This is such a great Texas State Park. All of the facilities were clean and the staff were pleasant. Nice hiking trails with a little elevation, excellent birding, a playground for the kiddos and a lake to fish or splash around in. We came last July when it was sweltering. We rented a cheap cabin with A/C and mostly stayed on the water in our cheap inflatable. Today we tent camped and were able to hike the trails. It was beautiful with all the wildflowers. Very peaceful especially in the primitive camping area. read more

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Not crowded at all! Landscaping is very up-kept and clean. Kids had a blast and we didn't have to worry about stickers in the grass!

Lovely park. We've camped here now 4x and had really good experiences. The trails we've been on are nice and manageable, not to rough and challenging. Lots of roots coming up so I prefer hiking vs biking. The roads are great for biking though. Small park, maybe 25 RV sites but they have cabins and primitive so something for everyone. Boat ramp and kayak/canoe rentals. Quite Easter weekend w/gorgeous weather. Sunsets are priceless!!! read more

Fort Parker State Park - Sunset at Fort Parker - Parks Near Me - Mexia, Texas

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Fort Parker State Park in Mexia, outside Waco, was a peaceful stay for camping and hiking. I enjoyed the hikes because no one was on the trails with me. I was surprised the leaves were changing in December in Central Texas but it was a beautiful surprise. read more

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This is a lovely little park! Lots of trees and shady picnic spots. Nice spots for shore fishing. The hiking trails are well-maintained and mostly shady. This is a great place to go kayaking, whether on the lake or the river. To top it all off, the staff and park hosts are friendly and welcoming! read more

I was pulled to this park amid pandemic and racial unrest partially due to its history as one of few state parks built by a black American Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) unit - including crew leader Mr Ezekiel Rhodes Sr. I have long appreciated the incredible engineering feats and lasting legacy of our CCC and wanted to learn more about its history and the stories of men who served this way during the depression. Thank you Mr Rhodes and family for the beautiful, lasting impact your family had in beautifying this state park for public use for generations to come. This State Park--especially its day use and electric camping areas --is situated perfectly for sunset views and is popular for fishing, swimming, kayaking, SUP, or canoeing the lake and Navasota River. Our first visit was buggy and muggy but watching the Fort Parker State Park video prior to arrival, visiting the cemetery, and reading about the people buried there set a different mood for this day trip from Dallas (1.5 hour each way). We took in the park via a short driving tour after walking through the cemetery and down to the fishing pier, went for a swim just before sunset, ate our picnic dinner while sunset colors filled the lake, and made one final stop at the campground fishing pier and campgrounds shower/restroom before our drive back to Dallas. I would definitely like to re-visit this state park in order to check out the natural springs, dam, and get out on the lake or journey on the Navasota River. read more

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Hidden gem. With the exception of when the group camp was being remodeled, we have held our family reunion here since 1960. Great memories. read more

This is a beautiful park! We only dropped in for a visit and liked it so much cc e de coded to stay the night. It is really quiet and a tall tree forest all around! They have short, long, side by side, and pull through camp sites, Water and electric. The pads are a little rough but not bad. Trails are really nice! This was a gem to find! We will be back! read more

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We're RVing at Fort Parker State Park for a week to attend our annual New Year's gathering of our local camping club. We've been comng to the park the last weekend of year for over a decade. The park staff is so accommodating and the facilities are incredible. Fort Parker is a small park compared to other parks in the Texas State Park system. There are only 25 water/electricity sites. The sites are very level and spacious. We love Fort Parker because it is so quiet and peaceful. There is also a lot to do in the area when you,re here. A visit to "Old Fort Parker" is a must. There's also great shopping in Mexia if the need arises. read more

Great park! Not a lot of trails (or really long ones) compared to bigger parks, but great hiking and biking nevertheless! We got in 8 miles first day and 10 the second. Such a quaint park with few sites and most very close to the water. Staff very helpful and friendly!! Will try to come back for sure! read more

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I travel for work and always enjoy finding hidden little gems in the towns I stay in. This place was a good find, lots to offer.

