Lake Rita Blanca means Little White River. The name comes from the Spanish Sheepherders that inhabited the area in the mid 1800s. Lake Rita Blanca is located near the town of Dalhart, Texas south of Rita Blanca National Grassland. It is located in Hartley County, on the south side of Dalhart.

Howard found this camping spot, which at one time was a Texas State Park. I have tried to find additional information, on the web, about this camping location and all I can find is the statement – call the City of Dalhart for information.

No longer a Texas State Park, now a Dalhart city park. There are eight RV sites, overlooking the lake, with FULL hookups: Electric, Water and Sewer. Howard was a happy camper stating: “Steady, good voltage”.

Price to stay ~ $15.00 ~ a night! The sites are located in a big gravel lot, which is level. There are utility poles with lights that light up the area at night. Since arriving on Tuesday we have had only one other RV camping here, they stayed one night and left. We are all alone, but not lonely!

We have enjoyed hiking the trails in the park, watching the wildlife in and around the  lake, visiting the downtown area and meeting some of the locals.

We were on a hike yesterday and stopped to speak with a lady walking her dog. She mentioned that Hilmar Cheese built a plant here in Dalhart. She told us that Hilmar is responsible for maintaining the beautiful trail we were walking. They did this to please their employees, which they moved from California to Dalhart in 2007 when they opened the plant. We later looked them up on the web and read about Hilmar building a state of the art faciltiy here. We drove to the plant today to see if they had a store and if they gave tours, but they didn’t. They do at their Hilmar, California plant.

We quickly learned that if  you want to eat out in Dalhart the best place to do so is at the local grocery store deli. The grocery is named United and I have to say it is a lovely store! Their staff are the most friendly people working in a grocery store I have ever met. The hot food at their deli was excellent! I also purchased some Hilmar, Pepper Jack cheese.

After leaving the Hilmar facility we drove through downtown Dalhart, just to experience the local area. The streets downtown are layed red bricks.

A little history of Lake Rita Blanca: (taken from the web)

Lake Rita Blanca is located in the High Plains region of the Texas Panhandle. The vegetation is a native, short-grass, prairie plant community. This plant community, blue grama-buffalo grass series, is representative of much of the High Plains region and provides a unique opportunity for education with the local schools and the general public.

Although Lake Rita Blanca no longer has a fishing recreation opportunity, it is the second-most important wintering area in the Texas Panhandle for migratory waterfowl in the central flyway. Each year, thousands of ducks and geese come to Lake Rita Blanca to winter. It is estimated that the number of geese alone generally ranges between 40,000 and 100,000. A large number of neotropical, migratory birds also frequent the park each spring and summer.

In addition, there is a wide variety of wildlife, including scaled quail; bald eagles; mule deer; and swift, gray, and red foxes that make their home in the park.

Recreational opportunities offered at Lake Rita Blanca includes hiking, horseback riding, bicycling, nature walks and educational classes.

Lake Rita Blanca is located just south of the City of Dalhart off of US Highway 385/87 and FM 281.

I have some  more photos, which I will post.

Travel Notes:

Date: Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Departed: Capulin, New Mexico

Arrived: Dalhart, Texas

Traveled: 111 miles

Current location: Lake Rita Blanca (Dalhart city park)

Visited: Three nights (third night tonight)

In the morning we head to Copper Breaks State Park.

“Life’s journey continues another day”