Most West Texas towns this size don't have a 400-acre city park, a state park on a bluff overlooking the Permian Basin, and a reservoir with catfishing and kayaking all within a short drive. Big Spring — a city of 22,290 at the crossroads of I-20 and US-87 — punches well above its weight for outdoor recreation, and that fact is one of the first things newcomers notice once they stop expecting nothing. The city's parks aren't polished resort amenities. They're honest, well-maintained West Texas spaces that reward the people willing to use them.
The recreational backbone of daily life here runs through two anchors: Comanche Trail Park on the south end of the city, and Big Spring State Park atop the 200-foot bluff that locals call Scenic Mountain. Between those two you get hiking, disc golf, tennis, golf, swimming, fishing, and one of the more quietly dramatic panoramic views in this part of Texas. With 262 sunny days a year, the climate cooperates more often than people from wetter states expect.
What surprises most people after six months here isn't the scarcity of green space — it's how much of it exists and how rarely the crowds show up to fill it. The amphitheater at Comanche Trail holds nearly 7,000 people. On a regular Tuesday evening, you might have the Rose Magers Trail almost to yourself. That ratio is either a drawback or a selling point depending on what you're moving away from.
This guide covers Big Spring's signature parks and trail systems, the Moss Creek Lake recreation area, the Russ McEwen Family Aquatic Center, and the seasonal events that anchor the city's outdoor calendar — everything you need to know about outdoor life before you decide whether this is your kind of place.
Comanche Trail Park: The Heart of It All
The natural spring that gave Big Spring its name still flows at the center of Comanche Trail Park — or at least, it's the reason the park exists. That origin story matters because it explains why 400 acres of rolling, trail-laced parkland ended up on the south end of a West Texas city that, by most regional standards, has no business being this green.
The scale of what's here takes a few visits to fully absorb. The park contains an 18-hole disc golf course (two of them, actually), tennis courts, baseball fields, playgrounds, and a 6,900-seat limestone amphitheater that hosts the city's biggest outdoor events. Comanche Trail Lake sits at the center, with picnicking along its banks and fishing access for anyone who wants to wet a line without driving out to the reservoir.
The Rose Magers Trail
The named trail inside the park is the Rose Magers Trail, a hike-and-bike route that loops through the park's terrain. On a weekday morning, this is where you'll find the city's serious walkers and the occasional cyclist who hasn't yet driven to Scenic Mountain. It is not a technical trail — bring the dog, bring the kids — but it covers enough ground to feel like a genuine outing rather than a lap around a parking lot.
Comanche Trail Municipal Golf Course
The 18-hole municipal golf course inside the park makes a specific and defensible claim: it's billed as the only rolling-hills golf course in West Texas. In a region defined by flat caliche and mesquite scrub, that's not marketing copy — it's a genuine geographic oddity. The course plays 6,576 yards from the longest tees at par 72, and includes a driving range, pro shop, and snack bar. Green fees vary; call ahead rather than assuming they haven't moved.
The Dora Roberts Community Center
On the bank of Comanche Trail Lake sits the Dora Roberts Community Center, available for private events — weddings, conferences, receptions. If you're moving here and wondering where residents actually gather for life's bigger moments, this is one answer. The setting on the lake makes it the most scenic event venue in the city by a wide margin.
Two of the park's biggest draws are seasonal. The July 3rd Pops in the Park celebration fills the amphitheater and spills into the surrounding grounds — a serious turnout for a city this size and a reminder that Big Spring's outdoor spaces are built for community use at scale. Every December, the Festival of Lights transforms the park with more than one million lights and pulls a similar crowd. If you move here and skip both, you'll have missed the two events that most clearly define how the city uses this space.
Big Spring State Park and Scenic Mountain
Big Spring State Park sits 200 feet above the city on the flat-topped bluff locals have always called Scenic Mountain. Texas Parks & Wildlife manages the 382-acre park, and the entry is free — a genuinely rare thing for a state park with this kind of terrain and infrastructure. The Civilian Conservation Corps built it in 1934–35, and the stonework they left behind, including the pavilion at the summit, has held up the way CCC construction tends to.
The Trails
Three trail options cover different appetites. The inner loop — 2.4 miles with 157 feet of elevation gain, rated easy, completable in 30 to 60 minutes — is the right choice for a first visit or an evening walk. The outer loop stretches to 3.5 miles with 216 feet of elevation gain and draws consistently enthusiastic reviews on AllTrails from hikers who appreciate the terrain for a free day-use park in a town this size. A separate 2/3-mile nature trail winds past cacti and desert plants and functions more as a botanical walk than a workout. All three are open to leashed dogs.
There is also a 3-mile paved loop road through the park for those who prefer pavement under their feet or wheels. Cyclists use it. So do families with strollers on weekend mornings.
The Overlook
The panoramic overlook at the top is the park's defining feature. Sunrise visits are a local ritual — the light coming up over the Permian Basin from this elevation is the kind of thing that becomes a regular habit once you've done it once. Sunset works equally well, and the CCC pavilion at the summit can be reserved for group gatherings if you want to turn the view into an event backdrop.
One honest note for people moving from greener states: Big Spring State Park is a high-desert landscape. The trails are rocky, the vegetation is sparse, and the palette runs to earth tones. Newcomers who arrive expecting lush forest are sometimes thrown off in month one. By month three, most of them have stopped comparing it to anything else and started appreciating it for what it actually is — a 382-acre elevated desert with uninterrupted sight lines and no crowds.
