Lake Meredith

https://www.nps.gov/lamr/index.htm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Meredith_National_Recreation_Area Lake Meredith National Recreation Area is located about 30 miles (48 km) north of Amarillo, Texas, in the Texas Panhandle. The main attraction of the recreation area is 10,000-acre (4,000 ha) Lake Meredith, an artificial reservoir created by Sanford Dam on the Canadian River. Activities at Lake Meredith include boating, fishing, swimming, camping, hiking, and hunting. Five boat launch ramps and one marina provide access to the lake. Park Headquarters are located in Fritch, Texas. Within the dry plains of the Texas Panhandle lies a hidden oasis, a haven where wildlife and people find relief from the dry grasslands above. Through this plain, the Canadian River has cut dramatic 200-foot canyons, or breaks, where humans lived many years ago. Lake Meredith occupies these hidden coves and is a haven for migratory birds and other wildlife. There are several ways to arrive at Lake Meredith. If you are coming from Amarillo, exit Loop 335 North, then exit Hwy 136 North to Fritch, Texas. Headquarters is located at 419 E. Broadway in Fritch. If coming from the North, take FM 1913 from the Dumas Highway or FM 1913 from US 287. The Amarillo Airport is approximately 35 miles south of Lake Meredith, if traveling by air. Rental cars are available in Amarillo. Park Headquarters Visitors to Lake Meredith National Recreation Area can stop by and pick up maps and guides for the area. A small bookstore sells a variety of merchandise including books, field guides, hats, and souvenirs. There are several different ways to get to Lake Meredith. If you are coming from Amarillo, exit Loop 335 North, then exit Hwy 136 North to Fritch. Headquarters is located at 419 E. Broadway in Fritch. If coming from the North you can take FM 1913 from the Dumas Highway or FM 1913 from US 287. Blue Creek This camping area is an off-road vehicle and horseback riding area on the northwest side of the lake off FM 1913. There is no drinking water or flush toilets; vault-evaporator toilet only. Off-road use is in the creek bed ONLY. This area is surrounded with plush cottonwood and soapberry trees. Camping Fees 0.00 No charge for camping. Blue Creek Blue Creek during a wet season. The water is orange colored and the sky is blue. Blue Creek Area Blue West Campground A caprock campground, overlooking Lake Meredith. Access to shoreline is difficult. This campground is located north of the lake off FM Road 1913. These campgrounds have excellent views of the lake and offer picnic tables and shade shelters. This area is a great place to view the sunsets of the Texas Panhandle. Camping Fees 0.00 No charge for camping. Blue West Campground A picnic area at Blue West overloooking the lake. The sky is blue with white clouds. Blue West Campground Bugbee Canyon This area is located near the Bugbee community off FM 3395. Shoreline fishing is popular and there are a number of shoreline birds to view. There is no drinking water or flush toilets; vault-evaporator toilets only. Camping Fees 0.00 No charge for camping. Bugbee Canyon Bugbee Canyon camping under two cottonwoods during the winter. The trees have no leaves. Bugbee Canyon camping area Cedar Canyon Campground This small cove lies between Fritch Fortress and Sanford-Yake campgrounds. The area features beach camping with no individual campsites. This campground can become soft during rainy conditions. Please drive with caution when leaving paved roads. There are restrooms with potable water and flush toilets in the parking lot. Camping Fees 0.00 No charge for camping. Cedar Canyon Campground A camper at Cedar Canyon underneath cottonwood trees near the lake. Cedar Canyon Campground Chimney Hollow Campground This remote and primitive area is located near Blue West. It is tucked in the Blue Creek embankment, which provides protection from prevailing winds. There is no drinking water or flush toilets; vault-evaporator only. There are picnic tables available. Camping Fees 0.00 No charge for camping. Chimney Hollow Chimney Hollow area with a view of the shoreline. The lake is bright blue and the clouds are white. Chimney Hollow near the water Fritch Fortress A caprock campground, overlooking Lake Meredith located on Fritch Fortress Road. Open for boaters, campers, swimmers, and other approved water activities. Picnic tables, shade shelters, and grills are available. There is a restroom with potable water, showers, and flush toilets. Pull-through parking is available. Camping Fee 0.00 No charge for camping. Fritch Fortress Campground Fritch Fortress Campground overlooks Lake Meredith. There are two picnic tables and a grill. Fritch Fortress Campground overlooks Lake Meredith. Harbor Bay Campground This campground is located outside of Fritch at the end of Lakeview Drive off Hwy. 136. The area features both designated sites and open meadow camping. Harbor Bay also features two new trails, which are the Harbor Bay and South Turkey Creek Trails. Picnic tables, shade shelters, and grills are available. No drinking water or flush toilets; vault-evaporator toilets. A beautiful area for water activities, hiking, biking, and birding. Camping Fees 0.00 No charge for camping. Harbor Bay Campground Camping in meadow by Harbor Bay. There are mesas in the background and the lake and sky are blue. Camping in the meadow by Harbor Bay. McBride Canyon and Mullinaw Creek Campgrounds These areas are located south of the lake off of State Highway 136. There are large cottonwood trees that provide shade. The Mullinaw Creek