Chillin' in the ATL! I came through here camping in the…read morewoods in Atlanta- and loved it here! This place is out in the boonies, far enough where you can hear the nature and the wind whipping through the trees. I managed to score a great spot overlooking the lake. There wasn't really good access to the water where I was, it was a steep climb down to the waters' edge, but the spot was fantastically beautiful. It was covered in leaves but with lots of shade from trees still. There was a picnic table set up for us, a fire ring, and a BBQ grill. The park rangers were nice, and the place felt well patrolled. The showers were clean and the facilities were nice. I really appreciated camping here! There was so much nature- including deer and armadillos! I'd certainly return!

Atlanta State Park is a nice park with good hikes. The largest number of people were gathered in…read moredifferent spots on the lakefront of Atlanta State Park. I enjoyed the hikes and was by myself for the most part on the trails. The Volksmarch Trail was probably my favorite.

The ethereal beauty of Caddo Lake, with all its bald cypress trees dripping with Spanish moss, is…read morehaunting and remarkable to say the least. Autumn is a popular time to visit as the cypress needles turn a deep rust color, making for a striking contrast against the dark trunks and silver moss.  But my favorite has always been winter when the trees have gone dormant. They lose all their needles, causing the steely, eerie mosses to take on a ghostly glow when the sun is low, clashing drastically with the shadowy trunks and murky swamp waters. It's dramatic, it's spooky, and it stays with you long after you leave. The trees have "knees" in this swampy bayou ecosystem - they are actually part of the root system and their minion-like appearance as they surround the trees adds to the creepiness of it all.  And did you know that the Spanish moss isn't moss or lichen? It's actually in the same family as pineapple (they're both bromeliads) and they even bloom!  These murky waters and creepy forests are home to so much wildlife - including Bigfoot apparently lol! There are many sightings reported and they hold festivals here.  On my last visit, I saw so many birds, including several bald eagles and an osprey doing a high dive off a cypress to catch his lunch. There are over 75 species of fish in these waters, as well as alligators, though I've never seen any floating around - probably too cold when I visit. The lake itself spans over 25,000 acres and straddles the border between east Texas and Louisiana - and the bald cypress trees are the state tree of Louisiana. It's the only natural lake in Texas and the largest. I was born and raised in these swampy lowlands - and Caddo Lake is, by far, the gem of the region. My favorite spot on the lake to rent a boat or take a cruise is Johnson Ranch Marina - the oldest inland marina in Texas. They have wonderful captains on call to take you out when the light is right for photography and they run regular trips throughout the day as well. They also offer canoe and kayak rentals.  In the surrounding area you'll find Caddo Lake state park which is excellent for hiking and they also rent canoes but you can only access Big Cypress Bayou and not get out into the main lake since it's further out. There's also a wildlife management area owned by The Nature Conservancy that offers hiking as well. Not to mention tons of campgrounds in the state park and surrounding areas (privately owned) with tent sites and cabins too. If you're at all into nature and the great outdoors and water sports of all sorts - this is a perfect family friendly location for you.

This is a real gem of a lake an is actually the only naturally formed lake in Texas.; it was formed…read moreby a large log jam in the 1700's. The lake is known for it's thick groves of bald cypress trees with huge trunks at the base near the water and lace like green needles that turn bright orange in the fall. The lake is split between Texas and Louisiana with the more open area of the lake on the Louisiana side. There are many canals and winding waterways within the cypress groves so it's best to go out with a guide who knows the lake. In the fall when the trees turn orange, photographers from all over the world come to take pictures of the beautiful lake. This was the reason my wife and I went to see the lake. While I am not a fisherman, I've heard it is a good lake for fishing and has catfish, perch, bass and crappy. Be forewarned, like many of the lakes in Texas and Louisiana there are a lot of alligators in the water so only swim in designated places. There are several towns on the lake, Uncertain Texas, and in Louisiana there is Morningsport and Oil City. The town of Jefferson, Texas is nearby as is the Caddo Lake State Park.

Having kids you value a good playground…read more On the way back home from the Holidays it was time to let our seat-bound for the past few hours jittery kid to get our and stretch her legs. This is a wonderful playground any kid would love to de-jitter at.

This place is surreal. Extremely peaceful and well worth the drive. We stopped here on the way back…read morefrom Mississippi to take some pictures of the trees. The admission to the park is really affordable (like $4 per adult) and free for prior military. They have cute little cabins for rent and even canoes if you'd like to paddle around the lake. This place is a great day trip from DFW.

Awesome park Great…read moresites Lovely trees and water Nice park employees Canoes Boat ramps Hiking trails

Beautiful location for tent camping. It would have been perfect except for some noisy neighbors who…read moreparked their car where I was supposed to pitch my tent. Otherwise I'd give it a 5 star review. You need to walk a bit to set up camp but not too far.

This is coming from someone who has had camping experience for many years all over the country…read more Have also been camping here several years in spite of the following flaws; most importantly is the very dirty condition of the nearly new bathhouse. Floors and showers have not been cleaned in weeks and there is probably half an inch of dead bugs on the outside patio. Your feet crunch all the way in. Plus the outside doors do not lock and the bathroom and shower stall doors can't be locked either. Also, eliminating some of the signs at the entrance would afford a more welcoming atmosphere for campers. It's like a slap in the face when you drive in! Great fishing, lots of room, trails, beach, boat launches but hardly anyone here . This place could be a great campground and a really moneymaker if someone with experience would pay attention to some of these details and make some pretty simple changes.

