Martin Dies, Jr. State Park

RR 4 Box 274
Jasper TX 75951
409/384-5231
Park locator map

All water related activities, including boat ramps and fishing piers at the Park are unavailable due to a lake drawdown at B.A Steinhagen Lake. Please call the park for water level updates in December, 2006.

History: Martin Dies, Jr. State Park, until 1965 known as the Dam B State Park, is a 705-acre recreational area in Jasper and Tyler Counties between Woodville and Jasper on B. A. Steinhagen Reservoir (15,000 acres). The land for the park was acquired under a 50-year lease from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1964 and was opened in 1965.

Activities: Visitors can enjoy camping, hiking, boating, canoeing, fishing, swimming, mountain biking and wildlife and bird watching. There are canoes, kayaks, cycles, and a flat bottom boat for rent.

Tours: There are naturalist activities on weekends and outdoor educational facilities. For information on the schedule for these activities, contact the park. Group tours by reservation. Canoe trips down the Angelina or Neches River are taken on the third Saturday of each month. Call the park at least one week in advance to make reservations.

Area Attractions: Nearby points of interest include Village Creek State Park; Winter bald eagle census conducted at the Sam Rayburn Reservoir; the Dogwood Festival held at Woodville; and a rodeo held in Jasper. In addition, the park is located approximately 30 miles from the Alabama-Coushatta Indian Reservation, Big Thicket National Preserve, National Forest Service areas, and Sam Rayburn Lake and Toledo Bend Lake.

Facilities: The park has 1 Limited Use Cabin (also known as a mini-cabin) in the "Hen House Ridge" unit . The cabin has heat, air conditioning, bunk beds and a screened porch. The outside has water, a fire-ring with a grill, a BBQ pit, and a picnic table.

Other facilities include screened shelters; campsites with water; campsites with water and electricity (special rates are available); a group dining/meeting hall; restrooms with hot showers; trailer dump stations; playgrounds; lighted fishing piers; fish-cleaning facilities; boat ramps; 4 miles of multi-use trails for hiking and mountain biking; 2 miles of nature/interpretive trail; an amphitheater with 4' x 6' platform stage, a movie screen, and electricity; and a Texas State Park Store and Nature Center.

All campsites in the Hen House Ridge Camping Unit, with the exception of sites 80-100 and 46-48, are available for camping. Cleanup and repairs due to Hurricane Rita are continuing. The Walnut Ridge Camping Unit is not available for camping.

Facility & Trail Map. (PDF 168 KB)

Flora/Fauna: Located at the edge of the Big Thicket National Preserve, the park is in the heavily-forested area known as the "East Texas Pineywoods." The park has numerous creeks, known as sloughs, and cypress, willow, beech, magnolia and sweet bay are common. Each fall the golden hues of beeches are brilliant against the reds of blackgums and oaks, mixed among the evergreen pines. Hiking trails provide excellent opportunities to view wildlife, including woodland warblers, woodpeckers, bluebirds, herons, wood ducks, cranes, and alligators, as the park is adjacent to Angelina-Neches-Dam B Wildlife Management Area.

More information on the wildlife mentioned here:

Texas Wildlife Factsheets.

Elevation: 221 ft.
Weather: July average high is 93; January average low is 38; first/last freeze: November 6/March 23; September is wettest month.

National Weather Service forecast for this area.

Schedule: Open 7 days a week year-round. Check the Calendar for Access Restrictions.

Directions: To reach the park from US Highway 69, travel 17 miles east from Woodville on US Highway 190; from US Highway 96, travel 12 miles west from Jasper on US Highway 190; or from Houston, take US Highway 59 north to Livingston, and then travel east on US Highway 190 for 65 miles to the park via Park Road 48. Park location map. media download (PDF 168 KB)

Current conditions including, fire bans & water levels, can vary from day to day. For more details, contact the park.

Information:

Read why Martin Dies, Jr. State Park is the June 2006 Park of the Month.