The Lyndon B. Johnson National Grassland surrounding Alvord, Texas offers several tent camping options within its 20,000-acre expanse. Tadra Point Campground, located directly in Alvord, provides established tent campsites with basic amenities in a natural setting. Black Creek Lake NF Campground in nearby Decatur offers tent-only primitive camping with 14 official sites. For those seeking more seclusion, dispersed tent camping is permitted throughout designated areas of the LBJ National Grassland. Lake Mineral Wells State Park, though slightly farther at about 40 miles southwest, provides backcountry tent camping opportunities with walk-in sites accessible via hiking trails.
Most tent campgrounds in the region feature minimal improvements and require self-sufficiency. At Black Creek Lake, campers pay via an honor system kiosk ($2 per night, cash only) for sites that include fire rings and picnic tables. Tadra Point requires a $10 per car fee collected through a self-serve payment box. The sites are generally set on natural surfaces with minimal grading. Drinking water is scarce or non-potable at most locations, so campers should bring their own supply. Non-flushing toilets are available at established campgrounds, but dispersed camping areas have no facilities. During summer months, rattlesnakes may be present in tall grass areas, and large mosquitoes are common, making insect repellent essential.
In early fall, tent campsites throughout the grasslands offer more comfortable temperatures and fewer crowds. A camper at Black Creek Lake noted that while mid-week visits provide a peaceful experience, "locals fishing or grilling slightly diminished the wilderness vibe." The primitive tent camping areas offer varying levels of privacy. According to reviews, Tadra Point's open layout provides limited seclusion between sites, though the surrounding trail system offers good hiking opportunities. Wildlife sightings are common, with campers reporting encounters with deer, raccoons, opossums, and coyotes. For those willing to explore forest service roads, locals mentioned that some dispersed camping spots in the LBJ Grassland have remained relatively undiscovered for decades, offering true solitude for tent campers.
"We stumbled upon this dispersed camping area after driving forest service roads for a while. I would NOT recommend taking any kind of trailer or motorhome down these roads and to this spot. "
"Was transiting between central Texas toward Colorado in an off-grid TT and didn’t want to venture far off 287 for a comfortable, quiet & safe place to stay for the night."
"This campground has restrooms and a gravel drive to access the grounds. You will find a small playground and picnic tables at this site as well as a public boat launch."
"small RV park on the lake, quiet and shaded"
"The lake is awesome and great for fishing and kayaking. We stayed at the Post Oak Campground over Valentine's Weekend 2019. "
"I saw some wildlife- deer, an armadillo, and a rabbit. I was carrying a 50 lb pack and stopped often for pics, so it took me about an hour and a half to reach the primitive camping area."
from $10 / night
"The restrooms really stink, but are always clean and stocked in my experience. Max 3 night stay, no electricity, water, or showers. Nice fire rings, flag pole, and calm park."
"No access to drive to the actual site so I couldn’t use my RTT but it’s a short walk from where you park. Really nice park right on the lake, but it does get a bit crowded."
from $20 / night
"We really enjoyed this camp space. Peaceful, open, spacious and super nice management and staff. We stayed in spot 23 and although windy, I really enjoyed the scenery and quietness."
"Close to Dallas, very clean and organized camp area."
from $37 / night
"Electric hookups for RV generally a small area first come first serve.... 5 dollars per tent....restrooms and park lights.... stores nearby..... no showers"
GuideThe KOA is clean and well maintained. There is lits of space for the pull throughs. Dog park is amazing, host are friendly and kind. They are very welcoming and the store is small, but clean with a little bit of everything for everyone! We will definitely be back!
TravelerSuper easy in and out. Pretty much every amenity that you would want at a very modern campground.
TravelerDisappointing and unnecessarily confrontational experience.
I booked and paid for a campsite at The Vineyards in my self-contained Sprinter camper van. I checked in without issue and had already spent one night there when the park manager, Lisa, approached me while I was relaxing inside my van to inform me that my vehicle was not welcome.
She stated that the city requires RVs to have hookups and be commercially manufactured. However, the campground’s published policies explicitly allow management to approve converted camper vans (and I am fully self-contained). It also allows for truck campers, which I suppose theoretically could have sewer hookups, but I assure you my custom converted Sprinter is more aesthetic than a truck camper, if that was her concern (no offense to my truck camper friends).
I also could not find the city ordinance she was referring to.
I understand that campgrounds have rules and that management has discretion to enforce them. What I don’t understand is why my reservation was accepted, why I was allowed to stay overnight, or why the situation needed to be handled so confrontationally.
