Cleburne State Park - pics & info.

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http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/state-parks/cleburne/gallery/ccc-bridge

The camp store is closed for remodeling. Currently no ice, groceries, food or camping supplies are available within the park. Please stock up on necessary items before arrival.
An earthen dam captures bubbling springs, creating the cool and clear Cedar Lake where you can spend a lazy day on a quiet lake.
An earthen dam captures bubbling springs, creating the cool and clear Cedar Lake where you can spend a lazy day on a quiet lake.
Things to Do

Cleburne State Park mountain bike trails offer 5.5 miles of beautiful scenery with a variety of challenges for all experience levels. The terrain on the trail is as diverse as the hills. You will experience treacherous downhills, fast smooth flats, and everything in between. The technical and wooded trails form an entire loop that has made this trail a favorite for mountain bikers in training or those who enjoy a challenging ride. The trail will test your skills and endurance and is well worth your time!

Fishing and boating the clear blue waters of Cedar Lake is a wonderful way to spend the day with your family. NOTE: Boats may not create any wake on this lake and personal watercraft (i.e. jet skis, seadoos, etc.) are not allowed.
Ranger Programs

The park offers a variety of educational opportunities; check the calendar for upcoming events or contact the park for special tours.

Get more information on the Civilian Conservation Corps, which helped develop this park and numerous others over 70 years ago, by visiting our CCC page that includes the interactive online exhibits and education resource, “The Look of Nature: Designing Texas State Parks During the Great Depression” and “A New Deal for Texas Parks."

more @ http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/state-parks/cleburne

Introduction to a Bird Checklist for the park:

Cleburne State Park is located in southwestern Johnson County and encompasses 528 acres. Within the park there is a small reservoir, Cedar Lake, on the West Fork of Camp Creek. The reservoir is surrounded by wooded hillsides. The park is located within the Blackland Prairies physiographic region, although in many respects the landscape is more like the Lampasas Cut Plains.
Ashe Juniper-oak woodlands occur on the slopes and ridgetops surrounding Cedar Lake. In some areas around the lake there are dense stands of pure Ashe Juniper. On the south and west facing slopes, the woodlands are more open and diverse. These woodlands provide habitat for a greater diversity of bird life. Bur Oaks, Pecan, and Cedar Elms dominate the woodlands along Camp Creek. Within this riparian zone are also scattered Texas Oaks and Hackberries. Along the creek bed, there are even a few Sycamores, Cottonwoods, and Black Willows. These woodlands are very diverse and offer excellent habitat to a wide variety of birds.
There are several miles of trails through the park. The Spillway Hiking Trail includes a one-mile loop along Camp Creek and probably offers the best birding opportunities. The Coyote Run Nature Trail passes through the Ashe Juniper-oak woodlands and therefore different birds are likely to be found along the riparian woodlands. The park offers a self-guided tour booklet for this 2.4-mile trail. Although Cedar Lake is small, it attracts many waterbirds, particularly during the winter months when there are fewer boats on the water.
This checklist was compiled by Charles W. Easley of Cleburne. It includes species that have been reported within Johnson County. Those species that have been found within Cleburne State Park are delineated within the checklist. This checklist is the result of 43 years of record-keeping and study of migration in Johnson County by Mr. Easley and others. The compiler would like to thank the following people who have furnished data and information for this checklist: Jimmy Aiken, David Arbour, Richard Dilts, Chris Easley, Chuck Easley, Kevin Easley, Velia Easley, Twyla Bothe, and David Smith.

History

Cleburne State Park is a 528-acre park that encompasses a lively 116-acre, spring-fed lake. Located southwest of Fort Worth in Johnson County, the park was acquired from the City of Cleburne and private owners in 1935-36 and was opened in 1938.

The region surrounding Cleburne State Park was a favorite hunting ground for many Indian tribesmen, since it was composed of dense woods surrounded by plains and included several clear springs. The Comanches used this area as a trail from the northwest to raid the homesteads in the south. The Indians would lead two fresh horses as they rode a third one, switching to a fresh horse as each was winded. In this manner, they would escape their pursuers.

Their concealed trail was last used for a raid on Kimbell (now known as Kimbell Bend), which, built in 1851, was the first town in Johnson County. Kimbell was established on the Chisholm Trail at its crossing on the Brazos River. Vast herds of cattle from the southern ranches in Texas crossed at Kimbell Bend going north to the markets. The park, located eight miles north of Kimbell Bend, was also a good campsite for the cowboys who drove cattle on the Chisholm Trail.

In 1934, this beautiful valley of springs was recognized as a picturesque locality for a park. A group of local businessmen, interested in its development, secured it for the State Park Board to establish a state park. In 1935, Civilian Conservation Corps Company 3804 of the federal government moved into the park site to start developing a park

The enrollees built a small earthen dam to impound the park's 116-acre lake, with a beautiful masonry, three-level spillway, and then cleared a three-mile scenic roadway around the lake. A concession building, boathouse and bathhouse were built in 1936, with additions in 1940.

The park residence, water tower and interior furnishings display a variety of handcrafted wood and metal ornaments.