The Lake and the County Park

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Lake Hawkins is a 633 acre lake reservoir that was constructed by Wood County for flood control and recreation in 1962.  Max depth is 30ft. Predominant fish are largemouth bass, chain pickerel, black and white crappie and sunfish.  Lake Hawkins is fed by several springs, which keep it noticeably clearer than most other East Texas lakes and at a relatively stable level even in the worst droughts. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) has ranked Lake Hawkins #18 in the State for clarity and quality (out of 134 lakes measured; for additional reference, there are approximately 7,000 lakes in Texas).  This means Lake Hawkins is clearer and has a higher water quality than 87% of the other lakes measured.

Wood County operates a 55 acre county park at the Lake Hawkins dam with a white sand beach (700 feet of shoreline), a fishing pier, RV and tent sites, a pavilion, boat and RV storage, a boat launch, picnic facilities and restrooms.  These grounds are beautifully maintained by a private contractor/magnificent member of the community.  This park is directly across the street from the Hideout grounds, which makes for a short walk to the beach!

Beach /county park access is $5.00 per person for daily access and must be obtained at the main county park entrance. Hideout guests are prohibited from jumping the county park fence or trespassing on county park camp sites in an effort to avoid paying the access fees. We reserve the right to cancel your reservation without a refund if the county park operator notifies us of any abuse of the rules in place at the county park by any of our guests.  (Please note that both The Hideout and the county park have exterior security cameras.)

There are also 3 additional boat ramp access points around the lake that do not charge an access fee, as well as "The Point" over near the Taste of Italy restaurant that is free of charge if you wish to access the lake for free.