Texas Camping Spots for a Relaxing, Inexpensive Vacation

1. Brazos Bend State Park - 50 minutes from Houston

Set along the Brazos River in Needville, the 4,897-acre Brazos Bend State Park is managed by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and is home to a diverse array of wildlife, including American Alligators. Located within a stone's throw from the thriving metropolis of Houston, the park offers several hiking trails, including the 40-Acre Lake and Elm Lake trails, which provide excellent opportunities for alligator spotting. The park features a variety of camping, fishing, and day-use facilities, as well as about 25 miles of hiking, biking, and equestrian trails, a Nature Center with nature exhibits, and an observatory.

Find it at this Address: 40-acre Lake Trailhead, Brazos Bend SP, Needville, Texas

2. Buescher State Park

Buescher State Park is 1,016-acre state park located just north of Smithville that offers a variety of activities ranging from camping, hiking, fishing in a well-stocked lake and mountain biking, as well as non-motorized boating, geocaching, and interpretive tours. Buescher State Park is linked to the nearby Bastrop State Park by a scenic 12-mile paved road that is ideal for cycling, and the park also includes several miles of hiking and mountain trails through beautiful woodlands. Buescher State Park offers 24 full-service campsites with water, electricity and sewerage hookups, as well as restrooms with flush toilets, showers, and a dump station.

Find it at this Address: 100 Park Rd 1-C, Smithville, TX 78957, Phone: 512-237-2241

3. Caddo Lake State Park

Named after the lake that encompasses, Caddo Lake State Park is a state park and wildlife management area in eastern Texas that is home to 8,253 acres of beautiful landscapes and several natural lakes, including Caddo Lake. The park features a variety of camping options, including overnight cabins, full-service campsites with water, electricity and sewerage hookups, screened shelters and halls for group gatherings. Caddo Lake State Park amenities and facilities include a visitor and nature center, restrooms with hot showers, a playground, and a park store, and activities range from boating, fishing, camping, hiking, geocaching, mountain biking, and picnicking.

Find it at this Address: 245 Park Rd 2, Karnack, TX 75661, Phone: 903-679-3351

4. Caprock Canyons State Park & Trailway

Set along the eastern edge of the Llano Estacado in Briscoe County, Caprock Canyons State Park & Trailway is a 15,314-acre state park and the third largest in Texas. Located 100 miles southeast of Amarillo, the Caprock Canyons Trailway stretches from South Plains on top of the Caprock Escarpment to Estelline in the Red River Valley and is open to hikers, bikers and horseback riders.

The trail passes through the Clarity Tunnel, one of the last working railroad tunnels in Texas and home to a vast colony of Mexican free-tailed bats. There are primitive campsites for up to four people along the trail for overnight stays.

Find it at this Address: 850 Caprock Canyon Park Road, Quitaque, TX 79255, Phone: 806-455-1492

5. Colorado Bend State Park

Set along the Colorado River in the Hill Country region and home to the magnificent 65-foot Gorman Falls, Colorado Bend State Park is a 5,328.3-acre state park that is renowned for its beautiful karsts, caves, sinkholes, and springs. The park has a standard campground, two primitive camping areas, and three group campsites, which include potable water, fire rings, communal showers, and composting toilets. Activities in the park include hiking, mountain biking, fishing, kayaking, and non-motorized boating.

Find it at this Address: 2236 Park Hill Dr, Bend, TX 76824, Phone: 325-628-3240

6. Copper Breaks State Park

Located in approximately 12 miles south of Quanah in Hardeman County, Copper Breaks State Park is a 1,898.8-acre park with over ten miles of hiking trails and two small lakes which provide water-based activities. Once the realm of the Comanche and Kiowa Native American tribes, the region features important ceremonial sites of Comanche Indians and the site of the famous Pease River Battle Site. The park has tent and RV campsites with water, electricity and sewerage hookups, restrooms with showers, picnic tables, and barbecue pits, fire rings, and grills. Amenities and facilities include boat ramps, nature and visitor centers, and activities range from boating, fishing, hiking, mountain biking, and wildlife watching.

Find it at this Address: 777 State HighwayPark Rd 62, Quanah, TX 79252, Phone: 940-839-4331

7. Davis Mountains State Park

Set high in the Davis Mountains in Jeff Davis County, Davis Mountains State Park is a 2,709-acre state park with an elevation of between 5,000 and 6,000 feet above sea level. The park is situated next to the Fort Davis National Historic Site and connected by a four-mile network of hiking and mountain biking trails. The park features an adobe motel known as the Indian Lodge, which was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps during the 1930s and offers comfortable overnight accommodations. Other activities in the Davis Mountains State Park include excellent bird-watching, wildlife observation, and horseback riding, with several equestrian trails in the Limpia Canyon Primitive Area.

Find it at this Address: TX-118, Fort Davis, TX 79734, Phone: 432-426-3337

8. Davy Crockett National Forest

Spanning Houston and Trinity Counties, the Davy Crockett National Forest is a vast terrain of more than 160,000 acres of East Texas woodlands, meandering streams, pristine wildlife habitat, and recreation areas, east of Crockett. Named for the legendary pioneer, the park is centrally located within the Neches and Trinity River basins and is administered by the United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service. The Ratcliff Lake Recreation Area in the park offers primitive camping facilities with pit toilets and showers, as well as picnicking, an interpretive forest trail, a swimming beach and bathhouse, and an amphitheater. Recreational activities include boating, fishing, hiking, and picnicking with panoramic views.

Find it at this Address: 18551 Texas 7, Kennard, TX 75847, Phone: 936-655-2299

9. Dinosaur Valley State Park

Located just northwest of Glen Rose, Dinosaur Valley State Park is a 1,500-acre state park that offers an abundance of outdoor opportunities from hiking and biking to camping. Close to the Paluxy River, the park features day-use picnic areas, a group picnic pavilion with picnic tables and a fireplace, and tent and RV camping sites with water, electricity and sewerage hookups. Other facilities in the park include a trailer dump station, an interpretive center, an outdoor amphitheater, and outdoor recreational amenities include over 20 miles of hiking and mountain biking trails and over 100 miles of horseback riding paths. Visitors can also enjoy archery, fishing, boating, swimming and ranger-led wildlife watching in the park.

Find it at this Address: 1629 Park Rd 59, Glen Rose, TX 76043, Phone: 254-897-4588

10. Eisenhower State Park

Eisenhower State Park is a 423.1-acre state park on the shores of Lake Texoma in Grayson County. Located northwest of Denison, Eisenhower State Park was opened in 1958 and is named after the 34th U.S. president, Dwight D. Eisenhower, who was born in the nearby town of Denison. The park offers a wealth of recreational activities, including hiking, mountain biking, swimming, fishing, canoeing, kayaking, boating, water-skiing, picnicking, and camping. Several nature programs are offered throughout the year, and there are excellent bird-watching and wildlife observation around the lake. Public facilities in the park include picnic sites, campsites, children’s playgrounds, a recreation hall, an amphitheater and open-air pavilion for special events, a boat dock and lighted fishing pier, a 10-acre ATV/mini bike area, and more than 4 miles of hiking and biking trails. The park is also home to the private Eisenhower Yacht Club.

Find it at this Address: 50 Park Rd 20, Denison, TX 75020, Phone: 903-465-1956