Lake Tawakoni State Park
Taking in the forest at Lake Tawakoni State Park
Location	Hunt County, Texas
Nearest city	Wills Point
Coordinates	32°50′55″N 96°00′00″W / 32.84861°N 96.00000°W / 32.84861; -96.00000[1]
Area	376.3 acres (152.3 ha)[2]
Elevation	430 feet (130 m)
Established	2002 (2002)
Visitors	96,988 (in 2022)[3]
Governing body	Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/lake-tawakoni

Lake Tawakoni State Park (/təˈwɑːkəni/ tə-WAH-kə-nee) is a state park located in Hunt County, Texas, United States, 11.2 miles (18.0 km) north of Wills Point. It is on the south central shore of Lake Tawakoni, a 37,879-acre reservoir on the Sabine River.^[4]

History

Constructed in 1960, the lake is named after the Tawakoni Native American tribe, who used to live in the area. It was built to provide a source of water for the Dallas area, and the park was opened in 2002 under a lease agreement with the Sabine River Authority.^[2]

The park came to media attention in 2007, because of a giant communal spider web on the premises of the park.^[5] The web was mostly the work of thousands of long-jawed orb weavers (Tetragnatha guatemalensis), but other spider species were found to have also joined in.

On January 22, 2009, a fire swept through the park, burning approximately 125 acres (51 ha) of park property.^[6]

Nature

Animals

Lake Tawakoni State Park is teeming with wildlife. Animals found in the park include red and gray foxes, bobcats, coyotes, opossums, turtles, frogs, snakes, raccoons, beavers, squirrels, armadillos, minks and white-tailed deer. Additionally, birders have identified more than 200 species of birds in the park. The lake holds many different species of fish such as striped bass, white bass, largemouth bass and crappie, but is noted for its blue catfish.^[4]

Flora

Bur oak and cedar elm dominate the forest of Lake Tawakoni State Park. Large shrubs Osage orange and farkleberry along with Virginia creeper and poison ivy are in the understory.

Activities

The park offers a variety of outdoor activities including boating, fishing, swimming, hiking, mountain biking, birding and geocaching. There are also campsites available for tents and recreational vehicles. There are about five miles of trails to explore by foot or mountain bike.