I think Texas has a great state park system, and the fees are what make this possible. I live in a state where most of the parks are free of admission fees, and camping fees are low, but the parks tend to be more primitive and less well managed.
I don't understand comments about non-resident fees. My experience is that the fees in Texas are same for residents and non-residents, unlike some states where only residents can buy annual passes, or there is a huge price difference in fees (as in Michigan where the non-resident daily pass is almost as expensive as the resident annual pass).