After a brief day trip to this park in January, I realized we had totally missed out on this place when we lived in ETX! I had put off Ray Robert’s Lake for the longest time because I assumed it would be similar to Lake Tawakoni (one of the worst IMO) due to its proximity to DFW area. But I was dead wrong. We only spent an hour in the park on our way to meet up with friends for a mini vacation and I gathered enough information to know I want to go back.

For starters, the amount of lake area and trail ways the park covers is massive and very dynamic with lots of paddling, cycling and equestrian options. There are park owned boat ramp areas dotted all around the lake and a 17mile green belt corridor along Elm Fork of the Trinity River as well as two large units on the lake with numerous well maintained campsites. We only visited the Isle du Bois Unit as driving up and around the lake to access the other unit is about 30 minutes the opposite way we were heading that day.

Once in the park, we headed straight to the day use area where we were pleasantly surprised by an expansive swim beach with gorgeous, clear lake water! 

The kids played briefly on the playground and we had fun following deer tracks in the sand. We even spotted some deer along the tree line beside the parking lot!

Unfortunately, that was the extent of our visit to this park. We were fortunate for the beautiful weather day we had while there and it only added to the appeal and want to come back. I’m mostly intrigued by the scenic lake side campsites and possibly paddling a section of the greenbelt creek. The location is also ideal for a pit stop on future trips out of state via Oklahoma. 

-Lindsay