The park was mellow, not many scenic views but that's u understandable for the area. The lake was a tad on the small side, I was looking for more of a scenic area but the sights were on the dry side. read more

San Angelo State Park - Lake - Parks Near Me - San Angelo, Texas

I love this place.. I'm fairly new to San Angelo and was looking for something off the beaten path but close to home.. I'm so glad I found this gem read more

If you were looking for some great trail running, walking, or mountain biking, this place has it covered. 60+ miles of mainly single track trails, some of which are shaded but not much. The Park staff are friendly and easy to work with. Be sure to pack plenty of fluids and sunscreen. A little known paved path that is great for biking and running/walking is nearby at the OC Fisher Dam. The entrance and parking area is off of Mercedes Ave/Glenna Street. You'll also need plenty of water and sunscreen here as well. It's about 6+ miles one way and is marked in 1/2 mile increments with spray paint. read more

San Angelo State Park - Entrance - Parks Near Me - San Angelo, Texas

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It's not a destination vacation, but if you find yourself stuck in the area, it's one of the best things to do if you're trying to stay out of trouble. The water level in the reservoir is low, but there's still one boat ramp accessible, and that's the one nearest the dam. Other things to do here: Tent camping, RV spots with electricity and water, or you can rent a cabin. And, oh yeah, there's always the option of hiking alongside the "Official State of Texas Longhorn Herd!" (more on that later) Hiking: You can spend a few days out here and still not get to every trail. I managed to hit about 70% of them over several days. It's west Texas, so don't expect a whole lot of elevation change, but the cool thing is there's hardly anyone on these trails! The park is so huge, that there are *separate trail maps* for the northern and southern section, so make sure you grab one of each before you begin your journey. Favorite trails: - Roller Coaster Trail (the most elevation change (only about 70 feet over the course of half a mile) and a couple of good views of the open plains) - Playground Trail (probably the best for mountain biking, but can also be confusing and hard to find your way out toward the end) - Flintstone Village Trail - North and South Slick Rock Trails- nice ups and downs - also good for mountain bikers. Least favorite trails: - Badlands Trail - pretty flat, and TONS of side trails created by mountain bikers, so it's very easy to get lost here. - Roadrunner Trail/Strawberry Trail - VERY flat, boring, and easy. Longhorn spotting: - Trailhead to Trailhead Route (look for the water trough just south of where Flintstone Village Trail intersects with the Trailhead to Trailhead Route) - Here's where I encountered the most longhorn. It was on the Badlands Trail and parts of the River Bend Trail. They're docile for the most part, but don't be surprised if you turn a corner and encounter one that doesn't want to move off of the trail. I had one that snorted/grunted at me and that told me it was time to back out and take a different trail! I like the trails in the northern part more than the southern part. They're just more fun. Although Roller Coaster Trail in the southern part was fun and had some good views, so it's worth a spin. Kudos to the person who came up with the fun trail names like Badlands, Roller Coaster Trail, Playground Trail, Flintstone Trail, Lanky Lackey, Winding Snake, Cougar Overlook and Lower Ghost Camp Trail. I guess that person was on vacation when they decided to name the "Trailhead to Trailhead Route." What the hell does that even mean??? #KeepTexasWild read more

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Sprawling horse-friendly park! This is a heckuva park just outside of San Angelo! This park has it all for the horse lover. If you have ever wanted to take your horse camping, this is a great place to do it. They've got camping spots with outdoor pens for your four-legged equine friends. There's troughs for them to drink out of on the trails, and separate trails just for horses so they don't get spooked by bicyclists, which is a really cool feature! This park isn't exactly the easiest- it's hard to navigate with all these trails that are not marked well, and a somewhat confusing map. I got lost repeatedly! There's so much cactus and thistles and goat head thorns in this park. You gotta have run-flat tires on your bike here or you're toast. You can tell that there's some real huge numbers of critters that run around this park, there's so many footprints in the sand here, it looks like this place comes alive at night. You can tell that there's a lot of horse traffic that comes through here on the trails. When I came through here camping, I stayed in the Bald Eagle campground, which is on the north side of the park, away from the lake. Lake levels were low when I went, and the south part of the lake was on fire with controlled burns, leading to poor air quality. Much of the other side of the park was closed due to these fires! Be sure to check out the dinosaur footprints on the north side of the park. There's a dinosaur loop that is suitable for both bikes and horses with separate trails for each. Arriving at the footprints, visitors will find water for people and horses, places to sit in the shade, and a fence that takes you down to the footprints that look like holes in a dry creek bed. I was hoping for some claw marks or t-rex prints, but they look like holes. Kinda underwhelming, but it's still a pretty place to check out. The trail system here is pretty epic- there's so many different trails, you could spend a week just trying them all. read more