area features the expanded Mullinaw Trails System . This trail system is open to hiking, biking, and horseback riding. NO OFF ROAD VEHICLES ALLOWED. No drinking water or flush toilets; vault-evaporator toilets only. Picnic tables, shade shelters, and grills. Horse corrals are located at Mullinaw Campground. The dirt roads can become impassable after rain. Camping Fees 0.00 No charge for camping. Mullinaw Trail Mullinaw Trail with cottonwood trees and blue skies. Mullinaw Trail Plum Creek Campgrounds There are four camping areas in this region of the recreation area. These campgrounds are located on the southwest side of the lake off FM 1913. This area is a favorite for hiking, horseback riding, birding, and wildlife watching. Devil's Canyon Trail is a good trail for beginner to experienced horseback riders. This area is covered with cottonwood trees. There is no drinking water or flush toilets; vault-evaporator toilets only. Picnic tables, shade shelters, and grills are available. Camping Fees 0.00 No charge for camping. Plum Creek Campground Plum Creek camping picnic area with large cottonwood trees. Plum Creek camping area Rosita Flats This campground consists of ispersed camping along the Canadian River in one of the park's ORV-use areas. ORV operators must have state of Texas Off-Highway Vehicle decal and wear DOT-approved safety gear. Camping Fees 0.00 No charge for camping. Rosita Campgrounds A National Park Service brown sign with Rosita Flats written on it beside cottonwood trees. Rosita Flats Campgrounds Sanford Yake Campground A caprock campground, overlooking Lake Meredith. 10 RV sites with electric and water hookups available. Reservations can be made by calling 806-865-3131. Picnic tables, shade shelters, and grills are available. Restrooms with potable water, showers, and flush toilets are available. Pull-through parking available. Sanford-Yake Campground Sanford-Yake Campground with campers along the edge. The sky is blue with white clouds. Sanford-Yake Campground Lake Meredith A boat travles across Lake Meredith on a sunny day. The lake is light blue. Boating at Lake Meredith Lake Meredith Storm A storm coming in at Lover's Canyon. The sky is dark blue with dark clouds. The lake is greenish. Weather in the Texas Panhandle Harbor Bay Trail A bench on the Harbor Bay Trail, overlooking Lake Meredith. The sky is blue with white clouds. View of the lake from Harbor Bay Trail Camp with a View Picnic shelter at a campsite overlooking Lake Meredith. The sky is blue with no clouds. View from the Rim Sanford Dam at Lake Meredith Sanford Dam and Lake Meredith. The lake is deep blue with white clouds above in the sky. A view of Sanford Dam and Lake Meredith Mullinaw Trail Mullinaw trailhead with green cottonwoods and blue skies in the summer. Mullinaw Trail Birding at Lake Meredith A Red-winged Blackbird sitting on greyish-brown stump Birding at Lake Meredith Harbor Bay Trail Harbor Bay Trail with green mesas, blue sky, and white clouds. Harbor Bay Trail Fishing at Lake Meredith Sanford Yake boat docks. The water is blue and calm. There are a few fisherman fishing. Sanford Yake View from the Rim View from a mesa of Lake Meredith. The sky is blue with a few white clouds. View from a Mesa View from the Rim View from a mesa of Lake Meredith. The sky is blue with a few white clouds. View from a Mesa Save the Monarchs A monarch landing on a yellow sunflower. The monarch is orange and black. Save the Monarchs Spring Canyon Canal The Spring Canyon Canal with cattails on the shoreline. The water is a deep turquiose. Spring Canyon Canal Lake Meredith National Recreation Area Awarded 2016 Pulaski Award On May 10, 2016, the Governing Board at the National Interagency Fire Center selected the fire management and law enforcement staff at Lake Meredith National Recreation Area as the winners of the 2016 Pulaski Award for actions in advance of and during the Double Diamond wildfire of May 11, 2014. Pulaski Award National Park Service Transfers Water Tender to Local Fire Department With combined efforts among Bent’s Old Fort National Historic Site and Lake Meredith National Recreation Area, the National Park Service (NPS) recently transferred a 5,000 gallon water tender to the La Junta Fire Department. The tender will be used locally to move water to remote locations in support of wildland fire operations and prairie habitat restoration. NPS and Fire Department standing next to donated water tender Wildland Fire Provides Training to Structural Fire Departments and US Fish and Wildlife Service at Lake Meredith Lake Meredith National Recreation Area (NRA) provided many hours of training for firefighters in local communities after several large fires affected the suburbs of Amarillo, TX, in 2011. Amarillo City Fire Department (FD) and Randall County FD sought out wildland fire training, and the local communities will be better protected by these trained firefighters. NPS Geodiversity Atlas—Lake Meredith National Recreation Area, Texas Lake Meredith National Recreation Area is situated within a surprising section of canyon landscape below the Caprock Escarpment on the otherwise mostly flat High Plains of Texas. The Alibates Dolomite and Permian red beds are exposed in low mesas, buttes, and hills. Links to products from Baseline Geologic and Soil Resources Inventories provide access to maps and reports. Park trail along riverside wetlands Collaboration Key to Double Diamond Wildfire Suppression The 2,202-acre Double Diamond wildfire started near Fritch, Texas, on May 11, 2014. The fire moved very rapidly through several residential