Climb for the View on the Trails at Davis Mountains State Park in Fort Davis

If you want a workout with a view, the trails at Davis Mountains State Park outside Fort Davis climb high into the mountains of West Texas.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department says the park sits in the foothills of the state's most extensive mountain range. Visitors can hike, mountain bike, ride horses, camp and stargaze. TPWD also warns that cell phone service is limited in the park and mountains.

Pick your climb

The park's trails page lists routes from easy strolls to hard climbs. Distances below are TPWD's, and most are one-way.

• Headquarters Trail, 0.3 mile, easy. Views of Keesey Canyon and a lava flow TPWD dates to 35 million years ago, ending at a wildlife viewing area.

• Montezuma Quail Trail, 0.9 mile, moderate to challenging. It climbs 220 feet for views of the canyon and Indian Lodge.

• Indian Lodge Trail, 1.5 miles, challenging.

• Skyline Drive Trail, 2.6 miles, moderate to challenging. It climbs 544 feet from the Interpretive Center to Keesey Canyon Overlook.

• Old CCC Trail, 1.6 miles, moderate, on the road the Civilian Conservation Corps used during construction in the 1930s.

• Limpia Creek Trail, 2.4 miles, and the Sheep Pen Canyon Loop, 5.6 miles. These lead to Limpia Creek Vista, which TPWD calls the park's highest point, reached by a 700-foot climb.

For a longer day, TPWD says a trailhead near the CCC Overlook connects to Fort Davis National Historic Site, a one-mile hike from the park boundary.

A rock retaining wall along the CCC Trail, built around 1934 as a temporary construction road, May 2015. Photo: Larry D. Moore / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.

Train for the altitude

Hiking at elevation is real exercise, and the desert sun adds to the strain. TPWD's safety advice is plain: know your limits, wear sunscreen and good shoes, and bring a quart of water per hour of activity. It also suggests not hiking alone, telling someone your plans and carrying a phone and GPS unit, while not counting on either to work. Bikers should wear a helmet and check with headquarters to match a ride to their skill level.

The park's nature page lists black-tailed rattlesnakes and mountain lions among the park's residents, along with mule deer and javelinas. Stay on the trail and give wildlife room.

A park built by the CCC

TPWD's history page says the park was established in 1933 on 560 acres, largely donated by local landowners hit hard by the Great Depression. Between 1933 and 1935 the CCC built Skyline Drive, a stone overlook shelter and Indian Lodge, an adobe hotel that still operates in the park.

Know before you go

Day use is $6 for adults, and children 12 and under get in free, according to the park's main page. TPWD recommends reservations, and the office is open from 8:15 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. daily.

TPWD's alert page, checked Oct. 25, lists a burn ban dated Jan. 1, 2026: no wood fires, though charcoal and propane stoves are allowed for cooking. The Limpia Canyon primitive area will be closed to everyone but permitted hunters from 6 a.m. Nov. 6 to 8 a.m. Nov. 11, and again Feb. 19-24.

Good health is a gift worth caring for. A day on these ridges, with mountains to the horizon and quiet all around, is a fine way to do it. If flat ground suits you better, try a flat 20-mile trailway in Mineral Wells or a coastal walk at Sea Rim State Park.