Lake Meredith National Recreation Area
Set within the wide‑open Texas Plains, Lake Meredith National Recreation Area offers a peaceful retreat in the heart of rugged grasslands. Over thousands of years, the Canadian River carved dramatic 200‑foot canyons—known as breaks—that now frame the lake in striking layers of color and texture. These quiet coves sustain an unexpectedly rich array of life, providing seven distinct habitats.
Alerts
- InformationRoadwork to Begin at Sanford Yake Campground Monday, July 13th
The National Park Service announces that Federal Highway Administration contractors will begin roadway and pavement maintenance at Sanford Yake Campground starting Monday, July 13, 2026. This project will include chip seal, micro seal, micro surfacing, and pavement striping throughout key areas of Lake Meredith National Recreation Area.
- InformationRoad Construction Work to begin May 4-October 24
Road construction work to occur Monday thru Friday between the hours of 7:00 am and 8:00 pm, weather permitting. Expect delays of up to 30 minutes during active construction periods.
- InformationCondition of Turkey Creek Trail
The South Turkey Creek Trail, located near the Harbor Bay Campground Area, is currently open for hiking for the first mile; however, the remainder of the trail is underwater and cannot be safely accessed.
- InformationApplication for Special Use Permit
Each applicant is required to complete a new "Application For Special Use Permit" prior to any new permit being issued
Fees & passes
Free. No entrance fee here.
Hours
| Park Operating Hours | Daily · All Day |
| Park Headquarters Offices | Varies by day ▾
|
Park Headquarters Offices: hours by date. Standard hours apply on every date not listed.
| Dates | Hours |
|---|---|
| Standard hoursNow |
|
| Nov 26, 2026Thanksgiving Day | Hours not published |
| Nov 26, 2026Closed Thanksgiving Day | Closed |
| Dec 24, 2026Closed December 24th | Closed |
| Dec 25, 2026Closed Christmas Day | Closed |
| Dec 25, 2026Closed Christmas Day | Closed |
| Dec 25, 2026Closed December 25th | Closed |
| Dec 25, 2026Christmas | Hours not published |
| Jan 1, 2027Closed New Year's Day | Closed |
| Jan 1, 2027New Years Day | Hours not published |
| Jan 18, 2027Closed Martin Luther King Jr. Day | Closed |
| Jun 19, 2027Juneteenth | Hours not published |
| Jul 4, 2027Closed Independence Day | Closed |
When to go
June draws the most visits here and November the fewest, averaged over 2021 to 2025.
Campgrounds
| Fritch Fortress | 15 sites | |
| This campground is open all year. · 15 first-come | ||
| Blue West Campground | 30 sites | |
| This campground is open all year. · 30 first-come | ||
| Chimney Hollow Campground | 15 sites | |
| This campground is open all year. | ||
| Harbor Bay Campground | 25 sites | |
| This campground is open all year. · 25 first-come | ||
| Cedar Canyon Campground | 15 sites | |
| This campground is open all year. · 15 first-come | ||
Show all 11 campgroundsHide
| McBride Canyon and Mullinaw Creek Campgrounds | 40 sites | |
| This campground is open all year. · 40 first-come | ||
| Plum Creek Campgrounds | 45 sites | |
| This campground is open all year. · 45 first-come | ||
| Bugbee Canyon | 10 sites | |
| This campground is open all year. · 10 first-come | ||
| Blue Creek | 50 sites | |
| This area is open all year, however during periods of heavy rain, the creek may swell, limiting safe access to the creek bed and camping area. · 50 first-come | ||
| Rosita Flats | 75 sites | |
| This area is open all year, however during periods of heavy rain, the river may swell, limiting safe access to the river bed and camping area. · 75 first-come | ||
| Sanford Yake Campground | 51 sites | |
| Campgrounds overlooking Lake Meredith with outstanding views of the sunset. · 51 first-come | ||
Every campground here has its own page on Campsite Atlas, with site counts, hookups, rig limits and booking windows. All of them on one page → How park camping works
Visitor centers
- Park Headquarters ↗Passport stamp
Visitors to Lake Meredith National Recreation Area can stop by and pick up maps and guides for the area. Headquarters is also where ORV permits are processed.
Explore
Webcams
Camera images load live from the National Park Service and partner agencies
Map
Interactive map by the National Park Service
On the National Register nearby
- Alibates Flint Quarries National MonumentHistoric district · Fritch · 3.1 mi
- McBride Ranch HouseBuilding · Amarillo · 6 mi
Guidebooks for Texas's national parks and the Southwest
We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.
Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject.
