CHANGES TAKING PLACE AT LAKE SOMERVILLE PARKS
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has announced changes beginning Monday at Rocky Creek Park and Yegua Creek Park at Lake Somerville.
Corps officials say the move will allow those sites for camping but not day use, serving campers only as the campgrounds were originally designed.
Access to the campgrounds for shoreline fishing, sightseeing, walking and biking and access to nature trails and playgrounds will no longer be permitted. However, day use boat ramp launching will be allowed until Oct. 1st.
The parks were originally designed as campgrounds only. However, day users were later allowed access for other activities.
Corps officials say the number of day users utilizing the campgrounds generally increased each year, and visitation has grown so large that it now negatively impacts the use of the campground by campers.
Beginning Monday, only campers with advanced reservations made at www.recreation.gov or by telephone at (877) 444-6777 will be allowed access to the campgrounds.
Stinks on ice and REEKS of elitism! Citizens living right BY these parks are now granted only distant glimpses of the Lake from their porches, or as they drive by?? NO access to parks right in their own backyards that have been open for day use since the 1970s?? Rehburg, Long Point, and Burton citizens have long used and enjoyed these parks for picnics, hiking, fishing, canoeing. Many people may have purchased property partially for the easy access to the Lake and these parks.
Now big city escapees in their gigantic RVs are granted access that LOCAL citizens are denied?? I was told directly by a rather surly attendant at Rocky that they are always booked now with RVs and trailers from Houston- that the parks have been “discovered”.
SENATOR KOLKHORST- Please, can you help us????
Isn’t there more land that can be developed as day use only? Do pay taxes for such projects? Well?
What a huge disappointment. I live 10 minutes from Rocky Creek and very often walk the 3 mile loop trail, which is beautiful and secluded mostly in the woods. I rarely seeing anyone else. I park right at the entrance station and there is never another vehicle there where the trail loops begins and ends. Maybe they need to more clearly analyze areas of overuse of daytimers and make adjustment there. It’s clearly not for the hikers who arrive without a boat/kayak.
Texas is way behind in providing public access to water, river etc. Texas is private owned and or commercialized. Unfortunately that’s the way it is. Army Corp and engineers parks have seen there time come and go. It would be nice to turn these parks over the TPWD. But they are far from perfect and there park system is broken. Try making reservations for the coming summer at most parks. You will find yourself out of luck. Texas has a huge lack of camping, hiking, fishing, hunting and outdoor activities. It’s a shame that so much money is given back to TPWD with so little getting any benefit what so ever. Money should be put back into more camping opportunities, hiking etc. Not just to the benefit of hunting, fishing etc.
We need to just get rid of the lazy corps all together. They are useless. The park gate attendants are all in because less work for them also plus they still get paid. Turn the lake back over to the public.
Well well well…. It looks like they finally did it, they cut their nose off to spite their face. I swear these tax revenue run places around here have forgotten who the heck they work for. A lot of dictatorship is happening and another example of “you will do what we tell you to do.” Just like the whole trash service for Brenham getting changed to a private company. The city of Brenham never put that out for bid either. Never asked the citizens what they wanted. Now everyone complains about how those stupid trash barrels are making our town look, well TRASHY! When tax payer money is to be allocated and is over a certain dollar amount, it must be put out to bid. But you know how the so called “elite” in Brenham and Washington county like to do everything behind our backs. Sneaky that way!
The CORPS on Lake Somerville wants to get out of the camping grounds business together and this is just a step that’s been going on for years. How many remember that Overlook and Big Creek Parks were once CORPS operated ? Then they leased them off claiming they were money losing operations. Take a look at Overlook ramp on a weekend and tell me it’s not a money making operation. You watch, shortly they will be leasing these other two parks claiming they are in the red in revenues each year…. Call and email Senator Kolkhorst and Rep Leman office NOW. This was done with no public input too. Stand Up and let you voice be heard on this matter…
So all the people trying to get their kids noses off a screen for an afternoon are screwed. State must have hired someone new from out of town that is totally clueless.
I use the boat ramps maybe 5 times a year and they are usually so crowded that you just have to drive to find one still open. Now, after October 1, two of the boat ramps will be closed to launching. So, chances are that I drive 60 miles to find that the remaining ramps are full. This is not right! The Corps needs to rethink this atrocity!
This is not fair to tax payers. Tax payers that cannot afford a camping trailer are now being blocked from federal property for bank fishing, swimming, boat ramp usage.
