Galveston State Park Redevelopment Completed

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Beach access boardwalk (Credit: Nieco Payton, Texas Parks & Wildlife Department)

The Texas Trustee Implementation Group is pleased to announce completion of the Galveston Island State Park Redevelopment Project. The Park held a celebratory ribbon cutting on March 31, 2023.   

The Trustees contributed $10.6 million to the $24 million budget for the project, the remainder of which came from Texas Sporting Goods Sales Tax dollars. The Trustees’ contributions funded amenities including campsites, dune access boardwalks, equestrian facilities, and restroom and shower facilities on the beach side of the park. 

The Park, which first opened in 1957, encompasses 2,000 acres of land divided into two sections: bayside and beachside. With the help of volunteers, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department restores and protects coastal prairie habitat and educates the next generation of Texans about its importance.  

Park visitors have many opportunities for recreation including more than five miles of hiking trails, two boardwalks, three kayak launch locations on the bay side with more than eleven miles of paddling trails, and three new group-use pavilions on the beach side. 

The park also provides habitat for wildlife and supports ongoing research for listed species such as the eastern black rail and piping plover. Last year, a nest of 107 Kemp’s ridley sea turtle eggs was discovered in the park’s beachside dunes. This was the first Kemp’s nest found at the park in a decade.  

Park Superintendent Steven Kimbley says, “Our park staff is excited to welcome everyone to come experience the Texas coast.”  

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