Buituful scenery park staff is super kind and the shower facilities are really really awesome…read more This place is so peaceful I love it there!!

Good park the fishing is not that good I think it's over fished good to walk and swim.read more

I first heard about Mineola years ago when I came here for a yoga retreat on my birthday. This is a…read moretown you would never expect has its own charm to it. Since then it holds a special place in my heart! Love that they have a nature preserve to showcase the beauty that is east Texas. If you are seeking quiet and serenity and all the nature views come here. Lots of options as well in the area if you are looking to hike or run. Also not too far from Tyler State Park but this is lovely if you are looking for something more on the smaller scale. Check online for hours of the park. They do events here as well. Awesome views to catch the sunrise. And best of all not too far of a drive from DFW if you are seeking a little oasis of a place. Take pics and enjoy.

Such a beautiful place to walk around, I would just be careful since there are snakes and…read morealligators.

The park rangers were super nice and helpful, we made a rookie mistake and they helped me correct…read moreit. Definitely recommend

I did a 28k endurance run here over the weekend, and I absolutely loved this trail!! Even with the…read morerain we have had in the last few weeks it's a beautiful (muddy) single track with lots of roots and rocks to keep things interesting. I'd say it's a great mix between technical and runnable, if you enjoy trail running. A few changes in elevation as well. As I get older I appreciate being out in that kind of raw nature and being reminded of God's artwork. They have some primitive areas to camp and some fishing/fun for the whole family. There's a state park fee up front then plenty of parking. I thoroughly enjoyed my race and my time here and will be back soon.

Great place to spend the weekend. We have been coming here for over 15 years. Staff is always…read moreexceptional.

Love our lake Bob Sandlin! Going to be a great day. Spending it with family and friends.read more

Looking for a place to hike? Bike? Kayak? Bird? Bring horses for a trail ride?…read moreThis is it. Several marked trails, about 65 miles of paved and unpaved roads with old concrete ruins rising out of the forest. This was once the Longhorn Ammunition Plant and has a lot of history that you can read about in the visitor center (if you can find it!). The visitor center is behind the Refuge offices. Take the first right after you enter the gates, then the first left to find it.

This was a great find by accident. We found out about it while at the state park and it was…read moredefinitely worth the stop. It is an old army ammunition factory that was turned over to the wildlife and fisheries department. Shells of some of the old buildings still stand. Lots of birds and wildlife, but very, very few people.

The wife and I rode our Harley out here on Saturday, September 9. We enjoyed driving the windy…read moreroads of the park and finding our own private spot on the lake. It was only five dollars a person to get in for the day. The main office was very clean and organized and the bathrooms were clean and we also purchased a few keepsakes. I am not an RVer but they have lots of nice shady spots. Some that are pull through and some you have to back into. It looked like all of the spots had a gazebo type cover. They also have cabins you can rent out; some thing my wife and I discussed for the future. It was very quiet and covered in a lot of trees and seemed like a very nice place to camp. As we drove out, we had the unexpected surprise of seeing 3 deer in one spot and two more in another.

When is the last time you watched a moonrise - shifting from fluorescent pink to bright yellow?…read more When did you last see the stars so clear and plentiful that you could see the Milky Way? Some moments in nature are too precious to recount - too difficult to write into a review. If you live in the city like I do, these moments are a much-needed fuel - so rich and refreshing!! Based on this second experience at Cooper Lake State Park - South Sulfur Unit, I HIGHLY recommend an overnight cabin stay! **Cabins can be booked a maximum of three months in advance.** Equipped with full restrooms including powerful, hot showers, two full beds (must bring own linens for all needs), a futon, 4-top table and chairs, 3/4 fridge/freezer combo, drip coffee maker, stove top with two heating elements, AC and heat, a back balcony with grill and picnic table, and a lakeside fire pit, we wanted for NOTHING and ENJOYED IT ALL!

