Lone Star Travelers Blog » family fun

New water body record for largemouth bass Lake Conroe, Texas

joanie7 — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 23:28:35 +0000

On January 30th, 2009 a new water body record for largemouth bass, the largest largemouth bass ever caught in Texas was caught in 2 feet of 54 degree water with a plastic worm at Lake Conroe, Texas. Weighing in at 15.93 pounds, 27 inches long and 22 inches in girth the largemouth bass was entered into the sharelunker program. The continued stocking of lake Conroe with Florida largemouth bass is great for the anglers who may enter their bass into the sharelunker program if it weighs 13 pounds or more. The angler receives a fiberglass replica of his fish and sharelunker clothing.

Fort Parker State Park, Mexia Texas

joanie7 — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 16:29:28 +0000

Visit our Fort Parker State Park Photo Gallery

Fort Parker State Park is named for Fort Parker, a nearby historic settlement established in 1833 and site of the well known Comanche Indian raid of May 1836 during which Cynthia Ann Parker was captured. One of the largest remaining tall grass prairies in Limestone County mingles into dense woodlands providing a pleasant, shady respite from Dallas 80 miles to the north or Waco 47 miles to the west. In 1939 the CCC built a 729 ft dam across the Navasota River creating the 7oo acre Fort Parker Lake. Canoe rentals are available seasonally at $25 for 8 hours or $15 for a 3 hour minimum. Swimming is unsupervised from a small beach or you may fish from the banks of the lake, the dam or from one of the two fishing piers. Common catches include crappie, bass, catfish or trout in season. The Springfield 1.5 mile multi-use loop trail is for hiking or biking. The .5 mile one way Bur Oak nature trail through the woods rewards the bird watcher as many different species swoop through the trees. We observed bluebirds, cardinals, an indigo bunting and a red-tailed hawk. The 1.5 mile each way Bainscreek Trail brings you up close to the herons and other shorebirds and wading birds frequenting the park. The trailer camping loop (sites #1-25 water & electric) is well situated along the lake shore however most of the sites are close together and smaller suited for small trailers or pop-ups. If your trailer is 25 ft or longer call ahead to see if one of the few larger spaces is vacant. 10 inviting shelters are set into a hillside overlooking the lake. Primitive car camping sites #40-49 are a short drive down River Rd. A vault toilet is in the area. Tip: You may paddle 3 miles on the Navasota River to the Confederate Reunion Grounds. Allow 3-4 hours. Call the park 254-562-5751 to inquire about the availability of shuttles.

Eisenhower State Park, Denison Texas, Camping

joanie7 — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 19:18:41 +0000

The thing that surprised me at Eisenhower State Park is that none of the campsites had lake views. There was a glimpse here and there of the huge reservoir within short walking distance from any campsite, a sliver of blue shimmering through the trees but no actual lake view. Even though I was missing a lake view the campground was nice and very clean.Cedar Hollow is a nice group trailer area and Deer Haven is where a large number of screened shelters are located. The entire park is heavily wooded providing shade and tranquility.

Visit out Eisenhower State Park Photo Gallery

We camped in the Bois D Arc Ridge Camping Area (sites #59-107) offering full hook-ups. We stayed in site #105 which was very level.

The tent sites(water only) in the Fossil ridge area (sites #144-165) are well situated in a heavily wooded area.

Eisenhower State Park, Denison Texas

joanie7 — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 13:36:42 +0000

We just returned from a short trip to Eisenhower State Park, named for the 34th President of the United States who was born nearby. Located northwest of Denison Texas and approximately 100 miles north of Dallas Texas this nice size park of 423.1 acres is set on the shores of Lake Texoma, a huge reservoir on the Texas/Oklahoma border. The Tex and oma in the name of this Red River impoundment represents both states. 580 miles of shoreline sprawl across the borders of Texas and Oklahoma with 2/3 of the lake actually in Oklahoma.

Visit our Eisenhower State Park Photo Gallery

Texas Parks & Wildlife TV Program

joanie7 — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 14:46:49 +0000

Texas Parks & Wildlife airs a weekly program on Texas State Parks and Texas Outdoors. The week of August 3rd-10th, 2008 the program will include a segment on Lake Brownwood State Park in Central Texas. This is a fairly small park (537.5 acres) set on a large reservoir, the 7,300 surface acres of Lake Brownwood. Activities include picnicking, camping, hiking, boating and fishing. Possible catches include large mouth bass, small mouth bass, white bass, stripers, white crappie, yellow cat, flathead cat, perch and gar. Lake Brownwood State Park is located near the geographical center of Texas and is 16 miles northwest of the city of Brownwood. We plan to visit this park later this year and will post a photo gallery. The Texas Parks & Wildlife TV Program is made possible by a grant from the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/newsmedia/tv/tvwhere.phtml for time, date and station info.

