Fort Davis, TX Area Interests
MacMillen In The Highlands is centrally located in the Davis Mountain area. Park your RV here and take day trips to the many interesting places that are an hour or less away. Big Bend National Park, Alpine, Marfa and even Mexico are all easy destinations to make in one day. We have places to hike, places to swim, places to ride the rapids and places to ride horses or bikes. This beautiful place has something for everyone.
Fort Davis National Historic Site
The Fort Davis Historic Site is considered the best preserved of all the 19th century frontier forts in the southwest. There are many partially restored and fully restored buildings where "Buffalo Soldiers" stayed from 1854 to 1891.The old Fort is located at the base of the beautifully rugged Davis Mountains on 474 acres. The soldier’s mission was to defend and protect the emigrants, mail coaches and freight wagons on the road from El Paso to San Antonio and the Chihuahua Trail. They controlled activities on the southern stem of the Comanche and Mescalero Apache war trails. There are self guided tours through furnished buildings and ruins. Nature trails for hiking connect with trails adjacent to the Davis Mountain State Park. This site is part of the rich history of Texas. For more information call 432-426-3224.
Davis Mountain State Park
The State Park is located just 4 miles outside of the town of Fort Davis. This 2,700 acre park is abundant with beautiful scenery and many wild animals wandering its boundaries. There is a change in elevation of almost 1,000 ft in the park itself. The park offers a variety of camping from RV sites to primitive campsites, several miles of hiking trails and an interpretive center. At its highest elevation is a scenic road up the mountain called Skyline Drive. In the valleys of the park there is an abundance of Emory oaks, Gray oaks, Pinion pines and Junipers. Come experience nature in this beautiful setting. For more information call 432-426-3337.
McDonald Observatory
The McDonald Observatory is located 17 miles from Fort Davis. The three telescopes that can be seen there are the 432" Hobby-Eberly on 6,600 foot Mount Fowlkes, the 107" Harlan J. Smith and the 82" Otto Struve telescopes on 6,800 foot Mt. Locke. There are both self guided and guided tours of the facility daily and on scheduled nights. Be sure to make time for the Star Party. This is a rare opportunity to see and learn about stars, planets and other constellations from knowledgeable staffers. It takes place outside in the open presentation area under one of the darkest skies in North America. For more information either call 432-426-3640 or click on their web site at http://mcdonaldobservatory.org.
Big Bend National Park
The Big Bend National Park is a vast area of incredible rugged beauty. There are many things to see and do there, from exploring an abandon ghost town to playing golf on an incredible golf course. The choices are as diverse as the scenic surroundings. The state park has camping and RV facilities and the surrounding towns like, Terlingua and Lajitas, have world class accommodations. You can ride the rapids on the Colorado River or hike into the wilderness where it looks like no one else has ever been before. For more information click on their web site at http://www.visitbigbend.com
Balmorhea State Park
The main attraction of this park is 77,053 sq ft manmade artesian spring pool. It is fed by the San Solomon Springs and has a capacity of more than 3 1/2 million gallons. Visitors can swim or even scuba dive in this amazing pool. The pool is filled with assorted fish and turtles and a variety of plant materials. The depth of the pool varies from 3 ft to 25 ft at its deepest point. It has a constant temperature of between 72 to 76 degrees. The park and pool are located just outside of Balmorhea on Hwy 17 in Toyahville. For more information call 432-375-2370 or click on www.tpwd.state.tx.us and type in Balmorhea State Park.