For the first time in years, visitors to Balmorhea State Park in West Texas can now stay overnight in the park’s historic motor court cabins after the completion of a sweeping renovation project.
The San Solomon Motor Courts, named after the natural spring system that feeds the park’s pool, were built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s along with the rest of the park facilities.
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department announced plans to renovate the motor court in 2016 after state lawmakers approved an expansive funding measure for state parks. The renovations were originally scheduled to be finished in 2019, but the project ran into delays because of “various challenges,” said Torrey Bonham, the park’s superintendent.
“Some of that was work that did not pass initial inspection, and then of course there were some setbacks that we experienced due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said.
The park fully reopened all of the motor court rooms on Wednesday, Bonham said, after an initial “soft opening” of some of the rooms in late July.
The project amounted to a “top to bottom” renovation, Bonham said, with extensive repairs from the roofs to the floors of the historic adobe buildings. Some of the rooms have had carpet removed to expose the original CCC-built hardwood floors, and the entire motor court has been upgraded with new electrical and plumbing infrastructure, the superintendent said.
“We have refurbished all of the CCC furniture that was in there, to preserve those historic artifacts,” Bonham said. “We have also upgraded to resort-style linens, so new mattresses, new pillows, definitely top-quality towels, blankets, sheets, stuff like that.”
The park in May also reopened its RV campground, which was upgraded as part of the renovation project.
Bonham said he doesn’t expect any significant operational changes at the park, even with the potential influx of new overnight visitors from the facilities reopening.
“The park has had a long history of operating those motor courts, and we do expect with some new efficiency, that we will be able to meet any operational demand,” he said.
Balmorhea State Park urges visitors to make reservations for day use or overnight stays, particularly during holidays and the summer months, when weekend passes frequently sell out days in advance. The park does not allow walk-up entry for day use when it reaches capacity.
The motor court and campground renovations aren’t the only upgrades in the works for the state park; in 2020, TPWD announced a 643-acre land acquisition deal that will roughly triple the park’s size when completed.
Bonham said that expansion is still in the design and planning phase, but is set to include new hiking opportunities.
“That new area, it does include what’s known as ‘Carpenter Hill’, the large hill, mountain behind the current location of the RV park,” he said. “So there are some initial plans to put in maybe some hiking up there.”
