AVINGER, Texas — If you enjoy the peaceful feel of relaxing by the water, love hiking through East Texas history or want to get into some adventure, you have to make the drive out East to Caddo Lake State Park.
The legend of the largest naturally-formed lake in Texas has a few different variations, but we'll share this from the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department:
"Spanish explorers first arrived in Texas in 1542. French explorers arrived in 1685. Both groups encountered the Caddo on the Red River in the late 1600s. The Caddo successfully traded and negotiated with the newcomers."
From there, stories of an impassable logjam on the Red River and an eventual disruption of river flow, is what historians believe helped from the lake.
Economic commerce boomed when the waterways were used for riverboat travel and commerce with trading between port towns of Jefferson, Texas down to New Orleans, Louisiana.
Known for it's Spanish-moss draped Cypress, the bank of the bayou now offers water recreation, camping, and hiking trails.
In 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt created the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), providing jobs and skills for young men, building up America.
Caddo Lake State Park Assistant superintendent, Nicolette Ledbury, says the craftsmanship of Caddo Lake is a product of that project.
“Our park was one of the first designated CCC parks in Texas," Ledbury said.
Single and family-sized wood cabins built by the CCC are available for lodging and can be rented on the TPWD's website.
Canoeing, fishing spots, and hiking trails are some of the activities offered within the park, with different microclimates throughout.
“As you move at the different elevations, you can actually feel the difference from the different parts of the park so the heat and humidity changes dependent on where you’re at," Ledbury said.
For time out on the water, you shouldn't skip out on a swamp boat tour. Captain Ron Holloman of Cap'n Ron's Swamp Tours offers an entertaining tour of Caddo Lake aboard a 28-foot pontoon boat.
“There's a lot in the water here and if you think you’re being watched, you probably are," teased Holloman.
Holloman offers a humorous yet, educational lesson on the vast history and wildlife in and around the water.
"You will not see anything like this in East Texas. Much less, Texas," Holloman said.
Nature enthusiasts can visit for the day with park admission, or take a swamp boat tour by contacting Captain Ron, who meets outside of the well-known watering hole, Big Pines Restaurant.