Amistad National Recreation Area

The first stop on our Labor Day roadtrip marathon was Amistad National Recreation Area. It’s a cool six-hour drive from El Paso, so we stopped for the night in Fort Stockton, Texas. Amistad was established after the United States and Mexico agreed to build a dam and reservoir to provide power to this portion of the Rio Grande Valley. It’s also a celebration of friendship between the two countries.

Address and Location

You can find the Visitors’ Center for Amistad National Recreation Area at 10477 US Highway 90 in Del Rio, Texas. It sits along the northeast side of the road and looks more like an office building than a National Park Service building. It’s also about a three hour drive from Big Bend National Park.

Cost

Visiting Amistad National Recreation Area is free. You will need to purchase passes to boat, camp, fish, or hunt. America the Beautiful pass holders can receive a 50% discount on certain use passes.

What to Do

Amistad National Recreation Area is a great choice for people who love the water. You can enjoy boating and water sports. You can also purchase passes or licenses to fish or hunt. Camping sites for tents and campers are available, as well. If you choose to boat or enter the water, keep in mind that the international border sits halfway between the American and Mexican shores. Please be careful to not cross the border. In normal times, you can explore the dam that makes up the border crossing. Obviously, #covid happened, so we couldn’t get to the border crossing to see the dam.

Instead, we opted to hike the Sunrise Trailhead. This is accessed at the parking lot of the Lions’ Club along US Highway 90. It’s very easy to miss, so get good directions from the rangers. Overall, it was an easy hike if it was a bit more humid than we’re used to in El Paso. After we got back to the car, we headed out to Big Bend National Park.

Texas National Park Service Sites: Guadalupe Mountains National Park  |  Amistad National Recreation Area  |  Big Bend National Park  |  Fort Davis National Historic Site