650 Acres on Lake Palestine Just Became Texas's Next State Park

Here's a good one out of East Texas: the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation closed in early October on 650 acres along Lake Palestine in Henderson County, about 100 miles southeast of Dallas — a $10 million ranch with native pine forests, pastures and small lakes and ponds, all of it headed toward becoming a brand-new Texas state park. That's 650 acres of pecan trees, pine woods and lakeshore that will belong to everybody, forever.

What happened

The Dallas Morning News reported in early October that a sprawling piece of lakefront property long used to grow pecans is set to become a new Texas state park, after the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation closed on the 650 acres along Lake Palestine. The arrangement works like a relay: the nonprofit foundation will hold the property until the state is ready to purchase it, likely in late 2027. From there, the park will open in phases — guided access first, then day use, and eventually camping — though an opening date hasn't been set yet.

It's worth pausing on what this land actually is. This isn't scrubland nobody wanted. It's a working lakefront pecan orchard that the family who owned it chose to see preserved rather than carved up. As KETK reported, the director of Texas State Parks said the project would not have been possible without the family's willingness to preserve the land rather than see it developed.

Why it matters

Lakefront land near a big metro doesn't usually stay open. It becomes ranchettes, marinas, subdivisions with water-themed names. This time, a stretch of Lake Palestine shoreline an easy drive from Dallas is going the other direction — toward trails, picnic tables and tent pads.

And it's not a one-off. This is the latest acquisition in an aggressive plan to expand Texas public parkland, backed by the Centennial Parks Conservation Fund, a $1 billion dedicated funding stream for new parks created in 2023. Texas has famously little public land for its size. Watching that number tick upward, 650 acres at a time, is genuinely good news.

A good stretch for Texas parks

Zoom out and the picture gets even better. Palo Pinto Mountains State Park opened this year near Strawn, about 75 miles west of Fort Worth — the first new state park in North Texas in more than 25 years. And on October 1, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department announced that Devil's Sinkhole State Natural Area in Edwards County — currently open by guided access only — acquired 1,200 acres on its western property line, bringing it to more than 3,000 acres, with long-term plans that tentatively include overnight opportunities and more protected acreage under the area's famously dark skies.

New park in East Texas. New park in North Texas. More land in the Hill Country's wild west edge. If you love Texas and the places that make it Texas, this has been a very good month.

What you can do about it

You can't walk the new Lake Palestine property yet — remember, it'll open in phases, starting with guided access. But you don't have to wait to celebrate it. Lake Palestine itself is already a well-loved fishing and boating lake, and the surrounding Piney Woods are full of places to spend a fall Saturday. Or make the drive west and see the newest park in the system: Palo Pinto Mountains, with its 90-acre lake and fresh-cut trails, is open and waiting.

However you get out there, go in uniform. The Texas State Pride Tee was made for exactly this kind of news — the kind where the state you love gets a little more room to roam.

Common questions

When will the new Lake Palestine park open?

No date yet. The foundation will hold the land until the state purchases it, likely in late 2027, and the park will then open in phases — guided access, then day use, then camping — with no opening date set.

Where exactly is it?

The 650 acres sit along Lake Palestine in Henderson County, about 100 miles southeast of Dallas — Piney Woods country, within easy weekend range of the Metroplex.

What will the park be like?

Expect lakeshore and woods: the property includes native pine forests, pastures and small lakes and ponds, on land long used as a pecan orchard. Specific facilities will be announced as the state develops its plans.

Reported by The Dallas Morning News. Details as published at the time of writing.