Bonham State Park: Bois d'Arc Trail (Blog Hike #1115)

Trail: Bois d'Arc Trail
Hike Location: Bonham State Park
Geographic Location: southeast of Bonham, TX (33.54641, -96.14575)
Length: 2 miles
Difficulty: 2/10 (Easy)
Date Hiked: February 2026
Overview: A loop hike through cedar forest passing many CCC-built structures.
Park Information: https://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/bonham
Hike Route Map:

On The Go Map

Photo Highlight:

Hike Video: (coming December 18, 2026)

Directions to the trailhead: From Bonham, take SR 78 south 1.4 miles to FM 271 and turn left on FM 271.  Drive FM 271 east 1.9 miles to the signed park entrance on the left and turn softly left to enter the park.  Drive the one-way main park road to the park headquarters on the north side of the park's lake.  Park in front of the headquarters.

The hike: Tucked in a corner of northeast Texas that time seems to have forgotten but hasn't, Bonham State Park consists of 261 rolling acres northeast of Dallas.  The park was established in 1933 when the State of Texas purchased the land from the City of Bonham.  The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) worked to develop the park between 1933 and 1936.  The CCC built many of the park's structures that still exist today, including the dam that forms the park's small 65-acre lake.

            True to a small park, Bonham State Park is light on amenities.  The park offers a cozy 20-site campground, swimming, paddling, and fishing on its lake, and 4 hiking trails totaling 6.8 miles.  Part of the trail that goes around the lake was closed when I came here, so I chose to hike the Bois d'Arc Trail, which explores the eastern side of the park.  Pronounced by locals like "bo dark," the Bois d'Arc Trail features the CCC history this park has to offer, and it also shows how much this land has changed since 1933.

            The Bois d'Arc Trail does not form a loop, so your hike will either start or finish with a road walk; I chose to do my road walk at the start.  Head east to begin walking clockwise and against traffic around the park's main loop road with the campground and lake on the right.  At 0.25 miles, turn left to leave the road at the trailhead for the Bois d'Arc Trail; a large information board and a round blue aluminum trail marker mark this trailhead.  The park ranks the difficulty of the Bois d'Arc Trail as challenging, but for the most part it is pretty easy.

Loop road trailhead for Bois d'Arc Trail

            Head gradually uphill and angle right to quickly reach the first of several CCC-built stone fireplaces and seatings.  You may wonder why the CCC or anyone would build a construction like this in the middle of the woods, but these constructions are older than any of the surrounding cedar trees.  Thus, when these constructions were built, they would have had a clear ridgetop view of the park's lake.  Time has not forgotten this land as much as you may think, and some interpretive signs describe this area's history.

CCC-built fireplace and seating

            The Bois d'Arc Trail continues its gradual climb through dense cedar forest, and just shy of 0.5 miles you reach a trail intersection, where you need to turn left.  You can kind of follow the Bois d'Arc Trail's blue markers on this hike, but the Bois d'Arc Trail has several arms, all of which are marked with the same blue aluminum circles.  Thus, a trail map comes in handy, and you have to carefully keep track of your location to avoid missing this turn.  After you make this turn, there are fewer trail intersections, and the navigation becomes easier.

Hiking the Bois d'Arc Trail

            For the next mile the Bois d'Arc Trail embarks on a winding course with gradual ups and downs.  The cedar forest remains dense, and some rows of hedgeapple trees mark old property boundaries.  Just past 1.4 miles, you come out at the fire road that traces the perimeter of the property.  While it might be easier to walk on the fire road, astute hikers will stay with the fire road for only a short distance while continuing to follow the blue trail markers for the Bois d'Arc Trail.

CCC-built water pump house

Old water tank (on its side)

            At 1.7 miles, you reach the old CCC barracks and group hall.  The picnic shelter makes a nice place to sit and rest, but perhaps the most interesting structure in this historic area is the old CCC-built water tank and pump house, which dates to 1936.  The old metal water tank no longer stands on its stone supports, and a chain-link fence prohibits a close inspection of the stone structure.  Continuing west for another 0.3 miles returns you to the park headquarters area and completes the hike.

