Centenary’s Backyard: Caddo Lake State Park
Photo From https://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/caddo-lake
Hello to all my outdoorsy people! We’re back with another installment of Centenary’s Backyard, the series that shows you all the places you can go within a two-hour drive from campus. This is our first State Park featured! Caddo Lake State Park is a Texas State Park found by—you guessed it—Caddo Lake. This park is just on the other side of the Texas-Louisiana state line. I had the pleasure of paying the park a visit over fall break with one of our lovely Copy Editors, Jordan Fong. I even got to chat with one of their Rangers about the park while we were there which you will get to read about after I go into all the features.
Distance from Centenary: 29 miles
Drive length: 45 minutes
Park amenities: for camping there are forty-six campsites where an RV could park or a tent could be put up, screened shelters, and historic cabins. There are also a couple of hiking trails, canoes for rent, multiple entrances into the water, and a group hall that is available for reservations.
Things you can do: fish, paddle, hike, camp, stay in a cabin, picnic, go boating, shop at the giftshop, attend programs, or look for a geocache.
Entrance Fee: guests 13+ are $4 each and guests 12 and under get free entry.
Rating: 12 bald cypress trees/13
There is a website for all Texas State Parks, so you can find more information about a visit and booking camping sites here.
When Jordan and I arrived at the park we were greeted by Dustin, the ranger I interviewed, and he took us on a ride to give a guided tour of the park. We made a few stops along the way to really see the attractions. He also led us on a hike through the trails, so we could see the different ecosystems that are present in the park. After the hike and tour, we went to his office for the interview. These are some snippets of the conversation we had about Caddo Lake and why you should come visit!
Siobahn: We are here today with someone from Caddo Lake State Park, and we’re going to ask him to introduce himself.
Dustin: My name is Dustin, and I am the Park Interpreter here at Caddo Lake State Park. What that means is I am in charge of all the interpretive programs, the education and outreach for the park, and I deal with the public. I am the face of the park, so to speak, and I do lots of social media and stuff like that.
S: So, for people who don’t know what a Park Interpreter is, could you describe why they are important for [Texas Parks and Wildlife] and environmental recreation as a whole?
D: Absolutely. So, what I do specifically is connect people to the resource. Most people don’t know the names of the trees, most of the animals, the insects. They might know a few from their childhood, but most people day-to-day know “that’s green stuff” or “that’s an animal.” [laughs] It is my job to connect them to the resource and foster an appreciation for them. We are all connected in nature. You know, sometimes humans like to think we are separate from nature. We’re not.
S: Right.
D: We’re connected and sometimes a big part of conservation is relaying that message. And that’s what I do!
S: Thank you. [Now], what are a couple reasons to visit Caddo Lake State Park?
D: The first reason to visit [Caddo Lake] is my favorite. We are a gateway to adventure. We are about four river miles up from the lake. So, if you’re into canoeing or paddling, we have fifty-one miles of paddling trails out here . . . We’ve got a TPWD Wilderness Management Area out here for hunters, anglers, and recreators, so this area is a jumping off point for adventure . . . The second: we have a great representation of a flooded bald cypress forest. Most people have not been up in front of a swamp [before]. They’re mysterious, sometimes kind of scary, and we don’t—you know—humans don’t often know how to handle that, so if you want to get in front of a swamp in a controlled environment, this is an excellent place to do that.
S: That’s great. [Could you tell us] how old Caddo Lake State Park [is] and how it came to be?
D: It was opened July 4th, 1934, but it was built between 1934 and 1937. [Texas] State Parks are coming up on their 100-year mark [next year], so we are right up with them, neck-and-neck. This is a historic area, and I think our park really shows that. It is a CCC park which is one that was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps. The CCC is a program that President Roosevelt enacted during the Great Depression to combat the economic woes people were having . . . It put [young men] and World War 1 vets to work. They began building many different parks, civic projects, and planting trees. They learned new trades and lived in camps most of the time. One of the very first CCC camps was built right here in Caddo Lake State Park. If you were a CCC boy, you made $30 a month, and $25 of that was sent home to your family. Not only were they pulling their families out of poverty, but they also got to gain new skills and money for themselves.
S: Thank you for the nice history to mix with our recreation. [My next question] is what are the different types of animals that frequent the park?
D: Lots of snakes for sure, but we’ve got quite a few different birds. Caddo Lake has the Ramsar designation. I won’t go into too much detail, but what it means is that we are a wetland of international importance and if you look at the bird migratory formations, they come right through here. Many of them stop here like the Great Blue Heron, the Prothonotary Warbler, and the very flashy Pileated Woodpecker. They’re some of the showstoppers around here . . . And then also, we’ve got armadillos.
S: They’re so cute.
D: They are, and they’re Texas natives! They’re [digging around all the time] and they’re crepuscular, so they come out at the golden hour.
S: [Other than paddling], what are some popular activities?
D: We do have two miles of hiking trails that traverse four different habitats. We’ve got the flooded cypress swamp [and from there you get the] lower bottom land hardwood forests which lead into mesic slopes which go to upland hardwood forests. Each time you switch into a different habitat you can really feel the difference. Fishing is another one, and if you come to the State Park, you can fish here without a fishing license.
S: Those are great. Well, thank you for visiting with us today!
D: Of course, we have a really special park out here . . . and like I said, we are connected with nature. We are nature.
