8 AMAZING National Parks Near Houston You'll Love (Photos + Guide)

houston, texas, usa-1620695.jpg — Houston, Texas | National Parks Near Houston

National Parks Near Houston

National Parks near Houston. There’s so much more to the Lone Star State than the Astros. In this article, More Than Just Parks goes deep in the heart of Texas.

To be clear, this list includes national park sites (as in sites managed by the National Park Service) as well as full-fledged national parks. To learn more about the difference between the various National Park Service designations check out our article that explains everything!

Now let’s go ahead with 8 reasons why you’ll want to hop in your car and make a day’s drive from Houston to one of these truly amazing places.

Why Trust Us About National Parks Near Houston?

You should probably know that we don’t just make this stuff up out of thin air. My sons have spent their entire adult lives exploring and filming America’s national parks and public lands.

As for me, I’m a retired lifelong educator and a proud dad of these two wonderful guys who are hopelessly obsessed with the national parks. I taught history for over a quarter of a century. Now I enjoy researching and writing articles for More Than Just Parks. I’m always on the hunt for topics where nature and history intersect so please feel free to share any ideas that you might have with me.

We’ve worked with the National Park Service, the Department of Interior, and the U.S. Forest Service for years creating films on important places and issues. Our work has been featured in leading publications all over the world and even some people outside of our immediate family call us experts on the national parks.

will jim tony pattiz — Me (Tony) in the middle with my two sons Jim (left) & Will (right)

Meet The Parks Brothers

We’re Jim Pattiz and Will Pattiz, collectively known as the Pattiz Brothers (and sometimes the Parks Brothers) and we absolutely LOVE the national parks.

Our goal here at More Than Just Parks is to share the beauty of America’s national parks and public lands through stunning short films in an effort to get Americans and the world to see the true value in land conservation.

We hope you’ll follow our journey through the parks and help us to keep them the incredible places that they are. If you’re interested in joining the adventure then please sign up below!

Best National Parks Near Houston

1. Big Bend National Park

Distance From Houston: Eight hours and 35 minutes (563 miles) via I-10 W & US-90 W.

It’s a full day’s drive from Houston to Big Bend National Park, but well worth the trip. This magnificent park, which is often referred to as Texas “gift to the nation,” is famous for its natural resources and recreational opportunities. It’s also rich in cultural history.

There are so many incredible things to do and see at Big Bend National Park. I’m going to share a few of my favorites with you. When you get to Big Bend, I hope that you’ll find discover some of your favorites too.

I love a good scenic drive and Ross Maxwell delivers. The Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive will take you through some outstanding desert scenery on the way to Castalon and the Santa Elena Canyon area.

If you like a good hike then check out the Mule Ear Springs Trail. You can access it from this highway. Be sure to check out the beautiful scenic overlook to see these magnificent twin peaks which are the cores of ancient volcanoes.

big bend national park texas | National Parks Near Houston — **Big Bend National Park** is a hiker’s paradise. More than 150 miles of desert and mountains trails to explore. (Photo courtesy of the National Park Service)

2. Big Thicket National Preserve | National Parks Near Houston

Distance From Houston: One hour and 30 minutes (82 miles) via US-90 E & and Farm to Market Road 700 N.

As the National Park Service notes, the Big Thicket National Preserve is a “convergence of ecosystems.” This wondrous place protects the incredible diversity of life found where multiple habitats converge in southeast Texas.

As a former history teacher, I recommend a visit to the historical places in the preserve which include: (1) Staley Cabin-Built in 1934, this log cabin was once the home of the Staley family. (2) Teel Cemetery-This small, secluded, historic cemetery dates back to the late 1800s. (Source: NPS)

The preserve is a great place to explore either by canoe or kayak. You will find many miles of creeks, bayous, and rivers. Three official trails offer clearly-defined routes to explore and experience the beauty and diversity of the Big Thicket.

If you prefer walking to boating there are approximately 40 miles of trails. They wind through Big Thicket National Preserve. Trails are of varying lengths from 0.3 miles to 18 miles roundtrip.

The preserve also offers backcountry camping throughout much of the park’s lands and waterways. A permit is required for camping, but it’s free.

3. Guadalupe Mountains National Park

Distance From Houston: Approximately ten hours (655 miles) via I-10 W.

It’s a long car drive from Houston, but it’s a magnificent national park. In 2022, Guadalupe Mountain National Park celebrates its 50th year as a national park. You can join the celebration with some wonderful hikes and backpacking trails where you will be treated to the beauty of the American Southwest.

As the National Park Service notes, at Guadalupe Mountains National Park you can experience mountains and canyons, desert and dunes, night skies and spectacular vistas within a place unlike any other.

There are, however, less strenuous, but equally rewarding hikes to other places. They include: McKittrick Canyon, Pine Springs, Salt Basin Dunes, Frijole Ranch and Dog Canyon. These amazing trails offer dramatic landscapes, fabulous foliage, and the ever impressive high-country.

texas national parks — Guadalupe Mountains National Park | Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

4. Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park | National Parks Near Houston

Distance From Houston: Three hours and 38 minutes (220 miles) via I-10 W & State Hwy 71 W.

While America’s 36th President, Lyndon Baines Johnson, is often associated with the Great Society, landmark Civil Rights legislation and the Vietnam War, his administration also passed an unprecedented amount of legislation designed to protect the nation’s land, air, water, wilderness, and quality of life.

