Lake Kiowa is a private gated community featuring lakefront homes, golf course homes, and interior homes nestled in rolling hills and a beautiful private lake, Lake Kiowa, in Grayson County, Texas on FM 902. Lake Kiowa is nine miles southeast of Gainesville, Texas, and covers approximately 563 acres with an average depth of 15 feet and a maximum depth of 35 feet. The Lake Kiowa Property Owners Association, Inc. owns and operates Lake Kiowa.

Indian Creek, a tributary of Isle du Bois Creek, a tributary of the Elm Fork, which is a tributary of the Trinity River, feeds Lake Kiowa. There are 20.83 miles of paved roads within the community and the community comprises 1,800 acres. including the lake. In 2020, the population of Lake Kiowa was 2,585. Lake Kiowa features an 18-hole golf course and a community center with a dining room and tavern. All facilities are for the use of members only, and all residents are members.

History of Lake Kiowa

Lake Kiowa was established in 1967 by American Realty. Construction of the Lake Kiowa dam started in 1968 and was completed in 1970 when deliberate impoundment of water began to fill up the lake. Three subsidiaries were formed, Lake Kiowa, Inc. to buy and develop the property, a board made up of Texas residents, with Bill Bryant of American Realty as president and four businessmen from Gainesville appointed as board members, and the Lake Kiowa Property Owners Association (LKPOA). 

Then the drive to bring home buyers began. Advertisements in the Gainesville Daily Register, the Dallas Morning News, and other newspapers, and beautiful brochures, plus giveaways were used to lure buyers to Lake Kiowa. No one knows how many golf clubs, televisions, electric blankets, coffee pots, and skillets, plus an expense paid vacation to Nassau were given away. 

Miss Dallas of 1968, Deborah Shelton, "Dandy" Don Meredith, and Hoss Cartwright made appearances for the effort, along with free movies, free dancing, free horseback rides, free helicopter rides, and free food. American Realty was able to buy an adjacent piece of property and added stables with feed bins, a watering hole and a fenced area. Today, the stable property is the Lake Kiowa driving range.

In June 1968, Lake Kiowa off-shore lots sold for $2495, golf course lots for $3495, and lake lots from $5195. In October 1968, the "Old West" clubhouse was built. In January 1969, Bill Bryant said in a news interview that there would be a sellout by mid-summer. He was right, and by November 1969, American Realty turned the reins over to LKPOA. Dues or maintenance fees were $120 per year and water was $48 a year. There were no fees for the golf course.

In 1973, a group of volunteers encouraged the Board to set up a Lake Kiowa Volunteer Fire Department. By 1980, there were 475 homes with an even number of week-enders and permanent residents. The Lake Kiowa newsletter, CommuniQue, published its first issue in February 1985. Classified ads were 15 cents per word. By the late 1980s, the CommuniQue had grown to 16 pages, and the paid ads were paying for most of the cost of printing and mailing it. After many visits to the Gainesville Post Office, much talk, a trip to the supervisor in Fort Worth, and a petition signed by most of the Lake Kiowa homeowners, Lake Kiowa received mail delivery starting in 1976.

The three boards went through growing pains and made many provisions for the new community. No "For Sale" signs or trash burning were allowed, and they established mowing rates for vacant lots, guest golf fees, tavern membership, assigned street signs, fenced the whole community, added fish to the lake, took care of vandalism, kept the roads repaired, set accounting procedures, established food service at the lodge and architectural control on new homes, and made ends meet with the yearly fees and many donations from individuals. A monthly maintenance fee of $50 was approved in 1986.

During March 1997, the board proposed a $3.3 million improvement program, which was called the CIP. The program included a new community center building, which is still called the Lodge, a new golf shop, a new maintenance building, a new proposed East Gate entry and exit, expansion of the golf cart storage building, and silt removal from the lake.

Today, Lake Kiowa is a thriving community with an 18-hole championship PGA golf course. Golf is a free amenity for homeowners. The clubhouse is a focal point of activity for members and their guests, with food service and a tavern for members. Social functions include dances, bingo card games, and community parties.

Fishing Lake Kiowa

The most popular species caught in Lake Kiowa are largemouth bass, channel catfish, and white crappie. Other species include black, hybrid striped, and white bass, grass carp, drum, and perch. The LKPOA sets the limits for the fish, and anglers need to check with the office to see what the limits are each year. Homeowners can have private boat docks. 

Only a Lake Kiowa lot owner can boat on the lake. Boats have to be registered through the LKPOA office. Boat owners have to take a test and put their lot number on their boat. The LKPOA charges a monthly fee for boaters. You are not allowed to catch grass carp in Lake Kiowa because they were introduced to manage excessive grass and weed growth. The Lake Kiowa Anglers and Conservation Club maintain small and large fishing areas.