Federal government penalizing the people at its worse.
So let me get this straight- people want to use the parks for day use and rather than improving day use features such as fishing piers, parking, better trails and more picnic areas the answer is to disallow day use altogether?
That’s some seriously bureaucratic thinking right there.
Let me guess the next thing will be closing the parks because they were losing to much money. They are barely holding on as they are. What do you then, stop any extra money coming in. Smart. Thank you politicians and the guy head of decor engineers at Somerville you are doing one hell of a job. Don’t doing a good job of holding on to y’all’s jobs
Just like anything else, campgrounds have capacity limits. Not just for safety, either. Reasons could include preserving the natural beauty of the park/lake, providing optimum room and resources for guests without overcrowding and a lot less overhead.
If course, your comment makes sense EXCEPT I live nearby and have been a day visitor almost from the opening of the parks and it just doesn’t feel right……
This closes day access to almost everything on the Burton side of the lake, with Overlook being closed so much of the last ten years.
Don’t get to the lake much? last few years we’ve have to take our own weedeater to camp to clear pads of knee high weeds & dead treed everywhere not a lot of beauty, more overgrown than overcrowding.
For seniors having a Golden Pass will be forced to use commercial ramps at much higher cost. I may use the ramps 75 to 100 times a year,& could cost upward of $500 to $700 a year.. Yequa Park ramp being the only truly protected ramp for most weather conditions and will force many after a long trip to risk launching. Using this ramp since the lake opened and now this. There is not sufficient ramps and parking for the citizens wanting to use the lake. Yes call your representatives.
Yeah, this leaves only overlook park available to launch anywhere on that side of the lake. That’s crazy.
Core of engineers personnel are lazy! They are contract writers!
They might have too clean up the mess other daytime users make because they don’t monitor the park on hourly drive through and might have to pick up the bags of trash and put them in a dumpster.
Actually they don’t want nobody using nothing out there they approve that over the years. Actually they don’t want nobody using nothing out there they approve that over the years
They need to remember that they work for us.
This is wrong!! Where are we to launch our kayaks and fish?
If you have ever been to Belton Lake or Stillhouse Hollow lakes, they are CORP lakes that have TONS of day use areas that are free, as well as boat ramps. It’s a clear water lake that makes ours look like sewer and yet we are the ones that can’t do anything at our lake.
I smell a rat!! 3/4 of the parks haven’t been open for years and years!!
Why are the campers so special all of a sudden. They need two parks? I lived down the road back in the late seventies and day visitors were welcome back then so whats changed? So for 43 years it was suppose to be just for campers. Sorry not buying the story and I don’t think we are getting the truth about the post. People are being excluded from enjoying parks that our taxes pay for and if you don’t have a camper? Why are the horse rider trails closed after 3 years? Spectator see if you can find out the truth? I’ll be calling McCauls office too.
No birthday parties anymore either???
Welcome communism!
Pathetic Feds!
You stated the boat ramps will be available until October 1st. What happens then?
I don’t know, but as a kayak fisherman, it will be very hard to get anywhere on that side of the lake now. Without any of the boat ramps being open, there is nowhere to put in. Not easy to just row all the way over there without a motor.
You can always launch at Welch Park in Somerville, 7 days a week from 10AM to 10PM!!!!
That means Oct 1, you will not be able to use the boat ramp at Yegua or Rocky, unless you rent a camping site. ?
Give Welch Park a call! They would love to have you. It’s the biggest & best park on the lake ! It is minimal cost for entrance & camping! Family leased & operated and friendly employees. There are 72 camp sites with water/electric on site weather conditions. also. Cost for daytime is $3/person & boat launch is free ! Have a look yourself. Ppl
I lived right down the road on FM 1948 in 1978 and it was used for day use and campers and has been for many years. We also did not have so much of the park blocked off and more of the park was useable. Its my belief this is more Government lies because they want to see if we will buy into it and say makes sense to me. Why is our Government always lying to us? Why do we buy into whatever they say? Why not have one of the parks just for the day uses and exclude the campers? If your reading this let McCaul,Cruz,and Cornyn know about it.
Mc Cain Park been closed so is Pecan Lake and then there is the lost boat ramp on N side. This will also impact local businesses.
Will campers be able to have visitors like they were allowed to in the past. We enjoy coming out for a few days and having our children and grandchildren come out and visit us.
Gate attendant said this morning that up to 8 visitors will be allowed at campsites.