Wright Patman Lake is located in the beautiful piney woods of northeast Texas. The lake includes about 30,000 surface acres of water and 50,000 acres of land. Numerous recreational opportunities are available including camping, boating, fishing, swimming, hiking, hunting, and wildlife viewing including wintering bald eagles, pelicans, and various migratory ducks. Local attractions include numerous festivals such as Four State Fair and Rodeo; Quadrangle Street Festival;Jump, Jive and Jam Festival in Texarkana; Forest Festival in Atlanta; and Frontier Days Festival in New Boston. Texarkana also has numerous museums and points of interest including historic buildings and memorials.

Wright Patman Lake, situated in the northeastern region of Texas near Texarkana, is an artificial reservoir on the Sulphur River created by the Wright Patman Dam. The area surrounding this lake features a gently rolling landscape characteristic of the Piney Woods ecoregion with lush forests dominated by pine and hardwood trees that provide habitat for diverse wildlife. Its geography includes numerous creeks feeding into it and wetlands along its margins which enhance its ecological complexity. This scenic locale offers recreational opportunities such as fishing, boating, camping, hiking trails amidst mixed forest vegetation; while also serving important functions like flood control and water supply to nearby communities within Cass County and Bowie County where it lies partially contained.

Originally known as Lake Texarkana, the reservoir was created by the United States Army Corps of Engineers with construction starting in 1948 and completing in 1953. Its primary purpose was to provide flood control for the region, water supply storage, and recreational opportunities.

Prior to its establishment as a lake and recreation area, much of the land surrounding it consisted primarily of rural farmland owned by local families. The transformation into a reservoir required purchasing these private lands from their owners under government authority.

The damming project led to significant changes in land use; areas that were once agricultural became part of an expansive body of water surrounded by parkland designed for public enjoyment such as camping, fishing, boating activities.

Historical features within what is now designated parklands include remnants from early homesteads submerged beneath waters or scattered around shores-old foundations or farming equipment left behind during inundation when creating this artificial lake environment are occasionally visible due to fluctuating water levels revealing past human habitation traces.