Cool Things To Do At Fort Richardson State Park Texas

Have you been to Fort Richardson State Park & Historic Site in Texas? 

Fort Richardson State Park in Texas is not only about history. While it’s true most visitors go there to see and learn pieces of history of the old forts in Central Texas, they also found that Fort Richardson State Park offers cool activities in the park.

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My family and I have visited Fort Richardson State Park several times. We came in the spring, summer, and fall. One weekend we stayed in the cabin, and other times we stayed in our tiny travel trailer. We camped by ourselves, and we also camped with a group of friends and the Cub Scout. Later, we camped with our dog Snoopy.      

Every weekend getaway in Fort Richardson left us with a wonderful memory. The one time when my husband and son went with the Cub Scout was something though. You will find the story below.

Before I take you to all the cool things to do in Fort Richardson State Park, let’s find out where the park is located and a few basic info on the park.

Where is Fort Richardson State Park?

Fort Richardson State Park is located in the city of Jacksboro. Approximately 1h 15 min drive to the northwest of Fort Worth and 1h 45 min drive from Dallas to the same direction.

With a driving distance less than 2 hours from DFW, it makes Fort Richardson State Park a good place for people who seek a relaxing getaway in the state parks near Dallas.  

Address: 228 State Park Road 61, Jacksboro, TX 76458. Ph.: (940) 567-3506.

Here are some of the basic info that you need to know about Fort Richardson before you go:

Entrance fees: Adult $4 daily, Child 12 years and under FREE, Group adult $2 daily. (Group adults are when they are using the group hall.)

Hours: open daily.

Busy season: Spring and Fall.

Climate: January average low temperature is 32 degrees. July’s average high temperature is 97 degrees. 

Nearby State Parks, Historic Sites, and State Natural Areas:

– Possum Kingdom State Park – 61.4 miles to the southwest

– Lake Arrowhead State Park – 58.9 miles to the north

– Lake Mineral Wells State Park & Trailway – 32.7 miles to the south      

Click here for Fort Richardson State Park Map.

Are dogs allowed at Fort Richardson State Park?

Yes! Just like most Texas State Parks, dogs are allowed on trails and campgrounds at Fort Richardson. But they are not allowed in the buildings, including the cabins, screened shelters, group facilities, and restrooms. Specifically for Fort Richardson State Park, you can’t take them to the forts, too. 

When you tour the fort, someone has to stay outside with the dog. Good news is, the fort is not very big, so you can take turns watching the dog easily.

At Fort Richardson, your dog must be on leashes that are no longer than 6 feet at all times. You can’t leave them unattended in the park, in a vehicle, or at your campsite. They are also not allowed in the water or on the land around a designated swim area.

As always, pick up their waste and throw it in the trash.

Cool things to do in Fort Richardson State Park Texas

Fort Richardson State Park is divided into 2 units: south unit and north unit. You will find the fort ground in the south unit, where the north unit is around Lake Jacksboro.

There’s a trail that connects the south unit to the north unit. You can hike, bike, or ride your horse on this trail. Or, you can reach Fort Richardson State Park North Park by driving your car through the city of Jacksboro.

Here are the things that you can do in Fort Richardson State Park:

– The fort tour

No doubt, the main attraction in Fort Richardson State Park is the grounds and buildings of Fort Richardson. It was established in the 1860s to protect settlers along the Texas frontier. Several original buildings still stand today.

You can do a self-guided tour to the historic site where rangers will be on hand to answer your questions. Specific times for these are: Tuesday through Friday at 10-11.30am and 2-3.30pm and Saturday & Sunday between 10am to 4pm. It’s free with park admission.   

Or, watch for a ranger-led program from the park’s event page.  

Don’t forget to grab the walking tour map when you are checking-in at the headquarters. That way you know where to start and where to end the tour. Also, it has information on each building that you are going to visit. You will not miss a thing.

Check out another Texas frontier fort: Fort Phantom Hill.

– Camping at Fort Richardson State Park

If you prefer to stay overnight at the park (that’s what I recommend), Fort Richardson SP offers cabins and campsites. 

