Meridian State Park

October 2023

Meridian State Park was the fourth park we visited on our journey through the Central Prairies and Lakes region of Texas.

We arrived at Meridian State Park on Sunday after spending the previous seven nights at nearby Lake Whitney, Dinosaur Valley, and Cleburne State Parks. While we were setting up our trailer for a two-night stay, most other campers in the park were packing up.

We spent the afternoon exploring the nearby grounds of the park on foot. The water level in Lake Meridian was low, much like all the lakes in Texas in 2023, but there was still plenty of water left. I noticed lots of fish activity along the shore near the dam. I will try a little fishing before we head home.

Monday morning, we had sausage and eggs for breakfast, then geared up to hike the 2.2-mile Bosque Trail that wraps around Lake Meridian.

I misread the difficulty level of the Bosque Trail when we were deciding which of the park's trails to hike. Most parts of the Bosque trail were easy, but there were a few where we thought, no way this trail is an easy/moderate hike. But we took our time like we often do when we hike and soaked up what nature had to offer along the trail.

When navigating long stretches of hiking trails through State and National parks, I like to see YOU ARE HERE signs periodically appear. They help confirm your map reading skills.

While hiking on the Bosque, we crossed a wooden bridge that stretched over a dry portion of Bee Creek.

The top of the BEE LEDGE overlook provided a great view of the lake and forest below.

After taking in the view, we took a short detour on the half-mile Little Forest Junior Trail before continuing on the Bosque. Along the trail, we discovered a mysterious path leading into the woods. It was not a trail maintained by the park staff, and access to it appeared barricaded until someone - or something - knocked it down. It seemed the park rangers were trying to discourage exploration by visitors.

The stone bridge was another quality project built by the CCC. It was hard to believe that the dam, the refectory, and the stone bridge are still going strong after 90 years!

Back on the Bosque trail and headed toward the campground and our RV for rest before preparing dinner of steaks and veggies.

On Tuesday, I woke up at pre-dawn and brewed a pot of coffee while I prepared my fly fishing gear for some angling before breakfast.

I fished for about two hours and tried three different flies, but no luck. I saw lots of activity in the water, but no large fish ever hit the surface.

After a relaxing morning of fly fishing, I drove my truck back to camp to prepare breakfast of potato and egg tacos with cheese and hot coffee.

After breakfast, we drove into the town of Meridian to fill up on fuel before attaching our trailer. It is much easier to fuel a tow vehicle without the trailer attached.

One of the interesting factoids about Meridian State Park was how it got its name. The town and the park are near the 98th meridian - so the sign indicates - a verticle line that divides North America between the dry plains and rock mountains to the west and the prairies and forests of the east.

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