Hill Country Ranch to Become Texas’ Second-Largest State Park

By Alejandra Martinez / The Texas Tribune

UVALDE, TX — Close to 54,000 acres of former Hill Country ranchland with a 30-acre spring-fed lake will soon become the second-largest park in Texas. 

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department announced Wednesday that it has acquired the property, which will become Silver Lake State Park. The former Silver Lake Ranch, where sheep and cattle grazed, features steep canyons and rolling hills located around 150 miles west of San Antonio, between Rocksprings and Uvalde in Kinney and Edwards counties.

It will be larger than any state park other than Big Bend Ranch State Park, which covers more than 300,000 acres. An opening date has not yet been set.

“The opportunities to explore nature’s wonders are truly bigger in Texas,” Gov. Greg Abbott said in a press release. “… This future state park will grant generations of Texans with a deeper understanding of the land that helps make our state the natural envy of the world.”

It’s the first land purchase made with the $1 billion Centennial Parks Conservation Fund approved by the Legislature to expand and create parks and approved by voters in 2023. The fund has already been used to develop the new 3,118-acre Post Oak Ridge State Park in Lampasas, which opened earlier this year, and expand Enchanted Rock State Natural Area by adding 3,073 acres to the 1,685-acre park.

Silver Lake Ranch was partially owned by the Moody Foundation, one of the largest private charitable foundations in Texas that’s been around for more than 80 years. The foundation gifted its portion, totalling nearly 88% of the ranch, to TPWD. The agency purchased the remainder of the property for $11.85 million using funds from the Centennial Parks Conservation Fund and the tax from the sale of sporting goods.

“The Moody Foundation is proud to help preserve this remarkable stretch of Texas Hill Country and make it accessible for generations to come,” said Ross Moody, who has served as a Moody Foundation trustee since 1986. “Silver Lake Ranch represents the natural beauty, history and spirit of our state, and we are honored to make this gift to Texas Parks and Wildlife to ensure it remains protected and enjoyed by all Texans for years ahead.”

According to a 2022 report by Environment Texas, Texas lags behind most others states in state parkland: The state ranks 35th in the nation for state park acreage per capita, with about 636,000 acres of parkland for a population of over 29 million as of 2019. The report suggests that Texas needs to add 1.4 million acres of state parks by 2030 to meet the needs of its residents.

TPWD plans to expand park coverage statewide. Park planners have told the Tribune that land acquisitions must check a lot of boxes, one of them is to be located within the Texas Triangle formed by Houston, San Antonio and Dallas-Fort Worth.

The new park has limestone cliffs rising above rolling hills covered in live oak and juniper, with miles of river frontage along the West Nueces River, along with spring-fed Silver Lake and two water holes. Several creeks cross the property including Sycamore Creek, Lost Creek and North Spring Creek.

It’s home to white-tailed deer, turkey, javelina and dove. The greenthroat darter fish can be found in Silver Lake, and portions of the property have been identified as potential habitat for the endangered golden-cheeked warbler.

TPWD staff plan to develop the park in phases. Once a plan is developed, TPWD will share it with the public and solicit feedback. During the planning process, the agency will offer guided tours and limited day use via existing ranch roads. 

“This is an exciting addition to our state park system,” said David Yoskowitz, TPWD’s executive director, who thanked the Moody Foundation for the donation. “Silver Lake is sure to become a destination for park visitors and be the backdrop of memories made for generations to come.”