Cooper State Park
State park in Delta County, in the Prairies and Lakes region. 3,168 acres by TPWD boundary data.
Cooper State Park has two units on Jim Chapman Lake, about 90 minutes northeast of Dallas: Doctors Creek on the north shore and South Sulphur on the south. Both have swimming, fishing piers, kayak rentals, campsites, screened shelters and cabins. South Sulphur also has a 10.5-mile equestrian trail and cabins with kitchens and bathrooms.
Things to do
Fish and paddle
Rent a single or double kayak at either unit, or bring your own boat. There are boat docks, fishing piers and fish cleaning stations. No license is needed to fish from shore.
Ride Buggy Whip
South Sulphur's 10.5-mile Buggy Whip Equestrian Trail crosses nearly 600 acres of forest, hillsides and creek gulches. Bring proof of a negative Coggins test.
Camping
Both units have sites with water and electricity, screened shelters and cabins. South Sulphur adds walk-in sites, equestrian sites and 14 cabins with kitchens and bathrooms.
| Site type | Sites | Sleeps | Per night |
|---|---|---|---|
| Campsites with Electricity (50 Amp | Doctors Creek Unit)Water and electric | 2 | 8 | $30 |
| Campsites with Electricity (50 Amp | South Sulphur Unit)Water and electric | 42 | 8 | $30 |
| Campsites with Electricity (30 Amp | Doctors Creek Unit)Water and electric | 36 | 8 | $25 |
| Campsites with Electricity (30 Amp | South Sulphur Unit)Water and electric | 31 | 8 | $25 |
| Campsites with Water (Walk-in | South Sulphur Unit)Tent sites with water | 15 | 8 | $15 |
| Double Campsites with Electricity (30 Amp | South Sulphur Unit)Water and electric | 3 | 16 | $50 |
| Double Campsites with Electricity (50 Amp | South Sulphur Unit)Water and electric | 1 | 16 | $60 |
| Campsites with Electricity (Doctor's Creek - Premium Tent Only Sites)Water and electric | 2 | 8 | $20 |
| Group Camp (Doctors Creek Unit)Group | 48 | $75 | |
| Screened Shelters (Doctors Creek Unit)Screened shelters | 3 | 8 | $35 |
| Screened Shelters (South Sulphur Unit)Screened shelters | 17 | 8 | $35 |
| Cabins (6 Person | South Sulphur Unit)Cabins | 14 | 6 | $125 |
| Cabins (4 Person | South Sulphur Unit)Cabins | 4 | 8 | $60 |
| Cabins (5 Person | Doctors Creek Unit)Cabins | 2 | 8 | $60 |
| Campsites with 30 Amp Electricity (Equestrian | South Sulphur Unit)Equestrian | 9 | $25 | |
| Double Campsites with 30 Amp Electricity (Equestrian | South Sulphur Unit)Equestrian | 3 | $50 |
Nightly rates are on top of the daily entrance fee. Book a site with Texas State Parks reservations, or call (512) 389-8900.
Visiting with dogs
Dogs are allowed on a leash no longer than 6 feet. Like every Texas state park, they can't go into park buildings or designated swimming areas.
Swimming
Swimming is allowed in designated areas. There are no lifeguards at Texas state parks.
Best time to go
- Busy season
- Spring, summer and fall
- January low
- 30°F
- July high
- 94°F
- Rain per year
- 42.7 in.
- Night sky
- Bortle 4
TPWD lists spring, summer and fall as the busy season and says the park often reaches capacity. Equestrian trails may close in wet weather.
Averages and busy season from TPWD. The Bortle scale runs from 1 (darkest sky) to 9 (inner city).
Getting there
Cooper, TX 75432
(903) 395-3100
Open in OpenStreetMap (33.3487, -95.6637)
| From | Approx. drive | Straight line |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas | 1 hr 35 min | 74 mi |
| Tyler | 2 hr 5 min | 74 mi |
| Fort Worth | 2 hr 19 min | 105 mi |
| Waco | 3 hr 26 min | 152 mi |
| Austin | 5 hr 1 min | 244 mi |
| The Woodlands | 5 hr 13 min | 220 mi |
Nearby parks
- Bonham State Park
- Lake Bob Sandlin State Park
- Lake Tawakoni State Park
- Daingerfield State Park
- Eisenhower State Park
Straight-line distance. See every park in the Prairies and Lakes.
Questions people ask
What are the two units at Cooper State Park?
Doctors Creek, on the north side of the lake, and South Sulphur, on the south side.
Can you ride horses at Cooper State Park?
Yes, on the 10.5-mile Buggy Whip Equestrian Trail at the South Sulphur unit, with equestrian campsites.
Photo credits
- Cooper Lake State Park July 2015 1.jpg by Michael Barera, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Cooper Lake State Park July 2015 2.jpg by Michael Barera, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Cooper Lake State Park Texas swimming hole.jpg by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, photographer not specified or unknown, Public domain.
Sources
Last checked October 14, 2026. Fees, hours and rules change; the official TPWD page for Cooper has current alerts and closures.
- TPWD: Cooper State Park, retrieved October 14, 2026
- TPWD state parks map (amenities, contact), retrieved October 14, 2026
- TPWD GIS: Texas State Parks Public Areas, retrieved October 14, 2026
- TPWD: Bortle ratings by region, retrieved October 14, 2026
- TPWD: Cooper State Park campsites, retrieved October 14, 2026
- TPWD: Cooper State Park screened shelters, retrieved October 14, 2026
- TPWD: Cooper State Park cabins and lodging, retrieved October 14, 2026
- TPWD: Cooper State Park history, retrieved October 14, 2026
- TPWD: state park rules (pets, swimming), retrieved October 14, 2026
- TPWD GIS: Texas State Parks Boundaries (area computed from boundary), retrieved October 14, 2026
- OSRM routing on OpenStreetMap data (approximate drive times), retrieved October 14, 2026
- Wikimedia Commons (photos), retrieved October 14, 2026