There are 11 cabins and each cabin has heating and air-conditioning, as well as bunk beds to sleep five. You must bring your own linens and pillows though. When we stayed here several years ago, it didn’t have the bunk beds yet. We slept on our sleeping pad. Pets are not allowed inside the cabin, but they are allowed in the area. What’s better about the cabin, you can set a tent on the ground and park your RV. Yes, it’s full hook up outside. It doesn’t have a shower, but restrooms with showers are nearby.

As for the campsites, the choices are full hookup (4 sites), electricity with 20/30/50-amp (19 sites), electricity with 20/30-amp (18 sites), water only (10 sites), group camp/scout camp (1 site), and overflow campsites (11 sites.) 

Water only (tent only) sites are located on the North Park. Sites are closer to the swimming beach and fishing pier, with vault toilets nearby.

We have stayed on the 20/30-amp sites in our tiny travel trailer. This site is located on the east side, a walking distance to the fort ground. Our trailer doesn’t have a toilet or shower, but there’s a restroom on the fort ground. If you bring your bike it’s even better. One time we brought our porta toilet and set it inside the pop up tent. But for showers you must drive to the west campsites.

What I like, tent camping is allowed on the electric sites. 

Lastly, there are 5 electric sites at the Equestrian Sites. They are located near the Dining Hall, next to the trailway.

– Hiking at Fort Richardson

There are twelve miles of trails in Fort Richardson that are divided into six trails. Four are located in the south side, one in the north side, and one connected the south and the north sides.

Trails in Fort Richardson fell in the easy and moderate category. Moderate because of the terrain and the length.

Rumbling Spring Trail is located behind the east campsite. In fact, campers can access the trail from their campsites. It’s only 0.5 miles and takes you to the natural springs. It is a moderate trail because you will hike on rocky terrain. Watch your steps to keep those precious toes safe.

At the end of the trail you cross the Lost Creek and continue walking on the west campsites road to the Lost Creek Nature Trail. An easy family-friendly, 0.5 mile trail that ends near the Scout camping area.

The 1.3 mile Prickly Pear Trail starts from the east campsite area, too. Watch for the wildlife as you walk on the prairie. Morning and late afternoon are the best time for wildlife watching although deers like to come to the fort ground in those times. I don’t know why the park put this trail in the moderate category because the trail is level. If you come with your dogs and they are not too comfortable seeing deers, don’t take them on this trail.

Birders can go on Kicking Bird Trail on the west side. It’s an easy 0.3 mile loop, named after Kiowa chief Kicking Bird.

Oak Ridge Trail is located in the north park. It’s a 0.4 mile moderate trail, wind through groves of trees on this loop trail between trailhead parking and the shore. I personally haven’t done this trail yet. I think it’s moderate because of the rocky terrain.

Last one is Lost Creek Reservoir State Trailway. It’s 9.0 miles one way, the longest in the park. You can hike, bike, or ride your horses on this trail that connects Fort Richardson State Park & Historic Site and Lost Creek Reservoir in the north.

– Biking

Last time we went to the park, we brought along our bicycles. We rode it from our campsites to the restroom, as well as riding the bikes around the park.

But the best one was biking on Lost Creek Reservoir State Trailway. Lots of up and down hills, but it was fun. We rode through old structures, old bridges, a house that looks like a castle, the runway strips, and of course the Lost Creek Reservoir. It was during Spring Break and the wind was really strong along the reservoir’s shore, so we mostly pushed our bikes. Haha.. And I called my husband to pick us up at the north park.

If you have a bike, I highly recommend you to bring it and ride the Lost Creek Reservoir State Trailway.

– Fishing

Fort Richardson has two lakes where you can fish. The small Quarry Lake behind the headquarters and Lake Jacksboro on the north park. TPWD stocks the Quarry with bass, catfish, and trout (in winter months.) 

As any other Texas State Parks, you don’t need a fishing license to fish from shore or pier inside the park. But you will need a license if you want to fish from a boat in the north park.

One time we fished at the Quarry Lake but we didn’t get any. But we only did it for several minutes, just for fun.

– Swimming

Lake Jacksboro in the north park has a sandy beach, covered tables, water spigots, and restrooms (no showers.) Take your family there for a swim. There’s no lifeguard on duty though.

– Geocaching

Kids love treasure hunting and you can do this modern treasure hunt in Fort Richardson. Check out the following link for more info on geocaching in the park.

