[upbeat music]
- JESSICA: Huntsville State Park is located
in the Piney Woods of East Texas.
- TED: And you turn down the road
and you start driving through that tunnel.
It's like this really cool portal
that takes you away from the hustle and bustle.
It all just kinda gets left behind you
as you get deeper and deeper into the woods,
until you get to the park itself.
- I like to say you can do anything with an I-N-G here.
That includes fishing, camping,
biking, hiking, swimming...
all kinds of fun opportunities outside.
We have 187 camp sites at the park,
which may seem like a lot,
but with the amount of trees that we have in the campground,
you don't feel like you're on top of your neighbor
and you still feel pretty secluded.
[trumpets music]
- We are a CCC park.
What they did here, they actually built the park itself.
We have Lake Raven, which is a man-made lake.
[water rushing]
Where they built an earthen dam
that blocked off the flow of three creeks and streams
that go through this region of the forest.
And by building that dam,
they created the lake that we have today.
And we wouldn't have it, if it wasn't for the CCC.
- JESSICA: You can swim in the lake
in our designated swimming area.
[splash]
- The water is like, it's just like the perfect temperature.
Oh, it's really fun, there's a lot of activities to do.
And also getting on the boats is pretty cool.
- Perfect!
So, we have a boat house here at the state park.
Awesome!
And you're a first-time boater and you'd like to try it out.
All right, see you all later.
You can rent one here, that includes canoes,
paddle boats, and kayaks.
- JAMIE: Yeah, it's really pretty.
I like how everything's curved in with the trees.
And how the wind is blowing in my face, and it's so fresh.
- We're doing the Chinquapin Trail.
It's a 6.8 mile loop
that covers a pretty good section of the park.
[bird squawking]
That's cool.
What I really like about the trail
is that it's really shaded so it's good in all weather.
It's really remote.
It gives you kind of a feel of seclusion
and a really good forest-y vibe.
- This park's rarely crowded and so a lot of times
you can hit the trail and especially during the week,
I got it to myself, yeah, it's nice.
It can get challenging, yes.
You get a lot of gullies and draws, that go in and out.
I just love the exercise and to be this close to nature
and be out where you can enjoy it.
It's a nice trail to ride.
- My name is Ranger Ted.
The alligator workshop is this really fun, hands-on activity
where I'll have a baby alligator.
Yep, go ahead.
For people to actually touch and feel and see up close.
- Cool!
- This one is a boy, this one's her brother.
How often to you get a chance to say
that you got to actually touch a baby alligator,
you got to feel it, you got to stroke its belly.
- Its scales wiggle.
- So, it's a really great opportunity
for these families, these kids, these adults.
Go ahead and feel the belly.
To go home and tell everyone,
I touched and pet a baby alligator.
So, it's a really cool opportunity.
[frogs croaking]
[country music]
- TED: Huntsville State Park is a really awesome place
because it's home to all these different memories.
And it's a great place to make new memories
because of all the different things it offers.
- JESSICA: If you're looking for your classic
East Texas Piney Woods lakeside getaway,
Huntsville State Park is definitely where
you should stop.