Lauren Ducommun

We had a staycation this week and drove our nearest state park for one night camping trip–just me and the kids. We wanted to go somewhere with water to beat the heat, and Cleburne State Park was perfect. Not only do they have a lovely small beach with the perfect depth of water for kids, but they have an excellent facilities with what my son refers to as “the best showers ever”. It was pretty great to be able to walk right out of the lake into a nice warm shower before getting into the tent or back into the car.

Day 1

We booked a campsite with electricity and water in Cedar Grove and it was perfect. It was right next to the bridge that led to the restrooms and the beach. We enjoyed listening to the birds near our tent and using the Merlin app to identify the loud one at night, which we found out was a rare Chuck-will’s-widow.

After checking in around noon, we set up camp and went straight to the beach. Though the high was in the upper 80s, it was overcast, so it was the perfect weather for swimming. We swam for a few hours, then rinsed off in the showers, and decided to go for a short hike.

The park ranger shared that the hike to the CCC Spillway was a relatively easy hike, with a small climb at the end. (They have an excellent trail map, with trail difficulty marked). So we parked at the entrance and took the White-Tail Hollow Trail up to the CCC Spillway then walked across the dam that had a beautiful vista of Cedar Lake. Most of the trail was shaded, but the trail on the dam was quite warm so we were glad we brought our water bottle.

We were pretty warm by the time we got back to the car, so we went back and swam for the rest of the evening. The State Parks Store, which closes at 5pm, has cold sodas and water available for $2 each, and there is a ice cream vending machine at the lake restrooms for around $2 each as well. Not far from outside the park entrance is Nanny’s Country Kitchen & Papa’s Country Store, which may have more refreshements as well.

Day 2

The kids slept surprisingly great in the tent, and I even had to wake one of them up at 9:30 AM. It was nice to hear the hum of the nearby quarry in the night, as it was like having a quiet sound machine in the background. We enjoyed the birds singing the morning, and had a friendly cardinal visit our campsite.

After a quick breakfast of muffins, we took down camp, packed up the car and drove back to the lake to swim for the rest of the morning. It warmed up by 10am and the lake was the perfect temperature.

We brought an inflattable paddle board for the first time, and loved it! They do have kayaks available for rent at the lake, for about $25/hr. There are also a lot of great fishing spots around the lake, and no fishing license is needed within the park.

A little before noon, we showered off and then headed back home. The kids turned in their Scavenger List to the park ranger at the Headquarters office and they both picked out some free toy flashlights as their gifts. Our son completed the Junior Ranger program at the Cleburne State Park in the past, and received a Junior Ranger pin, but that is always another fun activity to participate in!

We were sure to stop by Braum’s Ice Cream in Cleburne for some junior dip cones before heading home. Overall, our first camping trip was success and we look forward to getting a few more nights in before our big camping trip in the fall!