Houston Area Camping Advice

[CanuckCamper29]

We’re moving to Houston (Katy specifically).

Looking for ideas on where to camp.

Preference is privacy and wilderness, but I’m up for rv Park style to see cool stuff. We like to bike, canoe, hike, and fish.

I’ve heard hill country is nice but have no idea where.

Pinywoods sounds like a camping area, but no clue where.

Gulf coast and a beach also sounds nice.

All thoughts welcome.

Thanks in advance.
CC

[ljr]

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.

[PawPaw_n_Gram]

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.

[padredw]

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.:)

[CanuckCamper29]

Thanks again.

One more question; which months of the year are the busy months where getting a campground around Houston will take some early planning?

Thanks,
CC

[gregirish1954]

Besides getting the annual State Park Pass, you might want to load the Texas State Parks app on your phone. With it you can find state parks via a list or by map, get reasonably detailed info on each park - including any advisories (Some state parks have closures for hunts and others get crowded on popular weekends and temporarily close for capacity reasons), get PDF maps of facilities and trails, and make reservations.

[TxTwoSome]

From the Katy area you need to check out the Somerville Lake area there are 3 COE parks there and also two State parks located on the lake.

Nails Creek State Park North and South. Rocky Creek COE. Yegua Creek Coe. Overlook Park Coe.

When we lived in Katy this was where we would go most weekends.

As others have stated there are many great state parks in Texas.

Double Lakes Recreation area just north of Houston in Coldspring. Wolf Creek Park on lake Livingston, Cagle Recreation area.

Most areas close to Houston for Friday, Saturday are booked well in advance. The further you go from Houston it opens up.

[Heisenberg]

Texas State Parks

We buy a yearly pass. This allows us to camp without a daily fee per person only the daily camping fee. It pays for itself if you camp very much with a large family or friends.

[CanuckCamper29]

Thanks for everyone’s thoughts here I appreciate it.

Weekend drive could be 5 hrs but more likely 2 or 3.

Is there a book or an internet resource recommended for Texas camping?

Thanks,
CC

[PawPaw_n_Gram]

Your biggest problem is that on Friday it is going to take an hour to go back he first 25 miles from Katy. Texas is BIG and it takes time to get anywhere in an RV.

The “Hill Country” starts at US-90 near Uvalde west of San Antonio and is about 50-100 miles deep (east to west) and runs northeast to a bit north of I-20. Always west of I-35.

Quite a few Texas state parks in that area, all worth visiting. Definitely get the state parks guide.

The national forests have some nice campgrounds. Double Lake between I-45 and US-59 near Cols Spring, TX north of Houston is one we like quite a bit.

Some Texas rivers are good for canoe trips. In the Hills many are too shallow for good travel. Be very weather aware when you go out. Flash floods can occur anywhere in Texas, but of course the hill country sees more occurrences.

The closest state park to Katy is probably Stephen F Austin on the Brazos River just north of I-10 near San Felipe west of Katy about 20 miles. We have camped at the COE Rocky Creek Park on Lake Somerville about 70 miles from Katy.

Lots of amazing places to camp in Texas.

[catldog]

Try some of these,Lake Livingston SP,Lake Texana,Sea Rim SP,Coleto Creek,Huntsville SP,Galveston SP,San Luis Pass campground,Goliad SP, all are within 100-150 miles of Katy

[Isaac-1]

Texas has lots of lakes, and many of these have COE campgrounds, as well as national forest, state parks, etc. The question is what sort of driving radius are you open to, Texas is a big place. If you are talking about weekend trips within 2-3 hours of Katy that will be a bit limited, if you are open to a 4-5 hour driving radius then options really start opening up.

[Bob806]

I wouldn't consider myself an expert on Texas yet, but from our travels visiting family, we've camped quite a bit in Texas.

Hill country places we've camped are Pedernales Falls SP, Inks Lake SP, and Guadalupe River SP. Of those 3, I'd rank Guadalupe River the best one. Another awesome SP NE of Houston, probably a 4 hour drive, is Caddo Lake. You have to check that one out when you can- not a ton of hiking but you can canoe, simply enjoy the scenery.

We have also enjoyed Arkansas and Oklahoma SPs.

[wthibeaux]

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.