South

flgator4 wrote:
Is the north part of Houston safe? Do you have any specific places to recommend? We might stop there next summer for a couple of nights to see family.

I've heard of the TX hill country but didn't know where it was. :)

People who build RV parks want them to be safe. The only time I'm concerned is when the facility was obviously an old mobile home park that has been in that area long enough for the neighborhood to have changed.

Looking on a map - when I say north of Houston - I'm talking north of Beltway 8. Maybe as far out as US-190. I don't know of any camping inside the Beltway 8 loop.

Houston, like Dallas, usually means staying 30-60 miles from downtown.

We've stayed at Double Lake - a USForest Service campground about 30 miles east of Cagle - linked in the post above. Double Lake near Coldsprings and Cagle near I-45/Willis are very nice campgrounds.

We are also Escapees and Thousand Trails members - so now we are usually at the TT campground near Cagle or at the Escapees HQ just outside Livingston near where US-59 and US-190 cross.

I've seen signs on US-59 for a couple newish RV parks opening near US-59 and Beltway 8. Don't know anything about them, but the area is mostly newer developments.

There are some well rated RV parks south of Houston near Kemah and Bacliff.

We keep saying we are going to try the Passport America affiliated park in Dickinson - but our travels through the area have never worked out for the days their PA rate is good.

In addition to the Brazos Bend State Park mentioned above - there is Huntsville SP and Lake Livingston SP north of Houston. And Stephen F Austin SP just of I-10 west of Houston.

Normally when we visit Houston - we have to drive 70-80 miles one way to my brother's house in south Pasadena.

It is 50 driving miles from Brazos Bend SP, 72 miles from Stephen F Austin SP, 87 miles from the Escapee's Rainbow's End, 64 miles from Thousand Trails Lake Conroe, 77 miles from Cagle, 76 miles from Double Lake.

Another factor for us is that we are always either traveling from/to the Dallas area or the Shreveport LA area when we go to Houston. So having the rig 70 miles or so north saves on towing fuel more than we would save on driving costs if we went to the south side of Houston.

Another factor for us is traffic and arrival times. I'll pull I-10 through Houston at the right times with no problem. I'll also drive I-45 - I-610 - I-45 north to south or reverse. I've driven US-59 across Houston at 9:30 am on a weekday. But arriving late in the day (after 3 pm) - I'm stopping far north of Houston and not trying to get across the town pulling my rig. It's bad enough having to drive in that traffic without a trailer.

(NOTE - DO NOT attempt to tow a trailer on I-45 between I-10 and I-610 on the south side - that elevated section of freeway is badly washboarded. You will not be happy!!!)

(Another example - my kids/ grandkids live in the Dallas area. My daughter lives in Plano TX - 14 miles from a COE campground on Lake Lavon. My son lives in Decatur - 17 miles from the TT campground at Bridgeport. But they live - 70 driving miles apart and the two campgrounds are a 100 mile tow apart. We've tried the COE campground about halfway between them, and its location and traffic patterns make it very difficult to get to either one's house at a reasonable time on the evening after a work day.)

All of which is just a long way to say - we each have our individual needs and reasons for where we stop and when.

Where you are coming from before Houston and where you are going after would be as much a consideration for me as to where to stop as where your family is located in the area.