Sup Sawmillers,

Wife and I are planning to go camping this weekend, but haven't decided where yet.

What are your favorite places to camp in East Texas?

And more specifically any opinions on tent camping at Angelina National Forest or Martin Dies Jr State Park?

Also, while we're on camping. Any favorite hiking trails in east Texas?

I had looked into Martin Dies SP for Spring Break, but our plans changed. Wolf Creek Park on Lake Livingston is supposed to be fun. Again, haven't been, but on a list of places we were told to visit. It has been a long time, but Ratcliff Lake isn't bad. Heading up more northeast, Caddo Lake is supposed to be really nice, and you can hit up Jefferson, or cut over to Shreveport if you want something else to do...

I'm afraid I'd have to go somewhere with a cabin. Or a hotel. Or something lifted way high up off the ground. Too many memories of growing up and running across snakes makes me run the opposite direction. LOL Thank goodness we don't have venomous snakes in this part of Ohio.

Lake Ratcliff is nice. I have not heard if they had any tree issues from the tornados. There is a good 20 mile trail from Lake Ratcliff. I have heard that some of the trail from the Neches River Overlook is closed due to downed trees.

https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/texas/recarea/?recid=71016

I've been camping at Boykin Springs (SE of Zavalla). The campground is pretty nice, and it sits right on a trail that extends as far as you could want to hike. The trail heads one way to Lake Sam Rayburn, another towards some old historic ruins of a sawmill, and another through the woods. *Just looking online now, it seems like maybe the through trails between the lakes isn't open like it used to be, but there used to be about 100 miles of trail connected through the springs.*

nacluth said:

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I've been camping at Boykin Springs (SE of Zavalla). The campground is pretty nice, and it sits right on a trail that extends as far as you could want to hike. The trail heads one way to Lake Sam Rayburn, another towards some old historic ruins of a sawmill, and another through the woods. *Just looking online now, it seems like maybe the through trails between the lakes isn't open like it used to be, but there used to be about 100 miles of trail connected through the springs.*

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Awesome, will check it out.

I'm thinking probably Martin Dies or Angelina this weekend, & then try to squeeze in Lake Ratcliff before summer gets in full 100 degree swing.

SFAJack_76 said:

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Lake Ratcliff is nice. I have not heard if they had any tree issues from the tornados. There is a good 20 mile trail from Lake Ratcliff. I have heard that some of the trail from the Neches River Overlook is closed due to downed trees.

https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/texas/recarea/?recid=71016

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Ya, I'd love to go to Mission Tejas, but I think it's gonna take awhile to clean that entire area up.

We'll see.

Texan Fairfield State Park is really nice and its close to you... Nice trails to hike and its close to home for you... Fishing for the freshwater Reds is really good out there now and you can fish from the bank... Facilities are nice and clean and well kept...Mixture of 1/2 pine and 1/2 oak trees.. Nice and tall ...Abundant wildlife to watch...

We were at Martin Dies a couple weeks ago and are going to be going back there over Memorial Day weekend. Its a nice quiet park. I can't tell you how the trails are as it was pouring the entire time we were there.

Lake Livingston state park is also a nice park. LLSP has some really nice trails and activities for you to do..

Check into https://www.geocaching.com/play to find some Geocaches at the various areas.

Jacks4460 said:

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Texan Fairfield State Park is really nice and its close to you... Nice trails to hike and its close to home for you... Fishing for the freshwater Reds is really good out there now and you can fish from the bank... Facilities are nice and clean and well kept...Mixture of 1/2 pine and 1/2 oak trees.. Nice and tall ...Abundant wildlife to watch...

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We used to camp there all the time as kids, I'll take a look & see what they have available this weekend.

I've heard rumours that park may grow now that the electric plant is shutting down. We'll see.

Texan it is a big thing around here.. The rumor mill has that it might shut down.. When Big Brown first signed the lease they agreed to take care of the damn on the lake but now finding someone that wants to assume that responsibility and liability is hard.. Plus it would cost so much for infrastructure if you to say develop homes out there.. You couldn't make your money back unless you sold the lake front lots for really huge money..it provides so much to our grocery stores and department stores with 200k plus visitors per year..

The state had a $1 per year lease for 40 yrs.. Lease is up in October..

Jacks4460 said:

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The state had a $1 per year lease for 40 yrs.. Lease is up in October..

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Dang, that would really suck if it got shut down. Losing Big Brown is going to hurt.

Hopefully the state can step in & keep it going. It's an excellent park.

Yes sir the tax rate in Freestone county was one of the lowest in the state because of BiG Brown and the tax money it generated for the school district and county.. Now that it is closed the county and Hospital District is having to raise taxes and big land owners are finally gonna have to pay a higher amount of taxes because they can not make ends meet if they don't.. The sheriff already shut the jail down because he couldn't find any qualified jailers and administrators.. He can't find any because the commissioners have been paying 12.00 per hour and only allowing 40 hours.. of course the commissioners are major land holders in the county... people are starting to put pressure on them now for a bond to come about..

