I have a few tips for the OP if you care to relay them. First, here's the link to my story ON Two Wheeled Texans forum about the trip and the lake area: Kingdom of the Possums in the Storytelling section.
https://www.twtex.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13460
You caught me working on the conclusion, which includes two topo maps (upload tonight or tomorrow).
Here's a few tips:
1. Take the loop around the lake; it's fantastic and the fall colors are peaking right now. Keep your eyes open as you ride down Hwy 16 from just south of Graham. After a turn in the road cut through the limestone ridge, the vista is so freakin' fantastic, your jaw will drop open and you might gasp in awe as I did. But be forewarned, there are NO shoulders to pull off. Road construction there has both shoulders chewed up and spit out alongside the road.
2. There's a fork in the road for the park. If you like lots of kids on bikes, noise, radios, boats, open space, etc, take the left fork. If you want quiet and solitude and trees with a wonderful overlook of the lake, with some hiking trails, take the right fork. Go along the meandering road, up into the Shady Grove (? I think that's what the sign said) area and to the end. Watch out for a tight turn; it caught me by surprise. A primo camping spot is site 100. That is my spot and I wasn't going to share it with anyone but I'm feeling benevolent tonight. The tent area is well off the tarmac and down a trail a bit, with a picnic table and two grilling pits. It overlooks the lake and is very nicely sheltered by lots of trees and shrubbery. There's some nice hiking paths in there along the lake ledges and a path down the a cove.
There's owls and coyotes and raccoons and other neat critters of the woods there; my kinda companions.
3. If you can wait a day or so, I'll post a topo on the TWT thread showing my route on the east side of the lake, along the finger that juts out into the lake (at the end is a nice spot to eat beef jerky and talk to the deer), and it's also close to the Observation Point that overlooks the eastern part of the lake and the dam, including the Brazos River below the dam and the fish hatchery (also below the dam).
4. there's a good place to eat along that 'finger', so I've heard. When I went by the first time it wasn't open yet but on my way back it was. But I was full of beef jerky and didn't stop.
5. I have some of the numbers of the roads I rode in the thread on TWT forum. I highly recommend riding the lake from the west --> North --> east then south. You'll end up on 180 which goes east to Weatherford.
I hope this helps.
PKL can be a nice ride and place to camp and explore. All you have to have is the curiosity and the will. And magic will unfold.
The colors are awesome right now. I actually took a mental holiday from work yesterday and rode back to that area for a sensory fix.
Enjoy!
TexasShadow
