Lake Meredith National Recreation Area
The Lake Meredith National Recreation Area spreads across three different counties (Potter, Moore, and Hutchinson Counties) on the Texas Panhandle near Fritch (a city in Moore and Hutchinson Counties), adjoining the Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument.
The park encompasses a total area of 44,978 acres of land and includes multiple access points including taking either TX 287 north or TX 136 north. Lake Meredith National Recreation initially came under the management of a cooperative agreement with the Bureau of Reclamation on March 15, 1965, before eventually coming under the management of the National Park Service on November 28, 1990.
The name of the park changed from Sanford National Recreation Area on October 16, 1972, and from then on became Lake Meredith National Recreation Area. Today the central focus of the park is the 10,000-acre Lake Meredith, mainly for its water-based recreational activities.
Initially, the lake came about after the construction of Sanford Dam on the Canadian River and is used primarily as a water source for many people in the local area. The lake also provides a scenic view due to its walls covered in white limestone, beautiful buttes, pinnacles, caprock, and wind-eroded coves.
Some of the activities that visitors love to participate in at the Lake Meredith National Recreation Area include horseback riding, hiking, swimming, scuba diving, camping, boating, windsurfing, off-road vehicle use, fishing, water-skiing, and hunting.
These activities are facilitated by several available amenities including campgrounds, off-road vehicle trails, boat ramp, picnic area, marina, museum, and a boat rental. If you have a canine, you can bring them into Lake Meredith National Recreation Area although you will need to be careful not to break the park’s rules.
For example, you should avoid going into park buildings, and you should definitely keep your dog leashed at all times. Also, do not allow your furbaby to annoy other visitors to the Lake Meredith National Recreation Area or the wildlife in the park area.
