A plan to develop Jasper’s Sandy Creek Park submitted by the local Master Gardeners has won approval for technical assistance from the National Park Service’s Rivers, Trails & Conservation Assistance Program. City representatives and NPS began meeting last November to work on plans. Members of the Longleaf Ridge chapter of the Texas Master Naturalists were invited and have been participating in the project.

The long-term vision is to create an outdoor recreation district which will utilize Sandy Creek as its hub, and ultimately re-brand the Jasper community as a nature tourism mecca. The hub will eventually connect Sandy Creek, and thus downtown Jasper, to public access points for paddling, hiking and other recreation at area parks, along the Neches River and Lake Sam Rayburn.

The City hopes to acquire an additional 65 acres running west along Sandy Creek, in order to extend the park into an area that will remain undeveloped, offering visitors the primitive experience of hiking wilderness trails. While the paperwork for that is being put in place, the focus is on the more recent expansion acquired just west of Marvin Hancock Drive. 

The City is currently seeking community involvement through a Survey developed by NPS designed to determine which amenities are most preferred by local residents and other visitors to the park. If you love visiting Sandy Creek Park in Jasper, please take the survey, and ask all of your friends and family to do the same!