Make a Splash this Summer 2023 at Cooper Lake State Park

Make a Splash this Summer at Cooper Lake State Park – Celebrating 100 Years of Texas State Parks! 

Make a splash this summer at Cooper Lake State Park! School is out and vacations are in full swing.  The park has prepared both swimming area beaches with fresh, newly groomed sands.  The lake water temperature is so perfect this month to cool off, relax, splash around, and enjoy! Make Cooper Lake State Park your destination for summer fun! 

Cooper Lake State Park will present 15 educational and recreational programs during the month.  June’s spotlighted programs are “Bark in the Park – hiking with your dog”, “Fishing with a Ranger”, and “Kayaking 101 – a nearshore boating adventure”!  “Bark in the Park” is a ranger lead hike with your favorite furry companion learning about the flora and fauna of NE Texas while exploring the Coyote Run Trail. “Fishing with a Ranger” is a visitor favorite. Bring your own poles and bait or just show up and use the fishing gear and bait supplied by the park.  Remember, no fishing licenses are required for this event or anytime you’re fishing at a Texas State Park from the bank or pier!  “Kayaking 101” is so much fun. Ranger Alicia will teach you kayaking basics before you and the group head out on the waters of Jim Chapman Lake.  This is a free event with your valid entrance permit. Kayaking spots are limited so make your reservations today for this exciting educational program by emailing Ranger Alicia at Alicia.o’conner@tpwd.texas.gov.  These are just three of our numerous programs for June. 

Bring each fun and learning-packed Saturday to a fitting conclusion with your family and friends by relaxing at a picnic table watching your food roast on one of our many day-use picnic grills.  If you are camping, relaxing around your campfire in the evening is unbeatable!  The flickering fire light of a campfire will lift your spirits and reconnect you to feelings shared by past generations.  There is no better place to share a tale or eat a meal! 

Fish from the bank, off one of our piers, fishing wall, or rent a kayak and try your luck along the shoreline.  Fish attractors have been placed around the Doctors Creek Floating Fishing Pier and the fishing wall at South Sulphur to help increase fishing success.  Crappie, bluegill, white bass, hybrid striped bass, largemouth bass, channel catfish, flathead catfish, and blue catfish are commonly caught at both park units this month.   

Kids can play on one of three playgrounds found at the park complex.  Other popular activities are hiking our trails or just resting under a giant Post Oak tree or camping at one of our tree-canopied campsites.  Texas State Parks are great places to relax, recreate, and recharge!  

Park entrance fees are $5 for adults, with kids 12 and under always free.  Senior Texans 65 or older will only pay $3 each for you and a friend of any age with a Bluebonnet Pass.  Unlimited visits for you and everyone in a vehicle you’re in can be accomplished with the purchase of a Texas State Park Annual Pass.  This $70 pass is good for over 12 months from the day of purchase.  

All programs are free with a valid entrance permit.   For more information on this or other events and programs at Cooper Lake State Park, please visit our Texas Parks and Wildlife website or visit and like our Facebook pages (Cooper Lake State Park – South Sulphur 903-945-5256 and Cooper Lake State Park – Doctors Creek (903) 395-3100). 

Doctors Creek  
Saturday, June 3 – DC 
Kayaking 101 – 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. Registration required if borrowing one of our kayaks – Meet at Lone Pine Kayak Launch – Learn to kayak, then go for an instructor lead paddle around the cove. Contact Alicia O’Connor – alicia.o’connor@tpwd.texas.gov or call (903) 395-3100 to register. 
Sunday, June 4 – DC 
Bark in the Park – 9 a.m. Meet at Pelican Point Parking Lot. Join a Ranger on a short leisurely walk with your leashed pet on Cedar Creek South Loop getting a first-hand look at the shoreline inhabitants, the pocket prairie, varied insects, and the flora of the park.  

Friday, June 9 – DC 
Skins and Skulls – 10 a.m. Who is the fastest or the furriest? Meet at Pelican Point Pavilion – Get an inside look at some of the mammals, and reptiles of the park. 
Saturday, June 10 – DC 
Art in the Park – 2 p.m. Meet at Pelican Point Day Use Area – 
Calling all artists – all art supplies provided.  

Saturday, June 17 — DC  
Guided Nature Hike – 1 p.m. Meet at Pelican Point Parking Lot. Join a Ranger on a short leisurely hike on Cedar Creek South Loop getting a first-hand look at the shoreline inhabitants, the pocket prairie, varied insects, and the flora of the park.  

Saturday, June 24 – DC 
Fishing with the Ranger: 9 a.m. – 11 a.m.  Meet at the Bluebonnet Day Use Area. Bring your own fishing gear or we have a few fishing poles available to borrow. No experience needed.  
Sunday, June 25 — DC 
Nature Journaling – 2:30 p.m. Meet at Pelican Point Pavilion. Let’s sit a spell and record the nature around us.              

South Sulphur  
Saturday, June 3 – SS 
Roving Ranger Heron Harbor Day Use Area – 2:30 p.m. 
Spot Ranger Alicia and ask about the interpretive item(s) she’s carrying around with her.  
Sunday, June 4 – SS 
Bark in the Park – 2 p.m. Meet at Coyote Run Trail Head. Join a Ranger on a short leisurely walk with your leashed pet on Coyote Run Trail getting a first-hand look at a pocket prairie, varied insects, and the flora of the park. 
Friday, June 9 – SS  
Skins and Skulls –2 p.m. Who is the fastest or the furriest? Meet at Heron Harbor Day Use Area – Get an inside look at some of the mammals, and reptiles of the park. 

Saturday, June 10 — SS 
Art in the Park – 10 a.m. Meet at Heron Harbor Day Use Area. Calling all artists! All art supplies provided. 

Saturday, June 17 — SS  
Guided Hike – 9 a.m. Meet at the Buggy Whip Equestrian Trail Head. Join a Ranger on a short leisurely hike on the Little Blue Stem trail getting a first-hand look at the shoreline inhabitants, varied insects, and the flora of the park.  

Friday, June 23 – SS 
Light Painting – 8 p.m. Meet at Gulls Bluff Boat Launch Parking Lot. We’ll use light to paint onto a subject or into a scene during a long exposure using your phone camera. Wear your darkly colored clothes and bring your creativity to create a light painting.   

Saturday, June 24 – SS 
Fishing with the Ranger: 2 p.m. – 4 p.m.  Meet at the Heron Harbor Fishing Wall in the Day Use Area. Bring your own fishing gear or we have a few fishing poles available to borrow. No experience needed.  
Sunday, June 25 — SS 
Nature Journaling – 10:30 a.m. Meet at Heron Harbor Day Use Area. Let’s sit a spell and record the nature around us. 

Contributed by Steve Killian