If you live in northern Texas or southern Oklahoma and are looking for a great place to camp for a weekend, or some great hiking and boating, Eisenhower State Park is one of your best bets. Located just on the south side of Lake Texoma, this park boasts just about every sort of outdoor activity you and your family could want for a weekend of fun.
Instructions
1. Book your reservations online. You can book campsites with the following ranges of amenities: water only; water and electricity; water, sewer and electricity for RVs; screened shelters; camping pavilions; and group campsites. Rates vary with the amenity level. It is recommended that if you want one of the campsites with water and electricity that you book ahead on the website (see Resources below).
2. Get to the park. Take U.S. Highway 75 north from the Dallas area (or south from Oklahoma) and take exit 72 (make sure you're in Texas before you get off the highway if you're going south). Exit 72 will lead you to State Highway 91. Go north (follow the Denison Dam signs) to FM 1310, and go west. Travel 1.8 miles, and you will come to the Park Road 20 entrance. This will take you to Eisenhower State Park.
3. Go hiking. There are 4.5 miles of bike/hike trails throughout the state park. Four miles are open to mountain bikes; 2 of those miles are fairly easy, and the other 2 miles are designed for intermediate mountain bikers, with fairly steep hills and rocks. If you want to ride your own ATV (or rent one), you will need an OHV permit. You can find the link to the permit application on the website.
4. Hit the water. There is a fishing pier and even a courtesy dock if you want to bring your own boat. If you don't have your own but want to go out on the lake, the Eisenhower Yacht Club has boat rentals and a pump-out station.
5. See the area around the park. If the weather is bad, go to the Eisenhower Birthplace in Denison to see where president Dwight D. Eisenhower was born, or drive through the Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge (see Resources below).
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