Author Adrian Benepe believes the U.S. president with the strongest environmental track record is President Lyndon B. Johnson. In his article, How the White House Went Green, Benepe writes, “Lyndon Johnson signed more than 300 conservation measures into law. These measures established the legal foundations for how we protect the nation’s land, water and air.”

Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park | National Parks Near Houston — Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park | Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Things To Do At The Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park

Lyndon B. Johnson Historical Park | National Parks Near Houston — Photo of the Lyndon B. Johnson Historical Park courtesy of the National Park Service | National Parks Near Houston

Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park tells the story of our 36th President beginning with his ancestors until his final resting place on his beloved LBJ Ranch. This entire “circle of life” gives the visitor a unique perspective into one of America’s most noteworthy citizens by providing the most complete picture of an American president.

Things to see in the park include the Visitor Center, President Johnson’s Boyhood Home, Sam Johnson Sr.’s Cabin, and the Texas White House.

As a retired history teacher who’s fascinating with the life and times of America’s 36th President, I would recommend what I (and a lot of other folks) consider to be the best biographical series written on LBJ.

The Years of Lyndon Johnson: The Path to Power; Means of Ascent; Master of the Senate; The Passage of Power by Robert Caro is a four volume collection which won the coveted Pulitzer Prize.

Pulitzer-Prize Winning Author Robert Caro with More Than Just Parks Co-Founder Will Pattiz | National Parks Near Houston

5. Padre Island National Seashore

Distance From Houston: Four hours and 27 minutes (277 miles) via I-10 W.

If you visit Padre Island National Seashore then you’ll experience a truly magical place which includes 66 miles of coastline, dunes, prairies, and wind tidal flats teeming with life. It’s a nesting ground for the Kemp’s ridley sea turtle and a haven for over 380 bird species. Padre Island also has a rich history that includes the Spanish shipwrecks of 1554.

There are so many wonderful aquatic activities including: beachcombing, beach driving, bicycle riding (on the beach of course!), bird watching, fishing, picnicking and swimming. And, if you’re planning on camping then the good news is that their campgrounds are open year round.

While you’re there I recommend checking out Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge. It’s a favorite place for resident birds and their snowbird cousins, fish, mammals, amphibians, and countless insects.

You also ought to visit the South Padre Island Birding, Nature Center & Alligator Sanctuary. It includes a five-story viewing tower and more than half a mile of raised boardwalks and bird blinds. There’s 50 acres of protected wetlands and the creatures that live here.

Padre Island National Seashore | Texas National Parks (Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)

6. Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Park | National Parks Near Houston

Distance From Houston: Five hours and 50 minutes (385 miles) via US-77 S.

I spent almost 30 years teaching high school students about the history of America and the world. One of the topics we covered was the Mexican American War which became part of America’s Manifest Destiny. This war helped the United States to expand its territorial holdings from sea to shining sea.

Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Park is the site of the first major battle of the U.S.-Mexican War. Visitors can experience a landscape almost as it existed on the day of the battle. The park enjoys the unique distinction of being the only National Park Service unit to interpret the U.S.-Mexican War. (Source: NPS)

I recommend that you begin your visit at the Visitor Center and pick up a park brochure and trail guide. From there you will discover outdoor adventures which include:

Hiking the battlefield trail which is a half-mile walk. Along the way you will see a landscape very much like the one experienced by soldiers in 1846.
From Palo Alto you can also explore the Brownsville Historical Trail which includes historic sites and attractions.
Bird watching is highly recommended too. All you have to do is bring a pair of binoculars with you and keep a watchful eye out as you traverse the trail.
Visit the Resaca de la Palma Battlefield which features a half-mile circular trail with interpretive waysides.

7. San Antonio Missions National Historical Park

Distance From Houston: Approximately three hours (198 miles) via I-10 W.

The Spanish influence has gone a long way to shape the culture, customs and traditions of the American Southwest. The Conquistadors came in search of glory and gold. They were followed by the Church with its message of salvation.

In the early 1700s, many Native people of South Texas foreswore their traditional life to become Spanish, accepting a new religion and agrarian lifestyle in hopes of survival.

Today you can visit the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park and learn the fascinating stories of the mission’s descendants while you’re there.

8. Waco Mammoth National Monument | National Parks Near Houston

Distance From Houston: Approximately three hours (185 miles) via Hwy 6 N.

If you love history as much as I do than imagine a history before humans roamed the earth. At the Waco Mammoth National Monument, you can walk in the footsteps of creatures as tall as 14 feet and weighing 20,000 pounds.

Columbian mammoths roamed across what is present-day Texas thousands of years ago. Today, the fossil specimens represent the nation’s first and only recorded evidence of a nursery herd of ice age Columbian mammoths.

This monument sits within 100 acres of wooded parkland along the Bosque River. It’s surrounded by oak, mesquite and cedar trees. There you can forget about the modern world and reflect upon the lives and habitat of Columbian mammoths and other Ice Age animals.

Waco Mammoth National Monument | National Parks Near Houston (Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)

Map Of National Park Sites Near Houston

To Learn More About The Lone Star State:

Official Guide to Texas State Parks and Historic Sites: New Edition by Laurence Parent.
Texas Bucket List Adventure Guide: Explore 100 Offbeat Destinations You Must Visit by John Mallon.
Lone Star: A History Of Texas And The Texans by T.R. Fehrenbach.
Texas: A Historical Atlas by A. Ray Stephens.
History of Texas: A Captivating Guide to Texas History, Starting from the Arrival of the Spanish Conquistadors in North America through the Texas Revolution to the Present by Captivating History.