Nestled in the rolling, scrubby prairie of the Palo Pinto Mountains west of Fort Worth, Mineral Wells State Park is a fun place to visit - if you're into having lots of activity available to you during a State Park stay. The lime and sand stone exposures of the hills provide excellent material for rock climbers, of which there are a ton every weekend. The park is also home to the excellent State Trail, a network of old railroad beds that now serve as walk and bike paths. As the park surrounds Lake Mineral Wells, there's ample opportunity to fish, swim and hike!

How to get there: From Fort Worth, take Interstate 30 west towards Mineral Wells. The highway  will merge with and becomes Interstate 20. At Weatherford, take the US Highway 180 exit west. Continue about 10 miles west of Weatherford to the entrance of Lake Mineral Wells State Park!

The Texas State Trail

Mineral Wells is worth a visit in its own right, because it used to be *the* place for Dallasites to visit a health spa. The mineral-rich water from the Crazy wells surrounding the town brought the rich and famous to this small town, and there's ample evidence of Mineral Wells's high-flying past. I will post photos soon of the legendary Baker Hotel in downtown Mineral Wells, a huge hulk of abandoned grandiosity that towers over half the town.

The clear waters of Rock Creek along the trail.

Pillars from an old railroad platform make an excellent station for a picnic lunch along the trail.

Lake Mineral
Wells State
Park