Daingerfield State Park to reopen after closure, campground improved

After almost an entire calendar year of closure for repairs and renovations to facilities and campgrounds, Daingerfield State Park opened again to visitors June 24 at its Pineywood and lake setting.

During the last 11-plus months, Texas Parks and Wildlife invested more than $5 million in capital improvements and repairs to the 500-acre park located in far Northeast Texas. The money, which was appropriated in previous bienniums, has been used to upgrade campgrounds to include full hookup sites with water, electricity and sewer connections; three new restroom complexes; a new wastewater system and major overhauls to historic structures built by the Civilian Conservation Corp, which were constructed more than 70 years ago.

Buildings such as the large Bass Lodge overnight group facility that accommodates 15 people has new furnishings, new furniture, new appliances and central climate control; the boathouse near the ramp of the park’s centerpiece 80-acre lake has been renovated and features a new dock with canoe and paddleboat rentals. And the large pavilion-combination building has been remodeled with restrooms, a group meeting room and a State Park Store with convenience and souvenir items.

“There will be a ‘wow-affect,’ for sure,” said park superintendent John Thomas. “When people come here, they’ll notice some real changes. We have been able to add facilities and upgrades that people have been requesting for a long time. We went from old restrooms—some of which weren’t even usable—to state of the art. And it will be nice to offer folks the convenience of a State Park store. And for campers, we now have 40 full hookup sites instead of just 10.”

Reservations can be made beginning July 1 at the state park reservation center in Austin. To date, all of Daingerfield’s campgrounds and cabins are already booked full for July 1-4, evidence that reopening the park is a popular notion among outdoor enthusiasts.

An official grand opening and ribbon cutting of the park is being tentatively set for sometime in the fall.

For more information, contact Daingerfield State Park at www.texasstateparks.org. To book state park reservations in advance of your trip, contact the customer service center at (512) 389-8900.