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Text Version
By CHRISTOPHER GRONLUND / Special Contributor
CADDO LAKE STATE PARK, Texas - Caddo Lake is so beautiful,
it's creepy. Spanish moss hangs from every cypress tree, catching sunlight
in its tangles as though it were a web. The calls of herons and screech
owls ricochet through the maze of trees; by the time their echoes reach
you, they sound like something otherworldly, never before heard by human
ears. If something created entirely of moss were to stand upright from
the shallow water, it would be shocking, but not at all surprising. Caddo
Lake is just that kind of place-shrouded in eeriness, but wrapped in beauty.
But, the park has been in the news lately. Nearby Marshall
has requested the right to sell some of the fragile lake's water supply
to private industry. Environmentalists vow to fight the action in court.
The controversy has brought renewed attention to the park.
Here's an overview about how to visit:
Caddo Lake State Park is a three-hour drive east of Dallas on Interstate
20, then fifteen miles up State Highway 43, from Marshall. Opened in 1934,
the 483 acre park on one of the largest natural lakes in the South has
a variety of offerings. During the week, one can spend the entire day
there and hardly see another person. Park activities include a hiking
and nature trail, a fishing pier, a pontoon boat tour, and canoe rentals.
The park is a great family destination, or a good choice for a midweek,
romantic getaway.
Caddo Lake State Park may not offer miles and miles of trails, but it
does have a gorgeous beginner/intermediate trek. The ¾ mile nature
trail branches off for an additional 1½ mile hike, if desired.
The trails are well maintained and clearly marked. After a moderate climb
winding through the woods and fallen leaves, rest at the old pavilion
made in the early 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps.
Launch your own boat from the park's public ramp, or bring your gear and
cast your line into Saw Mill Pond from the park's fishing pier. (If you
don't have a permit, you can obtain one at the visitor's center.) While
the lake's record bass (16.01 lbs.) was caught on open water, anglers
on the pier routinely catch a variety of photo-worthy fish (bass, catfish,
pike, and crappie). Even if you come up empty-handed, you can't beat the
view: sleepy cypress trees and great blue herons call Saw Mill Pond home.
The best way to experience Caddo Lake is on the water and the best introduction
to it is Dave Lomax's pontoon boat tour. The tour begins on Sawmill Pond,
taking visitors along the open water of Big Cypress Bayou.
Mr. Lomax has been giving tours on Caddo Lake for over 30
years. A walking encyclopedia of East Texas history and information, he
tells visitors how their route follows the course steamboats once traveled
on their way to Jefferson, when the town was the second state's second
largest port, after Galveston.
The highlight of the tour is its passage through the lake's
wildlife refuge. As the boat winds through agedt cypress trees, creatures
from turtles and beavers to alligators may be seen.
The tour lasts roughly 1 ¼ hours and costs $10 per
person, with a four person minimum.
Caddo Lake is one of the premiere canoeing destinations in Texas. Rent
a canoe for the day and experience one of the state's few lakes where
a paddler can canoe in the shade! The lake is marked by numerous buoys,
and even with all the twists and turns, canoeists are never out of sight
of the next sign telling them where to go and how to get back.
The gentle current of Big Cypress Bayou carries paddlers
from the park into the wildlife refuge area. They glide through primeval
backwaters spiked with tall cypress trees where the only sounds are of
paddles dipping into the water, birds calling and fish jumping. A paddle
along the bayou and into the wildlife refuge takes several hours. Canoes
rent for $20 per half day or $25 for a full day.
After a full day hiking the park's trails and canoeing the sloughs and
ponds,sleep will come easily. The park offers cabins, campsites, and RV
hookups for overnighters. The cabins at the state park were remodeled
and reopened in July 2001. These exceptionally clean cabins come with
an outdoor grill, refrigerator, stove and microwave oven. If you're too
tired to cook, several restaurants are neat.
Quiet time in the park starts at 10 p.m. Two-person cabins
are $60; four person, $75; and six person, $85. Camping is from $8 to
$16 with weekly rates available.
Caddo Lake State Park is open daily, year round. Admission is $2 per person
13 or older. Contact: 903-679-3351, www.tpwd.state.tx.us/park/caddo.
For those not wanting to rough it in the park, nearby Jefferson
offers several hotels and many bed and breakfasts. Information: 1-888-467-3529;
/www.jefferson-texas.com.
Christopher Gronlund is a freelance writer in Grapevine.
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