Day Trips

At Tyler State Park the raccoons are not only the park's mascots, but are also the cause of more than one unwary camper's consternation. Roaming the park after dark like tiny bandits, the raccoons scavenge campsites looking for any morsel left unprotected. They have grown so tame that campers sitting around a campfire don't bother them. It takes a full assault of yelling and waving to scare them back into the darkness.

Tyler State Park is one of the crown jewels of the state park system and the largest, and some say, the most beautiful, state park in Northeast Texas. In a thick East Texas pine forest, the park also is in the top five state parks in annual visitation.

Although the park is full most weekends, the guests are spread out over 99 acres surrounding a spring-fed lake and it rarely feels crowded. The park is divided into 10 sections, each one feeling like its own campground. With 149 camp sites, 35 screened shelters, and a primitive camping area, the park also ranks in the top among state parks with the number of camping and Recreational Vehicle (RV) sites.

Built in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), the park retains the beauty and ruggedness of the area and still caters to the comforts of the visitors. A large RV section isolates them in their own community while tent campers have easy access to the lake for fishing and canoeing. All areas of the park are separated by a thick forest of tall pines and hardwoods accented by dogwood blossoms in the spring.

A little more than seven miles north of Tyler, the 986-acre park area had been clear-cut by logging companies and was badly eroded when the CCC arrived in 1935. Their first assignment was to replant the forest and build an earthen dam to impound a 90-acre lake.

It was late in the six-year assignment that the CCC began construction of the park buildings. By this time the National Park System Rustic style was no longer the only architecture being used in the construction of Texas parks. The architect used low roof lines and rounded corners to give the bathhouse, concession stand, and even the sign at the entrance a somewhat modern appearance.

In 1993, the Tyler Bicycle Club joined with the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department to build 10 miles of mountain bike trails through the forest. With the park's hilly and rough terrain, the trails can be challenging to any level of rider. The trails on the northern end of the park tend to be a little easier than the trails on the southern end, which climb steep bluffs. The narrow and winding trails are limited to bicycles only.

For hikers there are two and a half miles of trails, much of it around the lake. Included in this is the Whispering Pines Nature Trail with a self-guided booklet that helps the visitor identify the plants and animals.

The raccoons are not the only wildlife that make the park their home. A small herd of white-tail deer forage for food in the meadows. You might even spot an armadillo, rabbit, or one of the hundreds of different species of birds that visit the park on a regular basis.

Fishing from the bank, by boat, or from one of the two fishing piers is one of the most popular activities of visitors to the park. A swimming area is designated off to one side of the bathhouse and concession stand that also rents canoes and paddle boats. Of course, there are playgrounds and picnic areas available.

Tyler State Park is 99 miles east of Dallas and about four and a half hours from Austin. The park is just north of I-20 on FM14. For more park information, call the park directly at 903/597-5338. For reservations, call the central reservation number at 512/389-8900.

Coming up this weekend...

Giant Garage Sale cleans out the barns around Kendalia Halle in Kendalia of trash and treasures, Apr. 18-19. 210/336-2609.

Spring Herb Fest in Fredericksburg features music, food, and plants at the Fredericksburg Herb Farm, Apr. 18-20. 210/997-8615.

Yesterfest in Bastrop, along the Colorado River, celebrates the town's heritage with a day of fun, Apr. 19. 512/321-6283.

Art Car Weekend in Houston includes many special folk art events and is highlighted with the Saturday Roadside Attractions Parade downtown, Apr. 17-20. 713/926-CARS or http://www.insync.net/~orange.

Fiesta in San Antonio is a citywide celebration with special events, carnivals, and parades, Apr. 18-27. Night in Old San Antonio happens every evening at La Villita on the River Walk, Apr. 22-25. 210/227-5191.

Homebrew Festival and Contest in San Marcos invades City Park on the San Marcos River, Apr. 20. 512/467-8427.

Coming up...

State Championship Fiddler's Frolic in Halletsville mixes good music and lots of food, Apr. 25-27. 512/798-2311.

Spring Cleanup along the Texas Coast from Beaumont to Brownsville happens Apr. 26. http://www.glo.state.tex.us or 800/85B-EACH.

Bob Wills Day in Turkey honors the native son and "King of Western Swing" with lots of music and barbecue, Apr. 26. 806/423-1033.