Caddo Lake State Park
With a maze of ponds and bayous, Caddo Lake State Park is a great place for a quick weekend retreat if you are an outdoor enthusiast and enjoy nature. There are several campsites that include water, electrical hookups, restrooms and other features as well as cabins available for rent. If you are looking for some recreational activities, there are several hiking trails and even a 3/4-mile nature trail through native bald cypress trees and many aquatic plants. The ponds offer some great fishing, boating and sightseeing areas where local birds like the Texas bald eagle, the red-cockaded woodpecker and the swallow-tailed kite can be seen.
Caddo Lake State Park
245 Park Road 2
Karnack Texas 75661
(903) 679-3351
tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/caddo_lake/
Davy Crockett National Forest
Encompassing more than 160,000 acres of woodlands in East Texas, the Davy Crockett National Forest is an easy trip for those looking to get away for the weekend. Located north of Houston, the forest includes several recreation areas, wildlife habitats, trails, lakes and other natural environments for you to explore. The trails within the forest range from a five-mile hike to the 20-mile long Four-C trail that starts at Ratcliff Lake and continues all the way to Walnut Creek campsites. There are many campgrounds dispersed throughout the forest and several small ponds and lakes for fishing, boating, swimming or sightseeing. The forest is filled with wildlife like deer, squirrels, quail, turkey and several waterfowl for birdwatchers.
Davy Crockett National Forest
415 S. First St. Suite 110
Lufkin, Texas 75901
(936) 639-8501
fs.fed.us/r8/texas/recreation/davy_crockett/davycrockett_gen_info.shtml
Dinosaur State Park
Explore more than 1,500 acres of rock formations including limestone, mudstone and more at Dinosaur State Park in Glen Rose. Containing many examples of dinosaur tracks and fossils, the park runs along the Paluxy River and includes a museum and outdoor amphitheatre as well as a campsites, restrooms and showers, water and electrical hookups and a park store where you can purchase supplies. The Dinosaur Park features two fiberglass life-size models of a tyrannosaurus rex and an apatosaurus, and also includes activities like hiking trails, mountain bike trails, swimming and fishing spots and wildlife observation points.
Dinosaur State Park
Park Road 59
Glen Rose, Texas 76043
(254) 897-4588
tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/dinosaur_valley/
