The ethereal beauty of Caddo Lake, with all its bald cypress trees dripping with Spanish moss, is…read morehaunting and remarkable to say the least. Autumn is a popular time to visit as the cypress needles turn a deep rust color, making for a striking contrast against the dark trunks and silver moss.  But my favorite has always been winter when the trees have gone dormant. They lose all their needles, causing the steely, eerie mosses to take on a ghostly glow when the sun is low, clashing drastically with the shadowy trunks and murky swamp waters. It's dramatic, it's spooky, and it stays with you long after you leave. The trees have "knees" in this swampy bayou ecosystem - they are actually part of the root system and their minion-like appearance as they surround the trees adds to the creepiness of it all.  And did you know that the Spanish moss isn't moss or lichen? It's actually in the same family as pineapple (they're both bromeliads) and they even bloom!  These murky waters and creepy forests are home to so much wildlife - including Bigfoot apparently lol! There are many sightings reported and they hold festivals here.  On my last visit, I saw so many birds, including several bald eagles and an osprey doing a high dive off a cypress to catch his lunch. There are over 75 species of fish in these waters, as well as alligators, though I've never seen any floating around - probably too cold when I visit. The lake itself spans over 25,000 acres and straddles the border between east Texas and Louisiana - and the bald cypress trees are the state tree of Louisiana. It's the only natural lake in Texas and the largest. I was born and raised in these swampy lowlands - and Caddo Lake is, by far, the gem of the region. My favorite spot on the lake to rent a boat or take a cruise is Johnson Ranch Marina - the oldest inland marina in Texas. They have wonderful captains on call to take you out when the light is right for photography and they run regular trips throughout the day as well. They also offer canoe and kayak rentals.  In the surrounding area you'll find Caddo Lake state park which is excellent for hiking and they also rent canoes but you can only access Big Cypress Bayou and not get out into the main lake since it's further out. There's also a wildlife management area owned by The Nature Conservancy that offers hiking as well. Not to mention tons of campgrounds in the state park and surrounding areas (privately owned) with tent sites and cabins too. If you're at all into nature and the great outdoors and water sports of all sorts - this is a perfect family friendly location for you.

This is a real gem of a lake an is actually the only naturally formed lake in Texas.; it was formed…read moreby a large log jam in the 1700's. The lake is known for it's thick groves of bald cypress trees with huge trunks at the base near the water and lace like green needles that turn bright orange in the fall. The lake is split between Texas and Louisiana with the more open area of the lake on the Louisiana side. There are many canals and winding waterways within the cypress groves so it's best to go out with a guide who knows the lake. In the fall when the trees turn orange, photographers from all over the world come to take pictures of the beautiful lake. This was the reason my wife and I went to see the lake. While I am not a fisherman, I've heard it is a good lake for fishing and has catfish, perch, bass and crappy. Be forewarned, like many of the lakes in Texas and Louisiana there are a lot of alligators in the water so only swim in designated places. There are several towns on the lake, Uncertain Texas, and in Louisiana there is Morningsport and Oil City. The town of Jefferson, Texas is nearby as is the Caddo Lake State Park.

This is one of the most beautiful spots in the US. We have been wintering here for the past 3…read morewinters in our Tiffin motorcoach. We have a spacious site in Sportsman Cove right on the lake. We volunteer 24 hours a week for a couple. The bass fishing is phenomenal and the catfish are said to be the best eating anywhere in the US. I have stated in Rocky Point and Clear Sorings parks as well and for a senior pass holder at $19 per day you can't beat it. The park hosts a great to deal with and all bathrooms and sites are up to par. Malden park is my favorite spot for fishing because of its location and crappie fishing. The rangers are responsive to needs when an issue occurs. They have many pavilions for day use. We rented one for a church function and it was a huge success. The cost was $20 for the day. There is a working dam that keeps the water at required levels that anyone can request a tour of. If I were in this area I'd make this a 3-7 day stop. Texarkana has many historic sites to visit that takes about a day. Rodeo and church are big in this area. By the way it's a corps of engineers park, one of many we use regularly because of the low per night cost and all the amenities. And the sunsets! Check out my pictures, four of hundreds I have taken.

It's a beautiful place. Lots of good trails beautiful lake friendly people…read more Lots of birds and animals to watch .

While it's smaller, with less infrastructure than Martin Creek Lake or Caddo Lake, it's has some…read morelegitimately pretty (and somewhat wilder) trails. They have a self payment envelope and mailbox system, just FYI.

