This Texas Lake State Park Less Than Two Hours From Dallas Is A Dazzling Swim, Hike, Fish, And Camp Paradise

Billed as a "tranquil haven in the pines," one East Texas state park offers everything from secluded camping and paddling in a cool, spring-fed lake, to wildlife watching, fishing, hiking, and biking on more than 13 miles of trails through the towering pines of this gorgeous corner of the Lone Star State. Tyler State Park, situated just north of the growing city of Tyler and about an hour and 45 minutes by car from Dallas, offers the ideal country getaway for anyone in search of some peace and quiet among the piney woods without having to drive for hours to get there.

Tyler State Park was carved out of the pines between 1935 and 1941 by the Civilian Conservation Corps, a program created by President Franklin Roosevelt during the Great Depression to put unemployed men between the ages of 17 and 25 back to work. The CCC teams that rotated into East Texas for the project built roads, created check dams to control erosion, and even diverted a cool, natural spring to create the lake the park surrounds today. For a whopping $30 a month, CCC workers crafted a beautiful recreational resource in the heart of East Texas that receives about 200,000 visitors every single year. 

Texas's state park system is beloved and diverse. Hidden in the pines, Tyler State Park offers a completely different experience than, for instance, Monahans Sandhills State Park, an underrated Texas state park with dramatic landscapes that feel like you're in Dune.

With almost 65 campsites peppered throughout the area, Tyler State Park offers visitors the chance to spread out a bit and enjoy the natural beauty of Texas' iconic Piney Woods region. Campsites range from RV sites with full and partial hookups to quiet tent sites hidden in the woods. Nightly rates start at $18 for tent sites and top out at $48 for two double sites that offer both 30- and 50-amp electric hookups and water. Campers should make reservations online before visiting to ensure they can get a coveted spot in this sought-after destination.

Once at the park, the options are many. On sweltering hot summer days, you can take a swim in the lake that's partially fed by the cool-water Beauchamp Springs. The spring was diverted during the CCC construction by a man-made rock outcropping that funnels the spring water into the lake, keeping it cool on hot days, particularly near the spring itself. Anglers visiting Tyler State Park can chase everything from crappie and bass to catfish and perch. The park features a fishing pier and a boat ramp for those wishing to get on the water and move around the 64-acre lake. Anglers fishing from a boat need a Texas fishing license, but anglers who fish from shore do not. This is true for all Texas state parks, including Choke Canyon State Park, a quiet state park between San Antonio and Corpus Christi that offers world-class fishing, camping, swimming, and hiking. A boat will get anglers to just about every corner of the lake, and Tyler State Park rents boats to guests for $100 a day. Boats range from pedal boats, canoes, johnboats, kayaks, and stand-up paddleboards.

With 13 miles of hiking and biking trails winding through the 100-foot-tall pine trees that grace Tyler State Park, terrestrial recreation is available in spades. For those interested in an easy stroll through the woods, the Whispering Pines Nature Trail is a short, 0.75-mile round-trip trail that is popular with birders who report seeing everything from red-bellied woodpeckers to bright red cardinals on this quiet walk. For mountain bikers and more ambitious hikers, the park offers longer trails, like the B-Loop trail that stretches for three miles and takes hikers and bikers through varied forest types and offers some elevation changes for a bit of a challenge. If hiking on is the list of things to do, visitors can access a downloadable map of Tyler State Park's trails. 

A visit to Tyler State Park might inspire tourists to spend more time in the Piney Woods of East Texas, where even more outdoor opportunities await in the area's national forests. Less than two hours south of Tyler State Park is Lufkin, a hidden gem within driving distance of several major cities, that is situated between the Davy Crockett National Forest and the Angelina National Forest, both of which offer hiking, biking, fishing, and wildlife watching. But, for those just seeking a chill retreat for a weekend or even a few days, the quiet confines of Tyler State Park offer the perfect opportunity to reconnect with nature and loved ones that come along for the journey.