– Become a Junior Ranger at Fort Richardson State Park

Not just in the National Park, in Texas State Parks your children can become a Junior Ranger, too. Borrow an Explorer Pack and pick up a free Junior Ranger Activity Journal from the park headquarters. They can complete the tasks to earn a badge.

– Stargazing

Fort Richardson is not too far from downton Jacksboro, but the night sky is beautiful. Plenty of stars canvasing the night sky. I kept hoping to see the Milky Way from the park but it’s just not too dark. 

But, someone from my hiking group went camping to Fort Richardson to photograph the Perseid meteor shower in 2021, and she ended up photographing the Milky Way, too. She went during the week with no other campers around. No light noises from the ground.

– Join the Ranger Programs

More than a couple of times we went to Fort Richardson based on the ranger programs. One first weekend in October we went to see a pow wow, a Native American meeting. Weekend before Halloween is where the park conducted a Trick-or-Treat with the Friends of Fort Richardson State Park group. Campers decorated their campsites with Halloween decorations and giveaway candies to the local kids who came in their costumes. It was really a wonderful evening!

One time my husband took our son to watch the re-enactment of the Civil War on the fort ground with the Cub Scout group. When they were shooting each other, suddenly someone screamed to cease fire. My husband thought they were really good actors. Apparently they didn’t do a good job on checking the guns. Someone got shot with a real bullet! A helicopter came to pick up the guy and flew him to a hospital in Fort Worth. He got good care and came out fine from the hospital. It made the evening news! I was on the other side of the ocean when my husband told me about their day. I could only take a deep breath. 

These are the cool things you can do in Fort Richardson. Now let’s see what you can do nearby. 

Things to do near Fort Richardson State Park

– Visit a Farmers Market that takes place every last Sunday of the month from March through October at the downtown square.

– Check out Jack County Museum on 241 W. Belknap St.

– Enjoy the Chilifest & Classic Car Show on the second Sunday of November.

– Celebrate 4th of July with Jacksboro TNT Fest at Lake Jacksboro. It always takes place on the last Saturday in June.

– Eat at Herds Burger. A long time favorite for those around the area. My husband knew the place when he worked at the oilfields in the area. Everytime we went to Fort Richardson we always ate there. The burger is delicious! Address: 401 N Main St.

– Drive to Fort Belknap in Newcastle, about 45 minutes drive to the west. It’s another Texas frontier fort in Central Texas.

– While driving to Fort Belknap, stop at Graham, which has the largest downtown square in the United States.

Fort Richardson History

In 1866 soldiers arrived in Jacksboro and established a fort at Buffalo Springs, 20 miles north of Jacksboro. Because of the unhealthy condition in Buffalo Springs, the soldiers sooned abandoned the fort.

In November 1867 the army established Fort Richardson. It was the northernmost point on a line of forts along the Texas frontier. The fort was named for General Israel B. Richardson, a veteran of the Seminole Indian and Mexican Wars. He died in the Civil War in 1862.

Life in the frontier fort was hard. The soldiers made long difficult patrols along the frontier, and sometimes went to modern day New Mexico and Colorado.

After several clashes with the Native Indian, the frontier became safer. The Army issued orders to abandon Fort Richardson in 1878. 

Soon after, the 55 buildings including a morgue, bakery, magazine, commissary and commanding officer’s quarters were sold, scavenged, and fell into disrepair.

During World War II, the Texas National Guard set up an installation at Fort Richardson for Battery F, 2nd Battalion, 131st Field Artillery Regiment, 36th Division. 

In February 1942, they fought alongside Dutch and Australia against Japanese forces on the island of Java. The Japanese captured the unit and 368 soldiers from the USS Houston. They were known as the Lost Battalion because their whereabouts were unknown until the end of war. The survivors were freed on August 15, 1945. Originally I’m from Indonesia so I felt a connection after reading this info.

The Texas National Guard remained at the fort until 1954. 

In 1936, the Texas Centennial Commision purchased the surviving fort buildings and surrounding 41 acres. It became a National Historic Landmark in 1964. TPWD acquired the fort in 1968. Since then, the park has expanded to over 450 acres.

TPWD (Texas Parks and Wildlife Department) continues to share the history of this site with Texans. Here’s Fort Richardson Walking Tour Map to guide you during the tour.