On Oct. 30, Texas Parks and Wildlife posted a one-line alert for Palo Pinto Mountains State Park. It closed every trail in the park except the Texas & Pacific Trail, which stays open to foot traffic only. Tucker Lake, Ben's Trail, the Palo Pinto Creek Loop and Raptor Ridge are all closed for now.
The park's November calendar runs mostly after dark. Three of the five November events on its calendar start at 6 p.m. or later. They meet at a trailhead, a pavilion and a boat ramp, not deep on the trail system. The moon phase sets the tone for each of those evenings. On the right night, the sky south of Strawn is the main reason to go.
What the Oct. 30 alert left open
The open trail is a long one. TPWD lists the Texas & Pacific Trail at 5.7 miles one way, 11 miles round trip, rated moderate, with an estimated five and a half hours to walk it. It drops from the Palo Pinto Creek canyon into prairie and tunnels of trees. At its far west end sits Ragsdale Cabin, an old hunting cabin with a porch for resting. That's a full day on foot. It doesn't fit into an hour before supper.
The alert has two other notices. A separate Oct. 27 notice closes the part of Tucker Lake Trail that crosses the dam while work goes on there, with a detour through Russell Creek Equestrian Campground. A March 1 notice says final touches are still underway and visitors may see construction. The alert ends with "Check back for updates," so read it again the morning of any trip.
None of that affects the evening programs. Their meeting spots sit near the developed core of the park, and the sky above them doesn't depend on the trail map.
November's calendar, lined up against the moon
TPWD posts the park's programs on its events page. The moon phases come from the timeanddate calendar for Fort Worth, which lists the new moon on Nov. 9, first quarter on Nov. 17 and the full moon on Nov. 24.
| Date | Program | Time | Meeting spot | Where the moon is |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat., Nov. 7 | Star Party | 6:30 to 8 p.m. | Main Trailhead | Two days before the Nov. 9 new moon |
| Fri., Nov. 13 | Haunted History Hike | 7 to 9 p.m. | Boat ramp in Crappie Cove | Four days past new moon |
| Sat., Nov. 14 | TPWD Career & Volunteer Fair | 9 a.m. | In the park | Daytime event |
| Sat., Nov. 21 | Intermediate to Advanced Astrophotography | 6 to 8 p.m. | Canyon View Pavilion | Four days past first quarter, three before full |
| Sat., Nov. 28 | Flintknapping Demo | 10 a.m. to noon | Courtyard outside the HQ Building | Daytime program |
At the Nov. 14 fair, TPWD's HR recruitment team will be in the park to talk with visitors about careers, internships and volunteer work. Each evening program asks for something different. The first is about seeing faint things through a telescope. The second is about stories told on a walk in the dark. The third is about camera technique, which you can still learn under a brighter sky.
Nov. 7 is the dark one
This Saturday's Star Party is the one to plan around. The Fort Worth Astronomical Society sets up telescopes at the Main Trailhead from 6:30 to 8 p.m. TPWD calls it one of the oldest amateur astronomy clubs in the country. Members plan to show visitors planets, nebulas and galaxies. With the new moon two days away, the moon will be a thin waning crescent. That leaves the evening sky about as dark as it gets all month.
The program is free with park entry. TPWD's program page says the park is "working towards becoming a certified Dark Sky Park" and describes its night skies as dark enough to see the Milky Way. The park also suggests downloading the Stellarium Mobile app before you come so you can find constellations once you're there. The event depends on the weather, and the park posts changes on its Facebook page and Instagram.
Nov. 13 takes an email first
The Haunted History Hike is the only November program listed as requiring registration, and it takes two steps. First, make a day-use reservation so you're sure to get into the park. Then email the park to claim a spot, saying how many people are coming and whether any are minors. The program listing names Kate Fisher as its contact, at (254) 672-5684, and says a ranger leads the walk.
