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HOUSTON - Time to get back into the great outdoors down at Galveston Island and enjoy the fresh spring air!
Everyone is invited to the grand reopening of Galveston Island State Park on March 31 and April 1 as part of the Texas State Parks Centennial celebrating 100 years of Texas State Parks.
On March 31, there will be speeches from local, statewide, and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) dignitaries, as well as interpretive activities, refreshments, and self-guided tours. Day two of the celebration on April 1 will be a little more active with activities every hour including prairie hikes, fishing and kayaking at Horseshoe Pond, beach walks and bay exploration at Lake Como.
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"We’re excited to invite everyone to come celebrate with us and see the results," said Park Superintendent Steven Kimbley. "It’s a small way to thank everyone for supporting us through hurricane and recovery. Galveston Island State Park is now fully open and our staff is excited to welcome all Texans to come experience the Third Coast."
Photo Credit: Nieco Payton
The park has had some improvements with a new headquarters building, 95 new campsites, two new restrooms (and renovations to an existing restroom), new roads, two new changing areas and rinse-off showers, 20 new shade shelters in the day-use area, and seasonal equestrian day-use area.
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If you're coming to the park, you'll notice more than five miles of hiking trails included in the redevelopment. There's also a newly remodeled nature center on the bay side, two observation towers, two boardwalks, three kayak launch locations on the bay side with more than 11 miles of paddling trails, a new vendor area, and three new group-use pavilions on the beachside.
Photo Credit: Nieco Payton
"The new headquarters, campsites and day-use area are more elevated now," Kimbley said regarding accommodations for future hurricane threats. "Structures are built to flex with the landscape and be more resistant to future extreme weather."
Photo Credit: Nieco Payton
Galveston Island and Sea Rim state parks were devastated by Hurricane Ike in 2008. The Friends of Galveston Island State Park and countless other volunteers from across the state and the nation came to help clean up the park and reopen it with temporary facilities only six months later.
"If it wasn’t for our selfless Texans, and the countless volunteers over the years, we couldn’t have done it," Kimbley said. "We all seek to connect. It’s important to all of us. We have seen that connection here through friends, families and the community. Thank you all for gifting us with a park that we can share with pride."
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Texas State Park reservations can be made online anytime on the TPWD website or by calling the Texas State Park Reservation Center at (512) 389-8900 on weekdays during normal business hours. Overnight reservations can be made up to five months in advance, and day passes can be reserved up to 30 days in advance.
If your plans change, please modify or cancel your reservation as soon as possible to allow someone else to enjoy the park as we do expect it to reach capacity limits.
For more information about ongoing restoration efforts in Texas, click here.