Lake Whitney State Park

Lake Whitney State Park
Whitney, TX
March 15-19, 2011

We spent a couple of days at this park and enjoyed it's
serenity.  Our camp sites was a nice bike ride from the lake.  So, most
days we rode our bikes down to the water.   We did a little fishing, but
didn't catch anything.  The lake is pretty big and you could hardly see

the other side.   We had a decent southernly breeze that caused some
waves so the kids acted like they were at the beach and were jumping
waves.

The campsites were in good shape, flat and level and decent size.
The shade was adequate.  It's a pretty good sized park and spread out.
We had a firering with a grill and a picnic table.  We did have lots
of critters come through camp at night so make sure you take

care of your trash.
Whitney is located minutes away, so it was easy to replinish fire wood
and groceries.   However, we didn't hear any highway or train noise.

We give a solid 8 out of 10.



PROS

Good size camping spots
Pads were in good shape (level)
Good size lake
Easy to replinish groceries

CONS
No park store (but not a big deal, the city is minutes away)

Good bike ride distance to the water.

Dinosaur World

Dinosaur World
Glenrose, TX
March 15, 2011


Great stop for the kids.   Awesome life size dinosaurs.   It took
about an hour walking through all of the dino exhibits.   Each one
of my kids took a turn reading the exhibit signs, which after a while
was painful.   They have a fossil dig which the kids really enjoyed.

The gift shop is huge and has lots and lots of souvenirs.
Admission was the price of a movie ticket was a good precursor to the
State park which just a few minutes away.


Recommended

Dinosaur Valley State Park - Revisited

Dinosaur Valley State Park
Glenrose, TX
March 15, 2011

My family really enjoyed this park.  I've camped at this park before with
my son's Cub Scout pack and had a good time.  This year, I couldn't
get reservations, so we did a day trip to the park.   The park is very
popular. 

My kids enjoyed the life sized dinosaurs and really

enjoyed looking for dino tracks in the river.  Before
we knew  it all four kids were down in the river with their
shoes off wading around looking for tracks.
We hiked one of the hiking loops and enjoyed the easy
terrain.  The campsites are a decent walk from the river and most campers ride their bikes.  Not too much
traffic so bicycling is recommended.
There is a covered open air cabin built on the side of the valley overlooking the river.   My kids really had
fun hanging out in the "fort".   We also enjoyed a
popcycle from the gift shop. 

We give it a 9 out of 10.

Cleburne State Park

Cleburne State Park

Cleburne, TX
March 14-16, 2011

Meridian State Park

Meridian State Park

Meridian, TX
March 12-14, 2010

Nice little park with an excellent bike / hiking loops.  The park
circles a small lake (no boats).  On the entrance side is the RV,
swim area, playground and picnic area.   On the far side is the
primitive camping spots.  So Scout troops can get away from
the crowd.

The sites were pull thrus and the pads were in decent shape.
We had adequate shade.   There was a picnic table (no cover) and

a fire ring with grill.

We rode our bikes around the lake and enjoyed the route.  There
are some hills and a pretty good scenic outlook on the opposite side
of the lake.   It took about an 1.5 hours with our fours kids.

The park is noted for it's bird watching escpecially the Golden Cheeked Warbler.   We didn't see any, but lots of people come to the park to do bird watching.



We give it a solid 7.5 out of 10.

Pros


Nice pull through camp sites
Primitive camping far away from picnic and group areas
Nice bike and hike trails / loops - not a lot of traffic
Bird Watching


Cons

Perfect for a day or two, but not a lot to do.

Bastrop State Park - Revisited

Bastrop State Park
Bastrop, TX
December 30-January 2, 2011

Village Creek State Park

Village Creek State Park
Lumberton, Texas
December 30, 2010


We were not very impressed with this State Park. It is located


ten miles north of Beaumount in Lumberton Texas. The
park is right on the outskirts of town and actually feels like you
are still in town when you get there. It reminded me more of a

KOA site then a state park

There are twenty five RV sites that are long and narrow. They
are right next to each other. Not much space between each other.
However, each spot did have a nice paved picnic area immediately
behind each pad. The area had a fire ring, picnic table and bench
seats that encompass most of the area. Some spots even had a
tent box located behind each picnic area.

Village Creek is located one mile from the camp grounds. The

trail is well marked and easy to hike down. The creek is great
for canoeing and swimming. It is slow moving.



PROs

- nice creek
- liked the bench seating

CONs

- one mile hike to the creek
- spots are way too close together
- didn't like the entryway. I've never been to a more confusing park entrance. The driveway entry has a stop sign, but also says "no parking". There isn't anywhere to park. I stopped and parked to check in and the park ranger told me to not park there. She wanted me to go find a spot and come back and check in. I can't image doing this during busy season. They really need a better solution.