Our Road Trip To Lake Tawakoni
On a particularly lovely Thursday, April 21st, to be exact, we set out early
on a trip which for us wound roughly two hours east and north, down back roads
and through small towns. It turned into an absolutely beautiful day in a stunning
state park, receiving my wholehearted endorsement.
Just The Facts Ma’am
Lake Tawakoni state park is located about 50 miles east of Dallas, and has ample room for camping, hiking, fishing and other water sports. Basically, it has everything a lakeside state park should have. Currently, most of what my wife and I do is hike and explore nature, with a bit of geology/biology as well as the periodic indulgence of our fascination with history thrown in. One aspect of geology we like to explore is rock collecting, but (with very few exceptions) you can’t do that in state parks. It is literally against the law. So no rock collecting this time. As for the scientific details… that, dear reader, I will tell you. You know, just in case you want to impress some kid with it someday. Most, if not all, of the park is Paleocene in age and in the Kincaid formation, lots of sand and clay which sometimes has marine megafossils in it, but no evidence of such in the park that I saw. While “megafossil” sounds pretty epic, it really just refers to any fossil big enough to be seen without a microscope.
Trails, Tails, And Random Absurdity.
Hiking the Spring Point trail, we heard what we thought were beavers slapping the water with their tails, but we never saw them, much to my disappointment. I do love a good beaver (bah dum tiss). We did, however, get to see countless birds and butterflies, one green metallic beetle, (see below) several young deer, (also below) and an Eastern Texas Yellow-bellied Racer (I think, it’s a type of racer, whatever it is, though it was cold and not in the mood to jet). In internet terms this type of snake is not a danger noodle, not even an anger noodle, but more of a speedy shoelace… Translation: They aren’t poisonous, nor do they defend themselves with aggression, when they think danger is near, they just slither off to safety. (See pics of said wildlife below)
Ssssssssssss means please don’t see me, this spot is warm.
Mmmmm Venison. Sorry… I mean… how cute.
Fun fact: Jewel beetles have vivid, metallic colors (like green) that are the result of tiny ridges on their exoskeleton.
Help! The Woods Are Infested With Wildlife!
Additionally, we heard woodpeckers, saw many cranes and herons, and a few
fish jumping. There were also lots of raccoon tracks and places where
armadillos had been foraging.
The trails we took were mostly level with only small gentle rolling hills.
They were clear, well-traveled and litter free. There were a few spots that
would probably be muddy in wet conditions, but nothing that couldn’t be
skirted. Green everywhere and mostly just the sounds of waves on the lake and a
forest full of life. Very peaceful.
Now we venture into the dark and scary part of the forest… okay,
not really at all scary. Or dark, come to think
of it.
“Supergreen” ~Ruby Rod, The Fifth Element
Note to self: Stop walking while taking photos.
Enough about the trails, I’ll leaf you to enjoy them yourselves.
Introducing Garfield, The FAT Orange Jeep.
I am not gonna touch much on amenities, but here are a few things I will say. For starters, the parking spaces are huge, as evidenced by our Jeep, which is almost 15 feet long (or about 4.5 meters for anyone reading this that prefers the metric system), being about half the length of said parking spot. They are also extra wide. Good for boats, RVs, and other super long vehicles… or just people who can’t park well.
Even the campsites, which are all nice, have super long parking spaces.
Random steel foot bridge over a tiny creek between the two major camping areas. I like it.
Lake Tawakoni State Park website
Just Like Mozart’s Requiem; On A Final Note….
In closing, go. Literally, if you need a break from the craziness of reality, just love nature, want to spend some time hanging out with friends and family, or have any other excuse to get away,… go. I can’t recommend it enough. I enjoyed the park thoroughly and would love to go back and camp, picnic, or just explore some more.
