Harvey Creek Boat Ramp - Sam Rayburn

Is Harvey Creek Boat Ramp on Sam Rayburn Open?

I've heard mixed stories about the Harvey Boat Ramp if it was open or even useable so I went on a little joyride yesterday to check it out. The Forestry Department had closed the ramp down a couple of years ago due to high water and supposedly they weren't going to maintain it any longer going so far as to lock the gate. I had heard rumors that a giant tree was blocking the road as well. All of this is hear say and not official... probably the same things that most of ya'll have heard if you have had interest enough to read this post to this point.

Here is what I experienced when I drove down there. I did not have the Skeeter with me as I didn't have a clue what to expect and it is not fun having to back a boat long distances through narrow areas. The gate is unlocked and open. You can tell that people have been using it to some degree because there has been some work clearing the road. At some point several trees had fallen across the road but someone has gone through with a chainsaw and cut them enough to get by. There is some overgrowth on the road since it hasn't been maintained and I was a little concerned about scratching my new truck. The road was worn with a few large potholes as well and I can tell you this... it would suck to encounter another vehicle coming the opposite direction. When I made it to the old park, I could see the tree that people might have been talking about. I took a picture so you could see. It is blocking the right side of the loop in the parking lot. You can stay on the left side of the loop to make it to the ramp though. The ramp is in bad shape but looking at it, you could probably use the right side. I wouldn't even attempt to use the left lane. As you can see in the pics, there is a monster pothole/worn out area that has eroded there. Now this ramp has never been one that I really liked to use because the slope isn't great for one person to launch and usually beaching it on the bank can be tricky as well. My overall assessment is I wouldn't drive all the way around to use it however if you break down in that area and absolutely needed to use the ramp to load a boat up, it can be done. I still don't know if it is officially open right now from the US Forestry Service and it appears that there are no plans to rehabilitate or maintain this ramp in the future. The last I checked Whipporwill is open if you really want to launch in this area, if not, your best bet is to still launch at Cassel Boykin or Jackson Hill and run over by boat.

Looks rock solid. Launch away.

Last time I rode down there you could not even drive down the road. The big tree was just inside the gate. Also the gate was locked then too. I hate that they abandoned that park. I used to fish there a lot back when all I had was a Jon boat and couldn’t run far. I don’t know why other than money. Look at several of the parks after hurricane Rita and Ike. They never really got fixed right. Camping area just blocked off trees still down and rotting. Sad.

I think the Forestry Service turned it over to San Augustine county. The county ran it for a couple of years and closed it. Apparently, the county didn't have the funds to maintain the park and didn't make enough to keep it open. I wish they would fix it. I liked camping there and fishing mid lake. The ramp takes a beating from a NW wind.

Thanks for the detailed report and resolving all the rumors of what the state of ramp is.

Thanks for going to the trouble to give us a report on the conditions.