Visitor & Relocation Information

Falcon State Park

Falcon State Park is 572.6 (144 developed) acres located in Zapata and Starr counties, via south on US Hwy 83, FM 2089 and Park Road 46 on the eastern Falcon Reservoir, 15 miles from Roma, Texas.

Falcon State Park covers acres of gently rolling hills, covered by thickets of mesquite, huisache, ebony, wild olive, cactus and native grasses. The park was leased from the International Boundary and Water Commission in 1949 and was opened to the public in 1965.

Falcon Dam was dedicated on October 19, 1953 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in and Mexican President Adolfo Ruiz Cortines. The waters of the Rio Grande River have formed a beautiful 60-mile-long lake behind the dam. This dam was built for water conservation, irrigation, power, flood control, and recreational purposes. It also provides a free crossing into Mexico.

The reservoir above the dam, known as Falcon Lake, is over forty miles long. The U.S. side of the lake is located mostly entirely within Zapata County. This vast body of water is another reason that Zapata is rapidly becoming a year around pleasure resort. Falcon Lake affords magnificent fishing, motor boating, sailing, water skiing, scuba diving and swimming.

Facilities: Facilities include screened shelters; air-conditioned screened shelters; campsites with water, electricity, and sewage; campsites with water and electricity; campsites with water; restrooms with showers; a fish-cleaning shelter; playgrounds; trailer dump stations; a group recreation hall with kitchen for day-use or overnight-use, and a Texas State Park Store. There are 3 miles of hiking/mountain biking trails that make a complete loop around the park. Signs detailing plant life provide a 1-mile self-guided nature trail. There is a new boat ramp with three 24' lanes to an elevation of 269' and a single 24' lane to an elevation of 259'. The new ramp is in use when the lake is above 261'.