Need info on the following SP's for this years outings - Wild Texas Forums: Parks, Travel & Recreation

Aspen5 · 02-26-2006, 11:51 AM

We have three vacation times for this year and are narrowing down the choices of destinations. We would like to get some inside/first hand reports on the following SP's.

March 13 - 17: Fairfield Lake SP, Fort Parker SP, and Rusk SP

June 19 - 23: Meridian SP, Cleburne SP, and Lake Whitney SP

July 10 - 21: Balmorhea SP, Davis Mountains SP, Monahans Sandhills SP,
Lake Colorado City SP, and Abilene SP

To help narrow your input, we will be RVing in a 33ft 5W with one large slide. We have three boys ages 14, 11, and 7.

Thanks in advance!

copuswalker · 02-27-2006, 07:10 AM

Fairfield is a power plant lake. We have campede and like the nice large space. It has a long hiking trail 9 miles I think. There are a few play grounds and a load of racoons.....It is heavily wooded and is generally clean,

Fort Parker has some nice sites. Wr had one that ran length wise along the water and was literally a 1/2 acre to ourselves. They offer a shuttle and canoe rental and it is a relatively easy row down the Neches river. this is one of the last camps our kids did. Boy they fought the canoe trip.
There is a hiking trail that if I remember requires a drive????

Rusk is a very pretty park with sites that are a little close to the highway. it has some short hiking trailsand a pretty "stocked with trout" pond. of course the train runs between it and Palestine..it has a limited schedule so check with them.. I always liked this park as being so pretty and clean!!

That is the only three you have that I have visited. Hope it helps??

Aspen5 · 02-27-2006, 04:34 PM

Thanks for the info! We have decided to add one more to the list - Tyler SP. Has anyone been there and done that?

copuswalker · 02-27-2006, 07:22 PM

Oh yeh, Tyler state park is one of the busier parks in Texas. It should be o.k. if the spring break or summer crowd is not in effect. Very nice premium sites if you can manage a water site. It can be a fight but all depends on arrival day etc.
Lots of hike and bike trails, Paddle boats and canoes and nicely wooded. Lots of hills and I think the lake is stocked? Nice swimming in warmer weather.

Try and get a site on the water.

MissionCamper · 02-27-2006, 10:26 PM

We camped in the Lakeview loop at Tyler SP over a year ago. With your rig, it might be a tight squeeze unless they've done some trimming of the trees. I saw branches scraping the tops of some Class A's as they made their way through the loop. Fear not, there's also the Big Pine loop which is more suited to the larger rigs. Unfortunately, you'll end up with fewer shade trees and no view of the lake. But, they are all pull-throughs and with full hookups.

Also beware of the somewhat steep and winding roads leading into and out of the park. Take it nice and slow and you'll be fine.

One more thing to note, they sell firewood (on the honor system) at the entrance of the Big Pine loop, 3 logs for $1. Of course, if the current fire bans extend to East Texas and are still in effect during your visit, none of this will matter.

Turn Key · 02-28-2006, 11:51 AM

Click the sites below for review on Cleburne SP.

Cleburne State Park

Haven't done reviews on Whitney SP or Meridian SP. Whitney is nice but I prefer Meridian. Also, have you thought about McCown Valley Park on Whitney (Corps Park)? I think it's much nicer then the State Park and that takes a good bit to get me to say that. Working on a review for McCown and hope to have it up by the end of this week.

Took a look at Fairfield and did not like it. Many do but it's just not for me and DW.

Can't say anything about the others you asked about. Will add a big "Thumbs Up!" on Tyler SP. Have been there twice and really enjoyed both trips. Hoping to return soon and do a solid review on that park. Only thing I'd warn you about is to watch out for the racoons in this park. They are VERY bold and have developed quite a taste for "people food". They won't hurt you but, given a chance, they'll snatch a loaf of bread before you can bat an eye

! Cute but you can find your self making an unscheduled run to the store.

Hope this helps and feel free to e-mail if I can be of any other help. Until then,

Happy Camping!

Aspen5 · 02-28-2006, 04:53 PM

Thanks all! Keep'em coming if there are any more reviews. With the positive reports on Tyler SP we were going to book several nights there Mar 13-17, but they are booked solid! We did manage to get two nights at Fairfield SP, and two nights at Rusk SP. We are planning to use one of the days at Rusk to drive up to Tyler SP and check it out for next year. We still need to narrow down the June and July destinations, hopefully we'll get them booked a little more in advance

DayTripper · 02-28-2006, 07:32 PM

You've found out by now that Tyler SP is busy. It is simply too close to Tyler and Longview. It's a nice park, though, and it has gained a reputation as a good place to do mountain biking.

For your July trip, several places you mentioned would be interesting. Abilene SP is close to Buffalo Gap, which is of historical interest. I don't know much about the park, though. One of my favorite places in West Texas is Davis Mountains SP. It is a good place to escape the summer heat in Texas. Mornings will be crisp and days pleasant while in the shade. MacDonald Observatory is just a few miles down the road, and the military post is one of the best preserved in the nation. There are full hookups in the park, too. There are some interesting shops in Ft. Davis if you like that sort of thing. Balmorhea has a great swimming hole. You really have to see it to appreciate it, but your boys would probably enjoy swimming there.

I hope you enjoy your travels.

