There are many state parks near Abilene, Texas. The closest park, Abilene State Park, has a historic swimming pool. There are a lot of options near Abilene for parks that have a lake and camping.
Abilene State Park
20 miles from Abilene, Texas
Abilene State Park is the closest park to Abilene by far. It is not actually located in Abilene, but just out of town. It is one of the original CCC parks, and opened in 1934. There are many campsites in the park.
The park is known for the swimming pool, which has a distinctive red sandstone building around it. The pool is open in the summers, but does require an additional ticket and entrance fee.
Swimming is also allowed in the lake, or you can rent kayaks and canoes. Fishing is available in both Lake Abilene and Buffalo Wallow Pond.
Lake Brownwood State Park
68 miles from Abilene, Texas
Lake Brownwood State Park was built by the CCC. The park is on the shores of Lake Brownwood. It has campsites and cabins available.
You can swim or fish in the lake. There are trails or hiking and one mountain biking trail.
Lake Colorado City State Park
77 miles from Abilene, Texas
Lake Colorado City State Park has lots of campgrounds. It is built on the shores of Lake Colorado City, and offers plenty of water recreation. The park has a dedicated swimming area and a fishing pier. There is a boat ramp, and the park rents kayaks to use in the lake.
Possum Kingdom State Park
90 miles from Abilene, Texas
Possum Kingdom State Park is located on Possum Kingdom Lake. The lake is very large and has swimming, boating, and fishing.
There are a variety of different types of campsites, and even cabins.
San Angelo State Park
96 miles from Abilene, Texas
San Angelo State Park is divided into a North Unit and a South Unit. Parts of the park are located on a lake, and there is swimming, boating, and fishing. You can see bison and longhorns living in the park.
There are over 50 miles of trails in the park. Most of the trails are for hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding. The Dinosaur Trail has tracks from pre-dinosaur creatures that lived in the area during the Permian Age.
Big Spring State Park
109 miles from Abilene, Texas
Big Spring State Park is one of the original parks built by the CCC and opened in 1936.
The park does not offer any camping, and is only open for day use. It does not make a lot of sense to go to the park from Abilene just for a day trip, because there are other parks closer to Abilene with more amenities.
If you are visiting Big Spring anyway, or driving past on part of a longer trip, it is worth stopping by. The park has hiking trails, picnic tables, a playground and restrooms.
The park is on the outskirts of the town of Big Spring, which has the elegantly refurbished Hotel Settles and the Hangar 25 Air Museum.
Lake Mineral Wells State Park
119 miles from Abilene, Texas
Lake Mineral Wells State Park has trails throughout the park itself, and is located on the Mineral Wells Trailway, which is 20 miles long. The trails are suitable for hiking, biking, and horseback riding.
The park has campsites near the lake. You can rent canoe, or go fishing. Rock climbing is available in Penitentiary Hollow.
Fort Richardson State Park
120 miles from Abilene, Texas
Fort Richardson State Park is built around the historic Fort Richardson which was built in 1867 along what was the frontier at the time. The park has the preserved parts of the fort which can be toured.
You can swim or fish in the lake. There are trails through the park for hiking, mountain biking, or horseback riding. There are cabins available as well as the campsites.
Dinosaur Valley State Park
130 miles from Abilene, Texas
Dinosaur Valley State Park has preserved dinosaur tracks in a riverbed. The tracks are 113 million years old.
The park has hiking trails, horseback riding trails, and camping.
Meridian State Park
140 miles from Abilene, Texas
Meridian State Park was built by the CCC and opened in 1935. The park is not as big as some of the other state parks, but is nice.
It has a lake for fishing or you can rent a kayak. There are five miles of hiking trails, and lots of campsites.
Cleburne State Park
143 miles from Abilene, Texas
Cleburne State Park was built by the CCC who also built the spring-fed Cedar Lake. You can fish in the lake or rent a kayak or paddle board.
There are six miles of trails, with a range of difficulty. There is also camping in the park.
Lake Arrowhead State Park
145 miles from Abilene, Texas
Lake Arrowhead State Park is located near Wichita Falls. The park has a lake for fishing and campsites.
Colorado Bend State Park
148 miles from Abilene, Texas
Colorado Bend State Park is along the Colorado River. You can hike to Gorman Falls or stay at one of the campsites. Many of the campsites are primitive camping. There is a cave that can be visited with a booked tour.
Lake Whitney State Park
166 miles from Abilene, Texas
Lake Whitney State Park is on the shores of the lake. It has fishing and camping.
Mother Neff State Park
167 miles from Abilene, Texas
Mother Neff State Park has hiking trails and campsites. The park was built before the state park system was created, with a donation of land from Mother Neff. The CCC later made many additions to the park.