lake somerville state park - nails creek unit

Park is clean and Rangers are very polite. Had a great time fishing, cooking out and spending time with family. Will definitely go again.

We RV camp quite a bit at Texas state parks. The electric/water loop (no sewer connections at park) is nice. Go for a site on the outside of the loop - much more spacious. Most sites are fairly well shaded.Restrooms - average at best. The showers were the worst we've seen. The shower head is small and comes directly out of the wall and is angled down. The water comes out at most 5 inches from the wall making it very challenging to wash.We were also disappointed in some of the trails. While they have several miles of trails, a couple of them did not seem well-maintained. Large branches/trees across the trails and/or knee high grass.The last problem we saw were ants. EVERYwhere. Campsites, trails, restrooms, trails to the restroom. Not fireants, fortunately, but Texas red ants. They still bite!Water levels on the lake were fine. The park staff were extraordinarily friendly, the park store had a nice selection of souvenirs and a few camping basics if you forget something. It's several miles to a store so, as a previous reviewer mentioned, don't forget anything!This is a popular equine camping park with equine camping sites as well. There's a 13 mile trailway with primitive campsites and equine campsites (not reviewed).Wildlife was plentiful in the park. Cotton tails rabbits, white-tailed deer, many bird species, etc. Canoes available for rental at the park. Great fishing, also. Overall it was a good visit with a few issues. It was worth a trip, even in the summer. We didn't have any mosquitoes, but there were dozens of dragonflies all over.

A very nice spot for a picnic and nature hikes. Lots of shady picinic tables throughout this section of the park. (Overnight camping not in this review) The restrooms and other facilities look close-to-new and are very clean. The showers are great - indoors and outside.This park features horse, bike and hiking trails (quite extensive with mixed terrain for differing abilities) with horse camping open air stalls in numerous campsites. Lake Somerville is only moderately affected by the long term drought in Texas: fishing is reportedly good to very good and boating has not been hampered. There is no developed swimming area with sandy bottom but swimming is permitted in at least one area of this end of the park. The staff is very friendly. Its a long way from town so bring everything you'll need for the day.The best deal for out of state visitors and residents is an annual state park pass - gets up to 15 people in one vehicle admission for each day.

We planned on having more swimming access to the water, which is actually very low at this point. If you want swimming, stay a Birch Creek. Otherwise, lots of birds, animal life, nice stalls, and friendly staff members.

Had such a great time. Perfect weather, beautiful spot to camp. We were in an equestrian area and the place was clean and peaceful. Lots of trails, lake was low but we enjoyed the walks and bike riding. Lots of wildflowers to photograph. Didn't see snakes, but tons of cardinals, butterflies, bumble bees and dragon flies. True "back to nature" weekend!

Generous space at the water/electric tent camp sites. Some very good walk up fishing areas. A very nice group dining area. Looked like a brand new shower/restroom by the boat launch area. If we had a boat, the ramp looked like it was very user friendly. There were some very very nice horse stalls next to the equestrian camp sites. A small pond for kid fishing with its own cleaning station and pier. You may want to call ahead and check the availability of fire wood after a busy weekend, if you dont already bring your own. Very nice staff from check in to departure.