Eisenhower State Park: A Guide to Outdoor Activities
By: Brian Hart
Revised by: Laurie E. Jasinski
Published: 1976
Updated: November 5, 2025
Eisenhower State Park is five miles northwest of Denison near Farm Road 1310 in northern Grayson County near the Texas–Oklahoma state line. The Texas legislature voted in 1947 to honor World War II hero Dwight D. Eisenhower, who was born in Denison, by establishing a state park on the south shore of the recently completed Lake Texoma. Not until 1954, however, when Eisenhower had been president of the United States for two years, did state officials lease the 463-acre site from the United States Army Corps of Engineers and construct the park, which opened in 1958. Most of the park sits high above the lake, and its shoreline consists predominantly of limestone cliffs, although part of it is a swimming beach. Lake Texoma is noted among fishing enthusiasts for bass, crappie, and catfish. Two fishing piers, a boat ramp, and a fish-cleaning shelter have been constructed in the park. The privately-owned Eisenhower Yacht Club marina is also located in the park. In addition to fishing, water skiing and sailing are popular activities among visitors. Animal-watchers and bird-watchers are attracted to the wooded areas, which are home to white-tail deer, raccoons, bobcats, grey foxes, beavers, and various birds, including wintering bald eagles, loons, and pelicans. Eisenhower State Park has more than four miles of trails for hiking and biking and also offers special trails for all-terrain vehicles and dirt bikes. Facilities include a park store, thirty-four screened shelters, more than 150 campsites, and one cabin (known as “Ike’s Cabin”) for park visitors.
Bibliography:
Eisenhower State Park, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (https://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/eisenhower), accessed November 4, 2025. Mildred J. Little, Camper's Guide to Texas Parks, Lakes, and Forests (Houston: Pacesetter, 1978; 2d ed., Houston: Lone Star, 1983). Ray Miller, Texas Parks (Houston: Cordovan, 1984).
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The following, adapted from the Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition, is the preferred citation for this entry.
Brian Hart Revised by Laurie E. Jasinski, “Eisenhower State Park,” Handbook of Texas Online, accessed March 09, 2026, https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/eisenhower-state-recreation-park.
Published by the Texas State Historical Association.
TID:
GKE01
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- 1976
- November 5, 2025