Moss Creek Lake: Water Recreation East of Town
Moss Creek Lake is the answer to the first question most newcomers ask: where do you go when you want actual water? The approximately 400-acre reservoir sits about 25 minutes east of downtown Big Spring, built in 1938 with Army Corps of Engineers assistance and owned by the city. It's not a glamorous destination. The access road isn't scenic, and the facilities are working-class rather than resort-grade. But the water is real, the catfishing is genuinely good, and the views of the rugged West Texas plateaus from the lake's surface are better than the drive in suggests.
What the Lake Supports
Fishing and boating are the primary draws. Catfishing is the local specialty and the reason most regulars make the trip. Kayaking and swimming round out the water options, and sheltered campsites and electricity-equipped pavilions are available for reservation — though the city's own guidance indicates overnight camping and RV hookups are not currently available, which conflicts with some third-party listings. Confirm directly with the city before planning an overnight stay.
Day access is priced to favor Howard County residents over out-of-county visitors, with an annual family permit option available for locals who use the lake regularly through the warm months. For a family that makes the trip often, the annual permit pays for itself quickly — but confirm current pricing with the city, as fees can change.
The Honest Trade-Off
Moss Creek is a municipal reservoir, not a recreational lake built for tourism. There's no marina, no waterfront dining, no boat rentals on site. You bring your own gear, you do your own thing, and you drive back to town when you're done. For anglers and kayakers who want space without a crowd, that's exactly the point. For people expecting amenities, it will disappoint.
Worth knowing before you go: the lake is not open every day of the week. Plan accordingly — though specific operating days can shift, so check with the city before making the drive.
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The Russ McEwen Aquatic Center and Seasonal Recreation
West Texas summers are the kind of hot that makes a public water park feel less like an amenity and more like infrastructure. The Russ McEwen Family Aquatic Center, located inside Comanche Trail Park, is the city's answer. Remodeled in 2011 and renamed in 2015 to honor former Mayor Russ McEwen, the facility includes a pool with two slides — a tube slide and a run-up slide — along with a splash area, shaded pavilions, a snack bar, and certified lifeguards on duty throughout operating hours.
For families with kids, this is one of the most practically useful spaces in the city. The combination of slides, splash area, and shade makes it a genuine half-day destination when temperatures are running into triple digits. It's also one of the better arguments for buying in a neighborhood close to Comanche Trail Park — the aquatic center is the kind of facility that gets used consistently by families within a reasonable drive, and in summer that means almost every week.
The Broader Recreation Calendar
Big Spring's outdoor calendar is anchored at both ends of the warm season. Pops in the Park on July 3rd and the December Festival of Lights at Comanche Trail Park are the two events that most clearly show how the city actually uses its outdoor spaces — both reliably fill the park and pull residents from across Howard County. Between them, the park's amphitheater hosts additional programming, though specific event schedules shift year to year and are worth checking with the city or the CVB rather than assuming continuity.
Youth sports leagues use the baseball fields at Comanche Trail Park, and the two disc golf courses draw a consistent following from the small but active disc golf community that exists in most mid-size Texas cities. For an overview of organized youth activities and school-connected sports, the schools page covers Big Spring ISD's active UIL athletics programs in more detail.
What Outdoor Life Here Actually Looks Like
The honest picture: Big Spring's recreation is self-directed and low-infrastructure. There are no guided tours, no curated trail experiences, no weekend crowds to signal where to go. You find the trailhead at Scenic Mountain, you figure out the disc golf course layout at Comanche Trail, you load the kayak and drive to Moss Creek. The city provides the spaces; residents fill them on their own terms.
People who move here from larger metros sometimes find that adjustment uncomfortable for the first few months. The ones who stay tend to say the same thing: the lack of crowd is eventually the whole point. With 262 sunny days a year and two well-maintained parks within the city limits, the raw material for an active outdoor life is here. You just have to be the kind of person who shows up without being told to.
Local Expert Takeaway: Big Spring's outdoor life is built around two genuine anchors: Comanche Trail Park, which packs golf, disc golf, tennis, a limestone amphitheater, and the Russ McEwen Aquatic Center into 400 acres on the south end of the city, and Big Spring State Park atop Scenic Mountain, where a free CCC-built park delivers the best elevated views in the Permian Basin. Add Moss Creek Lake about 25 minutes out for catfishing and kayaking, and you have a recreation profile that regularly surprises people who assumed West Texas meant flat and featureless. The trade-off is that none of it comes with amenities handed to you — there's no boat rental, no guided hike, no waterfront café. Residents who use these spaces are the ones who sought them out on purpose.
Quick Takeaways & FAQs
✅ Big Spring has two signature parks — a 400-acre city park and a free state park on a 200-foot bluff — that offer far more outdoor variety than most comparably sized Texas cities.
⚠️ Moss Creek Lake's recreational potential is real, but its limited weekly access and no-overnight-RV policy mean it rewards planning rather than spontaneous trips.
📍 The July 3rd Pops in the Park and the December Festival of Lights reliably fill Comanche Trail Park and draw residents from across Howard County — the two events that most clearly show how the city actually uses its outdoor spaces.
Is Big Spring State Park free to enter?
What can you do at Comanche Trail Park?
Can you fish or swim at Moss Creek Lake?
How hard are the trails at Big Spring State Park?
What is the Russ McEwen Family Aquatic Center?
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