Balmorhea State Park

[David & Leslie]

Whoo-hooo - Tonight we are camped at Balmorhea State Park just off I-10 south of Van Horn, TX. This is our first visit to a TX state park, and we like this one.

This place is a real gem. The original spring was called Mescalero Spring and has been in use since before white settlers came to this area. A large CCC project built pools and a collection of adobe cottages. The water in the spring-fed pools is a constant 72-74 degrees. Depths vary from 4 - 20 feet (there is even a high-board for diving) and local folks practice SCUBA-diving here too. Signs claim the spring produces 1 million gallons per day, most of which goes into a reservoir (Balmorhea Lake) where you can fish or boat (no swimming - it is a water source). Other waters are diverted to recreate a wetland like the one which was here originally.

Sites have elec/water and there is a dump station. We plan to visit Ft. Davis tomorrow (36 miles up the road) and return to enjoy a nice soak in the pool. If you are traveling I-10 and need a nice stopover spot, we think you will like this park too.

Happy camping and safe journeys if you will be traveling for the holidays! L 'n D

[Mary F]

Have fun in Ft. Davis! My sister's a school teacher there... The state park there is also a good one. It's where my avatar pic was taken!

[Adrian W]

We enjoyed two stays at Balmorhea SP and really enjoyed snorkling in the pool, they also scuba dive in the main central pool. It was great fun watching the fish from the tiny little guys to the big boys. And the water stays about the same year round if I remember correctly. We need to go back sometime, only about 200 miles away.

AW