This sad state park has been crushed by the enduring drought that has been going on for years. The staff are great, the park is decently maintained on what is likely limited funds (I would guess half the park is blocked off due to lack of funding/use/whatever), but it is a very sad place to visit and few people make it a destination. The drought has fried all the surrounding trees and most of them have died. They are so scorched that they almost look burnt. The lake is down to 9% of its capacity which means that it is burning hot. Any fish have been parbroiled. All of the boat ramps end in dirt and bushes. Hundreds of campsites and picnic areas are unoccupied. The views are of desolation. We drove around a turn and saw a vulture sitting in the shade of a picnic area. That about says it all for this poor park. Join me with a rain dance and when this lake starts to fill up, spring will bloom and the park will blossom again. (If this wasn't a state park with great staff, it would have deserved only two-stars). read more

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I stopped by San Angelo State Park so I could see the Permian Tracks! It was a quick hike (around a mile) and so cool! You'll need water and a hat to protect yourself from the sun! read more

San Angelo State Park - Parks Near Me - San Angelo, Texas

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San Angelo State Park is really 2 parks in one with the size of the park. There are horse and bike trails and you have to leave one park to access the other trails. There are a few entrances that aren't labeled as well and you have to use the code from the office to open the locked gates. The trails aren't labeled very clearly so make sure you know where you are going. It is a pretty area. You should check it out. I wish I had a bike for some trails (or a horse) but got some good hiking in! And watch out for rattlesnakes, we saw one on the trail. read more

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This state park is the only one near San Angelo so I gave it a try while I was in town for a month. I was surprised that they charged a $4 entrance fee per person, especially considering they do not seem to hold many events there. There are a number of camp sites for rent as well and one playground for kids. We hiked during the heat of summer so a lot of the lake bed was dried up which made it harder to navigate on the map. The scenery was mostly just cacti and some dessert shrubbery but we did see a deer at one point along the way. We also saw some of the picnic shelters burned down. I am not sure if that wad done intentionally and not fully cleared out yet or what. After hiking I did see a sign for a wildlife viewing area and decided to check it out. I walked down the path to it and found a little wooden shelter with a nice bench that you can sit and watch the wild birds and two hogs in their enclosure. Overall this is a decent option but the park is in need of better maintenance. read more

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This is a nice park, we enjoyed our stay here. We saw a porcupine and tons of white tailed deer! We camped in a trailer on the north side and in the morning went and explored the south side. The rangers at the office are really nice and helpful, the park is huge. We wanted to do some geocaching and see the Dino tracks, the Rangers showed us on the map where to go. I would suggest they make a better trail map though. It's a bit hard to read. The park is divided into two sections and there's no vehicle road connecting them other than the fm road. I think there's a bike and horse trail between them though. We didn't see any Longhorns or bison. We've stayed at over 30 state parks and this wasn't my favorite but it was good and we would stay here again if we are ever in the area. read more

San Angelo State Park - Parks Near Me - San Angelo, Texas

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We love our state park!!!! We have pre-dinosaur lizard tracks. Awesome!! Over 55 miles of trails and more of beautiful desert terrain!! read more

San Angelo State Park - Parks Near Me - San Angelo, Texas

So, I came here as part of my state park of Texas tour. Not exactly what I would call a destination for most people. However, being from Dallas, I've only been as far west as just outside Fort Worth. So, I wanted to see what West Texas was all about. This park has been hit hard by previous years drought, and much of the foliage is dead around here. There are over 60 miles of trails in the park, and I wish that I had brought my mountain bike. They're not particularly challenging trails, and if you're not from the area, it is interesting to see some of the different vegetation types. There is a north side, at the south side of the park. Outside of the south side of the park, much of the gates are locked, and you have to have a combination to open the gates. I stayed in the north side of the park, having heard that it is quieter. Which is true, you're off of the main road, and there's not much through traffic. However, if you're coming to hike or bike, you may want to stay in the southside, as the two units are separated by about an 8 mile drive. The campsite that I stayed at had a broken picnic table, and maybe given the infrequent use of the area, and state funds, this shouldn't be surprising. The park staff is very friendly, and you can tell that they are trying to make do with the best that they have. I don't plan to return here in the next year or two, but I will definitely bring my mountain bike the next time I am here. It's nice and quiet out here, and it is something different. read more

