Davis Mountains State Park & Indian Lodge

Davis Mountains State Park was one of the earliest Civilian Conservation Corps projects in Texas. It was established in 1933 on 1,321 acres given largely by local ranchers, among them Jesse W. and Richard K. Merrill. CCC companies 879 and 881 built the five-mile scenic Skyline Drive, with a rock overlook building at the top, and stone picnic tables, fireplaces and steps along the way.

Their best-known work is Indian Lodge, built between June and November 1933. The men made its adobe bricks on site, cut cottonwood in Keesey Canyon for the timbers, and gathered reeds along the Rio Grande for the ceilings, while CCC workers at Bastrop State Park made the cedar furniture. The lodge began with fifteen rooms. In 1967 it was enlarged with more rooms, a pool and a restaurant, and it now has 39 rooms, run by the state as a full-service hotel.

The park's trails run up and down the ridges: the 4.5-mile Skyline Drive Trail, and a 1.75-mile CCC trail that links to a trail down to Fort Davis National Historic Site. An interpretive center has a bird blind over a watering station, and Limpia Canyon has horse trails and primitive camping. Cell service is limited. The park is also on the 75-mile Scenic Loop, which starts and ends in Fort Davis and runs on past McDonald Observatory.