Lake Bob Sandlin Fall Events: Your 2026 Holiday Guide

At 6 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 31, the camping loops at Lake Bob Sandlin State Park close to cars. For the next two hours, all 63 campsites become one trick-or-treat route, with campers competing for the best-decorated site.

This kind of night repeats all season around the lake. The park staff sets the date and the route. Campers, families and neighbors with generators supply most of what makes the night worth the drive. From late October through December, the best events at Lake Bob Sandlin need people to take part, and the dates for taking part come well ahead of the events.

Boo Camp works because the campsites do

The 11th Annual Boo Camp is listed for 6 to 7 p.m. on Oct. 31. The loops stay closed to traffic until 8 p.m., and the evening's last organized activity starts at 7:45, so plan on more than an hour.

Here's how the night is set up:

• Trick-or-treating at 63 campsites. Texas Parks and Wildlife asks that costumes stay at a kid-friendly scare level.
• A Jack-O-Lantern Contest. Bring a carved pumpkin. Winners are picked by 7 p.m.
• A site decoration contest for campers who take part.
• Lantern Hikes on the Homestead Trail at 7 and 7:45 p.m.

Entry is the usual $5 for everyone 13 and older. Children 12 and under get in free. The park suggests arriving early for parking and wearing comfortable walking shoes.

The Homestead Trail is only 0.4 miles, and TPWD's trail guide describes it as the place "where a family established their home long ago." That's a short walk for small legs, and in the dark by lantern it makes a fitting end to a Halloween night.

Families who want two stops can start in Pittsburg. The city calendar lists Trick or Treat on Main Street at ShipPitt starting at 4 p.m. the same day, two hours before the park loops close to cars.

A Saturday morning around the fire first

The week before Halloween, the park has a quieter event, and you do some of the work at this one too. The Dutch Oven Demo, Biscuit and Coffee Edition runs 9 to 11 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 24, at the park pavilion. The session covers building a fire and cooking with coals while biscuits bake and coffee brews over the campfire. Then everyone gets to try what came out of the pot.

Bring your own jam or whatever you like on a biscuit, plus anything you take in your coffee. The biscuits contain wheat and dairy.

If the day is still open after breakfast, the Mount Pleasant Chamber's Uncorked Food & Wine Festival is set for the same Saturday at Caldwell Park downtown. Entry is free, and Rancho Seco Steakhouse is the presenting sponsor.

Christmas in the Park is lit by the people who sign up

Boo Camp shows the pattern. The 14th Annual Christmas in the Park takes it further. The event page lists it from 6 p.m. Friday, Dec. 11, through 9 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 12.

On Friday, you drive through the park to see campsites covered in lights and walk through a live-action Bethlehem. On Saturday, the drive-through and Bethlehem return, and Santa visits the day-use area. The park's main events page shows only the Dec. 11 start, so call the office at (903) 572-5531 before planning around the Saturday.

The lights on that drive come mostly from volunteers, and the park offers two ways to help:

1. Decorate a campsite and camp for free. Starting Dec. 9, campers who decorate their site stay free. Decorations must be ready for the Dec. 12 drive-through, and the best campsite wins a contest. Sign up by calling the park office.
2. Adopt a dark spot. The park is offering parts of its grounds that are usually dark for adoption. Adopters bring their own generator and light the area. The deadline to claim a spot is Dec. 1. The park's stated goal is to "make this year the brightest in park history."

Admission works the same way. Instead of entrance fees, the park collects canned food, which goes to local food banks.

So the brightness of the drive on Dec. 11 depends on how many people sign up in November. If you live on the lake and own a generator and a few strands of lights, Dec. 1 is the date to circle.

The calendar that matters is the deadline calendar

Counting from Thursday, Oct. 22, here are the sign-up and price dates in order:

1. Friday, Oct. 23. Last day of the $35 registration tier for the 2026 Wine Run Turkey Trot 5K at Los Pinos Ranch Vineyards.
2. Oct. 24 through Nov. 10. Turkey Trot registration is $40.
3. Nov. 11 through Nov. 20. Registration rises to $45, then $50 on race day.
4. Tuesday, Dec. 1. Deadline to claim a dark spot for Christmas in the Park.
5. Wednesday, Dec. 9. Free camping begins for campers who decorate their sites.
6. Saturday, Dec. 12. Campsite decorations must be ready for the drive-through.

The Turkey Trot is a Thanksgiving-themed 5K on Saturday, Nov. 21, from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the vineyard, 658 County Road 1334 in Pittsburg. Part of the proceeds go to Let Love Live Animal Rescue. Each registration tier you miss adds $5, so the gap between signing up this week and on race day is $15.

Pittsburg fills the nights between park events

The park's calendar has a long stretch with nothing scheduled from Nov. 1 until Dec. 11. Pittsburg's city calendar fills much of it, much of it near the water.

The full list is on Visit Pittsburg's events page, and it's worth checking again before each weekend.

Two dates line up well. The Pilgrim Plaza tree lighting on Nov. 19 starts Pittsburg's holiday season more than three weeks before the park's lights go on. That leaves time to see what a downtown display looks like before deciding to adopt a dark spot by Dec. 1. Nov. 21 is the other full Saturday, with the Turkey Trot at Los Pinos and the farmers market at Moonlight Acres both starting at 9 a.m.

The quiet weeks belong to the trails

Between Nov. 1 and Dec. 11, the state park is simply a park, and it has more to offer than its event weekends suggest. TPWD lists five trails, all multiuse:

• Lakeview Loop, 0.6 miles. Runs along the State Park Cove. TPWD suggests watching for waterfowl and possibly a bald eagle.
• Brim Pond Trail, 0.3 miles. Pines, American beautyberry, fern and buckeye, with a steep gully crossing.
• Homestead Trail, 0.4 miles. The Boo Camp lantern-hike route, worth seeing in daylight too.
• Dogwood Trail, 1.7 miles. A forest walk to the Trout Pond. TPWD suggests bringing a fishing pole.
• Dogwood Cutoff, 0.3 miles. A shortcut through the forest. Turn north at either T to reach the Trout Pond.

Three landmarks give those walks a destination. Fort Sherman Cemetery is the oldest cemetery in Titus County. The Army of the Republic of Texas built Fort Sherman to protect nearby families from 1838 until the post was no longer needed. Nobody knows exactly where the fort stood, but the cemetery shows it was in this area. The lighted fishing pier is a nighttime spot for crappie and bass. The Trout Pond, ringed by oaks, is open to anglers of all ages year-round.

The park is at 341 State Park Road 2117 in Pittsburg and has a boat ramp along with the pier. Conditions change through the season, so check the park's page on the Texas Parks and Wildlife site before you go.

At Boone & Co. Realty Group, we love the seasons when Lake Bob Sandlin feels most like home. If you're adopting a dark spot this December, or just want to talk about life on this side of the lake, let's connect.