Chillin' in the ATL! I came through here camping in the…read morewoods in Atlanta- and loved it here! This place is out in the boonies, far enough where you can hear the nature and the wind whipping through the trees. I managed to score a great spot overlooking the lake. There wasn't really good access to the water where I was, it was a steep climb down to the waters' edge, but the spot was fantastically beautiful. It was covered in leaves but with lots of shade from trees still. There was a picnic table set up for us, a fire ring, and a BBQ grill. The park rangers were nice, and the place felt well patrolled. The showers were clean and the facilities were nice. I really appreciated camping here! There was so much nature- including deer and armadillos! I'd certainly return!

Atlanta State Park is a nice park with good hikes. The largest number of people were gathered in…read moredifferent spots on the lakefront of Atlanta State Park. I enjoyed the hikes and was by myself for the most part on the trails. The Volksmarch Trail was probably my favorite.

Went camping with my mom and my kids for a weekends trip. We stayed in one of the 2 cabins because…read moremy mom needs her sleeping machine. It was a nice little trip. I took a hike with my little man to see the pine trees lined up and then the next morning took my daughter the short way. The kids loved the lake and my mom loved the fishing. The power plant across the lake lights up pretty but the constant hum coming from it is a bit strange. All and all it was a nice little trip and I'm looking forward to going back. I didn't get a chance to go on the island and I'd really like to go back to do that trail.

Fairly small park with not much to offer. I was supposed to do a campout here with my hiking group…read morelast year in December, but I was moving. So, after Thanksgiving, I was already in East TX and decided to drive to the park to check it out. Checkin was easy at the ranger headquarters. I went inside to purchase a magnet. Their stickers selection was limited and the designs were unappealing. My first impression with the creek lake that it was very beautiful and reminded me of Lake Catherine State Park in Arkansas. The beach portion doesn't allow dogs, so I just viewed it from the park. There's a total of three trails. I found one, but not the other. I searched high and low to find it, but was unsuccessful. I ended up going on the Island Trail. The view of the power plant was nice. The plant was loud. The Island trail was a smooth hike. The path is covered in pine needles and if you look closely, you can find armadillos, rabbits, and field mice. Now the camping portion was very crowded and the sites were close to each other. I didn't see any private sites. It reminded me of Blanco State Park; where you're just close enough to your neighbors where you can see and hear them. How fun! This park isn't worth coming back to explore. I didn't like it much.

Definitely not the reviewer type, but this company cares more about their bottom line then their…read morecustomer's safety. We called to ask about the process twice before coming because we had several kids, one very young and we openly had little to no experience. We took four kayaks out and while driving to the river entrance asked for tips and advice and the only thing we got was that there was a small 2 to 3 foot drop and to keep left until after the falls. This was absolutely not the case and the trip was way more advanced than we were prepared for as beginners. We were scared most of the time and there were several moments we were thinking we'd have to leave the kayaks behind and save ourselves. We did lose a paddle, but not because we were careless, we were literally trapped with an over turned kayak and trying to hold on because the current was so strong it was either hold on for safety or let go of the paddle. This was made extremely worse because of the weather. It began raining with thunder and lightening and this only made the current force even stronger. The worst part is that they didn't even send us out on functioning equipment. They did quick repairs with duck tape before putting the kayaks in the water and assured it was ok. One of our kayaks had a hole that hadn't been found yet and was taking on water and had to be emptied several times throughout the trip. When we did get to the falls, this kayak was so full of water inside the kayak that it flipped causing the young child and his parent to go under water. When we got back, the owner would kind of apologize, but then blamed it all on the office person Ashley. Then made excuses and tried to talk away the complaints as a non issue. I was very surprised that none of the employees seemed phased by what we were telling them; like they had experienced this reaction before. I realize that there were several circumstances that factored into our experience and not all were completely in their control, but I don't think they cared about our safety at all. They consistently failed to provide a safe recreation environment, they never displayed any real remorse or concern for our scary experience and when all we wanted to do was go home, they lost our keys, which were supposedly meant to be securely stored while we were gone. I obviously wouldn't recommend this company to anyone, but I urge you to consider going elsewhere for you kayaking needs if you want to keep your family and friends safe.