The refuge is the perfect spot for a walk, hike, run, or biking adventure! Each of the trails offer…read morea different perspective of the refuge and there's amazing birds and wildlife that you could see along the way! I love taking my puppy here to hike and enjoy the lake and river. It is pet and kid friendly! Please sign in at the visitors center when you first come! Signatures keep the refuge open and able to enjoy :)

The walking trails are very nice and I really liked the sitting areas overlooking the water. Every…read moretime I go the little place to go into with all the habitat information is closed but it looks interesting. Parking is good and the location isn't bad.

We really appreciate the time Vince took out of his weekend for us. We had a great time even though…read morewe didn't catch a lot and definitely no record breakers. LOL! His friendly fellowship was very welcome. It was great to have someone who believes in the power of The Lord guiding the boat. If we are ever back that way, we will definitely be calling on Vince again.

Caddo Lake Fellowship is THE best Fishing Guide Service in Caddo. Vince is professional and knows…read morethe lake like the back of his hand! Highly recommended fellowship and fishing service.

I go here to trail run. The main walking trail runs out to the lake and is about two miles out and…read moreback. The lake views by the spillway are worth the hike which is entirely wooded so that helps tremendously with the summer heat. Its very easy walking and I've even seen people on motorized skateboards. There are biking trails also but hiking/running them is permitted if you go against the bike traffic. These are pretty hilly and narrow and you need to watch your footing and listen for bikers if you're on foot. The trails overall are a blast to hike and run. Depending on which bike trail you take it is two or four miles. Whether you take a bike trail or the main trail once you get to the spillway you can keep following the trail which runs through the woods, around the golf course and dumps you out onto University Blvd about a mile and some change west of the park. That route including getting back to the parking lot is about six miles. There is also back road I believe that gets you close to the spill way if you don't want to hike.

Great park! I went to the east side. There was a play structure, swings, a trail, a deck leading to…read morethe lake, a hiking trail, picnic tables, drinking fountains, and restrooms.

Okay...if you're reading this don't get your hopes up that you'll ever get to come here...this is a…read moreprivate lake owned by SWEPCO so you ain't getting on the property unless you're a SWEPCO employee or an invited guest of said employee... Very nice lake with 4 cabins...also there is motel like structure with 16 individual rooms with a conference/ball room in the center... There is a boat launch with covered boat parking that will handle 4 boats and a canoe... There are 3 private piers where you can tie off your boat if your staying in one of the 4 cabins... Each cabin has 2 bedrooms with a bunk bed in the living room area...covered and screened in patio on each cabin with a nice view of the lake...fire pits for hanging out, drinking and making s'mores etc... If staying here you have to bring your own provisions (food, utensils, cooking gear, bottled water, booze etc...) It's a great location and wonderful place to hang out with friends and just enjoy some peace and quiet...very relaxing but it's too bad you'll never get to experience it...

This place is surreal. Extremely peaceful and well worth the drive. We stopped here on the way back…read morefrom Mississippi to take some pictures of the trees. The admission to the park is really affordable (like $4 per adult) and free for prior military. They have cute little cabins for rent and even canoes if you'd like to paddle around the lake. This place is a great day trip from DFW.

Awesome park Great…read moresites Lovely trees and water Nice park employees Canoes Boat ramps Hiking trails

Johnson's Ranch Marina gave us the guided tour needed for my birthday trip experience. I knew I…read morewanted to explore Caddo Lake and had originally planned to kayak, but given the weather and the expectation of rain we decided it's better to have someone explain the history and rich landscape to us while we relax (and hope it doesn't rain). Overall experience was superb! Starting from our call, we didn't book ahead of time but they were able to get us a boat tour in an hour. Upon arriving, they greeted us kindly with a warm welcome. Our boated tour did last an hour, with the tour guide entertaining my stepdad with fun facts about the lake and its inhabitants. We were told that gators are rare to see especially during the day. And yet throughout our trip, we saw multiple great egrets, blue herons, one gator, and one ratsnake! We were astonished at how much wildlife we observed. The trip lasted an hour. It poured rain about 20 minutes after the tour ended. Truthfully had we postponed it, it could've ruined my Caddo Lake experience. I'm really glad the timing worked so well for us!

We drove over from Jefferson after hearing about a swamp tour from a couple on our trolley tour who…read morereally enjoyed it. So glad we did! This bayou is part lake, part river, part pond and all of it amazing. We got super lucky that we came off the water just as rain began and a storm was forming so the tours after pits god cancelled. I can't imagine that the periodic flooding is actually welcomed by locals to clean out the growth but they said it's lining up to be a flood year in 2027 so I'm so glad we got to check it out this year.

Great place to catch Bass, Brim, And Perch. You can rent a boat head out and begin catching fish…read moreimmediately. I caught fish every day at this great location. I highly recommend it for all anglers. If you like to catch fish, this is the place for you. I highly recommend it.

From the owner: We provide boat launch, boat rental and cabin rentals.read more