Martin Creek Lake State Park

Martin Creek Lake State Park is a developed recreational area in East Texas in the United States. The park is located southwest of Tatum on Martin Creek Lake in Rusk County and is managed by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. The Texas Utilities Generating Company deeded the park to the state in 1976, and it opened the same year.

Features

Recreation

The park offers year-round fishing, camping, paddling, lake swimming, hiking and cycling, water-skiing, picnicking, geocaching and nature photography.

Flora

Many types of hardwood trees like black oak, water oak and winged elm are found in the park mixed in with softwoods like loblolly pine, shortleaf pine, eastern red cedar and Hercules' club trees. Some documented plants include American beautyberry, yaupon holly, honey locust, Mexican plum and common persimmon.

Fauna

Wildlife found in this forested area include opossums, swamp rabbits, beaver, white-tailed deer, raccoons, armadillos and eastern gray squirrels. Some of the most commonly seen birds are mallard ducks, great blue herons, green herons, great egrets, northern cardinals, blue jays, red-headed woodpeckers, cormorants and northern mockingbirds.
Fish in Martin Creek Lake include largemouth bass, crappie, channel catfish, yellow bullhead, tilapia and sunfish. Reptiles found in the lake are yellow-bellied water snakes, broad-banded water snakes and diamondback water snakes.