Any campers here @ TPF?

[mobilezen]

I'm trying to find some good camping around Texas... So far Possum Kingdom, Mineral Wells and Tyler State Park have done a pretty good job but not the best that I've been. If any camping overflows into Arkansas or Oklahoma, please let me know. I need to fufill my camping quota for this winter.

[Torrey]

Are you strictly trying to stay in Texas? Probably my favorite place is Turner Falls just a little into Oklahoma up I-35. In that same area is Lake Murray. Although better in summer, you might check out New Braunfels too along the Guadalupe. Glen Rose has some neat stuff too.

[mobilezen]

Originally Posted by Torrey

Are you strictly trying to stay in Texas? Probably my favorite place is Turner Falls just a little into Oklahoma up I-35. In that same area is Lake Murray. Although better in summer, you might check out New Braunfels too along the Guadalupe. Glen Rose has some neat stuff too.

I've driven to and past Turner Falls...agreed, not bad. Like I said, Oklahoma and Arkansas are fine. Ah Glen Rose...Dinosaur Valley! whew! I did a week long hike there. That was awesome but I was neither into photography in 8th grade nor had a nifty camera phone. Thanks for reminding me!

[Torrey]

Ah, totally missed the part about OK and AR. Not sure if it's open in winter, but Glen Rose also has the Fossil Rim Wildlife Center. I forgot to mention Caddo Lake State Park...stayed there for the first time this past summer. I thought the park was very well maintained compared to alot of Texas state parks. My mom and a friend of hers have been spending a lot of time in southern Arkansas at Crater of Diamonds, digging for diamonds. I went up through Arkansas in my college days and camped in Lake Ouachita State Park, and Bull Shoals State Park.

[Dobick]

I am not much of a camper, but some of my friends really like Caprock Canyons State park, near Quitaque.

[Steelsun]

Big Bend is best.
I also like several state parks in the Big Thicket areas of East Texas.
In central Texas you have plenty of places near New Braunfels and the hill country.
Go a little further south from there and you have the Frio river area (Garner state park).

[metagore]

Here's some good ones, but they're a little south of where you are it sounds like:

Perdernales Falls SP
Inks Lake SP
Enchanted Rock SNA
Garner SP
Lost Maples SP (especially in the fall)
Guadalupe SP
Lake Livingston SP
Colorado Bend

... and parks that are on my 'to-do' list:

Palo Duro Canyon
Big Bend
Bastrop/Beuscher SP
Mustang Island
... and many others that I can't remember right now.

My best recommendation would be to go get a Park Pass, and then use it at least once a week to go out and visit the parks.

[Hanky]

Well yes accordig to my boss.
Seriously there are some mountains up in Okie/Ark border
supposed to be pretty cool.
I motored through them once but I can't remember their name.

[golden11]

Texas and Arkansas both have pretty good websites.

Texas:
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/

Arkansas:
http://www.arkansasstateparks.com/

Mike did a good job listing some of the Texas state parks we like the best. We also liked Daingerfield and Huntsville State Parks.

I use the book 'Official Guide to Texas State Parks' by Laurence Parent.
http://www.utexas.edu/utpress/books/parofp.html

You may need to make a reservation for some of the parks well in advance, especially Garner, if you want a partial hook-up or cabin. In Texas it's free to phone in your reservation, $3 to make a reservation on the internet, and $5 to cancel a reservation.

Linda

[Rick Waldroup]

Try Meridian State Park. It is close to Glen Rose. A small, out of the way park that is really peaceful and during the week, not that many people go to it. It was built in the 1930's. Really nice.

[Torrey]

Originally Posted by golden11

I use the book 'Official Guide to Texas State Parks' by Laurence Parent.
http://www.utexas.edu/utpress/books/parofp.html

Linda

I just got that for Christmas from my in-laws, along with a smaller book called "Texas Parks & Campgrounds". I haven't gotten around to reading them in-depth, but the "Official Guide..." definitely looks like the better book, nice pictures too.

[DEMDeepEllumMusic]

I've camped all over the place over the years from both coasts up to the Canadian border, doing a rough mental calculation I probably have spent close to a year in tents over the last 30 some odd years.

One very memorable night was camping over the Rio Grande just west of Langtry in the state park that has the petroglyphs down by the river. Turns out that the Ranger lived about 5 miles from the campground and I was the only one staying at the park for the night and a STORM BLEW IN-remember that the cliff over the Rio Grande there is about a 300+ ft drop and the storm was blowing in that Direction! I had set up several hundred yards away from the cliff and the tent was well staked down but all night as the high winds blew (gusts to over 50mph) I kept thinking that the whole set up would go rolling across the desert and over the cliff-this was over 20 years ago and I still remember that night vividly.

I would say the best camping in the state is just about anywhere you can pitch a tent! There are the piney woods in the east, the swamps in the south east, the coast (Below Corpus is a slew of places to camp that are cool), the high plains around Amarillo (bring misquito spray), South of DFW where you can see the tapography and fauna change over less than a 50 mile area (don't see many mesquite in Mesquite but plenty in Irving), the Hill Country and of course Big Bend and the Guadalupe Mountains all places that I have pitched a tent and plan to again.

Hardly have spent any time camping in Oklahoma, don't know why because the state does have some beautiful scenes to offer, nor in Arkansas, guess it is because I tend to go North and West of those two states for most of my adventures.

[Bobj616]

How far into Arkansas are you willing to go? The Ouchita(sp) and Ozark Mt. ranges are full of nice places to camp. Are you talking RV or primitive camping? I camp in AR a lot more than TX but I live on the border,in fact I work in AR. Camp Albert Pike is a nice place on the Little Missouri River about 90 miles from here. That would make it 250 or so from the Dallas area. While there you could check out Shady Lake campground and Bard Springs (no hookups ,water available at central spigots). If you want to go further the Hot Springs area is surrounded by lakes with lots of campgrounds. the Cossatot River state recreation area has tent campgrounds if you want to go Kayaking . In season it has some of the only class 5 rapids in this part of the country.
Eastern OK has part of these same Mt. ranges with Beavers Bend state Park being one of the nicest. It is developed a little to much for my taste but there is a huge lake and then the river below the damm with campsite right on it.
It realy isn't too far to a lot of these places for a long weekend. Bob

[Hogleg 44]

A very nice place in SW Texas is Ft. Davis State Park. The camping is in a peaceful valley beside of a creek with a lot of natural wildlife that will investigate you while you investigate them. Also, a great deal of wonderful country to see within a 75 mile radius. This includes the 2nd highest mountain peak in Texas, and the McDonald Observatory.

[JamesB]

Texas is full of great State Parks to camp at.

do you mostly like to car camp, where you pitch your tent with on 20 ft of your car like in most state parks? or do you like to back country camp? meaning you park and backpack for several miles to a camp site?

I really like this web site with maps showing all the state parks in areas like the hill country, east Texas and west Texas

just click on the Discover Texas menu option
http://www.texasoutside.com/

I usually try to avoid the state parks when they are busy. I used to take of on a Wednesday and come home on a Sunday so I would have a few days of quiet time in the park until the weekend crowds showed up.

James