Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Alpine, TX

Love Alpine with its street art, food trucks, quaint downtown and history. Hiking up to see the desk on the grounds surrounding the Sul Ross campus is just one fun excursion. Also, the Big Bend Museum and Kokernot Field. 

The campground is set on the outskirts of Alpine and has pine trees around it. Unfortunately most sites that I saw don’t have much, if any, shade. That being said, there are lots of plusses for this campground. The staff is great, the site I was in was level and had full hook ups, the campground laundry is excellent and there’s also a community recreation room.

Good rates for a nice stopover in a great location in Big Bend country with a pet park, gift shop, pool/playground and cabins.

There was no problem finding this campground(CG) as it is right off I-10 adjacent to a Valero gas station. We had paid online, and per the emailed instructions, we went and chose an empty site. After driving through and looking at sites that didn’t have trees that would interfere with our slide-outs, we went into pull-through site 29 with FHUs. As we were only staying overnight, we did not use water and sewer. The CG’s sites are all pull-throughs with FHUs. About 1/4 of the sites are transient workers or full-timers. When we were here towards the end of January, there were plenty of sites to choose from. Our site was plenty long enough for our 40’ 5th wheel and F450. This is a basic CG with no internet, but they have a laundry room on the back of the Saddleback Steakhouse and Bar that has seen better days. There’s also an unmanned office with instructions and a drop box for campers without a reservation. There were plenty of sites that have clear shots to the sky for satellite. We got 3 bars on Verizon. We should have used our sound machine as there’s a lot of road noise from I-10. There’s no formal dog park, but there is plenty of room to walk your dog. Other than the price, one of the reasons we stayed here was the raving reviews by other campers on the Saddleback Steakhouse and Saloon, especially their ribeyes. Boy, were we disappointed. We were expecting a big Texas-style steak. The steak was maybe 1/4 inch thick, and the hand-cut fries were greasy. This may be the only place in the US that still allows smoking inside. They live by their own rules here. On the bright side, this dive-type bar was interesting and somewhat entertaining depending on your views as this establishment is clearly pro-Trump and anti-Biden.

This is a historic ranch down the road from Fort Davis.  The ranch serves as a summer camp for kids and groups and we did arrive in Nov so it was like having the place to ourselves (not sure how it would be with lots of kids around!).  There are two locations for RV parking; front and rear.  We stayed in the rear, but would pick the front next time.  The rear was private, but the front seemed to have less building obstacles for night sky and sun setting viewing.  The road is not active at all it seems ... very much off the beaten path.

Our spot was a back in and did require leveling, but had full hook ups.  There is no set dog park area (not a big deal!). The horse corrals and horses were a great site to see. The buildings could use a fresh coat of paint and the landscaping could use a few flowers and decorative improvements, but we were not there for the RV spots, but for a short stay and hiking.

We entered from the north side of town and was a little skeptical, but eventually we arrived and were happily surprised.  They do have horse back riding available at all times; however we chose to hike the near by hills in the state park ... be prepared for the walk is on rocky, shale, hills so extra work on the leg muscles but WELL worth it!

The staff is very very welcoming and knowledgeable of local attractions ... There is Fort Davis you can walk through, hiking at Prude Ranch, hiking in the state park, and a 2 - 3 hour drive that has local natural sites you can see from the car.

This State Park in the Big Bend area is remote and for me this is part of the wonder. Just getting here is an adventure and worth every mile driving into the park. It’s amazing that the CCC were able to build such an amazing lodge in this isolated and beautiful part of Texas. 

Site 47 has water and electric and was mostly level with wonderful shade, which is a rare commodity in this campground.  This site has a grand old cottonwood I was able to fit my RV under. 

I had no cell service (Verizon) even with a booster and when I needed to make contact (due to an RV mechanical issue) I had to hike the Lodge. Others who had ATT were able to get service when near the shower houses/restrooms. Not a big deal if you don’t need it. 

Lots to see and do in this area. Make sure to see the hoodoos and visit Ft. Davis and the Davis Mountain Observatory. Also nearby Alpine and Marfa.

Tumble In is conveniently located on the out skirts of Marfa, TX. It is walking distance to the town and near the highway. You are right in the middle of both so the star gazing is amazing!

You are driving distance for the McDonnell Observatory and several other fun places to go and see. The camping sites are gravel and have water and electric hook ups. There is a covered community kitchen and washer/dryer. It has a very relaxed and welcoming atmosphere. If you stay up late enough you might even be able to see the strange Marfa lights!

Highly recommend staying here! My boyfriend and I love this place and will always go back and stay there.

We actually stayed here for a week, part of relocating from Texas over to the desert for the winter. 

The Pros:

• Easy in and out.  You can actually just go right to the back of the gas station there and cut left, big entrance area, though going to the right of the Saloon and restaurant does put you going the right way for....

• Large, long spots.  Now, some have a cone in them, I'd guess some problem with one of the three hookups, but I don't know.  Some of them are also overgrown.

• Plenty of room, really.  This isn't a place people stay for long, being next to the highway, I would guess.  So when you're trying to "reserve" a spot on the phone, it'll pretty much be "just come on".

• During our stay we had reliable power and water, no issues.  Decent water pressure as well.  We did hit some freezing overnights so I just filled the tanks and we ran off that until we left.  I didn't actually hook up to the sewer at all.

• The onsite bar and restaurant isn't bad.

The Cons:

• Not really a problem for me, but you ARE next to a truck stop and a highway, but honestly, I didn't hear them really at all during the night unless I was listening for it.

• There was someone with loose dogs.  As a former traveling-with-dog RVer, that annoys me to a VERY great deal.  I don't know your dog, mine always seemed to get attacked.  Keep your dog on a leash, please.

• Again, not a problem for me, but the bar/restaurant is very right wing Republican.    F*** Biden flags, Trump Won, etc.  Just warning you.  The patrons and staff didn't say or do anything untoward, but if this kind of stuff bothers you and you're easily offended, just be aware.

• It took me second time to realize that my chicken fried steak wasn't just awesomely tender, but rather I'm pretty sure it was hamburger.  The batter and gravy was good, really, all the food was good.  (Though we did feel a little ripped off at 5 or 6 small onion rings for $6.99.)   There is a great Mexican restaurant in town (as much as there is any town to Balmorhea), too, be sure to check hours and such.  It's called La Cueva de Oso.

The Davis Mountains and the state park offer an opportunity for Texans to experience all the Trans-Pecos has to offer.

With close proximity to McDonald Observatory, Balmorhea, Alpine, Marathon, Marfa, and even close enough for a day trip to Big Bend & Terlingua, this campground is tough to beat.

The sites themselves are well cared for, with clean bathrooms and attentive hosts. The trails are modest but still offer some stunning views. The on-site, CCC built Indian Lodge is a beautiful work of architecture and history.

It’s hard to imagine this site being set up any better than it is.

I stayed here for two nights during the Texas snow and deep freeze of Feb. 14 to 16, 2021. It was comfortable to be in the company of so many as the park was packed, RV Parks are not my thing so I left on snow covered roads (no snow plows in TX) and drove 80 miles south. The manager called me a few hours after I left sounding in disbelief and to confirm that I had relinquished my spot. I’m from Maine. We have winter and snow covered roads are normal.

ThIS RV Park has all the amenities of a KOA including friendly service, nice dog walk and play area, clean bathroom, and laundry, and spotless grounds beneath the pines. The end of row sites cost an additional $10, but my dogs enjoyed the bonus of a large, private grassy area and a couple of shade trees offered on site A20.