Davis Mountains State Park Campground — Hotel in Fort Davis

My family and I recently visited Davis Mountain State Park for the Fourth of July weekend, and our experience was a mix of highs and lows. While there were some enjoyable aspects of the park, there were also some significant downsides.

Upon arrival, I appreciated being greeted by a park ranger rather than having to go inside the office. However, the ranger we encountered was unfortunately quite grumpy and rude. Despite my attempts to engage her politely, she responded with a cold stare and demanded that I turn off my RV. This initial encounter left a negative impression.

One major drawback of the park was the lack of cellular service. Given the mountainous terrain, it was expected, but as someone who works remotely, it was a significant inconvenience for me and my family. It's worth noting for others who rely on connectivity during their travels.

On the positive side, the scenic beauty of the mountains was truly breathtaking, especially when we ventured up to the Mountainside to witness the stunning sunset. The mix of blue, orange, yellow, and red hues painted across the sky made it a highlight of our visit.

For those interested, the trail or road to access the mountainside view is called the Skyline Trail. It's definitely worth exploring if you haven't been to this park before.

In the evenings, the temperature dropped to comfortable levels, allowing us to enjoy the pleasant night air. This was a welcome respite from the extreme heat typically experienced during this time of year.

A quirky and amusing aspect of the park was the presence of unusually large and mutated ants. These creatures were a novelty, but visitors should be cautious of their pincers.

We took a walk along the Headquarters Trail from our campsite to the interpretive center. The trail itself was nice, albeit rocky, with red lava rocks scattered throughout. However, due to the lack of service and limited activities available, we made the decision to cut our stay short and head to Big Bend for the Fourth of July.

While at the interpretive center, we encountered overcast weather and light rain, which prevented us from exploring the trails. However, the center provided a great view of the mountains, and our kids enjoyed engaging in activities such as coloring and participating in the Junior Ranger program. It was a pleasant spot to be in, especially with the scent of rain in the air.

In summary, our experience at Davis Mountain State Park had its ups and downs. The beautiful scenery, particularly the sunset, was a definite highlight. However, the unpleasant encounter with a grumpy ranger, lack of service, and limited activities impacted our overall enjoyment. Therefore, we give Davis Mountain State Park a rating of three out...

We stayed here for two weeks & enjoyed the park so much!

The campground has different levels of amenities ranging from full hookup to dry sites. We were in a water/electric site. The sites all seemed mostly level with asphalt service. The dump station was centrally located to the different branches of the campground. There were two shower houses/ bathrooms that were clean & had good water pressure and hot water.

We used Starlink & had fantastic service with that, with two people working M-F with no interruptions. One bar at best on T-Mobile unless you hike up the mountains where the service is great. The Interpretive Center, office, and shower houses have WiFi available that worked well the couple times I used it.

The park has several great hiking trails ranging from .25 miles to a 10ish mile hike across the highway at Limpia Creek. We hiked all of them & would recommend any of them.

The Interpretive Center was a big highlight for us as we always like learning about the park/area we are staying in. Ranger Charlie and Sasha were wonderful resources for wildlife information, recommendations on restaurants, and other points of interest in the area. They also put on different types of programming throughout the week both at the Interpretive Center & within the park. We attended a Star Party, hiking with shelter dogs, and several other programs during the two weeks we were camping here.

Normally there is a hotel & restaurant within the park, but it was closed for renovation while we visited.

The park & surrounding area were great for wildlife viewing. We saw tons of javelinas, wild hogs, aoudads, roadrunners, a bobcat, Montezuma quail, mule deer, pronghorn, and probably others that I am forgetting to list.

The park is located close to Fort Davis National Historic Site, McDonald Observatory, Chihuahuan Desert Research Institute, and the town of Fort Davis which has a couple restaurants, shops, grocery store, and hotels. We loved Stone Village Market for soup & sandwiches & the train car across from Fort Davis NHS for ice cream. We really enjoyed the Star Party at McDonald Observatory, which are held on Tuesday, Friday & Saturday nights.

Overall, we really enjoyed our stay here & will definitely be back on our next trip...

Visited December 27, 2021 to January 1, 2022 Stayed in a travel trailer onsite. There was no TV nor cell phone reception in the camping area. WiFi was available near the interpretive center. Bathrooms were clean.

Lots of hiking trails although most trails can be a bit strenuous. We hiked the Montezuma Quail Trail and the Headquarters trail. Time and weather didn't permit any other hikes for us. The trails are narrow and are rocky. A good pair of hiking boots is highly recommended.

The skyline drive was nice. Driving to the end and walking a bit provides some spectacular views. And there are picnic areas with awesome views.

The park has two locations dedicated to viewing local wildlife (which amounts to bird watching). But it was nice to see the areas set aside. And it was interesting to sit and watch the birds for a while.

The bathrooms were always clean. And the bathrooms nearest our campsite had tiled floors! Never seen that at a state park before.

A word about the weather. We were lucky to have unseasonably warm weather. On our last day the wind picked up quite a bit and there was rain. The day we left the area had a windstorm with possible gusts up to 60 MPH and temperatures that night were well below freezing. Luckily we left at 7:45 a.m. and did not get caught in the windstorm. However if we hadn't left early, there is no way we could have pulled our travel trailer through winds that strong. So if you visit in the early winter as we did, keep aware of the weather.

My wife and I really enjoyed...