State Parks Closed Due To COVID-19

The coronavirus outbreak has completely changed life the way we know it. Schools are closed, malls and other retail outlets are closed, restaurants have gone to drive-thru or curbside pick up, and recreation areas have also been closed to the public. Because of an announcement by Texas' governor, Franklin Mountains State Park is also closed to the public.

All Texas State parks are now closed. The governor Texas, Greg Abbott, announced the closures today. The governor's office says that out of an abundance of caution, the state's parks will be closed until further notice. The Texas State Parks Department was trying to keep parks open so that people could get some fresh air and exercise, but they said that staffing and social distancing concerns made it impossible to do that.

If you have upcoming reservations to any of the state's parks, The Texas State Parks Department Customer Service Center will be contacting you to reimburse any stays booked through the reservation system. All group and facility reservations have been canceled until April 30. If you cancel your reservations you won't be charged normal administrative fees.

If you bought day passes through the reservation system, not associated to the Texas State Parks Pass, you'll get that refunded as well and not have to pay penalties. The Texas State Parks Customer Service Center will automatically process cancellations of both overnight and day-use reservations. If your reservation is impacted by the State parks closure you will be contacted. You don't need to call the office. They are working through their calendar so if you don't hear from them right away, be patient, they will get to you.