one of the volunteer Park Hosts, and discovered he was a descendant of the Neff family. He was able to give us interesting information on their family reunions, and the involvement of the extended Neff family in supporting the park. The biggest difficulty we saw in this park is related to its small size. It is only about 450 meters across, and is bordered along one side by a state highway, so there is sometimes traffic noise audible in the campground area. On the other side of that road are farms with trucks, tractors, and the occasional barking dog. It didn't bother us, but if you are looking for a pristine, wilderness experience, you will probably be disappointed. All of the reasons we go camping came together in this one small park; it is quiet & relaxing, we were able to get a little exercise on the hiking trails, and we learned some new things about the history of our great state. We are excited about returning. read more

Mother Neff State Park is located between Dallas and Austin just a few miles from I 35 @ exit 315. Built by the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corp) in 1934. The Park sits on the banks of the Leon River. The land was donated to the State of Texas to be used as a State Park by Governor Patrick Morris Neff, son of Isabella Eleanor Neff. Governor Neff is responsible for the creation of the Texas State Park Advisory Board that is still in operation today. The park has a total acreage of 259 acres. The Park was opened to the public in 1937. The park has been closed on 3 occasions because of massive flooding. The most recent flood causing the closure was in 2015. The State has used this time to bring the park up to the 21st century. The RV camp sites are very spacious with level concrete pads, full hookups, clean and trendy restrooms and a new park office offering a variety of products. Mother Neff State Park is one of the smaller State Parks but I tend to enjoy the smaller parks. The park offers some incredible hiking trails, and incredible views. The spring and summer season offers some incredible bird and butterfly watching. read more

This quaint little spot exceeded my expectations. The facilities are top notch with a new visitors' center and beautiful restrooms with huge, shower stalls that have a dressing area inside the stall! My most high-maintenance pals could function here! You can combine all the super short trails into one trail about 3.5 miles long that hits all the major points of interest, including a bird blind, a stone tower, a cave and a really gorgeous wash pool. I wouldn't necessarily have been satisfied had I driven hundreds of miles to visit because there aren't many trails, but it was most definitely worth the stop en route from Austin to DFW. And I'd make the trip again to catch the wildflowers in the spring. read more

Mother Neff State Park - Checking out the Cave at Mother Neff State Park. - Parks Near Me - Moody, Texas

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Small but lovely. Easy hiking trails, even for our 2nd grader. Worth checking out if you're in the area.

It's a small, quaint and beautiful park. I can tell you from experience that the folks who run this park care for it greatly. This group of fantastic people are led by Melissa Chadwick who couldn't be more accommodating. You will see deer and rabbits most every morning on the walking trails. Every site has sewer hook ups, bbq pits, and they are larger than sites at many other state parks. Today they had a Dutch oven and ice cream making demonstration. The kids loved it. My wife and I are blessed to be able to be the park hosts here for the next few months. After that " gig " is up, this is a park that we will definitely come back to many times. read more

Nice park but don't expect to be able to fish. The last time I was there the creek was so jambed up with logs it was .impossible to fish.

Nice afternoon spent exploring the easy walking trails (it was a spur of the moment trip and I had on sport flip flops and made it fine). There is a woodsy trail that goes to a cave and tower that has views for miles. Spring fed creeks provide a nice audio through the trails. Birdwatch by the pond or have a picnic at the pergola with more views for miles. There is a nice playground area for the kids. Only $2 per adult for a day pass and kids under 12 are free. Overnight camping available. Visitor center has clean bathrooms and a little exhibit about the park history read more

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A really great Texas state park right if you're looking for something a bit smaller. My husband and I have been there a few times and really enjoy that it is an easy walk. The scenery is beautiful and the are a lot of little caves and covered areas because of the rock and it's pretty quiet. read more

