New Lower Priced Deluxe Singles

Just for the summer, cabins 3-6 have lower prices. These cabins normally come with cinnamon rolls, but this time of year most people just want a better view of the lake, which the Deluxe Singles offer. You can still order a half dozen cinnamon rolls when you book your cabins, but they aren't included in the price. You do still get free movie rentals in the office and Dish Network TV! Two night minimum stays are required to take advantage of the lower rate.

Lakefront Cabins? Waterfront? Lakeside? Lake View? Lake Access? What does Lake Whitney really offer?

If you spend very much time searching for accommodations on Lake Whitney you are likely to find a variety of descriptive terms used to describe cabins and their relationship to the lake.

Lake Whitney is a flood control lake with a 40 foot flood pool above the official "normal" level. That means that nothing but campsites situated on Corps of Engineers property can be located in the flood zone. That also means no cabins or houses sit right next to the water on Lake Whitney.

This is a Corps of Engineers Park with the water level just a few feet above normal, but you can see that the water is in their parking lot.

Almost all properties on the lake adjoin land owned by the Corps of Engineers. These properties are considered "lakefront," but since in almost all cases there is public land between the private property line and the water's edge, there are very few "waterfront" properties on the lake. In fact I only know of one area that can claim to be "waterfront" and that only happens when the lake is at or above the normal level of 533' (which is rare) because they are located far up into tiny fingers beyond the normal Corps of Engineers boundaries that surround the lake.


Those properties have no lake access at all when the water level is below normal. Lake Whitney is a deep lake (108' in the center) but it stays below the designated normal by 8-10 feet most of the time.

With that in mind, the only two "lakefront" or "lakeside" accommodation choices are:

• Perched atop limestone cliffs out of the flood area, but directly above the water.
• On sloping hillsides back away from the water's edge. 

The questions you should ask when determining which accommodations work best for you are:

Exactly how do you access the water from the the cabin?
How far is it to the water?
What is the shoreline like at their location? Smooth? Rocky?
Is it possible to swim?
Is it possible to tie up my boat?
Is there a view of the water from the cabin I have in mind?
Is there a public area with a view of the lake?

Here at Arrowhead we are on a sloping hillside, not a cliff. That means we have easy access to a smooth shoreline. We have a trail that is about 150 yards down the hill to the water. Once at the shore, you have full access to several miles of  non-rocky shoreline at your disposal.

Because we are not in a cove, we have a wide view of open water from most of the property. Some cabins have better views than others, but there is lots of public space from which to enjoy the view.

Finding the Perfect Place to Stay

Many of you know that Gary & I travel when we aren't here at Arrowhead hosting travelers. Of course that doesn't happen often enough, so when we can't travel, we read about traveling. We read blogs, message boards, magazines, and online reviews. We scour the Internet for interesting places to stay, near us and far flung.

Here are our recent observations:
1) We should find ways to travel more- even if it's just for a couple of nights at a time.
2) More businesses should build blogs so you feel up to the minute about what's going on at their location.
3) We should all remember that a few pitfalls serve to make your journey a better story to tell.
4) It's rare for two travelers to see the same place or event in the same light. A good example of this was found in a review I recently read about scuba diving in Belize. The reviewer was not pleased with her dive trip because it involved a one hour boat ride to get to the dive site. Gary and I have been fortunate enough to have been on that same trip. The diving was fantastic, but that boat ride was the icing on the cake! Tiny islands dotted the ocean, some with one palm tree, some with nothing but sand. It was the ride of a lifetime. Maybe the reviewer was just having a bad day.
5) It's easy to build a great website; it's hard to build a great hospitality business.
6) There are some really interesting places to stay in Texas; we've got lots of competition to keep us on our toes.
7) We sometimes stay at those look-alike highway hotels for convenience, but life is really too short to always stay inside the box. We usually enjoy our travels more when we step outside the Comfort/LaQuinta zone.
8) Research, research, research. See observation #5.

Arrowhead Named One of DFW's "Most Comfortable Wilderness Retreats"

How cool is this? If you've been here, you will probably agree with this travel writer.  We've got the beauty of nature, but it comes with indoor plumbing!!
http://dfw.cbslocal.com/top-lists/out-in-style-most-comfortable-wilderness-retreats-near-dfw/

Missing Crystal

3/17/13

This is an incredibly hard post to write. Two weeks ago our sweet miniature horse Crystal lost her life in a tragic incident. Dixie survived, but lost her right eye. We know those of you who have experienced the joy these two sweet horses have brought will share our grief. Rather than focus on the incident, we choose to move forward by reveling in the wonderful memories we have of Crystal.

She came to Arrowhead ten years ago. She was literally dumped here by someone who could no longer care for her. She fit into our family instantly and quickly began entertaining children staying at the resort. Alyssa taught her tricks like giving kisses, counting with her hoof, and standing on her hind legs. As long as she could engage in her favorite pastime, eating, she would allow children to love on her, lead her around, braid, brush, paint and tie bows in her hair. She was a good sport, no matter what. She has been photographed wearing feathers, party hats, reading glasses, reindeer antlers, and glitter paint.

In 2008 we got Dixie as a companion for Crystal. Dixie quickly figured out that as long as she remembered that Crystal was the boss, life here was pretty good.  Where Crystal was prim, proper, and always clean, Dixie got the nickname of “Dirty Dixie” from the kids who have helped rake mud off her coat every time it rains.

Dixie is recovering from wounds that were initially life-threatening. She is adapting to life without her buddy and with limited vision. Once she has recovered we think she will be back to her old entertaining antics, including rolling in the mud.

You can post well wishes for Dixie at www.facebook.com/minimares

Have You Heard?

What's your herd doing for Spring Break? Arrowhead is offering off-season rates through April 2013. Bring your herd and join us!

Winter Rates During Spring Break and Easter

For the first time ever we are keeping our off-season rates in place through March & April. We will have 2 night minimums on all cabins throughout March. Plan your family spring getaway now! Peak season rates begin May 1.