East Texas (Longview, Victoria, Marshall: rent, hotel, homes)

[lotsarock]

Hi folks from here in Arizona! We are leaving on ten days vacation soon to visit your neck of the woods. We will be over at Lake O the Pines where we bought some property. We have never been there so need some info on the weather and conditions there this time of year. We heard it is wooded with pine trees and the lake sounds great. Are there alot of bugs? I've heard that. What are the woods like. Thickly grown forest or thinly populated trees. Can we camp(tent) without staying in a camp ground? Are there any grocery stores near Jefferson Texas? Are the open areas around the lake state park or National Forest? Any other info about the area would be greatly appreciated. We may be retiring in the area in about 3 years.

[jobezee1]

Well, it's been a LONG time since I've been out at that lake but yes, it is heavily wooded. Pine Trees, hence the name of the lake. I really don't recall all of the amenities. Sorry. Jefferson is a very historic town with lots of old turn of the century Victorian homes completely restored. Very quaint. Probably a lot of mosquitos this year due to an unusually wet spring. Of course, it's hot. It's August. It's Texas. Here is the link from the Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife. Hope they can help.

Fishing Lake O' the Pines

[Poltracker]

Originally Posted by lotsarock

Hi folks from here in Arizona! We are leaving on ten days vacation soon to visit your neck of the woods. We will be over at Lake O the Pines where we bought some property. We have never been there so need some info on the weather and conditions there this time of year. We heard it is wooded with pine trees and the lake sounds great. Are there alot of bugs? I've heard that. What are the woods like. Thickly grown forest or thinly populated trees. Can we camp(tent) without staying in a camp ground? Are there any grocery stores near Jefferson Texas? Are the open areas around the lake state park or National Forest? Any other info about the area would be greatly appreciated. We may be retiring in the area in about 3 years.

Hope you enjoy your trip! Lake O the Pines is in a densely forested area of NE Texas. You did not say where your property is, so I'll just pretend your a visitor. There is no camping along the lake except in designated areas (unless you own the property that is). Two very good camp areas to stay at are Brushy Creek and Buckhorn Creek. Both have full facilities and nice swimming areas. If you like to sleep in a cabin or hotel accomadation, go to Tejas Village. There is one full grocery in Jefferson at the east end and a grocery at Ore City on the west end of the lake. There are a couple of bait camps around the lake that have limited groceries and the one on the south end of the dam (by Brushy Creek and Tejas) has a little cafe. For serious shopping, you are probably better off running to the WalMart on Hwy 59 in Marshall (about a 20 min trip from Brushy Creek and Jefferson) or going to Longview.

The lake is not the biggest, but it is beautiful. If you are looking for things to do, you can rent a barge at the Copeland Creek Marina on the North side of the lake and go out for day cruises and maybe do some fishing. Jefferson is a great place for antique shopping and has a few good eateries for an afternoon lunch (PS don't forget to hit the Blackburn's shop for some great jelly). Caddo lake is an interesting place to visit. Marshall has a really neat pottery. Shreveport has gambling. You can always just relaz and kick back

[drjones96]

You bought property without even looking at it....lol. Hope you got your money's worth.