Davis Mountains State Park Headquarters — Attraction in Fort Davis

We have been visiting Davis Mountains State Park for years now. It’s one of the few places in Texas that is pleasant to tent camp in the summer; the elevation and low humidity keep it relatively cool. While it can get in the 90’s for a few hours during the heat of the day in the summer, it can plummet down to rather cool at night. If you are cold sensitive bring pants, a sweatshirt, and a blanket. It is a desert so expect a burn ban most of the year. I have hiked most of the trails there. They are rocky and hilly so bring boots or very good shoes. If you want to hike into Ft. Davis, you could cut the distance down by driving up to the far parking lot on Skyline Drive and hiking in. The trick to avoiding the summer heat is to get on the trail in early morning with enough time to be back in camp when the heat sets in (around 11-12:00). If it is a really hot day you can visit the McDonald Observatory Visitor Center, drive the scenic loop, or go swimming at Balmorhea State park. Be aware that Balmorhea is very crowded on the weekends and will turn people away if they get overcrowded. Also, take advantage of the free programs offered at the park. They have presentations and guided hikes. The interpretive center has puzzles and is kid friendly; you can go there when the weather is bad. It closes at 6 p.m. Bathrooms are reasonably clean for a state park. Expect a lot of bugs though. They are attracted by the light at the front door and get in easily when the door opens. Showers have nice hot water and decent shower heads. Toilets tend to clog easy but the maintenance people fix them very quickly during the day. They don’t remain clogged for hours and hours. Wheelchair accessibility exists in the park but it is sparse. You will have to know where to go for a shower and toilet, and plan ahead. The tent camping area is the worst for accessibility. AT&T cell service is non-existent in the camping area. The main office is said to have a Version booster and you can get AT&T service in places on Skyline Drive. They have free WiFi at the interpretive center, the Indian Lodge, and (as I recall) the main office. The WiFi at the Indian lodge is so strong that you can get a weak signal, without any boosting, in the tent campsites nearest the lodge. AT&T Cell signal in Ft. Davis is excellent and there are businesses with free WiFi there as well. All the tent sites are a bit gravely. I recommend a ground cloth to protect the bottom of your tent. Many of the tent sites aren’t well spaced out but the trees do provide a measure of privacy. Most tent sites are reasonably shaded. There is one water spigot for every two campsites. Many of these water spigots are not placed alongside the road. This can lead to awkward situations every time your neighbor, who doesn’t have a spigot, wants to use it. They kind of have to come into your camp to use it. There is a camp skunk that isn’t afraid of humans. It may brush up against your tent or hammock while you sleep. Be careful not to drop food (especially salty food) and leave it there. It will attract the skunk. Other wildlife, especially the Javelina, are mostly afraid of humans but they are all braver at night. If you are a birder you will have a great time there. The place is full of birds. They also have two bird blinds in the park where they feed the...

Been going to Ft Davis State Park since I was a kid. Now I'm talking my family. Fun family trip. Camping, hiking, site seeing the area. Went around the other side of the mountain to visit the Fort Davis national park. Went into the town to do some shopping.

The only disappointing thing about this trip was not with the state park or the fort national park next door but of the town itself. Ft Davis the town used to have better novelty shopping for the family trip. Shops customers walking up and down the sidewalks. The street was busy with people and cars trying to find places to park. Now it almost a ghost town compared to what it used to be. Almost no cars parked anywhere.

The old drugstore used to sell not just food but all kinds of things inside that every kid ( including the parents reliving their childhood) wanted to take as a souvenir of the trip even if the prices were high and the same things could be gotten at a big store elsewhere. It was the novelty of where it came from that was fun. Now it's just a restaurant nothing as family fun like it used to be. It seemed dead inside. Nearly no shopping left, the atmosphere was quiet and frankly discouraging. It used to be reminiscent of an old west saloon where the atmosphere was fun, and active, freindly, busy and hopping. Ice cream, cokes of all types, milkshakes, burgers and fries all ordered from the bar. But we didn't even try to eat there. Now a few tables and chairs, the floor space was gutted of the novelties. A lot of empty quite space a few restaurants customers and not much else. Just a little too disappointing.

Most of the old shops have closed and something different is in there places now or just closed permanently. Not even any antique shops. The one shop strip that was a supposed shopping strip of shops the parking lot was empty. If anyone wanted to browse in them you had to call a number on the door and wait to see if anyone even showed up. We didn't even try. It was a Saturday morning and we just left the town and drove down to Alpine instead. Unfortunately Ft Davis the town is just not as interesting as it used to be. It has some hotels and a couple of restaurants and grocery store. But nothing really for anyone to do or see other than the state and national parks.

It appears that the covid pandemic really hurt this towns main street. It's a shame. Growing up my family had many great vacation times there. I wish that I could share that experience with my family.

However the State Park was very enjoyable. We hiked, drove up the south side Mt ridge and took hiking trails from the watchtower. We cooked out and enjoyed the camping. We drove down to Marfa to see the Marfa lights. Came back used the park showers and slept in tents. The weather was nice and was cool in the evening.

Was a good trip. Just disappointed in how the townsain street seems to have died a...

We were staying at Balmorhea State Park and went to Ft. Davis for the afternoon so we decided to take a drive through this park to check it out. We had decided not to stay here because I was concerned that we'd be going up a winding mountain road but it was a nice drive mostly through a valley down the 17. Staff at the gate were friendly and helpful as were the staff at the interpretive center. There they have a bird viewing area, videos, displays and information, and kids activities. It was a cold day out and they were serving free hot cocoa (powdered). They have a monthly program schedule of guided hikes, birdwatching, stargazing, geology and more. Several hikes that look good including one to Ft. Davis about 3 miles away. Park is older, all facilities built by the CCC, but mostly well maintained. There was construction in the park causing the closure of Skyline Drive and the Indian Lodge. Don't know when they will be open again. Drove through the campground. Several different loops. If you have anything other than a tent or camper van stay out of the primitive loop. Those are not only very small sites which are perpendicular to the very narrow 2-way road, but there are overhanging branches and trees very close to the road edge. Also some of the hook-up sites are small, have branches hanging over the parking pad, and one had a very tight turn-around at the end. With our 30ft trailer we would go for the sites 1-27. Those were mostly pull-thru with a wide road and big turn arounds. The sites which are up the slope from the interpretive center have better sky view for satellite reception. In looking at other campers, most sites are not level and you'll need some waffle blocks. There are good signs as you come into the park telling you where everything is, but not if you are going the other way and there are zero signs telling you where the exit is. So make sure you know your way out in case of emergency. We visited Davis Mountains State Park, no...