CyberCelt · 03-01-2006, 11:40 AM

[quote=Aspen5]

March 13 - 17: Fairfield Lake SP, Fort Parker SP, and Rusk SP

Have not been here. Did you see Dinosaur Valley State Park? The kids would love it. Mission Tejas is a wonderful spot to RV as well. Lake Tawakoni has same deal as at Lake Whitney, 3 days free for a tour at TT.

June 19 - 23: Meridian SP, Cleburne SP, and Lake Whitney SP

Will be staying at Lake Whitney on trip next week. There is a Thousand Trails resort there. If you can resist a salesperson and spend one to two hours touring, you can get a free 3-day vacation there. All resorts have hot tubs, swimming pools, activity center, minigolf and other activities for kids.

July 10 - 21: Balmorhea SP, Davis Mountains SP, Monahans Sandhills SP,
Lake Colorado City SP, and Abilene SP

Lake Colorado City was built in 1949 on Morgan Creek, a tributary of the Colorado River, and is the largest modern steam electric station in West Texas. What we really enjoyed was the resident herd of Longhorn Cattle. We camped in our 27' Travel Trailer with full hookups.

Balmorhea is a wonderful place to swim and to see west Texas as it once was before pumping dried out most of the springs. Was not aware they had RV camping.

Monahans is great. Surf the sand. The kids will love it. Do not know about RV camping.

To help narrow your input, we will be RVing in a 33ft 5W with one large slide. We have three boys ages 14, 11, and 7.

You may want to download this PDF: RV Texas SP from the TPWD. Happy Trails!

03-05-2006, 08:55 PM

We spent a night at Balmorrhea SP last July. My son was 8 & he loved the heck out of it. Good cold clear swimming hole with lots of fish to chase. Be sure & bring goggles/snorkel for the boys. HIGH diving board (10'?) & no lifeguard so the boys can be boys......

Didn't camp but stayed in the motel on the grounds so can't say about RV spots.

Definitely do McDonald Observatory if you're interested in the stars! Their night star gazing party is awesome!!

Turn Key · 03-06-2006, 11:13 AM

Quote:

There is a Thousand Trails resort there. If you can resist a salesperson and spend one to two hours touring, you can get a free 3-day vacation there. All resorts have hot tubs, swimming pools, activity center, minigolf and other activities for kids.

Did the "Free 3-Days" at that 1000Trails a few years ago. Very nice park and the sales pitch was pretty soft. Just let them know right from the start that your not interested and they won't push hard (wastes time they can better use). As said, nice park but not for us.

Happy Camping!

Aspen5 · 03-11-2006, 08:48 PM

We are heading out for Fairfield Lake SP on Monday the 13th and will stay 2 nights. We will then pack up and head to Rusk SP for 2 more nights. Won't be riding the train, did that 2 years ago, but will get some photos and do some fishing in the lake they have. Hope to run up to Tyler state park sometime and just check it out. I'd like to thank those of you who posted replies. This is only our 2nd year RVing so we are still learning about many things. If there is anything we need to see or do while in those areas, please pass it on. Our June trip is still undecided, but our July trip is beginning to take shape. We have already booked S. Llano SP for one night, then to Davis Mtns SP for 3 nights. Then up to Balmorhea SP for 2 nights, and up again to Monahans Sandhills SP for 1 night. Any place/thing we need to see while in those areas?

Thanks!!!

CyberCelt · 03-17-2006, 11:17 PM

Just returned from 2 week road trip to Arkansas. All the lakes in NE Texas are way down. We need rain bad.

If you are swimming, make sure you ask about water quality.

People are catching lots of fish--not much water to hide in.

Dogwoods and redbuds in bloom. Some wildflowers, not many.

happybooker1 · 03-18-2006, 10:55 PM

I read somewhere that Inks Lake is a 'constant level' lake not affected by the drought. Are there other constant level lakes in Texas?

My son & I prefer camping near nice cold clear water......

deb c.

Aspen5 · 03-19-2006, 12:05 PM

We're back! We had a great time and can and a few more memories to our camping album. I'd like to share some of our experiences/findings with the rest of you, and I'll try not to be long winded.

Fairfield Lake SP: First off, it's a five hour trip from San Antonio. That includes one restroom stop and one fuel stop. About two hours at a time is all my wife and sons can take without stopping. We arrived around 1:00 P.M. on Monday, and there was only one pull-thru spot left so we took it sight unseen. We learned a lesson in "pull-thru" spots - not all pull-thru's are created equal. We could pull into, but not pull thru due to the size of our rig. These sites varied in their layout by the size of the radius. The larger the radius, the larger the rig it can handle. Our's might have worked, but there was a railroad tie retaining wall on the inside edge that prevented the truck from swinging wide enough to actually pull thru. Other sites had trees blocking the use of a slide. We stayed in #78, a nice sight but your door opens away from the lake. I would recommend getting one on the lake side of the road, that way you could sit under your awning and watch the sunset over the lake. The lake front sites aren't as far from the water as the map would have you believe, probably about 25 to 30 yards. Mountain biking was good. Nothing radical and no rocks, the boys loved it. Fishing from the bank yielded one bass about 3/4 pound. The people with boats looked like they were doing much better, so if you have one, bring it. Now the important item - restrooms/showers. The restrooms were alright, not the best by state park standards, and if you wanted a hot/warm shower you had to go during the day. I don't know if they were solar heated or what, but after dark there was no hot water. Overall I would say that we would stay again at Fairfield Lake SP but the five hour travel time from home would probably make us pick another park a little closer to home. I'll give an update on Rusk SP on my next post.