When I offered to leave if they would refund my unused second night, Lisa told me it was too late for a refund and that I might as well stay.
So apparently my van was prohibited until refunding my money became the alternative.
I wasn’t causing a disturbance, requesting special accommodations, or asking to use facilities I hadn’t paid for. I was simply enjoying a campsite I’d reserved and paid for.
The campground itself is lovely, which makes the experience even more disappointing. A straightforward, respectful conversation about their policies would have been entirely reasonable. Instead, I was made to feel unwelcome at a place where I was already a paying guest.
If you’re traveling in a self-contained converted camper van, I’d strongly recommend getting written approval before booking, regardless of whether your reservation is accepted. And given that I am now reading other complaints of the staff being rude, I might avoid this spot altogether.
TravelerRed River RV Resort (Deluxe) in Thackerville OK is a hot mess to be polite. The entire campground is covered with goathead sand burrs. It's impossible to go outside and enjoy any part of the campground. If you do go out you have to be very careful not to bring any of the sand burrs into the camper. The property owner / management knows of the campground issues but they're not doing anything to fix the issues. The pool and hot tub are disgusting, both have green slimy water with leaves, dirt and whatever else blew into it. The community room is locked and you have to ask at the office to get access. The community room has multiple TV's but none if them turn on so whats point in having them. On the good side it has two nice pool tables so its has some purpose. The gym area is packed with equipment but looks more like a storage locker than a gym.The campground has a good laundry room and okay WIFI. The showers are okay, older facilty but it all works. It has a fenced dog park but again It's covered with sand burrs so its unuseable. There's several empty/abandonded campers through out the campground. We went down the street to the local public park, sadly the park is unuseable as well due to the sand burrs being everywhere. It appears sand burrs are a bigger issue in the area and just not only at the campground. The campsites have full hook ups, some of the sewer hose tubes have caps while others don't. The neighboring campsite sewer connection didnt have a sewer cap and it has a huge wolf spider living in it.... we had planned to stay the full 14 days but leaving early due to the 8 billion sand burrs. Our dog is unable to walk in the grass, dirt, pavement without a paw full of sand burrs. I'm very disappointed C2C thinks this is a deluxe campground, I would be embarrassed to be in any way connected to it. There's other campgrounds in the area that have similar nightly cost ($40 - $50) if I was to pay outside of the C2C members rate with useable grass yards, clean useable swimming pools and community rooms. This could be an amazing campground if someone would fix the issues. As it stands now I would avoid this campground at all costs.
GuideThis is a great little park, lots of room in all the campsites we saw. Really great fishing area! The only drawback was the distance to the bathroom...quite a walk. But I should have checked that before I booked.
ScoutWe had a great time here. Lots of shade, privacy and great view of lake
TravelerVery nice well kept campground. Staff very nice and professional.
Showers were great!! Hot with lots of pressure!!
GuideFolks want different things out of campsites. For me, it's scenic beauty, quiet for work and mental health, and nice places to take my dog. This checks all the boxes!
None of my reviews will be useful for amenities or activities because I just don't use them. I can't tell you about bathrooms, fishing, etc. I can tell you the water is very soft and feels slick or soapy even after you rinse. I have onboard reverse osmosis and wouldn't recommend drinking city water anywhere in Texas. There's too much oil production here and gas and chemicals are all over.
The staff at the gate were pleasant and said, "You must be David," when I pulled in, which was very nice and made it easy and welcoming.
Texas has many undiscovered and wonderful public lands, whether you're really camping or just working remote, watching the deer, or seeing the sunrise over a lake from your bedroom window. Get out here and come see them!
ScoutWe arrived late and they were supposed to be closed because it was July 3rd and sign said they would be closed that day , but the owner not only took us in but was extremely nice ! He even opened up again at 10:30 pm to give us a bag of ice . Very thankful for his hospitality. The campground met everyone of our needs
Tent camping near Alvord, Texas centers around the 20,000-acre Lyndon B. Johnson National Grassland. The area features primarily sandy loam soils with oak-hickory woodlands interspersed with open prairie land. Summer temperatures regularly exceed 95°F between June and September, with winter overnight lows dropping below freezing from December through February. Spring camping offers moderate temperatures along with wildflower displays across the grassland's varied terrain.
Kayaking and fishing: 15 minutes from Alvord, Black Creek Lake NF Campground offers water recreation options. A camper shared: "There are two areas at Black Creek Lake that you can camp: this side, the improved side with amenities, and the back side, which does not have any amenities... This site has restrooms and a gravel drive to access the grounds. You will find a small playground and picnic tables at this site as well as a public boat launch."