Texas Outdoor Family

joanie7 — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 17:38:46 +0000

Texas Parks and Wildlife wants your family to go camping! And they want to teach you how! Hands on learning workshops are scheduled throughout the summer and fall of 2008 at various Texas State Parks. Outdoor specialists and volunteers will conduct classes in camping, kayaking, fishing, climbing and more. You will learn how to enjoy a fun, safe camping outing with your family. A car camp site is provided for each family along with all of the camping equipment you will need. Each family will bring their own food from a prepared list. The fee is $55.00 per family. (up to 8 people) Call Texas Parks and Wildlife at 512-389-8903 Monday-Friday from 9A.M.-6P.M. and speak with a Texas Outdoor Family customer service representative to register. Locations and dates of the workshops are available at http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/learning/bof/state_parks.phtml

Stay Connected to your Texas State Parks

Abilene State Park Tuscola, Texas

joanie7 — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 21:20:02 +0000

Visit our Abilene State Park Photo Gallery

Abilene State Park sits along Elm Creek tucked into beautiful groves of oak, elm and pecan trees. Just 16 miles south west of Abilene, Texas and approximately 200 miles west of the Dallas/Fort Worth area you will pass through the historic town of Buffalo Gap, an early frontier settlement to reach the park. Abilene State park is known for the summertime fun to be enjoyed here. An olympic-size swimming pool is open from Memorial Day Weekend until Labor Day from 11A.M.-7P.M. Thursday through Sunday. A wading pool for the kiddies, a playground and a game area for horseshoes, volleyball, basketball and more keep all ages busy and happy. A pleasant 1 1/2 mile self-guided nature trail passes the stocked one acre Buffalo Wallow Pond where all you need is a pole and line to snag a sunfish, bass or channel cat. The park is proud of the addition of 3 yurts, described as enhanced shelters. They are clean and fresh looking structures decked out with bunk beds, a fold out sofa, microwave and small fridge, set well apart for privacy and graced with shade trees as most of the sites in this park are. There are also 8 screened shelters. Abilene State Park has three full-hook up sites (#85, #87,#89) 41 water and electric sites and 12 water only sites. We started out in site #89. The sewer connection was at the rear of our backed-in travel trailer forcing our sewer hose to run up-hill. We moved to site #85 with the connections in the proper location. We liked #85. (no neighbors off to one side) We attracted hummingbirds immediately after hanging our feeder in the nearby tree, cardinals flew in and out and we were able to observe white tail deer wandering through. As we explored the park we did notice several very high grass areas that would be habitat for ticks and chiggers. Upon inquiry from the ranger we learned that 2 new buffalo have been acquired (the old herd died off) and 4 Texas Longhorn belong to the park however they are pastured outside the park on adjacent Federal Land. If you want to view them inquire at headquarters as to their location. Note: If you are camping in an RV and need to use the dump station we recommend you use the one located in the Wagon Circle Area as the access is easier than the station in the main campground.

The Bats of Caprock Canyons State Park

joanie7 — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 21:05:29 +0000

An abandoned railway tunnel, part of the 64 miles of rails to trails at Caprock Canyons State Park is home to a half-million Mexican free-tailed bats each summer. They come by the thousands to colonize in the 742 foot Clarity Tunnel. Every Friday and Saturday evening during August guided vehicle tours are available to watch the bats as they emerge from the tunnel. The tours begin an hour and a half before sunset and end after the flight. The fee for the tour is $10.00 per adult, $7.50 for seniors and $5.00 for children under 12. Reservations are necessary and must be made not later than noon the day of the tour. 806-455-1492 Caprock Canyons State Park and Trailway is a 2 hour drive from either Amarillo or Lubbock. Other activities available here are camping, hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding. Note: The official Texas State Bison herd, direct descendants of the last free range Southern Plains Bison resides at Caprock Canyons State Park.

Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center, Athens Texas

joanie7 — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 21:39:06 +0000

The Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center is hosting a special event, the Nikon Small World Exhibit Aug 02nd – Oct 22nd 2008. This exhibit displays 20 winning microphotographs taken through microscopes. The Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center, 4 miles east of the town of Athens, Texas is a 107 acre site consisting of a visitor center, a production freshwater hatchery, 300,000 gallons of indoor and outdoor aquariums and educational programs. Native fish, waterfowl, alligators and amphibians live in recreated habitats. Scuba divers hand feed the fish in the tanks Tuesday-Friday at 11A.M., Saturdays at 11A.M. and 2P.M. and Sundays at 2P.M. in a show that allows visitors to ask the diver questions by way of a 2-way communication while underwater. Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center is the headquarters for the Budweiser Sharelunker Program allowing anglers who catch large mouth bass 13lbs and up to donate them for spawning purposes. You are almost guaranteed to catch a fish when you through your line into Lake Zebco, a 1.2 acre pond stocked with channel catfish and sunfish year round as well as rainbow trout during winter. Rod, reels and bait are provided at no charge. The Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center is located 75 miles southeast of Dallas, Texas. Admission is $5.50 per adult, $4.50 seniors 65 yrs and older and $3.50 children ages 4-12 yrs. They are open Tuesday-Saturday 9A.M.-4P.M. and Sunday from 1P.M.-4P.m. For more information call 903-676-2277.

Learn more about the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center