Houston Area Camping Advice

I would think that Spring and Fall would be the busy times for parks anywhere near to Houston. Summer will be hot and humid, but families still camp because school is out.

You have many good suggestions already. I'll add a few more. Huntsville State Park is directly north of Houston and gets a lot of use from Houston area residents, but if you make reservations it is a great place.

Coming on up north there is Ratcliff Lake in the Davy Crockett National Forest, north of the town of Crockett. Also in the same area a nice little state park called "Mission de la Tejas."

All of these are in the Piney Woods region of Texas which stretches all the way from just north of Houston to the Red River in a narrow band from the Sabine to just west of Tyler, Crockett, Athens, etc.

OK, also in the Piney Woods are Tyler State Park near the city of Tyler, also very popular but you can make reservations. There are campgrounds on Toledo Bend (though I am not familiar with any of them), Lake Livingston, COE parks on Lake 'o the Pines and Caddo Lake State Park.

You have already been given some good suggestions for the Hill Country which begins North of San Antonio and West of Austin. We like to stay at the KOA in Fredericksburg, but there are many choices of good campgrounds around Kerrville and Fredericksburg. Someone has already mentioned Inks Lake State Park and I will second that recommendation. Again, reservations are a good idea.

If you are going to camp in the state parks an annual pass is a good value. It costs $70 but without it you will have to pay an entry fee in addition to the camping charge. It also gives several nights of half price on stays of two nights or more.

You will not be wanting for good places to "camp" in an RV in Texas and if you have a good air conditioner (or two good air conditioners) you can even enjoy Summer on a lake.

EDIT to add: We enjoyed a visit to Banff last July/August. The Canadian Rockies are outstanding--but I don't have to tell you that.:)

Two other “busy times” for camping in southern Texas - Thanksgiving weekend and the week after Christmas.

Most years the weather is cool, but not cold. I’ve been unable to book anything south of Fairfield on those weekends in the past.

Those two weekends are usually fully booked at Big Bend NP and Davis Mountains SP.

In case the OP isn’t aware - watch out for winter Texans. We love our yankee friends who spent the winters in Texas (and many folks enjoy their dollars even more).

One membership campground that I belong to on Lake Conroe has all their long term sites booked every year Nov-Mar.

if the OP is thinking it will be a pleasant weekend down on Galveston Island or near Freeport, even as far west as Corpus - be wary in the winter. Do some recon trips to see which CG are full and which are available.

Remember we have four seasons in Texas, sometimes all four in the same day.

One year Christmas can be cold and wet, and two days later 75-80 and sunny, of the reverse.

Houston all year is a very difficult- “the weekend forecast looks good, let’s go out with the camper” location. The city of Houston with over 3 million and almost 7.8 million people in the region means a heck of a lot of other people will have the same idea. Prior planning is essential most of the time.

And yes, two ACs/50 amp is pretty much essential for summer camping in Texas. It isn’t so much that the daytime highs are so bad. But the night time lows can be near or above 80 degrees for weeks in the summer. The trailer/RV never gets a chance to cool off.

wthibeaux wrote:
Brazos Bend State park--Inks Lake State Park near Burnet--Stephen F Austin State Park near Sealy--Huntsville State Park--Daingerfield State Park--Tyler State Park.

X2 on Steven F Austin. I’ve stayed there several times. Another favorite of mine is Quintana Beach County Park. It’s adjacent to the end of the Freeport Ship Channel. I’ve always enjoyed watching the ship traffic.