This Secret Texas State Park Is A Mini Caribbean With White-Sand Beaches, Blue Water, And Beachfront Camping

In 2024, the Caribbean welcomed over 34 million guests, in response to the Caribbean Tourism Organisation’s (CTO) newest “Caribbean Tourism Efficiency Assessment.” That determine surpasses even pre-pandemic ranges. 2025 is predicted to exceed these numbers, particularly with tourists continuing to ignore a Level 3 travel advisory for one of its famous destinations. There’s simply nothing like the world’s best beaches in the Caribbean—their gentle sandy shores and spectacular sunsets, spliced with a soulful and serene spirit. Sadly, this dream trip usually comes with a hefty value for these stateside. Nevertheless, there are many locations within the U.S. that feel and appear just like the Caribbean, and one in all them is in Texas.

An reasonably priced Caribbean different in Texas that provides “mini Caribbean” vibes, Ray Roberts Lake State Park boasts white-sand seashores, clear blue waters, and numerous outside actions. However whereas the Caribbean boasts luxurious resorts, Ray Roberts is known for its beachfront campsites, providing you with an immersive nature retreat. Learn on to find Texas’s unexpectedly charming different to the Caribbean.

This Secret Texas State Park Is A Mini Caribbean

Texas’s Ray Roberts Lake State Park includes a 29,350-acre reservoir, one of many 22 on the Trinity River. These pristine waters encompass the forested leisure space, with the park’s 9 items fragmented like islands. The primary items of the state park are the Johnson Branch (north shore), Isle du Bois (south shore), and the Greenbelt Corridor, which does not have direct lake entry.

The Greenbelt Hall is a linear stretch that follows the Elm Fork of the Trinity River, most recognized for its 20-mile, multi-use path system. Isle Du Bois, then again, has the biggest campgrounds within the park, a three-mile concrete path, and a preferred seaside space with pure sands and boat ramps. It is probably the most crowded unit given its dimension, number of actions, and handy location from Denton.

Johnson Department is secluded however affords simply as a lot journey as Isle du Bois. It has an enormous beachfront campsite, a quieter seaside space with boat ramps, and mixed-use trails, together with a mountain bike route constructed by the Dallas Off-Road Bicycle Association (DORBA). Each unit of Ray Roberts Lake State Park, even the lesser-known ones, affords a pure splendor that looks like a quaint Caribbean, particularly throughout sundown. The state park additionally has a various vary of wildlife, greater than 200 chicken species, and totally different fish species.

Issues To Do In Ray Roberts Lake State Park

Ray Roberts Lake State Park is brimming with outside adventures past the seaside and swimming. It additionally affords land and historic explorations alongside forested trails, ranger-led programs for families and kids, in addition to different facilities akin to playgrounds, picnic shelters, and interpretive facilities. Beneath are the highest actions within the park and how one can take pleasure in them to the fullest.

Water Sports activities

The Ray Roberts Lake permits using motorized boats. The park has amenities just like the Lone Star Lodge Marina providing gasoline, storage, and rental providers. You may hire or convey your personal kayak, canoe, or stand-up paddleboard (SUP), and even go waterskiing. The park can also be a main North Texas vacation spot for fishing, with catches like largemouth bass, white bass, catfish, and crappie.

Tenting

Ray Roberts Lake State Park affords a collection of campsites in Isle du Bois and Johnson Department. Some are even outfitted with electrical energy and water hookups to make your waterfront tenting snug. There are additionally dry campsites within the Blue Stem Grove space for guests coming with horses, and bigger campgrounds for these touring in teams. Camping rates range from $15 to $60.

Greatest Hikes In Ray Roberts Lake State Park

Climbing in Ray Roberts Lake State Park is fairly laid-back. However there are three trails that showcase the world’s pure wonders. For a family-friendly hike, you could have the simple Clear Creek Wetlands and Prairie Trail within the Greenbelt Hall. It is a part of the bigger Clear Creek Natural Heritage Center, a uncommon prairie preservation with plentiful wildlife.

The preferred hike within the park is the Lost Pines Nature Trail on Isle du Bois. It is a informal hike that takes you to peaceable shaded corners within the park, together with spots for deer sightings and horseback driving. The third one is the Dogwood Canyon Trail in Johnson Department, a reasonably difficult loop via the forest. The rocky paths are hardly marked, however you get rewarding views from begin to end.

Historic Websites

The Chimney Web site on Isle Du Bois represents the remnants of a homestead in Texas. It marks the situation the place a pioneer household farmed and lived from the late 1800s till the Nineteen Forties. The Johnson Department additionally has a pair of farmsteads, the Johnson and Jones Farms, which had been studied for 100 years beginning in 1850 to protect their historic and archaeological significance.

Slightly exterior the park, you may discover the Aubrey Clovis site, which was found in 1988. It is about 11,550 years outdated and is the place the place the primary people in North America camped, hunted, and gathered.

The Greatest Time To Go to Ray Roberts Lake State Park

The most effective time to go to Ray Roberts Lake State Park relies upon fully in your splendid trip and what you wish to expertise. Most guests come in the course of the summer time to benefit from the water-based actions, which supply a way more Caribbean-like environment. Nevertheless, in case you want fewer crowds, go to in the course of the spring and fall as a substitute. These seasons provide extra snug situations for climbing, horseback driving, and tenting. Fish exercise additionally picks up because the park’s waters start to chill within the fall.

That mentioned, irrespective of the season, keep away from weekends and holidays, as these intervals can nonetheless appeal to loads of crowds, though spring and fall crowding right here is usually rather a lot thinner than in summer time. In the meantime, winter is nice for individuals who need some solitude alongside the paths. Throughout this time, the park nearly looks like your unique Caribbean resort, one which’s a bit chillier, after all.

General, there’s a bit of one thing for everybody in Ray Roberts Lake State Park, irrespective of the season. Most significantly, it affords a small style of the Caribbean in Texas with out breaking the financial institution—all for only a $7 admission price.