Texas Adds Parkland in East and West: Lake Palestine and Devil's Sinkhole
A 650-acre pecan ranch on Lake Palestine is headed for state park status, and Devil's Sinkhole grows by 1,200 acres with about 10 miles of planned trails.
Texans got two pieces of good news for the outdoors this month, one in the Pineywoods and one in the Hill Country. A family pecan ranch on Lake Palestine is headed for state park status, and Devil's Sinkhole State Natural Area near Rocksprings has grown by 1,200 acres.
A new state park on Lake Palestine
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation bought 650 acres on Lake Palestine in Henderson County on Oct. 1 for more than $10 million, according to the foundation's announcement and The Texas Tribune. The land sits about 18 miles west of Tyler and 20 miles east of Athens, with about 2,000 feet of lake frontage, pine forest, a pecan orchard and about 10 ponds.
The Pollard family has owned the land since 1940 as part of its Texas Pecan Nursery business.
"This land is part of my soul," said Sam Pollard, the nursery's president. "It means a lot to me that we can leave a legacy for people to enjoy."
The foundation, a private nonprofit, will hold the property until Texas Parks and Wildlife can buy it, likely in late 2027, using the $1 billion Centennial Parks Conservation Fund that lawmakers created in 2023 and voters approved. Waiting lets the fund earn more interest first, a TPWD spokesperson told the Tribune.
Do not load the kayak yet. TPWD plans to start with guided access, then add day use and camping, with habitat restoration and public input along the way. Eventually visitors could boat, paddle, swim, fish, hike and camp there.
Devil's Sinkhole State Natural Area near Rocksprings now totals more than 3,000 acres. Photo: Perdustin / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Devil's Sinkhole gets room to roam
Out west in Edwards County, TPWD announced it has added 1,200 acres to Devil's Sinkhole State Natural Area, about an hour west of Kerrville and 45 minutes south of Junction. The site has been open only by guided tour. With the new land, it totals more than 3,000 acres.
TPWD plans about 10 miles of trails in the next few years, aimed at birders and hikers looking for solitude. Long-term plans tentatively include a headquarters and overnight stays. The site has dark skies for stargazing.
The new tract was once part of the historic Whitworth Ranch, which TPWD says was the first in the area to raise sheep. It was split up when the natural area was formed in 1985. The purchase was paid for with the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund and the sporting goods sales tax that Texas voters dedicated to TPWD in 2016.
Land kept for the next generation
Texas is overwhelmingly private land, and that is a good thing. But it means public places to fish, hike and camp do not come easy, and they cannot be made later once the land is gone. These two deals show what works: families willing to let land they love stay whole, a private foundation moving fast, and voters who chose to set money aside.
The earth is the Lord's, and we are only keepers of it for a while. A pecan orchard on a lake and a quiet trail in limestone country, passed on to children who have not been born yet, is good stewardship. If you are planning a longer trip west, our Texas road trip guide is a place to start.
Photos: Lake Palestine by Ken Selvia via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0, cropped and resized; Devil's Sinkhole by Perdustin via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped and resized.