I go here to trail run. The main walking trail runs out to the lake and is about two miles out and…read moreback. The lake views by the spillway are worth the hike which is entirely wooded so that helps tremendously with the summer heat. Its very easy walking and I've even seen people on motorized skateboards. There are biking trails also but hiking/running them is permitted if you go against the bike traffic. These are pretty hilly and narrow and you need to watch your footing and listen for bikers if you're on foot. The trails overall are a blast to hike and run. Depending on which bike trail you take it is two or four miles. Whether you take a bike trail or the main trail once you get to the spillway you can keep following the trail which runs through the woods, around the golf course and dumps you out onto University Blvd about a mile and some change west of the park. That route including getting back to the parking lot is about six miles. There is also back road I believe that gets you close to the spill way if you don't want to hike.

Great park! I went to the east side. There was a play structure, swings, a trail, a deck leading to…read morethe lake, a hiking trail, picnic tables, drinking fountains, and restrooms.

A beautiful lake & place to stay with your RV, We highly recommend it…read more Nice size lots with full hook ups & RV dump station too.

We love Walleye! Beautiful lake front sites and some with full hookups. Some sites even have docks…read moreto park your boat. Lovely location on the water but you are out in the country so bring everything you need. Stores are about 25-30 minutes away. We will be back!

It's a beautiful place. Lots of good trails beautiful lake friendly people…read more Lots of birds and animals to watch .

While it's smaller, with less infrastructure than Martin Creek Lake or Caddo Lake, it's has some…read morelegitimately pretty (and somewhat wilder) trails. They have a self payment envelope and mailbox system, just FYI.

Simply the best possible trip you will be able to have on Lake O the Pines is hosted by Les…read moreMilligan. True professional with high standards and great character.

From the owner: Lake O The Pines Crappie Fishing Guide. I have over 20+ years of experience catching crappie on…read moreLake O the Pines in beautiful East Texas! I choose to only fish one lake to provide a more specialized, successful, and knowledgeable fishing trip.

My dearest beloved lady companion and I have been avid focused, discriminating, varied travelers…read morefor 25 years and I've fished East Texas and surrounding areas for about 50 years. Out of the 604 nights we've spent away from home in that time in places ranging from sketchy to highly luxurious, the three we enjoyed in Scenic View's motel were among the very, very best. Ellison Creek Reservoir aka Lone Star Lake turned out to be one of our favorites in the state. It is beautiful and uncrowded, with clear water and abundant vegetation to support bass fishing. The people in the town of Lone Star were very nice. The Scenic View facility is very clean, safe, pleasant, and operated with a most impressive devotion to quality and friendliness. The owners and operators since 1998, Jim and Kim, are super cool, dedicated to guest enjoyment, and clearly have reinvested abundantly in the property. They are starkly authentic and decent souls. Bass fishing was good even during a cold front. Tap water was tasty, no need to tote bottled. Beds were comfy. Hot water did not run out. The boat ramp was good and well-lit. Dockage with power or park boat trailer in front of cabin/motel door and charge up. Multiple grill-BBQ-smoker options. The kitchenette worked great, was very helpful, and there is good restaurant food within walking distance. Two bed double occupancy in the motel was $80.48 per night TOTAL final cost with no cleaning fee, etc. Coin-op laundry facilities are at motel rear, workshop side. That area has an almost supernatural ability to pull one fantastic sunset after another from the heavens, and the comfortable sheltered lower outdoor level of the store is a great place from which to watch them. So is the open deck atop the store. And sunset happens but once a day, but all day lasts....wait for it....all day! Watching a storm roll in at dawn from there was a treat. Relaxing and gazing out at a forested lake is simply fulfilling. The lake is very scenic with pine and hardwood forest and is much smaller than the chaos-riddled metro reservoirs many of their guests are used to. We were often the only boat on the lake. Lakeside properties are fun to look at and were well-kept. The residents were friendly, unlike what I've experienced at some places, and their docks and boathouses held fish. Lots of wildlife - bald eagles, river otter family of 5, raccoon family of 5, dozens and dozens of bird species, white pelicans, herons, cranes, and so on. Children must be supervised at all times and pets are not allowed in the motel or cabin. Yes, that's not ideal for some, but for everyone else, well, it's.....uh.....AWESOME, casting (see what I did there?) away a big chunk of things that can make leisure days go sideways. It's pleasingly close to the DFW metroplex and the drive through the middle instead of using I-30 or I-20 is very pleasant Texas backroad fun. Bortle stage 3 dark skies are just 15 minutes away to the ENE with ample gravel county roads with turnouts for stargazers. Lake O' the Pines is just a few minutes SE. Daingerfield SP. Jefferson. The most excellent Welsh Reservoir power plant cold water fishery. As part of a loop tour of the bevy of great lakes in E TX, SV is a great base camp. Amusingly, we arrived intending to spend a day or two of the four fishing Pines, a longtime favorite of ours, but were so happy with Scenic View facility and Lone Star Lake that we never left. Why go out for steak when there's already a tomahawk ribeye in your lap? The best part of this great experience was making friends with several of the soundly and roundly pleasant, considerate, and interesting staff, guests, and neighborhood residents, who often get together for events such as Thirsty Thursday and have a just plain good ol' time. I expect some of those associations will last for a long time. Hopefully, days other than Thursday get thirsty, too, for we plan to return regularly. A+ drenched in 5 star sauce.

Love this place!!! Truly a unique experience that one must enjoy!!! Thanks Kim & Jimread more