Our travel is not planned out in extensive detail…which results in finding new campgrounds at an acceptable travel distance only a day or two ahead of time. This has worked out pretty well so far. This tactic found us at the Texana Campground near Edna, Texas.
The campground is on Lake Texana, a man-made lake near Edna, TX. The campground was large and very spacious with miles of hiking trails, and plenty of water access for fishing, boating and wildlife observation. An extensive day use area offered picnic tables, boat launch, nature center (with regular programming), and kayak rentals. The lake seemed to be down a few feet during our visit; we assume it is because of the season. The creek/river that feeds the lake seemed to be low as well. But we could see the potential for great camping during more traditional times of year.
Massive Live Oak Tree 
Stumps in the Lake 
Texana Sunset 
One of many well-marked multi-use trails
Our minor research indicates that Lake Texana is named for the town whose site was flooded to create the lake. Texana was formed in 1832 and used to be the county seat in the late 1800’s. In 1882 it was a major port. However, Texana turned down the railroad when it came through, and the nearby town of Edna decided to host the railroad. Following that decision Texana rapidly declined and was abandoned by 1884. When authorities made the decision to create a lake for a local powerplant the town was already long-gone. (https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hvt22 ) Before the flooding began in 1968, archeologists investigated the area, and all they found were a few cisterns and and footings – nothing of interest or historical significance. The dam was complete in 1980 and the area opened as a state park in 1981. In 2012 and the Lavaca-Navidad River Authority assumed management responsibility.
Our campsite 
Hello, Deer 
Welcome Committee
We saw a couple of armadillos tromping around on one of our hikes. We had seen armadillos before (while assigned to Fort Hood), but we were not expecting them to move the way they do! They look like large armored field mice and sort of “bounce” much like mice. Though there were many signs warning about alligators, we fortunately did not observe any. Again, likely due to the timing of our visit. We did see lots of water fowl, and the occasional fish. We also had a welcome crew of deer, just grazing in the nearby camp sites.
No alligators to be seen…. 
American Beauty Berry 
Kevin on the trail 
Small offshoot of Lake Texana 
Texana Trail 
Windmill and Silo on adjacent property
Texana Campground appeared to be primarily a “locals” campground; we saw only two other vehicles with out-of-state license plates while we were there. Camp staff and other campers were very friendly, the facilities were clean, with generous size campsites (many with full hook-ups). While we would not go out of our way to return….it was a nice, quiet place to spend the weekend.