Balmorhea State Park is known for having one of the best swimming holes in Texas which is also the world’s largest artesian spring fed swimming pool at 77,053 square feet. The springs also fill a ‘cienega’ (desert wetland) and the canals of a refugium, home to endangered species of fish, assorted invertebrates, and turtles. You’ll also find a motel and campsites.
This 49 acre park was built by the Civilian Conservation Corp in the 1930’s and opened to the public in 1968. San Solomon Springs has provided water for travelers for thousands of years and today 22 to 28 million gallons of water flow through the spring-fed swimming pool each day.
The terrain if flat and dry and shade trees are limited. The Park is very clean and well maintained.
We stopped at Balmorhea State Park as part of our two week trip exploring west Texas including Monohans Sanddunes, Big Bend, Lake Amistad, Sonora Caverns, and much more. To read more about this fun trip, click here. It was late October, but a swim in the pool was cool and refreshing - on a hot day, we could spend a few hours here. The water is really clear and refreshing. We also took the time to walk around the desert wetland (couldn't really see much) and check out the rest of the park. On a hot day, Balmorhea would be a welcome stop for a few hours.
Near By:
Balmorhea State Park is about 3 miles south of Balmorhea and we're not aware of much to see and do in town. Lake Balmorhea is nearby and it is a small 550 acre lake that is ok for fishing.
Ft Davis is about 30 miles away as is Davis Mountains State Park - a fantastic park with great camping, hiking, and biking. Some of the other nearby fun things to see and do include:
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