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Fall At Cooper Lake State Park

Experience Fall’s Coolness and Color at Cooper Lake State Park!

Cooper, TX— Midfall is a most special time of year here in Northeast Texas, with leaf color peaking with reds, yellows, and oranges aglow. This year the leaf change is a little ahead of the 2019 season. With cooler nights, sunny warm days, moderate rainfall, and a little luck, we should have a unique color from now through mid-November.

Leaf color is a biological process based on leaf pigments. We all have heard about the green pigment chlorophyll but may not be aware of others such as carotenoids, yellows and oranges, and anthocyanins reds and purples. As day length decreases and nights become cooler in the fall, this signals the plant to shut down chlorophyll production, and the carotenoids, which are always present, begin to shine through. Reds and purples develop in the fall. That’s because the same forces causing the decline of chlorophyll produce anthocyanins. It is a simplified explanation of complex chemistry, but with luck, it will all come together for us this year! The park is ready for you to enjoy nature’s watercolors.

The park forests are currently developing beautiful colors with red sumac, Virginia creeper, poison ivy, look but don’t touch, and rough-leaf dogwood, all expressing deep reds. Elms are developing yellows, as are multiple other forest species. Many trees and shrubs are still green, creating a contrast of color. Also, don’t forget about the flush of fall flowers scattered in the park’s pocket prairies.

Many state parks in the region have beautiful fall colors, such as Daingerfield State Park and Lake Bob Sandlin State Park, to name a couple. With your paid admission at Cooper Lake State Park, you can visit other state parks on the same day for free! Plan a day with family and friends to experience all the beauty fall has to offer at a Texas State Park!

Cooper Lake State Park entrance fees are $5 for adults; kids 12 and under always free. Senior Texans 65 or older will only pay $3 to enter the park daily with a Bluebonnet Pass. The purchase of a Texas State Park Annual Pass for $70, which is suitable for over 12 months, allows you unlimited park entrances for everyone in your vehicle. Buy your pass and let your Texas adventure begin!

For more information on the park, please visit and like our Facebook pages (Cooper Lake State Park – South Sulphur (903)-945-5256 and Cooper Lake State Park – Doctors Creek (903) 395-3100).