Davis Mountain State Park - Ft Davis, TX

scottyb

Well-known member
I told my friends in Nor Cal that I am going to be camping in my RV at 5400' elevation and they say "In Texas?". The Chisos Basin is the only other that I know of and you can't take large RV's up there. It had been well over 40 years since I last visited the park. This was our final stop on our Big Bend coutry tour and was about 140 mi north of Lajitas. They have expanded it a lot since I was there in the late 60's. They have a limited number of sites with full hookups and that will accommodate any size rig. They are half circle pull-through sites. Most are on steep slopes end to end but pretty level side to side. My front landing gear was extended all the way with a 2 x 8 to get the rig level F-B. Each site has a concrete pad, picnic table and shelter. Although it was extremely dry and the grass was brown, it doesn't have a typical west texas appearance. The Scenic drive was very nice and afforded the opportun ity to take some photos from above. I got scolded by a rangerette, after the fact for driving my Mule, along with my wife and dogs, up and back down the road to the scenic overlook. It would be a great place to be when everything is green and we will definitely go there again. I have to say it is one of the nicest state parks we have even been.

You can see the McDonalds Observatory in the 3rd Photo. We went to the Stargazer show on Fri night. It was downright cold and they had lots of hooded sweatshirts for sale in their gift shop. The show was well worth the $12 fee, with opportunities to look through 1/2 dozen or so telepscopes pointed at different galactic objects. Jupiter was the rockstar for the night. It was narrated and attended by the professors and graduates that work at the observatory and their knowledge is nothing short of amazing. In the 4th photo, you can see the Indian Lodge, built by the Civillian Conservation Corps. The last photo is just a ranch house with a pretty nice back yard.
 

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travis_g

Well-known member
Very nice. I grew up in Odessa and remember my parents taking me to Ft. Davis as a kid and going to the observatory.
 

Invizatu

Senior Road Warriors
That was our first camping trip when we bought our North Trail 3 years ago. We went in June and it was pretty toasty during the day, but beautiful at night. It was amazing just to look up at the stars from the campsite. Just had to watch out for the javelinas, fox and deer, they were a little too friendly! Great place though, and like you say not typical Texas scenery. Great Pics!
 

ucwinters

Active Member
We were there 2 yrs ago for Labor Day. This was after the Rock House fire (that I think originated over by Marfa) - there was still a lot of burned brush during our visit in and around the park. Enjoyed going into Ft. Davis to what we called "the drugstore" across from the Limpia Hotel for a chocolate malt nearly every day that we were there. After the Labor Day crowd left, park was < 1/4 full. Beautiful part of the state, beautiful state park and again, hard to believe that you're right at the same altitude as Denver, CO.
 

Holland

Member
Fort Davis State Park is a great place to visit. Wild life will pay you visits and old Fort Davis has a lot of history.
 

d_fergie

Well-known member
Fort Davis State Park is a great place to visit. Wild life will pay you visits and old Fort Davis has a lot of history.
I was looking at this thread a couple weeks ago, this is only about 150 miles to the south of me and is "my type" of country, have to visit one of these days before long...
 

jmgratz

Original Owners Club Member
There is an indoor hydroponic tomato 'farm' just down the road from Ft Davis and they sell delicious tomatoes to the public. The are not cheap but are reasonably priced. Ft. Davis State Park is nestled in a valley hence no cellphone service. It is just 'down the road' from the McDonald Observatory which you can tour. By the way, when traveling in the Ft Davis, Alpine, Marfa area keep your fuel tank topped off because the gas stations are few and FAR between.
 
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