Copper Breaks State Park

Copper Breaks State Park is a state park in Hardeman County, Texas, located approximately 12 mi south of Quanah, the county seat. It covers 1,898.8 acre and contains two small lakes and 10 mi of trails.

History
Originally, Copper Breaks was part of the land held by the Comanche and Kiowa. Comanche mound sites can be found in Hardeman County, but not in the park itself. Purchased from a private landowner in 1970, the state park opened to the public in 1974.

Features
The park has two bodies of water in it, Copper Breaks Lake and Big Pond. It also includes a portion of the official state Texas longhorn herd.

Flora
Copper Breaks is a semi-arid region receiving 23.4 in of rainfall in an average year, allowing the growth of bunch grasses, and narrow shallow breaks of mesquite, juniper, cottonwood, some scattered native pecan, hackberry, soapberry and a variety of wildflowers.

Fauna
Wildlife observed in the park includes mule deer, rabbits, raccoons, armadillos, opossums, bobcats, porcupines and coyotes. Roadrunners, great blue herons, many species of ducks, meadowlarks, quail, doves, cardinals, owls, flickers, bluebirds, kites, hawks and mockingbirds are just a few of the many species of birds found in the park. Numerous frogs, turtles and lizards can be seen, as well as an occasional horned toad. Lake Copper Breaks is stocked with rainbow trout each winter.

Stargazing
Copper Breaks is an International Dark Sky Park and hosts a stargazing program once a month from April through October. The park's Bortle Scale rating is a Class 2, which indicates there's a very low amount of light pollution there which makes it a great place for celestial photography.