Davy Crockett National Forest

Children try out a paddleboat at Ratcliff Lake Recreation Area.

A family enjoys a watermelon at the Ratcliff Lake Recreation Area.

Swimmers cool off at Ratcliff Lake Recreation Area in Davy Crockett National Forest.

The Davy Crockett National Forest, situated between the Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston metropolitan areas, contains 160,633 acres of woodlands, streams and a host of recreational activities.

The forest has two developed sites. Ratcliff Lake Recreation Area, built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1937, offers camping, picnicking, a swimming beach, interpretive forest trails, boating and fishing. Here, visitors view the remains of the sawmill industry that flourished from the late 1800s until the 1930s.

Piney Creek Horse camp has gravel roads, city water, gravel campsites, pit toilet, accessible mounting ramp, group shelter, and a pond to water horses. White Rock camp is primitive with only a pit toilet. The horse trail system has approximately 54 miles of trails to ride.

The Big Slough Wilderness Area, located between Forest Road 517 and the Neches River, provides a place for solitude.This wilderness area also hosts a portion of the 20-mile Four C National Recreation Trail. The trail, designed for foot traffic only, begins at Ratcliff Lake, follows the abandoned tramways of the Central Coal and Coke Company and leads to a scenic overlook at Neches Bluff.