Texas Forts Trail
State: Texas
Length: 697.0 mi / 1121.7 km
Time to Allow: Plan for a few hours to enjoy sections or a week to enjoy the region.
West of Fort Worth, Texas, down to Fort Mason, you will find Texas Forts Trail. Once the Wild Frontier began in this region with explorers and Native Americans clashed for the land. Focus on the eight historic frontier forts for this region along including Spanish presidios. Find other attractions along the way in 29 counties and a 650-mile loop. Forts are not the only markers on the Forts Trail map with tons of notable downs and destinations.
If you have never been to a rodeo, the Texas Forts Trail is the place for you with options all over the area the third week of June. Quilters can take some time in Abilene, Brownwood, and San Angelo for quilting shows in April, June, and August. A wide variety of quilting shops fill the areas as well for a wealth of fabric and notions.
Abilene makes the Forts Trails map with Frontier Texas! for an authentic look at the local mythology surrounding the frontier. Visit Fort Phantom Hill while there, along with a variety of museums and a theatre too. Next stop in Colorado Bend State Park for a horseshoe-shaped bend in the Colorado River.
Many of the towns in the region feature old county courthouses, including Brady and Buffalo Gap, to name a few. Stop in Dublin for a trip to the world’s first Dr. Pepper bottling plant, along with a few museums, including the Rodeo Heritage Museum. Another great town includes Graham with tons of local history, a fort, museums, and the Possum Kingdom State Park.
Visit a bat cave and Fort Mason in the town of Mason, along with a winery and historic St. Joseph’s Catholic Church. For more local culture dense with history, check out the town of Menard that dates back to the 1700s. The town offers Fort McKavett and Presidio de San Saba along with an Art Deco courthouse and the Sacred Heart Catholic Church. People love the legends from the lively past with Spanish, Texan, and Native American history.
Take a few days in Mineral Wells for Fossil Park and Vietnam War Museum. The town became famous because of their local mineral water, ready to heal ailments with bathhouses and many hotels before becoming an Air Force town. See Indian Pictographs in Paint Rock by the Concho River.
Finally, take a little more time by the Concho River in San Angelo. Hop on the Tule Princess Steamboat to ride around Lake Nasworthy or enjoy trails in the state park. It’s the place to go for fine Tex-Mex or BBQ after a long day on horseback or bike visiting the wildlife observation area. End the day with a river walk around the Concho. Stay a couple more days to see the museums and planetarium.
Local Information
Texas Forts Trail Region – Find photos, map, calendar of events and more about the forts of Texas. You can even follow the travels of the regional commissioner on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook.
More Texas Byways
You can check out additional Byways in Texas by clicking on the list of byways below, or by going to the Texas Byways home section. To find even more of scenic byways in the United States, visit our scenic byways map.