The group meets at the Crappie Cove boat ramp at 7 p.m. and walks until 9. The program page promises tales of railroad and oil field workers, stories cowboys told around the campfire, and legends passed down among Native tribes. Bring good hiking shoes, plenty of water and a red-light flashlight. If anything changes, the ranger emails registered participants. Registration matters for that reason too. With the trail closures this month, registered hikers are the ones who hear about changes directly.
Nov. 21 is for people who already know their camera
The astrophotography session at Canyon View Pavilion runs from 6 to 8 p.m. It's billed as intermediate to advanced, and the park asks attendees to already know how to run their gear in the dark. The gear list is specific. Bring a camera with a fast lens, f/2.8 or faster recommended, a sturdy tripod, charged equipment, a red-light flashlight or headlamp, water, good shoes and bug spray.
This one lands under a waxing moon, four days past first quarter and three days before the Nov. 24 full moon. If you only care about faint galaxies, Nov. 7 is the better night. The 21st is for learning settings and composition from an expert, with a brighter sky to work under.
The pavilion is also close to Canyon View Overlook. TPWD describes the overlook as a spot to watch rolling hills, setting suns and the train coming around the bend. Arriving before 6 gives you the last light from there.
Getting in after the office closes
Every evening program starts after the park office closes. Office hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and day visitors who arrive later pay at the self-pay station. The gate opens at 6 a.m. and closes at 10 p.m. Entry is $7 a day for each adult 13 or older, and children 12 and under get in free.
The park can fill up on weekends, and TPWD's alert says an online reservation is the way to guarantee entry. Reservations are available online around the clock. A reservation isn't confirmed until it's paid, and same-day bookings can't be refunded.
To get there, come from I-20 or from Highway 180 and Highway 16 through Strawn to FM 2372. Then drive 4 miles to the Park Road 77 entrance at 100 Park Road 77, Strawn, TX 76475.
What the night programs ask you to bring, taken together:
- A red-light flashlight or headlamp, on every evening program
- Water and bug spray
- A chair for the Star Party
- Good hiking shoes for the Haunted History Hike
- A tripod and fast lens for the astrophotography session
Supper in Strawn, before or after
Mary's Cafe sits on Highway 16 on the south side of Strawn, at 119 Grant Ave. A CraveDFW profile from Oct. 19, 2026 says people drive in from Fort Worth, Abilene and farther for the chicken-fried steak. Mary's opens daily at 11 a.m. It closes at 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Those hours work in your favor on Nov. 7. The Star Party ends at 8, and Mary's stays open until 9:30 on Saturday, so you can watch the sky first and eat after. On Nov. 13, the hike ends at 9 and the cafe closes at 9:30 that Friday, so eating beforehand is the safer plan.
Beneventi's Italian, at 209 S. Mingus Blvd. in Mingus, is the other option. Its OpenTable listing shows dinner from 4 to 8 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday and 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. With an 8 p.m. close, it only works before a program.
Nov. 28, the park goes back to daylight
The month's last program moves back into daylight. The Flintknapping Demo runs from 10 a.m. to noon, come and go, in the courtyard outside the HQ Building, free with park entry. An expert flintknapper shows how an arrowhead is made.
The demo is over at noon, and Mineral Wells' Merry Wells Christmas Festival runs downtown that same Saturday. The festival goes from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. with vendors, food trucks and children's activities, and the lighted parade starts at 6 p.m. The tree lighting comes the night before, on Friday, Nov. 27.
The park's next evening program is A Polar Express Christmas Event on Dec. 19, from 6 to 10 p.m. at Canyon View Pavilion, free with park entry, with hot chocolate, cookies, trains and crafts. It runs right up to the 10 p.m. gate closing. Leave the lot by then.
If a dark night out past Strawn has you thinking about land where you'd see stars like that from your own porch, Ridge and Dutch Taylor know the country west of Mineral Wells tract by tract. Reach out to Ridge Tex Realty and we'll talk about acreage in Palo Pinto County.
