Campground Review: Martin Creek Lake State Recreation Area (Near Tatum, TX)

Making our way from Austin towards St. Louis, we decided to put our Texas State Parks pass to use one more time with a stop for the night at the Martin Creek Lake State Recreation Area.

The campground at Martin Creek Lake reminded us of the fabulous McKinney Falls State Park we had stayed at near Austin. The Texas State Park systems knows how to do campgrounds right, and like McKinney Falls, Martin Creek Lake has beautifully wooded widely dispersed sites with water and electric hookups.

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We paid $15/night for a lakefront (sort of) site. We could have saved $2 by camping across the street, but it was a worthwhile upgrade.

We had our own private trail down to Martin Lake, right behind our campsite.

At some campgrounds the drone of RV generators can spoil the tranquility. At Martin Creek Lake, the drone you hear isn’t from other RV’s, but from the giant power plant located right across the lake.

It is not too loud, but it IS omnipresent. The power plant lit up at night is an impressive site for fans of civil engineering, but the light pollution does drown out the night sky too.

Even though we were only parked overnight, when we were packing up in the morning we discovered a large intricate BIRD NEST in our bumper storage compartment! A wannabe hitchhiker, perhaps?

Overall we found Martin Creek to be a worthwhile stop for the night. I was concerned that the power plant would be a bother, but the constant hum was faint enough that it quickly blended into the background.

I wouldn’t go out of my way to return, but if we were ever passing by again I would certainly spend another night on the shores of Martin Lake.

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Summary Details:

View: Woods, lake, and a giant power plant!

Sites: 80+ sites, several dozen rental cabins.

Facilities: Toilets, Showers. Fishing pier.

Hookups: Water & Electric. Dump station provided.

Cell & Data Coverage:

AT&T – Moderate.

Sprint – Strong EVDO. (D: 390Kb/s, U: 101Kb/s, 179ms) (Sprint indicates roaming – probably on Verizon)

Cost: Lakefront: $15/night, Regular: $13 (plus $2/pp without Texas State Park pass)

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