Typically, I don't write negative reviews of restaurants, companies, and small businesses because I…read moreunderstand that all businesses and their employees have their fair share of good days and bad. However, I feel compelled to warn future/potential patrons of Beavers Bend White Water Canoe Rentals and its owner, Kenneth ("Ken") Byers, based on the recent experience of my students during a church youth retreat in Broken Bow. Due to slow business and making a reservation as a large group, we were able to agree to $35/double-kayak (which is $10-15 below what they usually charge to individuals renting only one double-kayak). Initially over the phone, when i had called weeks in advance of our youth group's retreat, Ken mentioned that we did not need to worry about availability of kayaks/canoes for 23 people, as he had "plenty of inventory." On the day of the retreat, of course, we ran into a bit of a hiccup where they only had 10 double-kayaks and required the remaining kids to use single kayaks. A small annoyance, but nothing worth really griping about. Ken then asked that we arrive before 2pm. We arrived at 1:30, only to be forced to wait for over 2 hours before they finally got us to the river. A slightly bigger annoyance, but something we were willing to overlook so as not to dampen the mood of the outing. Once we were out on the river, there were 2 employees assigned to our group, and these two were responsible for directing the kids along the river. We did not realize until much later that this was their first day on the job. Of course, no one told us this important fact initially, and they acted like they knew the river well. Our youth group consists of middle school and high school students, so we made sure to rely on these 2 "experts" employed by the company, trusting their every direction. After an hour or so, the route seemed unreasonably difficult and arduous for kids who were certainly beginners at kayaking, so we made sure to ask: "Are you sure this is the right way? This seems too hard..." to which the 2 employees confidently responded their directions were accurate. It felt like we were traveling upstream and the rowing was incredibly arduous for the adults, let alone the young middle school students. So we constantly asked if the direction we were heading was correct, and they consistently assured us that it was. After a few more hours of rowing (the river route should only have taken 1.5 hours), we asked them to call Ken and help us out because by this point, the sun was setting and our kids were crying, bruised, bleeding, and/or exhausted from being out on the river for more than 4 hours. Ken was unable to locate us and we were officially lost and stranded when the 2 staff members finally acknowledged that it was their first day and they had no idea where to go. It was traumatizing for our youth students, and we ended up being out there well past 9pm while it was getting very dark, creating a very dangerous situation for a group of minors who had already been out on the river rowing up/down/side-stream, and any which way to try to keep each other safe. With all the dangerous areas that the 2 staff members led our group towards, we were incredibly grateful to have ultimately been back safely on land at the end of the night. But our entire day had been ruined; we no longer could carry out the other programs we had planned for the day; and we ended up getting back in our cabin well past 10pm in what would be the most unforgettable and regrettable day. As bad as that was, the worst part was the unapologetic attitude of Ken Byers. His staff members apologized profusely for leading us in the wrong direction and putting that many kids in harm's way, but we wanted to hear a better explanation from the owner as to how this could happen. We were unable to reach him all weekend, and by the time he called back the following Monday, he was incredibly defensive and kept explaining how much of a pain it was for him to have to pay his staff overtime for the additional hours spent on the river, as well as the extra hassle he went through to go out the next day to recover the boats that he had yet to pick up off the shore where we finally had reached the previous day. Not once did he say "I'm sorry." Not once did he acknowledge how hellish that experience was for our kids. It's like he was afraid of a potential lawsuit while disclaiming all responsibility and fault. All we wanted was for him to be sincere in his apology, but he was more interested in explaining how much money we saved and how much of a hassle it was for him than being a decent human being. I highly doubt very many people will see this review before booking with Ken and Beavers Bend White Water Canoe Rentals, but on the off chance that this helps one other person/group realize the mismanagement, poor attitude, and lack of compassion shown by this company, the time I just wasted writing this review will have been worth it.