Rock climbing: 40 miles southwest, Lake Mineral Wells State Park offers unique rock formations. A visitor noted: "The rock climbing is so fun to watch! Really unique rocks for Texas. Worth going to this park just to check that out, but then the kayaking is top notch too. I didn't find it, but apparently there's a little creek you can paddle up off the far left side of the lake."
Hiking trail systems: Multiple trail lengths from 2-10 miles throughout the area. At Tadra Point Trailhead & Campground, a camper mentioned: "We enjoyed our overnight stay near the trailhead. We weren't sure about the accessibility to the trailhead road with our 23 foot travel trailer so we opted to stay off road 904, where the horse trailers park, since there were some nice flat spots."
Solitude in dispersed camping areas: Throughout Lyndon B. Johnson National Grassland Dispersed Camping, campers appreciate the quiet camping spots. One reviewer shared: "We stumbled upon this dispersed camping area after driving forest service roads for a while. They said that they had been coming to this spot for 30+ years and rarely saw anyone else there."
Lakeside views for sunset watching: Several campgrounds offer direct lake access. A camper at LBJ Grasslands noted: "Once inside you could tell there'd been recent rain but the wet areas were easily avoided. Sites are spacious and we soon found a pretty great vista view from which the spectacular sunset was just a great bonus."
Wildlife viewing opportunities: Multiple reviewers report seeing deer, raccoons, and various birds. In the primitive area of Lake Mineral Wells State Park, a camper shared: "This was the perfect place for my first solo hiking/camping trip! I saw some wildlife- deer, an armadillo, and a rabbit."
Facility limitations: Most tent camping areas near Alvord have minimal amenities. A visitor to Tadra Point Trailhead & Campground reported: "The campsites here are pretty primitive. Seems like you can set up just about anywhere. There are two non flushing restroom. Plenty of poles for tying horses and there is water trofts for them but the water looked pretty disgusting."
Cash-only payment systems: Several campgrounds require exact cash for payment. At Black Creek Lake, a $2 per night fee includes basic amenities while Tadra Point requires $10 per car.
Limited privacy between sites: Many established campgrounds feature open layouts. A camper described Tadra Point: "Not a lot of area to get privacy from other campers as the area is pretty open. There are trails that I didn't take to know if there were other areas that you could potentially set up at least a hammock camp at."
Start with shorter hiking trails: Begin with the 2-mile Cross Timbers trail at Lake Mineral Wells. A visitor noted: "We took the designated 'primitive campsites' trail hiking in. The trails were well marked, but pretty overgrown at parts with a TON of spider webs. The next morning we took the Cross Timbers trail back, which despite being a little longer was faster because of how much better maintained it was."
Bring entertainment for kids: Pack games and activities, especially during mid-week stays when fewer families are present. A reviewer at Black Creek Lake observed: "Last time I went was mid-week. The temperature was soaring but a nice breeze off the lake coupled with the shady trees made for a very nice experience. The occasional local popping in for fishing or grilling sorta dampens the 'out-in-the-woods' feel but overall quite nice."
Consider alternatives to primitive camping: For families with young children, Meadowmere Park & Campground offers more amenities. A camper shared: "We really enjoyed this camp space. Peaceful, open, spacious and super nice management and staff. Porta potties were incredibly clean and a main bathroom area featured showers and very clean as well."
Check road conditions before arrival: Forest service roads can be challenging after rain. An RVer traveling through the grasslands advised: "Was transiting between central Texas toward Colorado in an off-grid TT and didn't want to venture far off 287 for a comfortable, quiet & safe place to stay for the night. Taking the Trinity exit north off the loop around Decatur and using the navigation to the LBJ Grasslands to Park Rd 904 access was easy (& scenic)."
Consider trailer size limitations: Many sites are not suitable for larger RVs. A visitor to LBJ Grassland Dispersed Camping cautioned: "I would NOT recommend taking any kind of trailer or motorhome down these roads and to this spot. To give you an idea- we drove a Toyota 4Runner and a small utility trailer with a roof top tent on it."
Look for established campgrounds with level sites: Most dispersed areas have uneven terrain. RVers report better experiences at designated campgrounds with more level ground for parking and setup.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Alvord, TX?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Alvord, TX is Lyndon B. Johnson National Grassland Dispersed Camping with a 5-star rating from 3 reviews.
What is the best site to find tent camping near Alvord, TX?
TheDyrt.com has all 7 tent camping locations near Alvord, TX, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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