Cooper Lake - South Sulphur Unit (TX)

Cooper Lake is a man-made impoundment created in 1991 by the Army Corp of Engineers, and covers over 19,300-acres spanning two Texas counties.  The lake has two camping facilities: Doctor’s Creek on the northern shore, and the South Sulphur Unit on the southern shore.  

Panorama of arid Cooper Lake shoreline

With the exception of the common use areas, this park is maintained in a conservative manner.  Dense wooded areas abound, and straying off existing trails will net a respectable work-out of bush-wacking your way through briars, cedar stands, and numerous micro-habitats under the sprawling post oaks.  There are pedestrian and animal trails just about everywhere, but the park only boasts 3 recognized and maintained trails: a half-mile and 2.8-mile hiking trail, and a 10-mile+ equestrian trail.  The equestrian trail (naturally) sits within a well-designed “horse-centric” area of the park; complete with horse trailer sites, hitching areas, and watering points along the narrow, winding trail.

"Get along little doggies" on the equestrian trail

During our visit, we were amazed at the lack of water in the lake.  After walking down an unofficial trail, we jumped off the bank and proceeded to walk another 200-meters until the lake bed became too mushy to continue…but we still hadn’t stepped into water.  We continued to walk “off shore” until we came across the dry channel leading to the boat ramp.  The “No Wake” sign lying in the tall grass was a grim reminder of the on-going drought that is punishing Texas.  When I asked the local ranger when he thought the lake would return to normal, he relayed that it would take a LOT of rain…and then some.  In addition to a deficit of natural precipitation, the water from this lake was being diverted to the Dallas/Fort Worth area.  Even in rural areas, high population can impact your daily life.

No Water = No Wake

One (perhaps the only) advantage to the extremely low lake level is the ability to practice animal track identification.  All of the animals make their daily treks to water’s edge, and the softer clay-soil enhances the outline of individual tracks.  On any given day we could find tracks for deer, coyotes, feral hogs, raccoons, ‘possums, and the nine-banded armadillo.  

Coyote tracks

Feral Hog tracks

The nine-banded armadillos have always been a favorite of ours.  They were a frequent visitor to our campsite, digging around in the leaf-litter for omnivore snacks.  Perhaps the most entertaining characteristic is their (seemingly) absolute deficit of any situational awareness.  Intently focused on the next few inches of leaf-covered soil, only to be surprised when they realize they are only feet away from another mammal.  Their started surprise always makes me laugh (‘cause I know people who are just like this).

We spent a few days touring the local area, as we planned on ranching in northeast Texas after the Chrysalis-L tour ends.  As we toured our potential stomping grounds and “dated” the communities, we started to get a more refined idea as to what ranching in northeast Texas would entail.  We continued to discuss our future, and explore the agrarian lifestyle around us.  It was time to move on…westward.  Time to see more of this great state and experience our potential homestead.

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