Texas Porch

State Park

Caddo Lake State Park sits on a vast cypress swamp near Karnack

Caddo Lake State Park gives you access to a 26,810-acre lake full of cypress trees, more than 70 fish species, and CCC-built cabins from the 1930s.

Marion County The Great Outdoors

Caddo Lake straddles the Texas-Louisiana line in Harrison and Marion counties. The state park sits at 245 Park Road 2 in Karnack. It covers part of a shallow, heavily wooded lake known for its bald cypress trees draped in Spanish moss. The lake runs about 20 feet deep at most. Largemouth bass, crappie, catfish, chain pickerel, and other species live here. Over 70 fish species total have been recorded. A fish consumption advisory is currently in effect — check TPWD for the latest details before eating your catch.

The park has an improved boat ramp, a fishing pier, picnic tables, and 2.5 miles of hiking trails. You can rent canoes and paddle Big Cypress Bayou or try the Hell's Half Acre Paddling Trail if you are an experienced paddler. Overnight options include 46 campsites and historic cabins built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s. Day-use entry costs $4 for adults; children 12 and under get in free. You do not need a fishing license to fish from shore inside a state park.

Source to confirm: TPWD — Caddo Lake State Park

More Marion County notes

Property Tax

Two offices handle your property tax bill in Marion County

The Marion Central Appraisal District sets your property value, while a separate Tax Office collects what you owe — two different offices with two different jobs.

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Public Hunting

Caddo Lake Wildlife Management Area allows public hunting with a permit

The Caddo Lake WMA covers about 8,124 acres in Marion and Harrison counties and is open to hunters who obtain the required permit from TPWD.

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Septic / OSSF

Most rural land in Marion County relies on a septic system

Outside city limits, most homes use an on-site sewage facility — a septic system — and Texas law requires a permit and a licensed site evaluation before you build or change one.

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Historic District

Jefferson's downtown is on the National Register of Historic Places

A 47-block area of Jefferson was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971, preserving dozens of 19th-century buildings from the town's days as Texas's leading inland port.

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