San Angelo State Park - Buffalo - Parks Near Me - San Angelo, Texas

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Traveling to west coast and needed a place to camp for the night! We came when it was pretty empty, probably about ten camper sites were taken throughout the park. We came at night after hours so we weren't able to see the terrain before setting up camp - which we were a little terrified since we weren't sure how the sites looked or what was around. We picked one close to other campers so we wouldn't be alone. The winds were wild here, but nothing too crazy like winds during a thunderstorm. The sites near Red Arroyo and group campsites are flat and no shade except for the canopies at each campsite. This reminds me more of a desert versus a woodsy park, minus the desert temperatures. We stayed at campsite #11 which was walking distance to the restroom/showers and also close enough to pick up the parks wifi from wherever it was being hosted from! The showers could be cleaned a little better, but I've experienced worse and the toilets here were just fine. We trekked the multi-use trail that was a little narrow if you're walking with pets, there are some spiky plants on the side and also a little rocky instead of all gravel, so be careful! We didn't hike much, but there are lots of hiking trails I noticed, according to the map. Our site had a lot of those sticker plants that kept getting stuck in our dogs fur and paws - so painful. So we opted to set up our tent on the driveway path to avoid stepping on more stickers. I noticed campsites #12-15, by the lake, had tent pad sites versus the one we stayed at. There are some campsites that needed more weed trimming or some plant maintenance that was growing in the tent pad area. Our area was more for RVs. This place also has an area for boating and a children's playground area near the front entrance (I think that's what I saw). I appreciated the courtesy call for providing information getting past the gate. Which is why I rate 4 stars. Most park rangers don't call. But they noticed I was the only camper that didn't come before closing so they called and told me everything I needed to get into the site without a problem. It's a nice campsite if you're just looking for a place to stay while passing through. Has everything you need and very quiet, not a busy or popular campsite. read more

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We had a great experience here. We camped at the RiverBend primitive area. The longhorns are roaming all about. It gets hot during the day on the trails since there is no shade (so beware, especially if you are hiking with your dogs) but the park is really big with lots of trails! We hiked with dogs so we just tried to hike early in the am or later at around sundown. Lots of bikers as the extensive trails seem great for this. Some of the trails are even split (horses/hikers one way and bikers/hikers another). The campsite had a covered picnic table which was great (in addition to the fire ring). Peaceful place for a great weekend away (though town isn't far so if your forgot anything there is no need to fret). read more

San Angelo State Park - Hanging out at the campsite next to ours - Parks Near Me - San Angelo, Texas

This park served its purpose--we stayed here for one night on our way out to Big Bend. We did not visit this park to swim, boat, fish, or do any outdoor sports. Pros: Inexpensive (we paid $10 for our "primitive" site), close to town (there's a Walmart down the street, convenient if you forget anything on a long road trip), friendly staff, easy access to the highway out of town, and the dinosaur tracks were cool and easy to reach from the trailhead in the horse area. Also, the bathrooms have heaters! Cons: No lantern posts in our site (too windy to leave our propane lantern out), park can get pretty windy as it's on an open plain, and there are three separate entrances to the park (which makes finding the trailhead you're looking for a tad difficult.) Oh, and proximity to the city means you hear highway traffic at night. All in all, would recommend if you're passing through. San Angelo is a cute city and it's nice to escape to the park. read more

