The Outdoors in Henderson, Texas

The standout outdoor destination near Henderson is Martin Creek Lake State Park, a short drive east toward Tatum. Set on a 5,000-acre lake that serves as the cooling reservoir for a power plant, the park has an unusual feature: because the plant keeps the water warm year-round, the fishing — especially for bass — stays good even in winter, and the lake is popular with anglers who want to fish in any season.

The park offers camping, screened shelters and cabins, swimming, hiking and biking trails, a fishing pier, and boat ramps, plus a scenic island connected by a footbridge. It's one of the more enjoyable state parks in the region and the centerpiece of outdoor recreation around Henderson.

Closer to town, Lake Striker, a reservoir south of Henderson, is a quiet, scenic lake popular for fishing — bass, crappie, and catfish — and boating, with a relaxed, less-developed feel. To the northwest, Lake Cherokee, a private recreational lake shared with the Longview area, offers more fishing and boating.

Together with Martin Creek Lake, these reservoirs give the Henderson area a good spread of fishing water within a short drive, all set in pretty Piney Woods country. For a town in the heart of the oil patch, there's a surprising amount of quiet lake recreation nearby.

The countryside around Henderson is classic East Texas — dense pine and hardwood forest, creek bottoms, and rolling hills. It's good country for hunting, with deer season a fixture of the local calendar, and for scenic drives and getting into the woods. The same oil-and-gas country that built the local economy is also prime habitat and outdoor land.

Henderson's central location in the Tyler–Longview–Nacogdoches triangle puts even more of East Texas within reach. The bigger reservoirs of the region — and the national forest country to the south — are all an easy drive away. For anyone who likes to fish, hunt, or simply spend time in the Piney Woods, Henderson is well situated.