Martin Creek Lake State Park | |
Map: | USA Texas#USA |
Relief: | 1 |
Map Width: | 240 |
Map Alt: | A map of Texas showing the location of Martin Creek Lake State Park |
Location: | Rusk County, Texas, United States |
Nearest City: | Tatum |
Coordinates: | 32.2781°N -94.5661°W |
Established: | 1976 |
Visitation Num: | 79,022 |
Visitation Year: | 2022 |
Visitation Ref: | [1] |
Governing Body: | Texas Parks and Wildlife Department |
Url: | http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/state-parks/martin-creek-lake |
Martin Creek Lake State Park is a developed recreational area in East Texas in the United States. The park is located southwest of Tatum on Martin Creek Lake in Rusk County and is managed by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. The Texas Utilities Generating Company deeded the park to the state in 1976, and it opened the same year.[2]
The park offers year-round fishing, camping, paddling, lake swimming, hiking and cycling, water-skiing, picnicking, geocaching and nature photography.
Many types of hardwood trees like black oak are found in the park mixed in with loblolly pine and shortleaf pine trees.
Wildlife found in this forested area include opossums, swamp rabbits, beaver, white-tailed deer, raccoons, armadillos and squirrels. Some of the most commonly seen birds are mallard ducks, great blue herons, green herons, great egrets, northern cardinals, blue jays, red-headed woodpeckers, cormorants and northern mockingbirds.
Fish in Martin Creek Lake include largemouth bass, crappie, channel catfish, yellow bullhead, tilapia and sunfish.