CCC Trail

The CCC Trail honors the Civilian Conservation Corps workers who built Davis Mountains State Park during the Great Depression era of the 1930s, passing numerous examples of their skilled stonework while exploring the volcanic terrain above the park headquarters. The Civilian Conservation Corps constructed the Indian Lodge, stone terracing, trail walls, and various park structures that remain in active use today, representing some of the finest New Deal-era craftsmanship in the Texas state park system. The Indian Lodge, a National Historic Landmark, was modeled on Pueblo architecture and continues to operate as a hotel within the park, its thick adobe-style walls keeping guests cool in summer and warm in winter. The trail itself climbs through rocky volcanic outcrops and pinon-juniper woodland, passing interpretive signs explaining the construction methods and living conditions of the young men who built these facilities during one of America s most economically desperate periods. Davis Mountains volcanic geology is apparent throughout the hike, with dark basalt and lighter rhyolite exposures marking different episodes of eruptive activity in the park s complex geological past. The loop delivers views back toward Fort Davis and the surrounding basin, with the distinctive profile of the Davis Mountains providing the kind of backdrop that has made this corner of Texas beloved by travelers since the frontier era. The trail connects seamlessly with other park routes for those wishing to extend their outing.