Martin Creek Lake State Park Trails
Trails: Old Henderson Road Loop (1.2 mi.), Harmony Hill Loop (1.5 mi.) Island Trails Loop (1.2 mi.)
Last hiked February 20, 2022
Trail Type: Hiking & Biking
Distance We Hiked: 5.29 miles
Amount of Time it Took Us: 2 hrs. 1 min.
Our Elevation gain: 168 ft.
Park Rating: moderate/easy
Mike & Elaine’s Rating: very easy
Our Notes:
Martin Creek Lake State Park is a small camping and hiking area located near Longview in East Texas. It hugs the shore of a really pretty lake that offers great opportunities for fishing and boating. A huge drawback of this quaint little park, however, is that directly across the lake there is a huge power plant that emits a continuous hum that disturbs what could be a very peaceful little piece of nature. The view of the three smokestacks and the additional noise of the occasional train that runs along the perimeter of the factory doesn’t help either.
Because the park is so small, we began our hike at our campsite in the Shelter Camping Area. We walked along the road to the Old Henderson/Harmony Hill trailhead located in the Bee Tree Camping Area. At the trailhead you can either take a left on Old Henderson and loop back or go right on Harmony Hill and loop back. We decided to head left on the moderately rated Old Henderson. This trail is noted on the trail map as a piece of history, as it used to be a former trade route between the towns of Henderson and Shreveport. The trail is flat and easy and has some pretty views of the lake in the first section. It loops back along the perimeter of the park through a pine and oak forest and crosses a few wooden bridges. It is a nice little walk, but we certainly wouldn’t call it moderate as the trail is flat and compact. Once you circle back you can continue on to the Harmony Hill Loop, which passes through a denser forest and even a really cool grove of pine trees, which according to the map, used to be an old pine plantation. The trees are perfectly aligned in rows and are stunning! The trail continues along a fence line that has little birdhouses on each post, which is kind of cute. It circles back around, passing the park entrance and along the road that takes you to the camping areas. This trail is as easy as the first and is pretty, but again, the constant hum of the power plant causes distraction if you are looking to enjoy peace and quiet.
After exiting both trails, we walked down the road a short distance to the Day Use Parking area, where a bridge is located. Once you cross the bridge you are on the Island Trails, which circles the entire island. This trail showcases a variety of loblolly pine and grasslands, all the while giving great views of the lake. Oh, and eventually as you make your way around to the south side of the island, you also have a wonderful view of the power plant, which boasts that it produces enough energy to power over a million homes. No wonder it is so loud!
While the trails here are nice, they wouldn’t be ones we would recommend for the hiker looking to get in a workout or enjoy the peacefulness of nature. They were not our favorites. The noise is too distracting, the trails themselves offer no challenge, and the scenery was just ok. We will be heading on to our next adventure with the hopes of a more peaceful hike.
Links below to the park and trails:
https://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/martin-creek-lake
https://tpwd.texas.gov/publications/pwdpubs/media/park_maps/pwd_mp_p4508_0111k.pdf