This is such a beautiful spot just a few minutes from my home. It's so peaceful out here. There are…read moreno motorized boats allowed on the lake. You can bring a kayak/ canoe etc. and throughout the lake are life vests for the kiddos. So please be sure to utilize them. Keep the kids safe.

Great place for picnic, fishing and grandkids love swimming just wish it wasn't so mossy when you…read moreswim but love that you have life jackets for the kids to use we love it here also the new floating deck need more of them and long piers to fish from.

The staff is very inviting and informative! Did you know you could book a room here for a baby…read moreshower or take wedding, prom photos ? Fall festivals every year! Spring break events are wonderful. The nature and views are so vibrant and beautiful. Calming and peaceful to experience this place. By the way, membership is the cheapest! Love this place and I know you will too!

The limited flower gardens for this Arboretum are nice. They could use some cleaning up lots of…read moreweeds. We went on the Hickory Trail and kind of got lost because the signs are not very clear. There are several places where the trail forks and there's no direction on whether to go right or left. It would really help if there were signs along the way to confirm that you are on the red Hickory Trail. And not the green one. It was nice to have benches along the way to rest on.

Amazing place to let your fur babies run free and play with other fur babies my fur babies have…read moreamazing time here

It was very clean and nice. Nice fairy homes decorations. Just very relaxing. A good get away from…read moreelectronics and daily life

Mission Tejas State Park is a quiet scenic spot that is perfect for a low key outdoor escape. The…read morepark blends history and nature well with a replica mission peaceful hiking trails and tall pines that create a calm East Texas atmosphere. It is not huge or packed with amenities but that is part of its charm making it great for picnics short hikes or simply unplugging for a while.

Mission Tejas State Park is a great park that's a little off the beaten path and not too crowded,…read morewhich was great! We have an annual State Park pass (it costs $70 a year, but everyone in your car gets in free!). The Park Ranger was very knowledgeable and helpful. He asked if we had bug spray and we said yes. He said "use it!". Also asked if we had drinking water. It felt as if he truly cared about our safety. He weren't there to camp since we were staying at a nearby AirBnB. But we did drive around and then did a little hiking and saw some of the sights. There was a great look-out spot where you could see out for miles. Can't wait to come back and do more hiking!

This park is substantial in size! It has two boat ramps (north and south), at least three fishing…read morepiers, hike/bike trails, one of the largest swim areas I've seen at a State Park, at least twenty picnic tables in the day use area, a picture-perfect swing set by the swim area, three camping loops (each includes a restroom with at least two showers per restroom), a cemetery, historic well, amphitheater - the park covers so much area that it takes around 15-20 minutes to travel from one end to the other following the park speed limits. Our first visit to this park included a first-time, somewhat terrifying spotting of a feral hog on Bird Blind trail which was creepily overgrown, eerily vacant (reminiscent of a "ghost town"- it gave us a spidey-sense...not to mention a few cobwebs we stepped through) and full of rutted dried ground. The reason this was a bit terrifying is that a park ranger at another park had recently elaborated to me just how dangerous feral hogs can be--especially if you accidentally come between them and their young! Thankfully, we were able to keep a respectfully fearful distance from the hog we spotted and must not have come between it and its young cause we survived! Following Bird Blind loop, we took a short hike on the nature trail where I was relentlessly harassed by a horsefly which regularly buzzed by my ears and then landing on me--I fully grabbed the bug at one point trying to swat her away which freaked me out more. That night I learned that female horseflies diet on mammal (including human) blood which helped me to feel justified in my drop of spirits and frightened outburst on the hike. Despite having bug spray on, my sweat, bright shirt, movement, exposed skin, breath and simply being a living being with blood in my veins...made me a prime target for that lady horsefly's advances--she wanted to slice my tender skin and have my blood for her dinner. Thankfully we were able to redeem our first visit with a mother deer and baby fawn sighting (seeing that feral hog was pretty cool too), alligator gar spotting, sunset float and picnic dinner, and refreshingly cold showers before our drive back to Dallas! On our second visit, we did not return to either trail (maybe worth a try in cooler, less COVIDy weather/times) and instead stuck to the water as our main activity which made for a much more pleasant experience. I was even able to paddle over to the swim area buoys and observe a few terns and one double-created cormorant closer than I think I've been to most any wild birds in my life! We were then treated to sightings of a white egret and two great blue herons just before and after sunset which flew to the nearly-vacant swim area to hunt! To top all of that off, we took a small, post-sunset walk from one fishing pier (south boat ramp to the other-in day use area) which was enhanced by friendly small talk with fisherpeople on that South Boat Ramp pier/dock, a random, psychedelic arrow in the middle of the woods, a tribe of adorable scavenging trash pandas and two little boys exuberant over their dad's catch of a sizable catfish just as it got dark! This warmed my heart more than I can say--seeing a family making these precious memories and making me long to fish with my far-away dad again like old times!