Mother Neff State Park - Parks Near Me - Moody, Texas

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Mother Neff is rather small. We initially were told this was one of the more popular state parks in Texas, and avoided it for several years as a result. But in our first experience there I don't find that to be true at all, as it was very quiet and sparsely attended. It was certainly not nearly as busy as the larger state parks closer to Austin, Dallas, Houston, etc. Minus one star because the trails are all very short (many are under a mile), and unmarked. You can, however, tie most of them together with relative ease to create a longer trail, and each trail has some sort of building or feature which is cool to check out, meaning over the course of a 3 or 4 mile hike you can see 3 to 5 neat features, whereas you may only see one or two on a single 4 mile trail somewhere else. The Prairie Trail, in the spring, is the real highlight of the park, however. If you make it out to the Prairie Trail before the heat kills off the spring wildflowers, you will be treated to long stretches of red, yellow, blue, purple, orange, white and more in every direction for maybe a hundred yards or more. Entire fields of blue bonnets, indian paint brushes and so on cover the area. I recommend this park for that alone. Go sometime in late March to mid April. You won't regret it. read more

Wow! Passed by the signs on I-35 hundreds of times and finally decided to check it out. IMPRESSIVE! Campsites were pristine with numerous RV drive through and even the back-in sites were spacious with no obstacles to damage a rig. Couldn't believe how clean the bathrooms and showers were. Attentive camp hosts and friendly office. 22 (?) RV sites with plenty of room and growth between them. Roads were smooth with good signage. Bird watching area with a pond. Cute playground for the kids. 82 miles from Austin: we'll definitely be back soon. read more

Love it here! So much history and such a nice park. Definitely recommend a stop in for some desert-like scenery

Spent a weekend camping here with my family in November. Its a small park with basic camping amenities. They have some nice shelters that are available for rent as well. Likes: -Large campsites with fire rings, trash bag hangers, and free standing BBQ pits. -The trails are fairly nice, though altogether there are only 5 miles of trails, with half of them being around prairie. - This isn't a super popular camp ground so its easy to reserve a spot. - Toilets and shower facilities are well maintained, and yes, flush-able toilets. - There are lots of fallen trees around and they don't seem to mind if you pick up wood and chop it up for the campfire. They are moving the camping area in the next few years since the trees are all dying off due to the river eroding the area. In the meantime, you get plenty of free firewood. Be sure to bring an axe or a kukri. Dislikes: -Fort Scott is nearby and you can listen to machine gun fire and artillery all through the night. I suppose learning to sleep through that is good training for the zombie apocalypse ;) - There isn't a lot to do after completing the hikes. I suppose just relaxing and having conversation with the family isn't bad though. Pro-tip: - The office closes at 4:30 and the reservation instructions clearly state that you cannot occupy a reserve site until it has been assigned to you. This is not true. If you show up after 4:30 you can grab an open reserve site and a ranger will shortly to book it for you and then you can pay for it the next day. read more

Great place to go & forget all life's troubles. Great playgrounds for kids. Great hiking. Create memories. Camping. Family first!!

We camped for 2 nights at site 13 in our RV. The sites are very nice- the best we've had. The sites are level and have full hook ups. We had a view of a field and a small road running behind it. The park itself is actually pretty noisy.. There is a rocket testing facility nearby.. or something like that. It literally sounds like a rocket is launching. It scared us when we first heard it! There are signs by the bathrooms explaining what the noise is. We went when they still had the river access closed due to flooding. We actually ran out of things to do at this park. There are lots of trails, but they are short and don't take long to finish.They do have a really cool cave and tower. There is also a small pond that's really pretty, but I don't think you're allowed to swim in it. Nice park, but I don't think I would come back here. We ran out of things to do and the rocket noise was a little strange. read more

It's true that Mother Neff is small. However, the price is right, only $2 for day-entry, and it's convenient, not far from I-35. It's about five miles of trails all told, which include a cave, a natural "wash-pond," and a man-made lookout. There's even slight elevation change, which is good given the flatness of the area. A mile of the trail that runs through a reconstructed "prairie" is currently closed, and I think plans are underway to expand the park altogether. read more

Mother Neff State Park - from the park website - Parks Near Me - Moody, Texas

We stopped by to check the park out to see if we'd camp here someday. We missed the highway exit and took a very long scenic route. The park headquarters are pretty much the nicest I've ever seen, I was told that was because the original flooded two years ago. The camping loop, also new, unfortunately looked very cramped. No trees in the campsites and mostly rvs close together. Such a shame. We walked the cave trail, which was a nice but rocky trail. I see us coming back in cooler months and walking the trails but honestly I don't think I would camp here. Conveniently not too far from Round Rock. read more