State park opens new headquarters facility

Tyler—Visitors to Tyler State Park can enjoy a new park headquarters while checking in for their outdoor adventure.

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) and Tyler State Park announced the opening of a new park headquarters facility on Friday, Oct. 18.

The facility, designed to resemble the park's Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) facilities, will ease traffic congestion upon arrival and create a more efficient check-in process. The building also features an interpretive gallery highlighting the park's history, improved accessibility for visitors and staff, increased office space, a centralized conference room, increased parking options, and a new radio tower for improved communications within the park. The building was created with natural materials to help it blend into the park's native environment.

"It is exciting to see the hard work and dedication of so many colleagues, partners, and supporters result in such a beautiful facility," Rodney Franklin, director of Texas State Parks, said. "I am happy that we are able to design and construct a park headquarters of which all of Texas can be proud. This new facility will help support staff, serve our visitors, and tell the story of the park better than ever. It is befitting of one of our most popular Texas State Parks."

Other recent improvements to the park include renovating historic structures for accessibility, replacing shingle roofing on structures built by CCC, and repairing roads and parking lots for improved access.

Planning for the new headquarters facility began more than 10 years ago, and construction commenced in the winter of 2021. Tyler State Park, which encompasses 985 acres, was originally built by CCC 2888 between 1935 and 1941.

Tyler State Park officially opened in 1939 and welcomes nearly 200,000 visitors annually. It features 13 miles of trails, including 10 miles established for hiking and biking. The park has 154 reservable campsites and a 64-acre spring-fed lake where anglers can target crappie, catfish, and bass.

"We could not be more excited to be able to welcome visitors into this new facility," said Derek Dye, Tyler State Park superintendent. "The time and effort put into making this facility an amazing, welcoming experience to Tyler State Park would not have been possible without the ideas and input from numerous team members, including previous superintendents and park staff. To be a part of the grand opening of our new headquarters inspires me to continue to do everything we can to serve our visitors."

Funding for this headquarters project was provided by Proposition 5 through the Sporting Goods Sales Tax.

"The support that stemmed from the passage of Proposition 5 has allowed Texas State Parks to have a reliable source of funding to support projects at many of our existing parks, including Tyler," Franklin said. "The efforts put in by countless staff and volunteers through the construction process has helped get us across the finish line so we can continue to provide gold-medal winning service to visitors to the Pineywoods."

SOURCE Texas Parks and Wildlife Department