subdivisions and eventually into the park. NPS wildland firefighters were some of the first units on scene, and were heavily involved with suppression efforts in the communities. Assistance came from numerous volunteer fire departments; Texas A&M Forest Service; and numerous other organizations. Burned hillside near lakeshore. Lake Meredith NRA and Borger City Firefighters Assist in Hurricane Sandy Recovery Efforts Lake Meredith National Recreation Area (NRA) has invested many hours training firefighters in local communities to assist the National Park Service in times of need. In November 2012, six Borger City firefighters and two crew leaders from Lake Meredith NRA were part of a 20-person saw team removing hazardous trees from damaged NPS sites during Hurricane Sandy response. A group of men stands in front of red brick buildings with green trim. Exotic Plants Monitoring in the Southern Plains and Chihuahuan Desert National parks, like other publicly managed lands, are deluged by new exotic species arriving through predictable (e.g., road, trail, and riparian corridors), sudden (e.g., long distance dispersal through cargo containers and air freight), and unexpected anthropogenic pathways (e.g., weed seeds mixed in with restoration planting mixes). Landscape with a uniform, green foreground consisting of invasive kochia National Park Service Fire Management Staff Assist with Wildfire Response in Australia In the northern hemisphere winter of 2019-2020, twenty National Park Service employees responded to the call for assistance with wildfires in Australia. They had a great experience, and brought home some important lessons and lifelong memories. A group of men and women hold the United States and Australian flags. Climate Change in the Southern Plains Network Climate change may have direct and/or indirect effects on many elements of Southern Plains network ecosystems, from streams and grasslands to fires and birds. Russian knapweed (Acroptilon repens) is an invasive plant that has invaded the Southern Plains Climate Monitoring in the Southern Plains, Sonoran Desert, and Chihuahuan Desert Climate is one of many ecological indicators monitored by the National Park Service (NPS) Division of Inventory & Monitoring (I&M). Climate data help scientists to understand ecosystem processes and help to explain many of the patterns and trends observed in other natural-resource monitoring. In NPS units of the American Southwest, three I&M networks monitor climate using the scientific protocol described here. Kayaking across a fl ooded parking lot, Chickasaw NRA, July 2007. Southwestern Plains The Plains of the Southwest include the southern Great Plains, the High Plains, Llano Estacado (Staked Plains), and Edwards Plateau. Sunset lights up the grass at Capulin Volcano National Monument Series: National Park Service Geodiversity Atlas The servicewide Geodiversity Atlas provides information on <a href="https://www.nps.gov/subjects/geology/geoheritage-conservation.htm">geoheritage</a> and <a href="https://www.nps.gov/subjects/geology/geodiversity.htm">geodiversity</a> resources and values all across the National Park System to support science-based management and education. The <a href="https://www.nps.gov/orgs/1088/index.htm">NPS Geologic Resources Division</a> and many parks work with National and International <a href="https://www.nps.gov/subjects/geology/park-geology.htm">geoconservation</a> communities to ensure that NPS abiotic resources are managed using the highest standards and best practices available. park scene mountains Series: Defining the Southwest The Southwest has a special place in the American imagination – one filled with canyon lands, cacti, roadrunners, perpetual desert heat, a glaring sun, and the unfolding of history in places like Tombstone and Santa Fe. In the American mind, the Southwest is a place without boundaries – a land with its own style and its own pace – a land that ultimately defies a single definition. Maize agriculture is one component of a general cultural definition of the Southwest. Find Your Park on Route 66 Route 66 and the National Park Service have always had an important historical connection. Route 66 was known as the great road west and after World War II families on vacation took to the road in great numbers to visit the many National Park Service sites in the Southwest and beyond. That connection remains very alive and present today. Take a trip down Route 66 and Find Your Park today! A paved road with fields in the distance. On the road is a white Oklahoma Route 66 emblem. Changing Patterns of Water Availability May Change Vegetation Composition in US National Parks Across the US, changes in water availability are altering which plants grow where. These changes are evident at a broad scale. But not all areas experience the same climate in the same way, even within the boundaries of a single national park. A new dataset gives park managers a valuable tool for understanding why vegetation has changed and how it might change in the future under different climate-change scenarios. Green, orange, and dead grey junipers in red soil, mountains in background Volcanic Ash, Tephra Fall, and Fallout Deposits Volcanic ash, pumice, and tephra ejected in volcanic eruptions ultimately falls back to Earth where it covers the ground. These deposits may be the thin dustings or may be many tens of feet (meters) thick near an eruptive vent. Volcanic ash and tephra can present geohazards that are present great distances from the erupting volcano. photo of a bluff with exposed fine-grained volcanic ash and pumice.