Tyler State Park Review
July 4th, 2008 | by admin |Last week we had some free time to kill, so we decided to take a day trip out to Tyler State Park. Tyler State Park is 985.5 acres in Smith County, north of Tyler. The park includes a 64-acre lake. The land was deeded by private owners in 1934 and 1935; original improvements were made by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). The park opened in 1939.
Activities: Activities include picnicking; camping; boating (motors allowed - 5 mph speed limit); boat rentals; fishing; birding; hiking; mountain biking; lake swimming (in unsupervised swimming area); and nature study.
Site Link: http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/tyler/
Overall, the lake and everything about the park was beautiful. The lake was kind of tiny, but it’s are great lake for paddle boats and swimming. I didn’t see a motor boat out there, so it makes it ideal for a quiet trip on a paddle boat with the kids.
As far as camping goes, this Texas State Park is much better geared for tent and shelter campers. The tent and shelter areas were spacious and heavily wooded. These areas are on the south and southeast side of the park.
As for tent trailer and other RV camping, don’t expect the same wooded and spacious sites. I personally could not stand Area 3. There were only like 2 lake front sites and the rest was just like a parking lot. Very little cover, looked more like a pass through RV park than a State Park.
Area 2 was a bit more promising. You will want one of the sites marked 32-36. I personally think 36 was best because you could easily fish from it. Those were also the ones with the best cover and feel. But, like the other areas, these sites are small and stacked up.
If you like to be away from people and like privacy, this is probably not the park for you. Either that, or you visit the park when it’s not busy, maybe sometime during the week.
There is one really cool section. Area 4 is a great area for group camp outs. It’s private and tucked in the southwest corner of the park. There is not lake access from that area, but they do have a pavilion.
My overall take, I think it is a neat park for an overnight trip simply because the lake is fun for the kids. Fishing is OK and the scenery is great. But, for an extended trip I like a bit more space between sites. Bob Sandlin and Cooper Lake do a great job with this.