Just finished camping here for the end of spring break and had a wonderful time. The Rangers were all very friendly and helpful, and the campsite was clean and spacious. We really enjoyed the hiking trails and got to do a little canoeing. We will definitely be returning! read more

Fort Parker State Park - Sunset over the lake - Parks Near Me - Mexia, Texas

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Beautiful and quiet. Great get-away! As a state park, you can borrow fishing gear at the park office and there's plenty of fishing area.

Beautiful lake views at this state park. We got a nice sized pull through for our fifth wheel. The sites are spaced nicely. The hiking trails are good and you can see lots of wildlife. We saw blue heron, turtles, squirrels, wild boar, frogs and all kinds of birds. We fished a bit and my son caught a bass. The Rangers patrol and keep things in order. read more

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A fantastic little park that is atypically quiet for the Texas State Parks system. Seems just far enough away from Austin, Dallas and Houston to give it a little extra solitude. We mostly experienced RV campers in this park, but were happy that the camp sites had a lot of space between them for tent camping. If you like roominess (and a water view) we highly recommend sites 3, 4, or 5 with a particular emphasis on site 5 as there is just an empty field between that and the bathrooms of a good 50-60 yards . The rangers here keep a close eye on things but are very friendly and in our experience (camping with 4 humans and 5(!!!!!) dogs) the rangers are not whatsoever invasive. Be polite, quiet, responsible and use common sense and they leave you alone. The bathrooms are -- compared to other State Parks we've visited -- immaculate. Just spectacularly clean, well maintained, and heated! The showers were very clean, the toilets were attended to every morning. All together this is a fantastic experience for people who like casual car camping, or fishing. There are about five miles of hiking here -- and we are hikers -- so if you are looking for serious incline hiking or distance hiking, you may not get as much out of this place as others, but as far as camping goes this is one of the better parks within the system. A. freaking. plus. read more

Really enjoyed the history of this location. It was built by the CCC and the facilities and sites are reflective of that, which has a down and up side. Downside is there aren't very many sites for really large trailers and it's first come, first serve even with a reservation - I'm sure any trailer owners can see the potential for issues with that system; there is no wifi available in the park except by the park headquarters, which is too far from the campground to get a signal; there are no sites with sewage, only a dump station between the campground and headquarters. Upside is it is beautiful; staff is friendly - Ranger Fisher had been serving the site for 25 years!; and it's very family friendly - no public display or consumption of alcohol, free loaner Jr Ranger back packs with all kinds of neat things to explore, plus paddle boats, canoes and fishing poles to rent. Just need to understand the kind of experience to expect before you go so you aren't disappointed. It's so 1940's with only a few modern touches to ensure the park stewards can serve the park well but it is beautiful and very much for nature lovers! The frogs and crickets are lovely to lull you to sleep but, again, it's all perspective. We enjoyed it! read more

We pitched a tent in Spot #7, which happened to be a GREAT spot! Very clean, close but not too close to the restroom/showers. Great views, cool breeze, we had a great time. Went tot he swimming area and enjoyed a couple of hours of splashing and swimming around... fished a bit off the docks. Will be back I'm sure! Thanx read more

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Very disappointed, went for a day visit with our grandson wanted to fish and swim. So grown up with grass and weeds could not get to swimming area apparently you can only fish from piers. It just looked snakey! Finally parked at a camping spot which we weren't supposed to but we needed to eat and needed a table we could get to without getting eaten ourselves. Just needs to be mowed! Drove around looked like nice private camping spaces but would be better if mowed weeded so you could at least see the lake. Again very disappointed! read more

Lots of great hiking trails, good camping, good fishing.

we had a great family reunion a few years ago at fort parker state park a wonderful place forfamily get togethers