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Sometimes a hiking trip doesn’t have to be long and challenging, and that’s what we had at Meridian State Park where Texas Prairie and Hill Country meet. 

To begin with, this park is not that big. It’s only 505.4-acre with 72-acre lake in the middle. You will only find 4 hiking trails in the park, ranging from .66 mi. to 2.17 mi. with easy to challenging difficulty.  

 

A Short Hike at Meridian State Park, Texas 

For this camping trip, we booked a campsite with an electric hookup because we stayed in our minivan that we turned into a camper van for the very first time. (Click the link below to read more about it.) 

From Tent Camping to Minivan Camping: Our First Simple Transformation

Right at the end of our campground, Crosstimbers, there is a short trail called Little Springs. It’s only .66 mi, shorter than my morning walk with our dog around the street we live in. Although short, it’s rugged so it fell on a moderate difficulty. At least that’s what it said in the hiking map. 

Bear in mind the temperature at that time was still in the 90s. So, we did our hike as early as we can in the morning hours.  

Like most trails in Texas’ state parks, the ground is rocky. It started flat, went down a bit, backed up again, then turned to flat again. It’s like that almost all the way to where we started, except at the end where the rugged terrain ascended to the top. In my opinion, it’s easy even for the young ones. Our dog enjoyed his hiking adventure here, too. 

What’s more interesting, we got to walk under the canopy of juniper trees. Too bad, we didn’t get to see any wildlife at the time, but we found 2-3 fossils on the ground that we put back to where we found it. 

Almost at the end, we came to a T. There was a sign saying trail, pointing to where we came and the opposite side, with another trail going straight. We sent our son to check the trail, and he said it didn’t look like going to where we came from. My guess is, that trail will connect to Bosque Hiking Trail or Little Forest Junior Trail. It’s not marked in the map though the trail was clear. If you go and want to explore this trail, you better talk with the ranger first. 

All in all, this shortest trail in Meridian State Park was fun for the whole family. Just took us less than 30 minutes from start to finish, including several stops. If you are Cub Scout leaders, this is a perfect place for the boys to hike as well. 

 

More Short Trails at Meridian State Park 

Here are the other 3 short trails at Meridian State Park that we would like to do in another opportunity, from longest to the shortest: 

1. Bosque Hiking Trail – 2.17 mi. – Challenging – this trail encircles Lake Meridian and features limestone outcropping with fossils, a scenic overlook, and aquatic vegetation. Take a break at scenic Bee Ledge lookout point during the hike here.

2. Shinnery Ridge Trail – 1.5 mi. – Moderate – a family-friendly loop trail where you can look for golden-cheeked warblers during summer hike. Part of the trail is paved and accessible. 

3. Little Forest Junior Trail – .75 mi. – Easy – visitor’s favorite during springtime when wildflowers like bluebonnets, Indian paintbrush, and firewheels are blooming. 

 

Other Things to Do at Meridian State Parks  

Fishing is the most popular activity in the park, and the day we camped there, a guy caught a 12-lbs. largemouth bass. The biggest one ever caught in the park. Swimming and no-wake boating are the other two water activities that visitors like to do at this park. 

Of course, bird watching is also very popular in this park. Birders have identified over 175 bird species thanks to soggy bottomlands, stream corridors, high ridges with Ashe juniper and oaks, and the 72-acre Meridian Lake that the birds like to call them home.  

Look for wood warblers, sparrows, woodpeckers, and flycatchers along Bosque Hiking Trail. Birds of prey are often seen soaring overhead. For the avid birder and the amateur alike, stay in the bird blind on Little Forest Junior Trail for bird watching. Don’t forget to bring your binocular! When you do Shinnery Ridge Trail between late March and June, you might see the endangered golden-cheek warbler.  

Other activities people like to do here are camping, picnicking, and bicycling on the park roads. 

 

Where to Stay in the Park 

Like I mentioned above, this park is small but it offers different kind of accommodations for people who want to spend a night or two in the park. 

1. Campsites for tents and RVs, ranging from full hookup to primitive with only 7 to 8 sites per area. 
2. Screened Shelters (9 sites) and Premium Screened Shelters (6 sites).  
3. Group Primitive Campsite and Group Youth Area. 
4. Cabins. It has AC and heat, but only 3 sites available. If you are not tent or RV camping types of person, make sure you book early for this accommodation. 

 

A Little History of Meridian State Park 

Meridian State Park is one of the 29 state parks built by the CCC in Texas during the Great Depression. CCC Company 1827, comprised of World War I veterans, developed the park using local limestone and timber, primarily oak and cedar. They worked around 1933-1934 and built the entrance portal, roads, water crossing, vehicle bridges, culverts, lake dam, and concession building. The CCC-built Barbeque pits are no longer in use. 

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was one of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal work programs. It enlisted unemployed men to work on land conservation and park development projects. More than 50,000 CCC enrollees served in Texas. They constructed parks from the ground up across the state, creating the Texas State Park system. In other words, thanks to them we now have places for recreation and enjoying the outdoor beauty.  

 

How to Get to Meridian State Park 

From where we live in the south of Ft. Worth, we took US-67 S to TX-220 S in Bluff Dale. Slight left onto TX-220 S towards Hico, then continue on Hwy 6 to Bosque County. After that, follow Pr 7 N to State Park Rd 7 in Meridian. Not the shortest one, but we stopped at Hico first for a quick sight-seeing.

When we drove between Hico and Meridian, I felt like we were in Fredericksburg. I told my husband if somebody starts a winery here and success, others will follow and people from surrounding area like Ft. Worth, Dallas, and Waco will flock to the area. A good income for the city. But I don’t know if the land is right for grapes.  

Address: 173 Park Road #7, Meridian, TX 76665. (254) 435-2536 

 

Have you been to Meridian State Park? What is your favorite activity to do here? Let me know by leaving comments below. Or, probably you’ve been to other CCC-built parks around Texas or all over the country? I am more than happy to hear your experiences there. 

As always, don’t forget to pin the images for later. Thank you!