Overall, I enjoyed the weekend of camping and hiking here. Our campsite had electricity hookups, a water faucet, a fire ring, a picnic table, and paved parking for two cars (or up to four cars if double-parked). Best of all, we had a Mother Deer and her two baby fawn running around our campground. We also woke up to the pleasant sounds of birds chirping. The only drawback to our campsite was the proximity to the bathroom. It was a long walk of about 0.2 miles so we just drove there each time. There is a North Entrance and a South Entrance to the park. The north and south parts of the park are connected by trails, but not by roads for cars. The speed limits on the roads in the park were pretty low considering the lack of traffic and I don't know if they are enforced. The water in the bathroom and north entrance headquarters was turned off on a Sunday afternoon while we were leaving the park. That was an unexpected surprise. The park offices were small. There are some Coke machines around the park--maybe 1 in the Northern side and 1 in the Southern side near the boat ramps. Park amenities include miles of trails well-suited for mountain bikes, hikers, and horses! Some trail markers pointed the way for equestrian; others for bikes. There are even stops with troughs full of water for the horses (or bison or Texas Longhorn cattle). We got to hike a section with maybe 20-30 Longhorn cattle. Normally, I'm not scared of a cow, but when it has the huge horns and is walking slowly toward you, you worry a little. We hiked 26 miles around the trails that weekend. It was interesting for us to walk among and see the "desert" and "oasis-in-the-desert" landscapes. We saw lots of wildflowers that I can't name, sunflowers, cacti, huge ants, and lizards. My favorite trails were the Rollercoaster and the Playground. You won't get much elevation gain hiking around this park. The trail markers were 3/5. There are some intersections with no signs, but you shouldn't get too far off track if you have the map or GPS with you. I was looking forward to seeing the bison, but they don't always hang out in the part of the park visible from the roads. Next time. This park seemed underutilized. We enountered only a few other humans along the trail. Many of the picnic tables at scenic lookout spots in the park were missing the roof of the canopy. San Angelo State Park was right in the city so there are plenty of amenities nearby and cell phone data coverage in most of the park. I have T-Mobile. read more

This is a park full of trails for hiking and biking. Buffalo and Longhorn herds fed Wednesday and Saturday. This is a park with large RV spaces with electric and water hookups. Sewer dump is near the entrance to this park. During our stay, the North campground was closed and we stayed in Red Arroyo campground. Since the lake/reservoir is extremely low, no swimming and the boat ramps are below what recreational boats use. During our stay, there was one fishing boat out in the water. Campground itself is under utilized, but for us, this was great! Rest rooms and showers are available and van campers have plenty of opportunity to camp near those. Staff here is very pleasant and patrol area. Gates are closed at 10 pm and park access after that is by key code. Very well maintained park. read more

Therevis a pond for fishing I heard its stocked in the fall time . But there is always cat fish. There are tours going on for everyone. Check out long horn buffalo and many other plants. Hiking trails cabins fish bike ride large groups welcome. Or just chill ... read more

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There is a day of the week that they put out hay for the bison n longhorn steer . Missed that but drive around and found bison . Went back later and watched a steroids. read more

I visited with my family this past weekend and found this park to be AMAZING! The park was perfect for my kiddos to play on for a few minutes while we stretched our legs. We enjoyed getting to watch the longhorns and bison eat. The rangers were very knowledgable and helpful. We def plan to come again and stay and play. read more

I had seen all of the beautiful pics on the state parks website and was super excited to go hiking on the roller coaster and playground trails but when I got to the Burkett trail head I honestly thought I walked into the zombie apocalypse . On a nearby table it appeared that some teenager lost their parking pass and glasses. The Lake is practically non-existent. I started down the RC trail and found out quick this trail was made for bikes or for hikers with boots and pants, the grass was so high and trail was very narrow. I was in shorts and running shoes and was afraid I was gonna stumble upon a snake and become part of the apocalyptic scenery. I decided to cut back and go through the Masonry gates and hike a little back there, the trail seemed to be a little bit wider and grass was a little shorter. I passed by a few longhorns who looked at me like I was crazy. The whole time I was next to the road which was right by a housing division. I could literally see peoples back yards. I decided that this just was not the experience I was looking for and that I would just head up to the north part of the park to check out the Dino tracks and Bell's point. The whole north part of the park was closed for some reason and I just basically gave up. I will not be returning to this place. On the up side I did get a few giggles out if the note I left for future visitors. Just as a side note, this place looks like it is a great place to go mountain biking but def not for hiking, at least not for me. read more

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Camp site (Bald Eagle Creek) is decent, no real complaints there (although many of the sites are *very* far from the bathrooms). It was nice - not a lot of cover though. Would be very hot in the daytime. But the whole place has very poor signage - it's difficult to find your way around, the check-in and after-hours process is obtuse and the staff not friendly enough to help - and the email receipts and instructions are deceptive and can be factually incorrect (depending on your situation). Also - the "reservation" or booking fee doesn't include the "entry" fees (I am not sure how you can use a reserved campsite without entering - so they should just wrap the fees together). Beware that there may be extra hassle with paying, booking, registering. Much more difficult than state parks in most other states... read more

Great trails for mountain bike, running/ hiking or horse back (60+ miles). The lake is a little less to be desired but I heard they were working on it. Also fishing on the Concho river. Large head of longhorns an buffalo. read more