Best Tent Camping near Ace, TX

Muddy roads out to the site which were difficult to manage in a small passenger car. Campsite itself had a spooky vibe, seemed overgrown and poorly maintained. We arrived after dark and camped in a tent but neither of us slept well. I think they had a lot of rain because even the loop around the campground had big potholes full of water. In the morning we noticed the place was trashed. It might not be bad for campers and rvs but I don’t recommend tent camping.

Located on the west edge of the east Texas piney woods, this state park features excellent RV and tent camping facilities, and a beautiful network of heavily forested trails. The lake offers canoeing, kayaking, swimming and fishing, and affords visitors an occasional glimpse of alligators. We love this place.

Thia camp ground is owned and managed by Texas Parks and Wildlife. It is well maintained and kept. The RV camp sites are plenty big and the tent sites are big enough to pitch the large multi person cabin tents. The fishing is a amazing and the store is cool.

Tent site we stayed at was great.  Well shaded and not too close to other camper sites

Nice place for tent camping there is no water bathrooms or electricity. Great place for being in contact with nature. If you are looking to be away from the civilization but at the same time not that far it is perfect.

I took the whole family for a weekend getaway. We loved the park, it was our first time tent camping here and it did not disappoint. It has a swimming area, trails, fishing, and playgrounds. The park was very nice and clean, the showers had door! We will definitely come back.

This is our favorite local (2hous from home) park. We’ve been coming here almost every year for close to 20 years. We’ve done primitive tent camping, tent camping with power, shelter camping and just recently became glampers!😂 Site 142 in the prairie branch loop is our favorite site. It’s on the water and at the trailhead. It’s recently been designated Accessible so our last two trips we chose the shelter sites 10 and 11. These sites are also on the water and have lots of space. The showers on this side are individual rooms as opposed to the semi private (too small shower curtain) ones in the big restroom. The water is nice and hot but I suggest bringing a broom or you will be sharing with some pretty big spiders. Overall the restrooms are clean but the campgrounds are busy lately so I’m sure it’s difficult to keep up. Staff are super friendly. Firewood is on a suggested donation basis and is available most days before 5pm.

My wife and I have been park hosts here at Martin Dies jr state park for 3 months now. We have been coming here for years. The park has around 200 rv, tent sites, and cabins ( 3 cabins have a/c ). They have trails and rent kayaks and canoes. Plenty of Wildlife like deer, raccoons, gray foxes, birds and of course gators.

Sam Houston National Forest is my absolute favorite. There is so much to do there, plus the longest foot trail in Texas (Lone Star trail) resides here. This campsite is located on the Eastern side of the forest and it very close to the Eastern Terminus of the Lone Star trail ( trailhead #15).

Double Lake is the campsite that has it all. Plus there is a lake, or two, where you can fish, boat, and swim. There are lots of bike and hiking trails, along with off roading vehicle trails. The scenery is amazing. I love to go hiking early in the morning as all of the wildlife begins to rise. The sounds and views are some of the best in the state.

The facilities are kept very clean and the staff is always to kind and helpful. Some of the trails were closed the last time I visited but the park rangers were very helpful in helping me navigate. There are tent sites, group tent sites and RV sites available to reserve, which you can easily reserve online. My favorite tent site, that I try to get every time is site # 28. It is easily accessible, off by itself, and still close enough to the bathrooms. I like it because it has quite a bit of room, lots of tree cover ( which is nice when it rains, or in the summer) and it has some character to it.

There is a ranger station at the entrance of this site, but be aware they are closed on the weekend. They have a little drop box and fill out sheet is you come on the weekends, but make sure to download a map of the trails and park beforehand, because the maps are never stocked and there likely won't be one. If you don't have one, there is usually a ranger driving around on a golf cart you can ask.

Make sure you hike the double lake trail. It is about 9 miles long with a very easy footpath, but the views and stillness of the forest make it worth it. The trailhead is between the lake and bathrooms after entering, but be aware it is also a bike trail and can get muddy after a good rail.