Texan no spring football game??

Okay being that this question has been brought up, does anyone know of any good RV parks in or near Nac so that when we come up for the weekend we could bring the RV up instead of paying for a hotel.

Jacks4460 said:

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Texan no spring football game??

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Well, we were going to go camping, but now it looks like we're going to do that in 2 weeks per my wife's request.

Still trying to decide on the Spring game, we'll see lol.

We went hiking at the I.D Fairchild State Forest this morning, in between Palestine & Rusk. I believe there are two 3 mile trails, one 6 mile loop, & one 11 mile loop.

We ended up somewhere near 5 miles after a few missed turns, but had a good time & pretty good elevation changes on some loops.

Highly recommend.

Can't speak on the RVs, but will say you probably don't want to tent camp between April to October.

I'm fine bundling up for 30 degree camping, but you literally cannot get cool enough at night in the summer here.

I hate that I'm not going to be able to go camping up north on a roadtrip this summer.

I'm from Morris County and grew up going to Daingerfield State Park, two hours north of Nac.

https://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/daingerfield

Go in the fall when the leaves are changing and the temp is perfect

Here are some pics I took last Nov. during Thanksgiving (My parents still live in the area)


Trail all around the lake

Lake Daingerfield










This photo is out at the homestead (parents place) during the fall


Behind the Old Morris County Courthouse


Winter of 2012? at the park (this is rare)

Yes, the summer can be pretty crowded mainly the swimming in the lake and you need to book an RV spot early in advance, like months in advance, the cabins have a waiting list, but plenty of tent spots, but the heat is pretty intense in the summer time. The Spring and Fall are the ideal times to go.

They have activities for the kids during the summer weeks though with paddle boats, fishing, canoes, nature trail education, crafts, etc.

Check the website for rates and schedules and vacancies.

I know all the places to eat (Tex-Mex, BBQ, Americana, Catfish, etc.) as well if you need info on that.

PurpleOut said:

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Great shots! How is it in the summer? It's one of the places I'm considering, crowded?

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Depending on the parks, it will be crowded. With an RV you should be fine during the summer. The AC will keep things bearable .

We go camping (RV camping also known as glamping) about once a month. There is a great site http://www.campgroundreviews.com/regions/texas that will allow you to find users comments about the different parks.

Most parks will be nice. TPWD does a good job of keeping things clean and coming up with activities for the kids. Garner is one to check out but finding openings is tough because it is the most popular state park in Texas. We go there every spring break. Now with the new reservation system you can book any park in the system 5 months in advance and you get to pick your exact site. For Garner, you will need to book 5 months in advance for spring break. Historically you could book any state park 331 days in advance. We would reserve at that point and there would be 10-15 sites of the 70 available on day 331.

If you have any questions, message me and we can talk about RV camping, etc.

Yes I've been to the water park. It's not bad for what it is. It's no Schlitterbahn, but it's pretty decent for a small park. It gets pretty crowded, and they don't let you bring in outside food and drink. But if you want a couple hours at an "indoor" water park with slides and lazy river, it works. Don't get too high hopes and you won't be disappointed.

Caldwell Zoo is still pretty great. The only bad thing from when I was a kid, is that it's no longer free, but what is anymore? I've already taken my kids this summer. It's worth it if you're in the area. I'll check to see if I have a coupon somewhere.

PurpleOut said:

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Got it booked!

- 3 nights at Cooper Lake SP
- 2 nights at Mission Tejas SP
- 2 nights at Tyler SP

Tyler I know is always super crowded, but I used to go all the time as a kid and have been wanting to go back. Also going to try to take the kids to the Caldwell Zoo, great memories there as a kid.

Has anyone ever been to the Waterpark at the Villages outside of Tyler? I honestly had not heard of it until I stumbled on it. Looks pretty nice, but curious if anyone has actually been

http://www.waterparkatthevillages.com

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I used to work at the Waterpark at the Villages. I've never been, but all the kids looked like they were having fun. There's also a marina at the villages where you can rent a pontoon boat if you're so inclined.


I haven't been to Caldwell Coo in probably 15 years, but my parents took their students on a field trip there a couple of weeks ago & enjoyed it.


Tyler also has a new outdoor mall area, Nike Store, Half Price books, some good food options, etc. And the new Times Square theater also has bowling, laser tag & an arcade.

When you're at Mission Tejas, you won't be far from the Texas State Railroad, which should be running rides daily, though they get kind of pricey. And if you drive into Nac, the SFA planetarium is fun.