I am going to begin this post by stating that we are tent campers who primarily camp in primitive sites. The entire idea behind primitive sites is that you are off-grid without electricity and usually in a private area of the park, away from other campers. So, this review is going to be about how South Toldeo Bend State Park did not meet our expectations.
Let’s begin with some of the good things. South Toledo Bend State Park is located on a reservoir, next to the Toledo Bend dam which generates power for both Texas and Louisiana. This park seems like an excellent location for those with boats. There is a public boat launch and the RV sites have docks where you can pull up your boat near your campsite. I can see that being one of the main reasons that people would choose this park.
You can also rent flatboats at the state park. Tak-A-Paw Expeditions (a private outfitter, that is located down the street) will deliver a canoe or kayak to your site. We found that we could fit the sit-on-top kayaks inside our SUV when we weren’t using them, rather them drag them back to the primitive campsite. We also stored them next to our car when wet and they were safe.
There is also a small beach area for swimming. This area is primarily used by families with small children. There are also some picnic tables by the beach.
There are two hiking trails in the park. The Reservoir Loop trail is a 1.6-mile trail that loops through the middle of the park and offers nice views of the lake and there is a visitor’s center on the trail with a small museum about local flora, fauna, and wildlife. There is also a second hiking trail, Bald Eagles Nest Trail, in the back of the park, where the cabins end. This trail was flooded when we hiked it, so be prepared to hike through mud and puddles. It could use raised boardwalks in certain areas and is in need of maintenance. They also have an ATV trail that we did not see.
So let’s talk about the bad. The primitive camp area is located just outside the RV campers. You park at the trailhead and walk into the sites. I recommend bringing a wagon if you have a lot of gear. There are 5 primitive campsites located on a bluff overlooking the reservoir. Yes 5 for the entire park, one is an accessibility site without the views of the reservoir. The other 4 sites are right on top of one another but do offer gorgeous views. We were in site 4, but I would recommend site 2 or 3 as they are a bit more private than site 4 & 5. Site 4 &5 are right next to one another and you are right on top of your neighbors. We had neighbors with both a barky dog and children running around, which made our stay, less than quiet. In addition to this, across the reservoir is a private RV park that has zero respect for the lake. They had a D.J. blaring music and singing along without turning down his mic, for the entire weekend, 8 hours a day. The music is loud and completely ruined any type of relaxing nature experience. While I realize this is not the fault of the state park, I wouldn’t go back because of this. The other issue is that RV campers walk their dogs into the primitive area, making the area feel unsafe and a bit like you’re on display with all of these people walking through your campsite. I think the park should put a sign up saying the primitive area is for those campers only, to stop the RV campers from walking through.
The other annoying thing is that they have an entire area of the park dedicated to “glamping”. There are many glamping spots located on Hippie Hill. I think the primitive camping should be moved to Hippie Hill and they could lessen the glamping sites. That’s my opinion as someone who frequents state and national parks for nature and privacy. It’s a beautiful and clean park with limited hiking opportunities and the primitive camping spots are too close together and the RV park across the water ruins any sort of quiet. We made the best of our stay, but we won’t be returning.
