c/o Lake Meredith National Recreation Area
P.O. Box 1460
Fritch, Texas 79036
(806) 857-3151
www.nps.gov/alfl

For thousands of years, people came to the red bluffs above the Canadian River. They came for flint, vital to their existence. Demand for the high quality, rainbow-hued flint is reflected in the distribution of Alibates Flint through the Great Plains and beyond. Native Americans roamed the Plains hunting large animals such as mammoth, bison, camel, and horses. Perhaps these people sought the variegated flint as much for its beauty as its utilitarian properties. Today, Alibates is the only national monument in Texas and preserves over 550 archeological sites. The monument can only be viewed by ranger-led guided tours.

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HCR 3, Box 5J
Del Rio, Texas 78840
(830) 775-7491
www.nps.gov/amis

Amistad National Recreation Area is located on the Unites States side of Lake Amistad, an international reservoir straddling the U.S.-Mexican border. Amistad Dam, finished in 1969, backs water up the Rio Grande and the Pecos and Devils Rivers, creating a lake of outstanding clarity with an 850-mile shoreline. Boating, fishing, and camping are popular activities. The recreation area also protects prehistoric Native American pictographs and other archeological sites.

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P.O. Box 129
Big Bend, Texas 79834
(915) 477-2251
www.nps.gov/bibe

Few national parks can match the scenic variety of Big bend. A land graced with desert, mountain, and river environments makes for a study in contrasts among the park's three ecological zones. The Chihuahuan Desert, with its vastness and stark beauty, is joined by the abrupt canyons of the Rio Grande and the forested peaks of the Chisos Mountains. Here you may encounter black bears, mountain lions, or roadrunners while enjoying a true wilderness experience.

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3785 Milan Street
Beaumont, TX 77701
(409) 246-2337
www.nps.gov/bith

Big Thicket National Preserve shelters remnants of the unique Big Thicket of Texas, protecting rare endangered species and habitats. This unusual assemblage of animals and plants includes mixed hardwood-pine forest, savannah, flatland palmetto hardwoods, and floodplain forests-baygall-cypress sloughs. Species of note are the hairy woodpecker, red-cockaded woodpecker, American swallow-tailed Kite, black buffalo fish, paddlefish, speckled king snake, the marbled salamander, and four of the five known carnivorous plants of North America. Designated an International Biosphere Reserve by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1981, the preserve is one of 47 United States Man and the Biosphere Reserves.

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800 South San Marcial Street
El Paso, Texas 79905
(915) 532-7273
www.nps.gov/cham

Chamizal is a memorial to international cooperation and goodwill commemorating the 1963 treaty settlement of a century-long boundary dispute between the United States and Mexico. The memorial includes the Los Paisanos Art Gallery and features a variety of year-round multicultural programs in its 500-seat indoor theatre and outdoor amphitheatre. The two mile-long Cordova Island Trail provides access to the memorial's 55 acres and views of the Bridge of the Americas.

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P.O. Box 1456
Fort Davis, Texas 79734
(915) 426-3224
www.nps.gov/foda

A key link in the West Texas defense system, Fort Davis is one of the best remaining examples of a Southwestern fort. The post protected travelers on the San Antonio-El Paso Road. African American soldiers, known as buffalo soldiers, were posted here from 1867-1885, distinguishing themselves in confrontations with Apaches and Comanches. Henry O. Flipper, the first black graduate of West Point, served here in the early 1880s.

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HC 60, Box 400
Salt Flat, TX 79847
(915) 828-3251
www.nps.gov/gumo

Geological marvels, the Guadalupe Mountains draw visitors from around the world to see one of the finest examples of an ancient marine fossil reef that formed about 265 million years ago when an immense tropical ocean covered parts of Texas and New Mexico. Now a mountain mass of Permian limestone rises majestically from the surrounding desert. Special points of interest are McKittrick Canyon, a fragile riparian environment and Guadalupe Peak - Texas' highest.

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P.O. Box 1460
Fritch, Texas 79036
(806) 857- 3151
www.nps.gov/lamr

Contrasting spectacularly with its surroundings, Lake Meredith lies on the dry, windswept High Plains of the Texas Panhandle in a region known as the Llano Estacado, or Staked Plain. The Canadian River has cut and re-cut 200-foot canyons called breaks. Sanford Dam created Lake Meredith on the Canadian River and now fills many of the breaks whose walls are crowned with white dolomite caprock, scenic buttes, pinnacles and red-brown, wind eroded coves. The 50,000-acre recreation area includes a 10,000-acre reservoir where those who enjoy the water can enjoy a remarkable day or an entire vacation.

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P.O. Box 329
Johnson City, Texas 78636
(830) 868-7128
www.nps.gov/lyjo

In the heart of the Texas Hill Country, our 36th president was born, reared, and died. Perhaps no other president is more closely identified with one parcel of real estate - including his birthplace, boyhood home, and ranch - as well as his ancestors' pioneer settlement. In this "home place," the values and world view of The Rancher President were formed, later to manifest themselves in political arenas during 37 years of public service.

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P.O. Box 181300
Corpus Christi, Texas 78480
(361) 949-8068
www.nps.gov/pais

One of ten national seashores, Padre Island is noted for its abundant bird and marine life, excellent fishing, world-class windsurfing, and wide sandy beaches. This barrier island embraces the Laguna Madre, a fertile nursery for saltwater fish, and 65.5 miles of Gulf coastline including windswept dunes, wild landscapes of coastal prairie grasslands, teeming tidal flats, and warm offshore waters. It is both a place to experience nature at its best and a place to relax and enjoy the peace and solitude of this natural playground.

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1623 Central Boulevard, #213
Brownsville, Texas 78520
www.nps.gov/paal

The first major battle of the U.S.-Mexican Was (1846-1848) was fought here on may 8, 1846. Despite the Mexican advantage in numbers, United States artillery would make a difference during the battle. The national historic site portrays the causes and consequences of this battle and the entire war from the perspective of both the United States and Mexico.

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c/o Big Bend national Park
P.O. Box 129
Big Bend, Texas 79834
(915) 477-2251
www.nps.gov/rigr

Recognized as an international boundary with Mexico, the Rio Grande Wild and Scenic River was designated in 1978 doe its rugged canyons, fish and wildlife habitats, and Chihuahuan Desert scenery. Extending for 69 miles along Big Bend National Park and 127 miles downstream, the river also offers unparalleled opportunities for solitude and self-reliance, especially in its remote lower canyons.

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2202 Roosevelt Avenue
San Antonio, TX 78210
(210) 932-1001
www.nps.gov/saan

Four of the original six Spanish colonial missions built along the San Antonio River make up the park. The missions continue to be used as places of worship by parishioners and can be toured daily by park visitors. Learning about the craftsmanship of the architecture, the extensive acequia system (irrigation canals) and the grist mill built in the 18th century take visitors beyond the religious aspects and into the past life styles of the people who built and lived in these missions. The visitor center at Mission San José has museum exhibits and an all-encompassing film about the establishment of the missions.

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