There is a fee to enter. If you have a National Park pass it is free and it is twenty dollars a night. Please visit this park!!

Wonderful trails. Clear and well marked. Primitive (water only) tent sites on lakeshore side leave the camper hunting flat surfaces while avoiding runoff pathways. However the dip shields you from stormy winds. Be ready to share the park. Lots of day trippers enjoy this piece of bliss so close to Houston. Trails are marked for foot and bicycle travel. Birdwatchers bring your glasses and journals, you will not be disappointed.

This is a small hidden state park that has rustic beauty. 25 campsites with electric and water, that can be used for campers or tents (tent pads at each site). We camped with a 27 ft camper, with barely enough room. Slightly unlevel, needed 2 blocks on left side. Each site has a tent pad, table, and firepit. There is a dump station. Extremely clean shower and bath house. Several hiking and biking trails, as well as a small beach area, kayaking, fishing, gazebo and playground. A nature center was on site which has activities for families on the weekends! Walk in tent camping without electric and water available. Our site #4 was only 16 dollars a night. Park rangers and camp hosts were knowledgeable and kind.

25 standard RV sites with water & electric. $16, plus some walkin tent sites. Arrived on a Monday night with no reservation; no problem getting a nice site (#19). The young lady checking us in was very nice & helpful. The campground was clean & well maintained. The restroom/shower house was exceptionally clean. Most sites appear to be close to each other, but trees & shrubbery between sites provided some privacy. Sites were also narrow, but long. Enough room for a camper & tent. A few big rigs had difficulty with backing into a site. Pretty state park. Includes a hiking trail. Good AT&T & T-Mobile cell service.

We went Thursday - Saturday, and will go again during the week to avoid crowds.
The check-in process is a bit troublesome if you're picky about getting a good tent site- you can't reserve specific sites ahead of time. Also, your visit will cost you more than listed on the website because they charge entrance fees for each person on top of the campsite rental. That was an unpleasant surprise. The only other unpleasant surprise is that the campground store is closed on Thursdays. Lesson learned- bring your own Snickers!
However, the scenery, quietness, and availability of rental boats was wonderful. We camped in tent site #70, and I would grab that one again in a heartbeat. The 70's sites have water access and beautiful views, and are generous with their square footage. Plenty of trees down there to hang hammocks and clotheslines on, and more than one flat spot for tents on each site.
I normally would not devote a whole paragraph to restrooms at a state park, but I will this time. These were the CLEANEST restrooms I've ever seen at a state park, and the most updated. The stalls had modern dividers, the toilets all had clean, functional seats, the showers had separate bench areas with lots of hooks, plus normal faucets you could just turn on once (as opposed to having to push a button every minute), and the sinks also had great faucets with good pressure and reliable water temperatures. Very easy to use.
All our issues with this park were related to unexpected costs and logistics, but the park facilities were fabulous. We will definitely be back!

I’m so surprised I hadn’t been here yet, but it’s just gorgeous. Pine needles everywhere, beautiful lake. We tent camped and we weren’t too close to the people around us. Completely surrounded by huge trees. The bathroom had a lot of spiders but I’d expect that. The showers drained super slow but you just have to take a quick one. I appreciate the parking at your spot a lot. A nice cold front (and storm) came in during the night and blew out the humidity and it just got that much better. We went on the long trail in the evening and heard coyotes which was cool. We turned around though lol.

Tent camped 23JUN20, 1 night

I love Huntsville SP. It’s my “home park”. So many great memories of family and scout camping here, all the way back to my youth. The tall trees and lake make for a “summer camp” feel.

It literally rained every second I was in camp except for a little while when I was loading out. For the most part it was a quiet heavy rain that I enjoyed from my covered hammock!

I always forget there are alligators there, but they don’t seem to care too much about people. It is a bit disconcerting to be standing on the fishing peer 2 feet over the water and look down to see one just chilling under your feet.