What a great place. I tried this because it was the only park we could get into. The reviews were…read morego so we booked. Awesome place. Camp grounds are nice, spread out and you have plenty of seclusion. Playground for kids, volleyball court and swim beach. We kayaked and fished, hiked and hit the store. Staff were all super. Highly recommended- we pull a 30' trailer. Side note - one dump station lines take too long. Go the loves at I-45 pay $10 much quicker.

But I truly remarkable experience. Many years ago the Caddo people lived and worked on this land…read more They were resourceful and used their knowledge to make this part of Texas home. I was amazed seeing the different mounds with different purposes. Each mound was constructed by hand out of mud that they collected from a mud pit on site. The burial mound was used to bury the bodies of their people and family. The low platform mound was where they went to have important political discussions. And the amount of separated by the highway was religious purposes. On the vast land that's where they grew crop for food. And unlike other villages the men weren't so much in charge. It was the women that built the mounds grew the food took care of the children they ran the show! It is a beautiful thing that women were able to put their best foot forward and take the lead! I do wonder why did the Caddo people abandon this village? And I also wonder why did the US government force them to move to Binger, Oklahoma? I also wonder do the cuddle people living in contemporary Oklahoma come back to visit where their ancestors lived and worked? Also fun fact: Caddo Lake State Park is a region of where the Caddo people also lived before going to Oklahoma. This historical site cost $5 admission and pets are free! It is very dog friendly museum that you can bring your dog on the inside to watch the small 9-minute video that they have also they have little treats for your pup as well. Sneakers and I had a very fun time! It is a lot of walking but well worth it.

Caddo Mounds is a peaceful and meaningful place to explore history. The trails and ancient mounds…read moregive a strong sense of the past, and the visitor center explains the Caddo culture clearly. It is quiet, well kept, and worth a visit if you enjoy history and nature.

It's worth the few extra miles of driving from the center of Tyler to see these winding trails. A…read morenice pine forest and minimalist tracks to walk, run, or ride on.

I have rode this trail since it was first cut through these woods. So much has changed through the…read moreyears. This mountain bike trail is one of many in this great city. Designed and built by local riders and businesses, the intent is to open up cycling to everyone. That's exactly what has been done. This trail system can be enjoyed by all skill levels. It is essentially split into three sections that can be entered or exited off of a granite loop that can also be iced for a warm up or down loop as well as for runners or walkers or those with children. The trail is constantly being maintained and improved. The one thing I'm not happy with are that some of the trail in the last section is not marked well and you can find yourself riding a few loops over again or even riding the wrong direction! So be careful of this. The system has At least 6 miles of trails, this number may not be accurate anymore with the additions and in fact, my ride today ended up being 7 miles and I know I coulda pulled more out of it. Attached to the park are tennis courts, a splash pad, playground equipment, baseball fields, a small pound that is stocked yearly, and miles of hiking, biking, and jogging trails. Also, you can access the South Tyler trail system from here which is an excellent trail system that will take you all over the southern part of the city. The trail system is growing every day. Also located here is Tyler's newest Police Station so there's no shortage of police presence. I always enjoy coming to this park to run, ride, practice yoga, or just relax.

I chose this place because it has a very helpful legend to navigate through the trail. It also has…read morecheckpoints and arrows in case you get lost. Very beautiful nature and trails.

Disgusting restrooms, use at your own risk. We had a…read moreweekend tournament and went to use the restrooms first thing in the morning and they were never cleaned ! Horrible service

Not crowded at all! Landscaping is very up-kept and clean. Kids had a blast and we didn't have to…read moreworry about stickers in the grass!

This is such a great Texas State Park. All of the facilities were clean and the staff were…read morepleasant. Nice hiking trails with a little elevation, excellent birding, a playground for the kiddos and a lake to fish or splash around in. We came last July when it was sweltering. We rented a cheap cabin with A/C and mostly stayed on the water in our cheap inflatable. Today we tent camped and were able to hike the trails. It was beautiful with all the wildflowers. Very peaceful especially in the primitive camping area.