$10 - $45 / night

Camper submitted image from Fort Richardson State Park Hist. Site and Trailway - 1

Camper submitted image from Fort Richardson State Park Hist. Site and Trailway - 2

Nature

Camper submitted image from Fort Richardson State Park Hist. Site and Trailway - 3

Roads

Camper submitted image from Fort Richardson State Park Hist. Site and Trailway - 4

Water

Camper submitted image from Fort Richardson State Park Hist. Site and Trailway - 5

Signs & Maps

Established Camping

Fort Richardson State Park Hist. Site and Trailway

11 Reviews

About

State Park

Soldiers at Fort Richardson protected settlers along the Texas frontier. Today, you can walk in the footsteps of those soldiers. But you can also camp and explore the countryside they protected on foot, bike or horseback.

Stay overnight at a cabin or campsite. Restrooms with showers are in the park. Reserve the group camp for a gathering of friends or family.

The park has five campsites for horseback riders next to the trailway.

Trails Twelve miles of trails are open to all users – hikers, bikers and horseback riders.Fishing Try your luck fishing at two lakes! You do not need a fishing license to fish from shore or pier in a state park.

Quarry Lake is behind park headquarters. TPWD stocks the lake with bass, catfish and (in winter months) trout.

At North Park, you can fish Lake Jacksboro from the shore or launch a kayak (you’ll need a fishing license to fish from a boat). This park has a restroom (no shower) and water-only campsites.

Swimming Take your family to North Park to swim in Lake Jacksboro. The park has a sand beach, covered tables, water spigots and restrooms (no showers). We do not have lifeguards. Read through our swimming safety tips before your visit.

Geocaching Search for geocaches hidden across the park. Learn more on our Geocaching page, then hit the trail! The nine-mile (one-way) Lost Creek Reservoir Trailway winds along scenic Lost Creek and the shores of two lakes. It ends at our north park.

Suggest an Edit

Location

Fort Richardson State Park Hist. Site and Trailway is located in Texas

Directions

To reach the park, travel 1/2 mile south of Jacksboro on U.S. Highway 281.

Address

228 State Park Road 61
Jacksboro, TX 76458

Coordinates

33.205592280575324 N
98.15790515999488 W

Open in Google Maps

The Dyrt Alerts

Get reservations at sold-out campgrounds.

Learn More

Access

Drive-In
Park next to your site
Walk-In
Park in a lot, walk to your site.

Stay Connected

WiFi
Available
Verizon
Available
AT&T
Unknown
T-Mobile
Unknown

Site Types

Tent Sites
RV Sites
Standard (Tent/RV)
Group
Cabins
Equestrian

Features

For Campers

Market
ADA Access
Trash
Picnic Table
Firewood Available
Phone Service
Reservable
WiFi
Showers
Drinking Water
Electric Hookups
Toilets
Alcohol
Pets
Fires

For Vehicles

Sanitary Dump
Sewer Hookups
Water Hookups
Pull-Through Sites
Big Rig Friendly

$10 - $45

/ night

For information regarding reservations, contact this campground directly.

The Dyrt Alerts

Get reservations at sold-out campgrounds.

Learn More

Contact

General Info

Reservations

Sarah J.

Guide

Reviewed Apr. 11, 2024

Small but nice state park

This state park only has 4 full hookup sites but they are private feeling. The tour of the civil war buildings is very cool.

Site4

Month of VisitMay

Jeff T.

Ranger

Reviewed May. 30, 2022

Nice state park just NW of Ft Worth

Stayed here when passing through on way to points further west. Nice state park with hiking and historic buildings to see. Our site 5 was fairly private and set apart from some of the other sites that are bunched together along the road.

Site05

Month of VisitJune

Susan L.

Legend

Reviewed Apr. 22, 2022

Another great Texas State Park

Even though a tornado touched down in the nearby small town of Jacksboro during my stay, I enjoyed this state park and all it has to offer. Thankfully no one was killed, although there was a great deal of property damage. It was humbling to see mother nature in all her fury! I was in site 35 which had water and electric (30 amp), no sewer hookups, but dump in the state park. This site backed up to Lost Creek and was set up on the rocky hillside with access to the Rumbling Spring trail right from the site.

The campsites on this side of the creek are spaced fairly well apart with green space between them. I was spoiled for 3 days as one of only 2 campers in this section. This is when the wildlife came out. I saw deer and wild turkey every evening, an armadillo and lots of birds.

The trails are great with something for everyone. I especially enjoyed the Trailway which was well maintained crushed gravel and made for an easy ride into Jacksboro and beyond to the reservoir. Nice points of interest along the way.

Not to be missed is the fort which offers self guided tours through the open buildings at specific times only (at the time I was there). If you don't go at the tour time, then the buildings are closed, expect for the old barracks restrooms.

The park has a small store and there's trout fishing in the quarry lake. I'll definitely return. Shout out to the park rangers who went above and beyond during the bad weather!

Site35

Month of VisitApril

(12) View All

Sidney R.

Traveler

Reviewed Mar. 12, 2022

Gem close to DFW

We weren’t expecting much from this park other than a place to test out our new RV. We were greeted by a very friendly Park staff. The RV site and hookups were in great condition. Bathhouse and other areas were clean and easily accessible. Would love to come again.

SiteRV Site 4

Month of VisitApril

(10) View All

Ari A.

Legend

Reviewed Mar. 28, 2021

Equestrian camp small but good location near fort

We stayed one night at the equestrian camp on our way through the area. We prefer leaving the equestrian spots for horse owners but it was the last one available in the park. Although, of the 5 sites in this loop, none of us had horses!

