Tyler State Park surrounds a 64 acre spring fed lake in the Pineywoods of Smith County, about eight miles north of Tyler by way of FM 14 and Park Road 16. The swimming area sits on the north shore, downhill from the park store, and it is the only water in the park where swimming is permitted. The shore there is sand rather than the red clay you find elsewhere on the lake, and a floating dock is anchored a short way out for anyone who wants something to swim toward. Pines and hardwoods run nearly to the waterline, so the beach keeps shade through much of the afternoon.

The bath house standing above the beach is the other reason to come. Civilian Conservation Corps Company 2888 built it along with the earthen dam that created the lake, working the site from 1935 until the park opened to the public in 1939. Draftsman Joe C. Lair gave the bath house, the boat house and the concession building a Prairie Style treatment borrowed from Frank Lloyd Wright instead of the log and boulder rustic style the CCC used in almost every other park, which makes this group of buildings unusual in Texas. The bath house is still in service as the changing and shower building for the beach, and it has an accessible stall with grab bars, a fold down seat and a hand held shower head.

Entry is $6 per person age 13 and older, per day. Children 12 and under get in free, and a Texas State Parks Pass covers everyone in the vehicle for $70 a year. Day use hours are 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., headquarters is open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and a self pay station handles arrivals outside those hours. The park is open year round and the beach is not closed for the season, but swimming is prohibited between sunset and sunrise. There are no lifeguards at any hour. Pets and glass containers are banned in the swimming areas.

This park fills. Texas Parks and Wildlife recommends reserving day use as well as camping, and the busy stretch runs from March through Thanksgiving. Book a day pass online before a summer weekend, because the gate stops admitting cars once the park reaches capacity.

Boats are worth planning around if you want more of the lake than the beach. The boat house rents kayaks, canoes and pedal boats for $20 the first hour and $10 each hour after, or $70 for a full day, with life jackets and paddles included. Rentals run Thursday through Monday and are closed Tuesday and Wednesday, and they shut down entirely whenever the heat index climbs past 100 degrees, which is common in July and August. Private boats can use the ramp under a 5 mph no wake limit, so the water off the beach stays flat.

Two things specific to this shoreline are worth knowing. Away from the beach the bank turns into a steep grassy slope with no easy exit from the water, so stay inside the marked area. And the lake is spring fed and tannic, with underwater visibility usually measured in a few feet, which matters if you are swimming with children. Fishing from the bank and the lighted pier needs no license, though fishing from the dam is not allowed. Thirteen miles of trail ring the lake, including the 2.1 mile Lakeshore Trail, hiking only, which crosses the CCC dam and looks back across the water at the beach.