Site 139 was large, had complete shade coverage and was right off the trail. It also had the unfortunate attribute of being at the bottom of the hill and kind of where all the water from everywhere seemed to be headed. Not a problem unless it’s raining a lot. Fortunately I realized this and set up my tent on the end of the parking space. Have you ever driven a tent stake into asphalt with a hatchet? Good times.

The bathrooms were clean and updated. The fishing was non existent due to the rain and I’ll go back soon to hike.

Did I mention that it rained? A lot?

Tent Camped 9JUN20- 1 night

TO BE FAIR, this was RIGHT after everyone reopened and things were all weird. There was no one to check in with and the whole time we were there we never saw any park personnel. The park was MAYBE 25% camped, but might have been less than that. Sites were huge and well treed, no pads but good drainage, which was a blessing because it POURED overnight.

Site 334 was on the water with great trees and soft ground to camp on. Our closest neighbor was 500 feet away, and they were the only other one on our loop.

The park was empty and quiet with no canoes or anything available due to COVID.

The bathrooms were older and pretty clean, but not overly tended to.

The trails were a little rough and needed a lot of rotted wood replaced on the bridges and benches. Tons of birds and wildlife to see.

Brought my dog but not a lot of good places for him to get in the water.

It was the first time I had camped in 10 years, so this was the perfect place for a shakeout camp.

We stayed in a tent at site 124. It was crazy windy when we were setting up our tent. This part of the park was really windy for two of the three days, but we still had a great time. Typical, nice Texas State Park. Nice sites. Enjoyed the hiking on wide trails. They did not rent canoes or kayaks because of the winds.

I was totally surprised at the beauty of this park. I stayed in a screened shelter site with a view of the lake. The weather was cold, but I came prepared and setup my tent in the shelter. The park has many trails and view points. The staff at check-in were extremely helpful and you could tell they love their job. Ended up purchasing a Texas Parks Pass because I am quickly learning that Texas has some of the best camping in the country.

We took our family here on a Texas state park camping trip. The park rangers explain basics of camping. It was a great experience for our family. The park is very family friendly and tent friendly. It is on a lake that has fishing, kayaking and paddle boats. The facilities were nice and clean.

We have stayed here several times with family, some in tents and some in pop up trailers. The bathrooms are old, Texas is supposed to be getting new bathrooms in all state park facilities but had not gotten to this one as of our last visit. Park is larger, best to do with bikes if possible. Limited lake access but good fishing spots abound. Tower to climb, trails to hike, firewood to burn...

Sandy Creek ACE, TX: To Do: Great location to visit the Big Thicket National Preserve. Boat launch is in the park. Fishing. Gorgeous sunsets.

(Scale 1- bad, 5-Very good

(71 yr olds in 17’ trailer. )

Overall Rating: 3.5. Great price, large sites , but showers need updating and better water heaters.
Price 2023: $9 w interagency pass. Not a lot of privacy in most sites. Security: No Usage during visit: 1/3 full on Saturday. Site Privacy: No shrubbery between sites Site Spacing: Most sites have great spacing Site surface: Blacktop Reservations: Yes Campground Noise: Very quiet Road Noise: No public roads nearby Through Traffic in campground: None Electric Hookup: Yes Sewer Hookup: No Dump Station: Yes Potable Water Available: At sites Bathroom: Flush toilets. Clean, but in major need of updating. Showers: Yes. Common dressing area - needs updating. Water heated not adequate every morning. Pull Throughs: Some Cell Service (AT&T): 3 bars Setting: Sites are in what is mostly a pine forest.
Recent Weather: Cool. Typical for this time of year I am told Host: At entrance Rig Size: Largest of rigs are accommodated Sites: 32 has great shade. 51 and 35 doorside towards trees as opposed to another trailer.v

Clean, plenty of spaces, tents and RV’s. Nice fire pit. Nice lake view and water fun!

This was our first trip with our kiddos in tent and we cannot wait to go back!! Site 146 was amazing!!

Clean camping grounds. Designated tent areas and fire rings. Hot showers and flushing toilets all in a clean bathroom. Listening to the coyotes late at night was awesome.