Skyline Drive Trailhead Overlook

The trailhead parking area sits at the upper end of Skyline Drive, a five-mile road the Civilian Conservation Corps carved through Davis Mountains State Park in switchbacks that climb to the ridge between Hospital and Keesey Canyons. At 5,503 feet, the overlook delivers a wide sweep across the high-desert basin below — the town of Fort Davis to the southeast, Limpia Canyon cutting through the terrain, and distant ranges reaching toward the horizon. The Davis Mountains themselves are the highest range in Texas, and this ridge makes the elevation immediately tangible rather than something you just read on a sign.

The CCC left a stone overlook shelter at the top that frames the view toward Fort Davis; the volcanic rock that makes up this landscape formed 25 to 30 million years ago, and the exposed canyon walls and ridgelines show it plainly. Park at the trailhead and walk the ridge for wider sightlines — the 4.5-mile Skyline Drive Trail meanders down from here through ridges and valleys back into the park, so there's as much or as little on-foot exploring as you want.

For riders, this stop earns its place as the natural anchor for the Davis Mountains Scenic Loop — a 75-mile circuit on TX-166 and TX-118 through open volcanic highlands with light traffic. The park access road off TX-118 is paved and straightforward. West Texas heat and sun are real factors at this elevation, especially in summer; carry water and plan around midday conditions.