martin dies, jr. state park

We always love to visit state parks. Martin Dies Jr. Is a hidden oasis in the trees of East Texas. We have been here a couple of times to hike. The trails are good and we they provide some nice scenery. The one downfall is the need for mosquito spray. They LOVE people!!! We'll return soon for my more hiking and maybe camping with a mosquito net.

Locals visit here lots. Very nice state park with camping and cabins available. Area is know as a fishing haven in the East Texas Piney Woods. Nature lovers will like this place. Kayaking near by.

This state park is typical in Texas - clean, nice staff, average accommodations. They have shelters which makes a nice option for 'non campers'. Lol. Activities for kids and decent lake for water activities like kayaking. Not much of a lake for anything else but very quiet and calm.

This is a hidden gem. Very clean, nice sites with trails, biking and swimming area. Many shelters and day use areas as well. Right on the lake and you can rent canoes for a paddling tour or fish the day away and then clean them at a fish cleaning station. Don't miss this place!

There is not much more you can ask for from a state park. The place is gorgeous, the park rangers are helpful, and the place is kept very clean.We have been several times and plan on going back again soon.

This is one heck of an awesome state park. I had no idea it existed. I was at the Big Thicket and was looking at the map there. I saw a body of water and said lets go there... and the rest is history! :) Martin Dies Junior state park is a pretty big park ( over 700 acres) at the edge of the Big Thicket in the East Piney woods.The park has numerous creeks, known as sloughs, and cypress, willow, beech, magnolia and sweet bay trees are common. Also there is PLENTY of parking.HOW TO GET THERE?To reach the park from U.S. Highway 69, travel 17 miles east from Woodville on U.S. Highway 190. From U.S. Highway 96, travel 12 miles west from Jasper on U.S. Highway 190. Or from Houston, take U.S. Highway 59 north to Livingston, and then travel east on U.S. Highway 190 for 65 miles to the park via Park Road 48.THE PARK CONSISTS OF THREE SEPARATE PORTIONS, VISIT ALL 3 SITES.The park consists of three different portions , one on the right and one on the left of Hwy 190 before you cross the bridge over Steinhagen Lake. The third portion is found just across the lake and Hwy 190 runs through it so you cant miss it!WHY GO TO THIS PARK?simple, it is beautiful, very woody, very clean and well maintained, the rates to enter are 3$ certainly not exorbitant, there is tons of stuff to do at the park, there are plenty of fish, birds, turtles and a few gators too! There are cabins available and there is a huge body of water that includes the Neches river.. There is lots to do here, you can go camping, hiking, boating, canoeing, fishing, swimming, mountain biking, and wildlife and bird watching! Programs are offered by the rangers every weekend in canoeing basics, nature walks, plants, animals and other outdoor subjects and recreational activities. The park rents canoes, bicycles, volleyballs and horseshoes. their website has a lot of information and is http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/state-parks/martin-dies-jrBEST TIME TO GO TO THIS PARK?well it depends on what your interests are. If you are a photographer or a person with an interest in getting good pics like me, I went in October and it was just GORGEOUS. I got some stunning reflection pictures. Further in fall the golden hues of beeches are brilliant against the reds of blackgums and oaks mixed among the evergreen pines.HOW LONG TO STAY THERE?well again that is up to you. If you are in a big party and want to stay a few days all kinds of cabins with amenities and primitive campsites available ( details at this link) http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/state-parks/martin-dies-jr/fees-facilities/cabins-sheltersTIP: Book early, sometimes in peak time the cabins get rented out months early esp the ones at picturesque locations.If you are going just for the day, there is still plenty to do that will keep you occupied. The trails are very nice there are both walking trails and paddling trails in case you want to canoe. The walking trails are very nice with two bridges that present the perfect photo opportunity!TO NOTE:This is a state park. There is some poison ivy there. Remember the saying: Leaves of three, let it be!. Also don't feed the gators to try to get close to one if indeed you see one.Feeding or offering food, including fish or bait, to alligators in Texas State Parks is not only dangerous, but a violation of state park rules and a Class C misdemeanor punishable by up to a $500 fine.Keep 30 feet away from alligators at all times. If you get too close, back away slowly. Do not assume that alligators are slow and sluggish. They are extremely quick and agile and will defend themselves when cornered. They rarely chase people, but they can outrun or out swim the fastest person for the first 30 feet.WOULD I GO AGAIN?I had a wonderful time there so most definitely YES! this time I would stay for a longer time! I hope you find this review useful and I hope you like my pictures~

