Lake Wood makes list of eight-best Texas retiree travel destinations

It is widely considered to be one of the best-kept secrets in Gonzales County, but the word may be getting out about Lake Wood and the Lake Wood Recreation Area.

Lake Wood, also known as H-5 Reservoir, has been named one of the eight best Texas travel destinations for retirees in an article by World Atlas, a website which contains not only maps but informative stories about destinations worldwide.

“With retirement comes the opportunity to spend one's days traveling and making day trips to places that you may not have been previously able to find time for when you were working,” the article states. “Being one of the largest states in the continental United States, Texas has everything from luxurious spa towns, quaint villages with weekly farmers markets, vast stretches of natural reserved land, historic landmarks, and hip urban cities full of 5-star restaurants.”

Located about five miles west of Gonzales off U.S. 90-A on Farm-to-Market road 2091 South, Lake Wood is acknowledged for its serene setting as well as excellent fishing, even despite the draining of the man-made reservoir when a reservoir gate failed in March 2016 following a heavy rainfall.

The lake itself may be no more, but the Guadalupe River still flows through and Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority (GBRA) park rangers manage a 35-acre park — Lake Wood Recreation Area — with 24-hour on-site supervision.

“For retirees who don't wish to venture into noisy, bustling, traffic-heavy cities, Wood Lake is located only an hour away from San Antonio, near the town of Gonzales,” the article notes. “Where the lake used to lie is now overgrown with a forest. But the Guadalupe River, which fed into and out of the lake, still flows through the area. On its shores lies the Lake Wood recreation area and campground, which can accommodate both tent campers and RVs.

“The river is known to provide excellent fishing and is known to be home to largemouth bass, catfish, sunfish, and white crappies; on top of that, the river is a popular canoeing, swimming, and tubing spot.”

The reservoir was formed by the construction of a hydroelectric dam in 1931 on the Guadalupe river and GBRA took over management of the dam and lake in May 1963, turning it into a venue for outdoor recreation.

Texas Parks & Wildlife still restocks parts of the Guadalupe up river from Lake Wood and these species do come through the park area, making it still viable for fishing.

Other areas which were named in the article include Fredericksburg, Big Bend National Park, Lake Livingston, Galveston, Corpus Christi, San Antonio and Kerrville.

You can read more at https://www.worldatlas.com/places/the-best-texas-travel-destination-for-retirees.html.