Hit Refresh at Boykin Springs Lake

This time of year you’ve got to find a way to beat the heat. Sure, you could stay inside for the season, soaking up air conditioning in front of the TV. But it’d be a shame to miss Texas’ best bodies of water: Try taking a dip at Boykin Springs Lake, a 9-acre water hole tucked inside Angelina National Forest, where the whole family can swim and splash till they’re tired. Located two-and-a-half hours northeast of Houston, this spring-fed lake has refreshed visitors since 1938. “It’s just right for a dang mega-hot day like this!” said a kid quoted in the Texas Highways story that accompanied this 1983 photograph. The picture shows a bevy of bankside activity at the lake, along with an impressive splash as someone on the rope swing makes impact with the water. This place was once clear cut by loggers, but thanks to the efforts of the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s, towering maples and longleaf pines once again ring the lake’s perimeter, bringing much-needed shade in these dog days.