Reference
Wildlife
Full checklist: 80 birds, 37 mammalsHide
Raptors & owlsAmerican Kestrel · Barn Owl · Eastern Screech-Owl · Great Horned Owl · Hen Harrier · Mississippi Kite · Red-tailed Hawk · Sharp-shinned Hawk · Swainson's Hawk · Turkey Vulture
Waterfowl & wadersAmerican Coot · Black-crowned Night Heron · Blue-winged Teal · Cinnamon Teal · Common Teal · Double-crested Cormorant · Great Blue Heron · Green Heron · Ruddy Duck · Virginia Rail · White-faced Ibis
Shorebirds & seabirdsAmerican Avocet · Killdeer · Spotted Sandpiper
Gamebirds & dovesCommon Pheasant · Mourning Dove · Northern Bobwhite · Scaled Quail · Wild Turkey
WoodpeckersDowny Woodpecker · Ladder-backed Woodpecker · Northern Flicker · Red-headed Woodpecker
Also on the checklistAe'o · American Cliff Swallow · American Crow · American Goldfinch · American Robin · American Tree Sparrow · Ash-throated Flycatcher · Belted Kingfisher · Bewick's Wren · Blue Grosbeak · Blue Jay · Brown Thrasher · Brown-headed Cowbird · Bullock's Oriole · Cassin's Sparrow · Common Grackle · Common Moorhen · Common Nighthawk · Common Poorwill · Common Starling · Common Yellowthroat · Dark-eyed Junco · Eastern Bluebird · Eastern Kingbird · Eastern Meadowlark · Field Sparrow · Gadwall · Greater Roadrunner · House Sparrow · Indigo Bunting · Lark Sparrow · Loggerhead Shrike · Mallard · Northern Cardinal · Northern Mockingbird · Northern Shoveler · Orchard Oriole · Painted Bunting · Red-winged Blackbird · Rock Wren · Rufous-crowned Sparrow · Scissor-tailed Flycatcher · Song Sparrow · Western Kingbird · Western Meadowlark · White-crowned Sparrow · Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Small mammalsAmerican Beaver · Audubon's Cottontail · Black-tailed Jack Rabbit · Crawford's Gray Shrew · Deer Mouse · Eastern Cottontail · Eastern Fox Squirrel · Eastern Mole · Hispid Cotton Rat · Hispid Pocket Mouse · House Mouse · Northern Grasshopper Mouse · Ord's Kangaroo Rat · Plains Harvest Mouse · Plains Pocket Gopher · Silky Pocket Mouse · Southern Plains Woodrat · Spotted Ground Squirrel · Western Harvest Mouse · White-throated Woodrat · bee shrew · common porcupine · white-footed mouse
PredatorsAmerican Badger · Bobcat · Common Gray Fox · Coyote · Striped Skunk · Swift Fox · common raccoon
Hoofed mammalsMule Deer · White-tailed Deer
BatsBig Brown Bat · Eastern Red Bat · Pallid Bat · Townsend's big-eared bat
Also on the checklistlong-nosed armadillo
Activities
Activity guides for this park Camping in the national parks · Canoeing and kayaking in the national parks · Fishing in the national parks · Hiking in the national parks · Horseback riding in the national parks
All 19 activitiesHide
Weather & climate
This area of the Texas Panhandle has a wide variety of weather conditions throughout the year. Winters are cold and windy, with summers being hot and dry. Weather can change rapidly on Lake Meredith. It is usually a good idea to check the weather report and dress accordingly.
Questions people ask
Does Lake Meredith charge an entrance fee?
No. Lake Meredith is free to enter.
Source: National Park Service
Is Lake Meredith open year-round?
Yes. The grounds are open 24 hours a day, year-round.
Source: National Park Service
Can I camp in Lake Meredith?
Yes. The Park Service lists 11 campgrounds in Lake Meredith: Fritch Fortress, Blue West, Chimney Hollow, Harbor Bay, and Cedar Canyon, and more. 10 are first-come, first-served.
Which Lake Meredith campgrounds have showers, hookups, or a dump station?
Showers: Fritch Fortress. Dump station: Fritch Fortress.
Source: Campgrounds
Is anything closed at Lake Meredith right now?
4 active alerts as of October 14, 2026: Roadwork to Begin at Sanford Yake Campground Monday, July 13th; Road Construction Work to begin May 4-October 24; and more.
Source: Alerts
How busy is Lake Meredith?
1,017,135 recreation visits in 2025, number 70 of 387 units that report visitation.
Source: Most visited parks
Is there cell service at Lake Meredith?
At the park's reference point, FCC coverage maps show Verizon 4G LTE, AT&T 5G, and T-Mobile 4G LTE. Coverage inside the park varies by location.
Source: FCC Broadband Map
What is the weather like at Lake Meredith?
This area of the Texas Panhandle has a wide variety of weather conditions throughout the year. Winters are cold and windy, with summers being hot and dry.
Source: Weather & climate
Follow this park
- Alerts feed (RSS)
- Every active Park Service alert for this unit, one item each, rebuilt with the nightly data refresh.
- Add dates to your calendar (.ics file)
- Fee-free entrance days that apply here and each published hours exception, as all-day events.
More in Texas
