Ray Roberts Lake State Park

Here's another trip we took last May that I forgot to post. This trip was for our 9th wedding anniversary!

Ray Roberts Lake State Park has three units, the Jordan Unit, the Johnson Unit and the Isle du Bois Unit. We visited the Jordan Unit, because we wanted to stay in the Lantana Lodge. There are quite a few hiking trails at the park, leading from one unit to the other. We took the trail that leads east from from the lodge (see map on site below) and that goes 3.5 miles to a turn-around loop. I think we only made it about halfway down the trail....the part we did cover was very nice...it paralleled the shoreline and had lots of trees. It was a cool, breezy day and my husband and I tucked ourselves away on blankets in a private spot under the trees with a view of the lake (this is why we didn't make it all the way to the end!). We saw no one else on the trail (amazing on a Saturday) and our dogs enjoyed running up and down the beach and sticking their feet in the water. I hope to go back another time to do the other trails (and maybe finish that first one).

About Lantana Lodge: Our room was tiny but very cute...and we really liked the fact that they let us bring our dogs for a small extra fee. It has a really nice large porch with lots of chairs and deck area with a boat dock....a really beautiful setting. Unfortunately, there was a wedding taking place there that weekend and the walls are very thin! People were partying and yelling outside and music was playing so we couldn't sleep. Finally about midnight we got up and drove home....okay since we only lived about an 90 minutes away. I just discovered by looking at the website that there is also a Lake Ray Roberts-Lake Lewisville Greenbelt Corridor (20 miles of multiuse trails along the Trinity River that lead from one lake to the other). We may have to try that one out as well.

Please see the following site for park information and trail map:

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/ray_roberts_lake/

Martin Creek Lake State Park

My husband and I visited this park last summer, but I forgot to post, so I thought I'd go ahead and share what I remember!

We stayed in one of the park's cabins. It was very basic, but clean and nice overall (and inexpensive). It had a wonderful screened in porch (great for getting away from mosquitoes). We went during the hottest part of the summer, so I had to have my air conditioner! It also has wooded tent sites, mini-cabins w/AC and neat little screened shelters.

The lake water is really warm, because it helps to cool a nearby power plant, and there are several nice isolated places you can swim. Fishing is supposed to be really good for this reason, too. The one problem is that the power plant is HUGE....and really spoils the natural view.

There are several trails, and we hiked 3 or 4 miles of them (mostly the bike loop behind the two cabins which was recommended by park staff--see map). It was thickly wooded with nice views of the lake. One especially nice (but short) trail we took crosses a bridge and circles a small island (with primitive camping sites). It is a beautiful island, and we saw lots of deer (and a cool abandoned outhouse). If you sit at a certain spot on the shore, you can see the deer swimming back and forth from the mainland in the morning and evening. I hope to go back sometime and walk the rest of the trails and visit with friends who live nearby.

Outhouse

The park also has a lighted fishing pier, and my husband and I had great fun staying up late and fishing in the dark (when it was cool). I caught lots of fish (mostly perch on worms, one catfish with grasshopper) and my husband (fishing for bass) didn't have much luck. We also sat on the bank of the lake and just talked. During this time a large beaver swam at me really quickly (and in the dark I thought it was an alligator). Scary!

I would recommend this park if you live nearby (within a few hours' drive). It's lovely, but not spectacular.

See this site for park and trail information:
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/martin_creek/

My perch (tiniest fish of the night)

My catfish (biggest fish of the night)

White Rock Lake

Last weekend we visited White Rock Lake in Dallas. I forgot my camera, so visit one of the following websites for pictures as well as directions to the lake and trail information! They also have a dog park, which I'd like to take Josh and Lola to sometime.

http://www.whiterocklake.org/

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/trails/whiterock_lake.html

http://www.wrldogpark.com/index.php

The trail goes around the entire lake and is about 9 miles long. The "trail" itself is a sidewalk and pretty crowded, at least on the Saturday we were there. It is very pleasant, however, with lots of trees and the view of the lake. Warning: there are lots of people on bikes!

We had planned to walk a a few miles from our car and then turn around, and eventually walk the entire trail by parking at other places in future trips. It would be fun to say we've gone around the whole thing. This time we parked near the spillway, and started by walking across the dam. It was nice and breezy...and a really pretty view....lots and lots of big white birds.

But before we got very far at all, we discovered a series of nature trails leading off from the main trail. We got there by walking down a very steep hill (the dam) and I fell down twice (embarassing). Later we discovered that there's an entry to this area next to the big brick building (possibly the pump station?).

These nature trails (formerly a fish hatchery) were beautiful and much less crowded. We saw only a few other people. We wandered around for several hours, but crossed familiar paths many times, so I'm not really sure how long they are. It's a twisted maze of old fish hatchery ponds (some dry, some with a little water) and big, thick, beautiful trees and other shrubs. You can, of course, always hear the Dallas traffic and other noises, but it's really nice considering it's right in the middle of the city.

I just discovered this website...http://www.watermelon-kid.com/places/wrl/tour/nature_trail.htm. It mentions the fish hatcher trails and also has some interesting historical information and stats about the lake.

Next time we'll try a few miles of the "regular" trail.