JISD Week of June 23, 2025 Newsletter

Living the Lake Life

Lakes to the left of me, rivers to the right, here I am….stuck in the middle with you….

And what a fantastic place to be stuck! In addition to being the Jewel of the Forest, Jasper sits between the Neches, Angelina, and Sabine Rivers and at the heart of the East Texas Lakes Area. The two largest lakes in Texas are in our backyard, and we have a smaller, yet activity rich lake just next door. 

While searching for a new location to build a town, brothers Augustus and John Allen bought two parcels of land in East Texas in 1837. One became Houston, and 110 years later, the other became the site of the Town Bluff Dam, creating B.A. Steinhagen Lake, better known to us as Dam B (because it was the third in a list of proposed lakes on the Angelina and Neches rivers….only two of which were built….more on that later). Small in size, but rich in fun, Dam B, is the site of Martin Dies, Jr. State Park. The park offers adventures on land and water. You can rent canoes and kayaks for paddling, fish by boat or from the shore, and swim in designated areas. On land, the park offers hike and bike trails, birding sites, and ranger guided adventures. An important activity on land and water is looking out for alligators!

Check out Martin Dies, Jr. State Park for more information.

Kids can participate in the Junior Ranger Program. 

Lake Sam Rayburn (the only other of the four proposed lakes mentioned above to be built on the Angelina and Neches rivers), Texas’s second largest lake and largest lake entirely in Texas, covers an impressive 114,500 surface acres of water and has about 750 miles of shoreline. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers maintain thirteen parks and access points on the lake, while the Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife, the U.S. Forest Service, and individual counties maintain an additional nine parks and lake access points. A few of the locations closest to Jasper are Twin Dikes Park, Overlook Park, and Ebenezer Park. The parks have sites for day-use, camping, swimming, fishing, and Ebenezer even has trails for horseback riding!

Check out Lake Sam Rayburn recreational sites and access points here.

Toledo Bend Reservoir on the Sabine River covers 181,600 acres and has a whopping 1,200 miles of shoreline in East Texas and western Louisiana. On the Texas side of the lake, Paradise Point Marina and McGee’s Landing are just two of several access points and recreational sites. Before fishing in Toledo Bend, remember to review rules and regulations for both Texas and Louisiana!

Check out Lake Toledo Bend information here.