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Tom_Mary_Lou's avatar
Tom_Mary_Lou
Explorer
Aug 19, 2017

Corps park around Dallas

Can anyone tell me about the parks around Wylie & Lavon? I think they are East Fork & Lavonia. Stayed a night at Lavonia about 3 yrs ago & it was OK for a night's stay only. Also if anything else in that area is recommended. Also considering WM in McKinney
Thx
ML
  • I stayed at a COE park in Grand Prarrie, south of I-20 on Hwy 360. Called Lynns Park n Joe Pool Lake, very nice.
  • Does it have to be a COE campground? Cedar Hill State Park has nice lake views, has 30A and 50A sites, and is close to the city. It is also accessible from I-20, not always-jammed I-30.
  • We stayed at the Holiday COE near Benbrook in 2013 and found it nice though it was lacking in signs directing you to the sites? Pictures are available of our site on our blog entry for that stop.
  • We lived in Wylie many years before going full-time and still visit there a couple times each year for doctor and some family visits.

    Nothing has really changed for the better. The 2015 floods badly damaged the day use area of East Fork. It and the boat ramps are closed.

    East Fork did get a new camping loop nice bathhouse. It is still just 50 amp and water. I doubt there will ever be sewer hookups there. The RV loop road is still filled with huge potholes, and many of the campground spots hold a lot of water if it rains.

    Lavonia is still 30 amp/ water/ sewer with old outdated bathhouses. An additional problem with using Lavonia for a visit to the Dallas area is the construction on TX-78 across the Trinity River below the Lavon dam.

    Clear Lake is open April-Sep. The few 50/W/S sites now seem to be only for volunteer workers. Several 30/W/S sites make it a good alternative to Lavonia. Bathhouses were closed last year.

    Since the D/FW area COE campgrounds are the highest priced in the state, one might expect better than some of the worst COE campgrounds in the state.

    We would much prefer Hickory Creek on Lake Lewisville, but it is a 35-40 mile / 1 1/2 hour drive each way for us. Holiday on Lake Benbrook is about 75-80 miles, 2-3 hours each way.

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