Best Tent Camping near Elm Grove, LA

There is much to do at this park. Trails, swimming, boating, fishing, small zoo and museum. Very clean. Newly renovated. Full hook ups and cabins are available as well as tent camping. The tent camping area is separate from RV section though.

We tent camp here in early Spring in the camping area #2 and comeback weekend after weekend. Many wonderfully marked hiking trails, two of the best frisbe golf courses in Louisiana. There's a nice little beach where the kids can play and a playground area as well. The bathrooms are clean and warm (welcome in the winter and spring). The pavement is well kept and great for kids to ride bikes or scooters. The King of the Moutain Trail is my favorite becaues of it's wooden bridge and tiny waterfall.

A Texas C.C.C. state park in east Texas on Caddo Lake. Beautiful sites and canoe rentals for the old mill pond. Tent sites, RV sites and shelters along with cabins.

Another great Texas State Park. I didn't see as much security as I usually do but the whole area is clean and well kept.

The bathrooms are amazing with fully enclosed toilet/shower/changing station for family bathrooms. As someone traveling with a toddler it is a HUGE relief to lock him inside while I shower.

We tent camp and while our site was perfect (#32) others were awful. It's very common for tent pads to be placed far away from the electrical box, so that's not a big deal... but after a rain storm it was apparent that a lot of tent pads need attention. The pads are dirt and many were uneven enough that 50% were well under water. Our pad was right next to the electrical box and someone had evened it out so while it rained and rained, we were good. So if you are tent camping pay close attention to the location and evenness of your tent pad. No amount of tarps would have saved some of these sites!

The trails are good and it's a very unique location. Reminds me of South Florida!

Lastly, the Armadillo circle is right next to the road. Okay maybe not right next to but you will hear traffic all night.

Great for $15/night!

The park is nice but if you tent camp you will hear traffic noise all night long. Each car seemed to take forever to go by and within minutes there was another. It’s worth the visit to go out on the lake. The trees in the water are beautiful and eerie at the same time. There’s a great little restaurant on the water  in Uncertain. I think it’s called The Riverbend Restaurant. Worst ticks I’ve ever experienced!!

I tent camped here in April 2023. The staff was friendly and the office was still open at 6pm, when I arrived on a Saturday. I don’t know their normal hours. The weather was nice but it had just rained so my campsite was wet with a little mud. Plus it was a little uneven without much clear space for a tent but my tent fit because it is a 2-person tent. Other sites had wooden platforms but mine didn’t. I took an evening walk on the Discovery Trail and saw two deer. There are several other, longer trails. I didn’t explore the lake. The bathroom/shower house was clean. It was a little ways from I-20 but overall decent park.

We totally lucked out getting a spot at Caddo lake on a holiday weekend during the pandemic. Normally we tent camp, but went with the kids and grandkids who have an RV. We were glad we were in the RV as it rained quite a bit. The campground is gorgeous with all the trees and Spanish moss and swamps. The bathrooms are really nice, great showers and spacious. The trails are well marked, the park roads make for good biking (no bike riding on the trails) and the fishing piers are nice. Even though the canoe rental was closed, there are rentals a short distance away. During the pandemic, we think every other site was blocked off, it was nice not to have a super crowded park, but will sure be glad when this is over!

A taste of the swamps in north Louisiana. Spanish moss clad Bald Cypress trees in a stereotypical Louisiana lake. Two great boat ramps, cabins and picnic tables. Keep your small dogs on a leash or you may feed the gators. Mosquitoes big enough to land at Barksdale AFB.

Very well kept, great park staff, excellent boat ramp and pier.  Could use more camping spots especially for tent campers.

Called to inquire on tent/dispersed camping on 1.14.21 and was told the park is currently closed except for "certified" RV spots. Since our Sprinter is self sufficient it isn't considered certified, they wouldn't reserve a space for us. 😔

Camped at site #63 in the Mill Pond Camping Area - tent area. This site backed up onto Saw Mill Pond - beautiful cypress swamp. Bugs were not too bad. Gravel drive on site. Level tent pad. Water only; no electric. Clean fire ring. Lantern post. Large site, good separation from other sites. Campground is heavily wooded, lots of shade. Campground is clean & nicely maintained. One restroom is at the entrance to the Mill Pond camping area, just off of a day use parking lot. No shower in this restroom. A newer, nicer restroom/shower house is located in the Woodpecker camping area. Quiet campground; no issues. Good AT&T service. Despite saying it's allowed in the campground features list, alcohol is prohibited. Excellent T-Mobile 5G service.