With only a couple of small pens and not much space, we could see why equestrians might not flock here. Hard to say from one night though.

The sites are long and narrow without much space between them. Road nosie is noticeable during the day but quiet at night.

There are no bathroom facilities in this loop, so be aware of that. There is a small dumpster available. The bathroom/shower facilities and dump station are down the road at the main campground. You do have 20-, 39- and 50-amp electric plus water hookup at your site.

The good part about this loop is that you're camping within site of the historic Fort Richardson and visiting the grounds is a short walk. The buildings are only open from about 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., but you're welcome to wander the grounds and look in the windows. Make sure you grab a self-guided your brochure at check-in.

This was fine for a night or two, but for longer we'd encourage a stay at the main campground instead.

Phone service was good: Verizon 4 bars / T-Mobile 4 bars.

Kerri S.

Guide

Reviewed Jul. 10, 2020

Hiking

Have not stayed overnight here yet due to covid19 restrictions. But day pass use and hiking. Trails are mostly easy, some are completely flat and paved. One trail was nice, moderate difficulty and unpaved. Lots of history here but nothing was open for self guided tours yet. Nice fishing hole in front reservoir.

Elizabeth N.

Guide

Reviewed Apr. 27, 2019

Primitive camping :)

Did primitive camping for the first time...it was an experience I will not ever forget. The trail to my campsite was full of deer.

Crystal C.

Legend

Reviewed Jul. 15, 2018

Reinactments and History what more could you ask for in a camping facility

A few times a year, the City of Jacksboro opens its arms to an influx of campers and schools from around the state eager to see one of the unique reinactments at the historic location of Fort Richardson.

While you can visit during other times of the year, these times make for some of the most popular and thus most busy camping experiences.

7 different types of campsites are available including group sites, equestrian sites, full hook up and primitive sites for RV and tent campers. Sites range from $10-$25 depending on the area and amenities.

For someone like myself who prefers primitive tent camping or less amenities I found $10 tent sites were about a 3/4 mile hike in and $20 limited amenity campsites were my best options. The benefits to the $20 North Loop site was pretty obvious in restrooms and typical state park fire rings and picnic tables. Primitive sites include only fire rings and because of their remote location in warmer months can be more of a questionable location as taller grass can Harbor more snakes, specifically in this area Rattlesnakes and Copperheads.

These fees were in addition to standard park admission which is $3 per day for adults. All of these fees are due upon entrance at the entry station where you will be greeted by a park ranger and given a map.

While there is a lake, hiking and areas for horseback riding my focus upon my visit was one of the reinactments events held near Christmas. “Ghosts of Christmas Past” is an event set to showcase the period of the fort days and tell the story of how soldiers spent the time, what it might have been like on those cold winter nights and create a vision of fort life. It was a great educational visit and a great way to see a bit more of the State Park.

With this being a short drive for me from my home, I find this campsite and full facilities to be very exciting to return for other events. Well maintained and with friendly staff it is well worth the trip.

(5) View All

Bill N.

Scout

Reviewed Jul. 12, 2018

Nice park

I have camped here multiple times with my son and a couple of other times with the Scout troop. If you have kids, the fort buildings are always a hit. They have restored the old hospital building & the officers' living quarters. Decent trail system for short or longer hikes. Usually not too crowded and campsites have decent spacing.

Traci M.

Scout

Reviewed Jun. 6, 2018

Fun Mother's Day Weekend at Fort Richardson State Park

This is a fun little state park was just perfect for a little Saturday night away. It is just a little less than 2 hours from Fort Worth. I would say that the park is good for short stays of 1 to 3 nights. There is not a lot to do in the area or the park that would keep attention more than that. The park has a stocked fishing lake and equipment for loan. There is all the fort buildings to explore with rangers giving talks and various activities. There is the trail system between the park and Lost Creek Reservoir for hiking and horseback riding about a 10 mile trails. The park also has a full sized sand volleyball court and playground for the kids.

The campsites are very good sized with two different camping areas. One the sites are pretty spread out with easy pull ins and flat. The other has a the cabins and sites are more close together. The parks only bathhouse is on this side also. It's not far but a bit too far for convenience if you are needing a shower. Restrooms are also in the fort area which is just down from the other campground. We were only there one night so the kids washed up in the creek LOL. The sites all have picnic tables and fire rings/pits.

We put up our large tent and dog trolley line with still plenty of space. The creek running behind the (with a big fan blowing) kept us nice & cool.

The local sheriff and police make drive throughs, No safety or security issues.

No issues with noise either.

Site26

Month of VisitJune

James S.

Guide

Reviewed Aug. 26, 2016

Easy to get to, lots to see

I took my daughters camping here since it is one of the few parks within an hour of DFW. Getting there was a breeze since it is mostly freeway and highway. I made a reservation since the nice weather seem to be filling up most parks. While this one was almost at capacity, we did not feel crowded. We took a self guided tour of the grounds and visited the hospital, morgue, bakery, bridge, officer quarters and the nature center. Most of the building had interesting things to see. The hospital has some preserved critters like giant centipedes while the nature center has taxidermied animals you can touch (carefully of course). Also, make sure you make the hike to the rumbling spring. It's beautiful. If you need food, there is a grocery store just down the road. If you enjoy alcohol though, you'll need to bring your own. My only complaint about the park was the ground is very rocky, but there were no pads to put your tent on which made staking very difficult.