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The Texas Tribune
The Texas Tribune
National
William Melhado and Joe Timmerman

Amid extreme temperatures, Texas state parks can be a respite — or a heated hindrance all their own

Pablo Zapato, 14, of Mission, shakes water off his head after jumping into the creek at Upper McKinney Falls at McKinney Falls State Park in Austin on July 29, 2023.
Pablo Zapato, 14, of Mission, shakes water off his head after jumping into the creek at Upper McKinney Falls at McKinney Falls State Park in Austin on Saturday. (Credit: Joe Timmerman/The Texas Tribune)

On a recent sweltering afternoon, Doug Cochran stood outside the visitor center of Enchanted Rock State Natural Area and pointed an infrared thermometer gun at the black tarmac in the parking lot. The display read 141 degrees. He swung it over to a nearby patch of dry soil. Even hotter: 163 degrees.

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