Boating at Lake Kiowa

Lake Kiowa is a fairly small lake but there is plenty of room for its community to participate in all the popular water sports. Two sandy beach areas offer swimming, volleyball, and tennis with picnic areas and a large pavilion at the Lodge. Lake Kiowa has an average depth of 15 feet. There is no marina on the lake. A dry storage marina is located on the eastern side of Lake Kiowa and offers easy access to the lake with secure storage for boats. Wake boats must disable their ballast system to prevent damage to private boat docks and seawalls. 

Find or sell a boat on our Lake Kiowa Boats for Sale page. 

Lake Kiowa Real Estate

The average list price for Lake Kiowa homes is $463,000. Typically, there are about 30 lake homes for sale at Lake Kiowa, and 20 listings for lots and land. The census of 2000 reported 1,883 people, 861 households, and 661 families living at Lake Kiowa. Lake Kiowa is in the Callisburg Independent School District. 

An elected board of nine directors govern Lake Kiowa using a community manager system, which is overseen by LKPOA board members. The property owners run the community. Lake Kiowa Security can issue tickets, handle parking disputes, and enforce community rules. Roads, bridges, and infrastructure are maintained by the community. Kiowa Homeowners Water Supply maintains the water supply.

The 18-hole golf course is a free amenity for homeowners and has a lodge with a restaurant and tavern. Lake Kiowa also has a 9-hole disc golf course. The Lodge holds all kinds of activities and events for Lake Kiowa residents. Right outside the Lake Kiowa gates on FM 902 you will find restaurants, a convenience store, a pharmacy, and other businesses. 

Gainesville, Texas, is the closest town at nine miles away with shopping options and a Walmart. There are no hiking trails, campgrounds, or vacation home rentals at Lake Kiowa. The community newsletter, CommuniQue, publishes all the news for Lake Kiowa residents monthly. 

To find your dream lake home, explore our Lake Kiowa Homes for Sale page. 

Things to Do at Lake Kiowa

Lake Kiowa was designed to be an inclusive community offering residents great entertainment without leaving their neighborhood. It features an 18-hole PGA championship golf course with a golf pro and golf cart parking, a 9-hole disc golf course, a lodge with food service and a bar that hosts many events monthly, fishing, boating, and two sandy beaches with beach games and picnic areas. Gainesville, Texas is the nearest town to Lake Kiowa, and has plenty of restaurants, but does not have nightlife. 

Gainesville is home to a cool little zoo, the Frank Buck Zoo. The Frank Buck Zoo in Gainesville, Texas, about 12 miles northwest of Lake Kiowa, is a hidden gem when it comes to exotic animals. From Flamingos to wallabies, to black bears and leopards, the Frank Buck Zoo is home to 38 species of mammals, birds, and reptiles. The zoo is located at 1000 W California St, Gainesville, Texas.

The Morton Museum of Cooke County is housed in an 1884 building in downtown Gainesville. It was opened in 1968 by the Cooke County Heritage Society which wanted to save it from demolition. The building itself is its own best exhibit. The museum maintains a photographic collection of material for researchers with staff to help with genealogical research. The exhibits include many artifacts from Gainesville’s past. It is located at 210 S Dixon St, Gainesville, Texas.

The Santa Fe Depot Museum in Gainesville features a collection of railroad artifacts, and Coca Cola, Harvey Girls, and Gainesville Community Circus memorabilia, plus a Cooke County timeline. It is located at 605 E California St, Gainesville, Texas. 

Deschain Cellars is a unique winery constructed from ten decommissioned shipping containers. Its menu includes winemaker Willem Johnson's signature dry reds, whites, and roses handcrafted from Texas grapes and a collection of sweet and sparkling wines, and lite fare like cheese boards, snacks, and eclectic sandwiches are available. It has plenty of outdoor seating with a beautiful view. Dogs on a leash are allowed on the patio and outside tables as long as they are not disruptive to other guests. Deschain Cellars is located at 8363 US-82, Gainesville, Texas.

The WinStar World Casino and Resort with 400,000 square feet of gaming floor plays host to nine impressive, city-themed gaming plazas, and over 8,500 electronic games, 100 table games, a 55-table poker room, a racer’s off-track betting parlor, and bingo high-stakes rooms. The Chickasaw Nation owns and operates WinStar World Casino and Resort two miles north of the Red River’s Texas/Oklahoma border on I35, just 25 miles northwest of Lake Kiowa on I35.

Plan some fun activities with our What To Do At Lake Kiowa page. 

Lake Kiowa Weather & Climate

Lake Kiowa sees an average of 39 inches of rain, with two inches of snow, and 232 days of sunshine per year. The winter low in January is 30 degrees with a summer high in July of 94 degrees. April, May, and October are the most comfortable months for this region. Keep an eye on the forecast with our Lake Kiowa Weather page.

Lake Kiowa Zip Codes

Cooke  County: 75410, 75431, 75444, 75494, 75497, 75765, 75783.

Flora and Fauna at Lake Kiowa

Lake Kiowa is a homeowner community with beautiful gardens, and a gorgeous landscaped golf course. It is a highly trafficked community, and most of the wildlife consists of birds and the fish in the lake.