Falcon State Park

Falcon Dam was dedicated in October 1953 by Mexican President Adolfo Ruiz Cortines and U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower. It holds back an 84,000-acre reservoir, 28 miles long, that provides irrigation water, power and flood control. The lake is named for María Rita de la Garza Falcón, whose family founded a settlement here in 1800. As the water rose, residents sold their town and moved to higher ground, a cemetery was relocated, and other riverside settlements on both banks were flooded; the Texas Standard reports that buyout offers were low. Hurricane Alice in 1954 dropped about 30 inches of rain on the watershed, and the dam held.

The state leased this park land from the International Boundary and Water Commission in 1949, opened the park in 1965 and acquired the land in 1974. It covers 576 acres north of Roma at the southern end of the reservoir. Anglers mostly take largemouth bass and channel catfish, and TPWD calls it one of the best freshwater fishing lakes in South Texas. Fishing from shore needs no licence within the park. A boat ramp and a fish-cleaning station serve the water.

On land, 2.8 miles of trails run through brushland that holds common Southwestern birds and many tropical species that wander up the valley. Campsites have water and electricity, and screened shelters and cabins are available. The park often fills, especially in fall and winter, so reserve ahead. The July average high is 99 degrees, and the January average low is 44.