The Outdoors in Jacksonville, Texas

Lake Jacksonville, about three miles southwest of town, is the centerpiece of local outdoor life. Created in 1957 as the city's water supply, the 1,320-acre lake — with a maximum depth around 62 feet — is popular for fishing, boating, swimming, and lakeside living. The city operates a park on the lake with beaches, camping, picnic areas, and boat ramps, and the shoreline is dotted with lake homes.

Anglers come for largemouth bass, crappie, and catfish, and the lake is a favorite for a summer day on the water. For residents and visitors alike, Lake Jacksonville is the go-to spot to cool off and get on the water.

One of the signature outdoor experiences in the area isn't a lake but a view. Love's Lookout, on a high ridge just north of Jacksonville along US 69, offers a sweeping panorama across miles of rolling Piney Woods — one of the most expansive vistas in this part of East Texas. The historic roadside park has picnic facilities and walking areas, and the view is especially striking when the fall color comes in.

It's a simple, free pleasure and a longtime favorite stop for travelers and locals — a reminder of just how green and rolling the Cherokee County landscape is.

The countryside around Jacksonville is classic East Texas — dense pine and hardwood forest, creek bottoms, and small farms. It's good country for hunting (deer season is a fixture of the local calendar), scenic drives, and getting into the woods. The sandy, rolling terrain that once made the area ideal for tomatoes also makes for pretty, varied landscape.

Jacksonville's location opens up more of East Texas, too. Tyler, with its rose gardens and Tyler State Park, is about 30 miles north, and the deep woods and lakes toward the Davy Crockett National Forest and the Neches River lie to the south and east. For anyone who likes the outdoors, Jacksonville is a well-placed base in the Cherokee County Piney Woods.