Texas purchases 1,100 acres of land for new state park
The Brief
Central Texas to get new state park
Texas Parks & Wildlife signed off on purchase of 1,100 acres this week
The park is expected to be fully open to the public in four years
AUSTIN, Texas - Central Texas will be getting a new state park in the next few years.
Texas Parks & Wildlife signed off on the purchase this week.
What we know
The rugged Texas Hill Country is already known for its stunning state parks and now the state is adding one more.
"The Colorado River is beautiful," said Justin Rhodes, the Deputy Director of Texas State Parks. "It's a resource Texas should be proud to have and just having access to the river, more access, miles of river frontage, but also Yancey Creek. That's a unique feature on the property."
By the numbers
The more than 3,000-acre park will be across the river from Colorado Bend State Park, which is already pretty popular with 80,000 visitors a year.
The park will include 1,100 acres of land in Lampasas and Burnet counties that the state officially purchased this week, along with 2,000 acres that had already been bought by Burnet County.
The state park will be developed with the Centennial Parks Conservation Fund, a one-billion dollar fund approved by voters in 2023 for new state parks.
What they're saying
"It's well-known for falls and access to the Colorado River, but pretty light on the amenities while you're there," said Rhodes.
The new site will feature some of the same Central Texas beauty, but Rhodes hopes it will offer more options for overnight stays.
"Potentially RV sites, potentially cabins, cottages, we're still early in the planning process," said Rhodes.
"We're excited, we're excited for the park system, we're excited for Texans," added Rhodes. "It's a new era of state parks. We just celebrated 100 years and this is helping us launch into the next 100 years of Texas State Parks."
What's next
The park is expected to be fully open to the public in four years, but they are hoping to bring fishers and bikers in around the two-year mark. Hunters could be welcomed as early as next fall.
There's still no word on what the new park will be called.
The Source
Information in this report comes from reporting/interviews by FOX 7 Austin's Lauren Rangel.
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