New gear being used today:
I recently had a chance to check out Tyler State Park which turned out to be some of the best camping in East Texas. My wife was gracious enough to watch the kids while I took a solo camping trip and do a little exploring in the Jeep.
The plan was to drive to Tyler, camp the night and maybe do a little fishing. Then, the next day, I would be off to Marshall TX to explore Old Stagecoach Road.
The drive to Tyler was great. Doors off of the Jeep the whole way, ever a bad thing. This was the first time getting the trailer up to speed with the new axle and tires. Handled great all the way up to 75 MPH.
I arrived at Tyler at 230 PM and proceeded to check in. They are practicing social distancing currently, so you are not allowed in the office. They just get your name and return with your windshield slip and a map of the park.
Camping for this park is 18 dollars for the site I chose, which includes a nice sized campsite (relatively private), a fire ring, picnic table and water access. I carry water in the off road trailer, so I didn’t really need that but this was the most primitive site they had. I chose camp spot RO 605 only because RO 604 was taken.
I highly recommend one of these two spots for their relative seclusion and easy access to the lake. There is a trail directly next to these camp sites that have you at the lake in less than 100 feet. There is also a trail that runs around the entire lake.
Had the Core 4 person tent up in about a minute, which included time to roll out a tarp underneath. I can not say enough about this Core tent. Incredibly easy to set up and since there was no rain in the forecast, I was able to leave the rain fly off. This would be my view tonight going to sleep.
That is what you get in East Texas, 100 to 200 foot pine trees. Incredible.
I have been able to get the trailer much more organized since my last outing so, I had camp set up in just a few minutes and then headed off to the lake. Didn’t catch anything, but that is not really the point anyway.
Came back to the camp, started a fire and just relaxed the rest of the night. Then I was up bright and early to head off to explore old stagecoach road in Marshall TX.
Review Summary
I can not vouch for the RV spots but if primitive tent camping is your thing, Tyler State Park is an excellent choice.
- Relatively Private
Many parks put tent sites way too close to each other. The combination of good site spacing and the hundreds of large pines makes for a pleasant stay. - Easy Lake Acces
A short walk to the lake and if you chose the right camp site, you do not even have to hit any roads to get there. - Pines
The pines are awesome. Nothing like an old pine growth forest. - Clean
The sites were well maintained and free of trash.
The only negative thing that I could mention is not a fault of the park but of the people visiting it. It seems that some people like to cruise the park at 2 miles per hour and cruise all the camp sites.
The sites are on a cul-de-sac, so there is no reason for anyone to go down them just for a drive. Didn’t appreciate the slow creeping of my campsite. That is the problem with state parks like this though, so what are you going to do. It is hard to completely escape people. Can’t wait to get down to Big Bend park for a bit more seclusion.