We couldn't find a good deal of info before our visit but seeing as our stay was last min and they had plenty of sites left we took a chance. Wow, it's hard to believe this is a state park! It's incredibly maintained, offers so many things to do, and has a nice charm about it. The host over our area was pretty awesome. He checked in and made sure everyone was doing alright. We appreciated this as we had a couple questions every so often. The restroom/shower facilities were extremely clean and stocked. Never a problem with bugs lingering in them. Overall it was an awesome camping weekend. We enjoyed it over Livingston and Conroe, both areas where we have camped at frequently. We will be back in Sept!!!

We spent a great weekend in this park and got away from the busy Houston life. The park is incredible and well maintained. We arrived late night, however the park attendant came over to check on us to make sure that we go in safe and that the shelter that we rented was to our satisfaction. Very nice.The shelter was cleaned, no bugs at all, air conditioned and ready to go. We were just a stroll away from the lake. Make sure to do the Nature Trail, really cool. The park attendant has fire wood for a small donation of 5 dollars which goes back to the park revenue.

Nice walking trails and some birds to look for. They rent canoes for use on the paddling trails. Lots of campers and day-users alike on the Saturday of a holiday weekend. Day use area has a swimming area that looked nice.

Nicely spaced out camp sites surrounded by beautiful trees on the banks of the lake. We rented one of the cabins with AC, beds and attached screened porch. It was very nice except for small roaches hidden behind the built-in cabinets. There are also canoes available to rent and plenty of inlet areas to explore. Fun time was had by all!

We have been here several times. It has become a "tradition" to come here for my friend's bday. The park is clean. The have some nice trails. The park is fairly large. We stay in one of the shelters with amenities, which is nice because there is heat and a/c. It's beautiful park & we LOVE it!

The park is conveniently located and pretty clean. They keep the trouble out of the park and the rangers are good about patrolling the area. I grew up at this State Park and always been known to me just as Dam B. At times the lake can be low and hard to navigate. But this park is well worth the visit. I just wish they would add some more air conditioned cabins.

We always have fun at Martin Dies, been going there since I was a kid :) The park is always clean, we have a favorite spot that we like to camp in.

What a pleasant surprise tucked away in east Texas. The camp sites had plenty of space and almost all of them had a lake view. We had a blast on the canoes but the most enjoyable thing we did was ride the different bike trails. They were perfect even for our 5 year old daughter. Very friendly and helpful staff. We will definitely go back.

This is our first time at Martin Dies, Jr. State Park. We live in Houston and it is a nice getaway from the city. The park is nicely laid out between RVs, tent campers and screened shelters. We stayed during the weekend of spring break and although we didn't have any reservation, we were able to get a screened shelter with a nice view of the lake behind our shelter (site No.28). The site and the shelter are spacious. Inside the shelter, there is a picnic table and still enough room for our 2 queen and 1 twin air mattresses.We enjoyed the relaxing trails near our site and the park also rents bikes, canoes and fishing equipment.The only reason I gave it 4 stars is because the bathroom is pretty small. There are 2 shower stalls which are quite tiny, and the shower curtains are too short and not wide enough that it lacks a bit of privacy. No hooks to hang towels or clothes. Toilet stalls are quite tiny, too, and there is no handsoap. BUT, the staff keeps the bathroom pretty clean throughout the day.Other than that issue, it is a great park and we would definitely love to come back especially during winter and spring.