Whitetail deer, owls, fish/gar, butterflies, dragonflies, fireflies, and much more! Sites right on the Lake. Two Disc Golf Courses and hiking trails. Nice facilities with all lodging options from primitive tent, yurt, RV hookups, and cabins.

Went right after Memorial Day weekend and basically had the campground to ourselves. Campsite 64 had a large flat surface to accommodate a six person tent (North Face Wawona 6) with a vestibule. Great place for a weekend getaway from the DFW area ~3 hr drive). Overall the park has nice amenities, easy hikes, and great canoeing-kayaking!

This camp ground is well kept. There is a nice beach and really nice fishing pears and dock. There is a large open pavilion to rent as well as an enclosed group building. Cabins and duplex housing are also an option. I prefer the pull through full hook up section but there are plenty of tent and RV sites with water and electricity. There are some short trails and an amphitheater is located near the bath house. I try to camp there once a year.

I have taken my son camping here several times. Great small park. The big attraction here is the lake, which looks like something straight out of a Louisiana swamp movie. Huge old cypress trees with Spanish moss hanging from the limbs. The park rents canoes or there is a boat ramp to launch your own boat. The lake is very shallow and navigation can be tricky if you don't pay attention. I recommend a compass & getting the lake map from one of the bait shops near the park. With those, it's pretty straightforward. There are guided tours of the lake by vendors outside the park that are worthwhile. The nearby historic town of Jefferson is worth a visit also. Lots of history, Jefferson was a major supply point & gateway city to the West prior to the Civil War.

Came to town from a nearby base for our child’s specialized medical treatments. Tent spots are $4 a night, enclosed in a lightly wooded area, and only few yards away from both the bathroom and the playground. It was perfect for our needs. We even stayed a couple extra nights because the kids enjoyed it so much. Great spot for families with little ones wanting a mild camping experience because amenities are right there and it’s secluded enough that kids feel they are getting a true camping experience. The base has a wonderful walking trail/ outdoor display of aircraft that our toddlers thoroughly enjoyed. Extremely glad we took a chance on this underrated spot.

5/5

Newer campground that is very well laid out and well kept. Tall tree limb canopy helps with a nice breeze and fewer bugs.  This is on a bayou so be prepared for mosquitoes.  Great paddling trails and about100 yards from Big Cypress Bayou connected by a boat trail.  Nice shower / restroom close to the tent area. 

Leslie and Pat are fantastic hosts and go out of their way to make you feel at home.  Ask about their buffalo ranch.

Pros: There is only one site right next to it... I don’t like being cramped between two sites

Trees for hammocks

Site is right on the water. I don’t kayak but I think you could easily get in the water from the site.

Lots of history at this park and some short, beautiful trails

Cons: Site is a little small for multiple tents

Lots of tree roots sticking up so it’s easy to trip. They also hurt if you fall out of the hammock on them 🤦🏻‍♀️ I did both

The picnic table is old, warped and unbalanced

Bathroom is a little bit of a hike. We drove to it.

When we called to make our reservation there was only one spot left and it was at the Mill Pond camping area. I was a little hesitant because this area is water hook up only. However, it is the only camping area in the park with water view. So, we sprung for a generator and reserved the spot. On arrival, we were surprised to find that there were plenty of open spots even after being told several times there were not. My assumption was that this had to do with Covid 19 and limited capacity regulations. Nevertheless, the Mill Pond camping area is the way to go. Easy access to the pond and breathtaking views made this my favorite camping location so far. It also could have been the swampy nature reviving my Louisiana roots. Other pros to Caddo State Lake park were the very long scenic hiking trails that included beautiful rock stairs, canoeing through the pond out into the bay, adorable cabins, and wildlife. We spotted a deer, paddle fish, and a baby gator! About four miles from the park is a National Wildlife Refuge with walking trails and auto-tour route. There are several canoe trails on Caddo Lake. I strongly suggest putting in at Crip's Camp to explore the"Old Folks Playground" paddle trail for some very unique scenery.

Check out our entire trip highlights here  https://champagneondeck.com

We stayed here for a one night stopover. I’m not sure I’d go out of my way to stay there again but I was happy enough with my stop. It’s an older park. The lake is pretty swampy. No sewer at the sites, but water and electric. Cell service with AT&T was pretty weak but manageable to get some work done. Bathhouse was a typical older state park set up. Definitely needs some TLC. It would take a little work to get level in most of the sites from what I can see. They do have a wooden platform (almost like a deck) at most sites that is pretty cool. Our table was old and kinda warped. There is a fire pit. Table and fire are down a level but sites where we stayed were large and spacious. The park was almost empty during our stay but when we booked there were very few open sites available less than a week earlier. That seemed odd once we saw there was literally no one staying there. Sunset was beautiful.