McGee Creek State Park: South Rim/Little Bugaboo Loop (Blog Hike #1114)

Trails: South Rim and Little Bugaboo Trails
Hike Location: McGee Creek State Park
Geographic Location: east of Atoka, OK (34.38897, -95.82541)
Length: 3.8 miles
Difficulty: 5/10 (Moderate)
Date Hiked: February 2026
Overview: A remote lollipop loop through semi-wilderness pine woods.
Park Information: https://www.travelok.com/state-parks/mcgee-creek-state-park
Hike Route Map:

On The Go Map

Photo Highlight:

Hike Video: (coming March 12, 2027)

Directions to the trailhead: From Atoka, take SR 3 east 20.8 miles to Centerpoint Road; a sign for the state park marks this intersection.  Turn left on Centerpoint Road, which alternates between an asphalt and gravel road surface before dead ending at the park in 10 miles.  Park near the ranger station, where you must fill out a free user permit before hitting the trail.

The hike: Consisting of 2600 acres in rural south-central Oklahoma, McGee Creek State Park is kind of 2 parks wrapped into 1.  The park's west side is a typical developed park by a lake with an 87-site developed campground, the usual aquatic recreation, and some picnic areas.  The park's east side, which is officially called McGee Creek Natural Scenic Recreation Area, has no amenities and is managed as a semi-wilderness area.  The 2 sides are separated by McGee Creek Reservoir, a 3810-acre lake built in 1987 for flood control.

            For hikers, the park's west side offers only 1 short nature trail.  Thus, although hikers might camp on the park's developed west side, at some point most hikers will make their way to the park's natural east side, which offers over 25 miles of trails.  The hike described here is in some sense the shortest and easiest meaningful loop in McGee Creek Natural Scenic Recreation Area.  This hike passes some nice scenery, but its real selling point is its solitude: as best I could tell, I was the only person in the entire natural area when I came here on a beautiful Wednesday afternoon in late February.

South Rim Trail trailhead at ranger station

            After filling out the permit form at the ranger station, pick up the South Rim Trail as it heads north into the woods; several interpretive signs and a brown metal trail sign mark the trailhead.  True to its management status as a semi-wilderness, trails in the natural area are unmarked except at intersections.  I took a photo of the trail map at the ranger station, but I had no serious trouble following the trails on this hike.

Intersecting the Little Bugaboo Trail

            The wide dirt trail winds its way gradually downhill through thick forest dominated by pine trees.  At 0.4 miles, you reach the signed trail intersection that forms the loop portion of this hike.  This hike turns left to begin the Little Bugaboo Trail while using the South Rim Trail that continues straight as a return route, thus hiking the loop clockwise.

Crossing Little Bugaboo Creek

            Ignore the West Branch Trail where it exits left; it leads to some primitive campsites in the western part of the natural area.  Just shy of 0.7 miles, you reach the first of 3 unbridged creek crossings, this one of Little Bugaboo Creek.  All 3 of these creek crossings could be rock-hopped when I came here, but they could require wading or even be impassible with more water.  Use good judgment about if and when to cross.

Cairn beside narrow trail

            Now on the west side of Little Bugaboo Creek, the trail winds its way uphill on a gradual to moderate grade with the crest of the hill uphill to the left.  This section of trail is the narrowest trail on this hike, and some piles of stones or cairns help you stay on track where the trail gets faint.  While I did not do great bird watching here, I did see several red-winged blackbirds on this part of the hike.

Hiking beside Little Bugaboo Creek

            After 0.5 miles of gradual climbing, the trail levels out and adopts a sidehill course to return alongside Little Bugaboo Creek on the right.  The pine forest is less dense here, and a thick layer of grass permeates the understory.  2 miles into the hike, you pass a primitive campsite just before reaching an intersection with the South Rim Trail.  More brown metal signs mark this intersection.  The trails going straight and left lead deeper into the natural area.  Turn right on the South Rim Trail to begin your journey back to the ranger station.

Returning on the South Rim Trail

            The South Rim Trail crosses Little Bugaboo Creek for your second unbridged creek crossing before climbing slightly to reach the highest elevation of this hike.  The difference between highest and lowest elevations is only 170 feet, so all elevation changes are relatively gradual.  Thus, the primitive unmarked nature of the trails is the main challenge on this hike.  The South Rim Trail is less challenging in that regard: it has the feel of a two-track old dirt road.

Hiking along the boundary

            At 2.5 miles, the Boundary Trail briefly joins from the left; it offers an alternate route back to the ranger station.  I chose to turn right and stay with the South Rim Trail, thus staying in the deeper more scenic forest further from the park's east boundary.  At 3.15 miles, the trail dips to cross Bog Spring Branch for the 3rd and final unbridged creek crossing.  A gradual climb closes the loop at 3.4 miles, and continuing the gradual climb returns you to the ranger station at 3.8 miles.