Cypress Bend Park outside of Many, La., sits on a bluff overlooking the Toledo Bend Reservoir. The campsites and cabins stairstep up the hillside giving most overnight guests a view of the lake through the trees.
The campground is in a stand of towering pine trees. The tops of the trees sway in the breeze while providing shade. There’s nothing to be done about the humidity except a dip in the cool waters at the park’s sandy beach.
At only 114 acres, the park is small, but it hits above its weight class. It was selected as “Campground of the Year” in 2015 by the Louisiana Travel Association. Lots of the campers come back year after year. The lake is one of the top sportfishing spots in both states.
Toledo Bend Reservoir is the largest lake in the South with a surface area of 185,000 acres. The lake impounding the Sabine River and straddling the Texas/Louisiana border has 1,200 miles of shoreline, much of it covered in forest.
Construction of the reservoir began in 1963 and was completed in 1969 when the power plant east of Jasper began operating. A joint project of Texas and Louisiana, the reservoir was constructed for water supply, hydroelectric power generation, and recreation. It is the nation’s only public water conservation and hydroelectric power project built without federal funding.
Using the park as a base for exploring the area puts you within striking distance of the oldest permanent settlements in Texas and Louisiana. Lasyone’s Meat Pie Restaurant is less than an hour away surrounded by the Old World charm of downtown Natchitoches. In Nacogdoches the tasty brews at the Fredonia Brewery are a little over an hour away.
Cypress Bend Park is outside of Many, La., about 20 minutes over the Texas state line on the shores of Toledo Bend Reservoir. Reservations can be made at srala-toledo.com/cypress-bend-park.
1,808th in a series. Everywhere is a day trip from somewhere. Follow “Day Trips & Beyond,” a travel blog, at austinchronicle.com/day-trips.
This article appears in May 29 • 2026.
