Best Glamping near Brackettville, TX

This park is a great escape to disconnect, view the DARK SKY and witness Mexican free-tailed bat emergence! Park campground is 25 miles after the turn off of US90. We stayed Friday and Saturday nights in mid-March. Few bats emerged during our stay; much better emergence in April as experienced in previous visits to Stuart Cave. 

Pros:

• Excellent DARK SKY campground

• Stuart Cave bat emergence nightly from a very nice viewing deck

• Small park

• Extremely quiet park during March Spring Break

• Good campsite privacy due to good brush coverage

• Most sites had a nice distance from neighbor sites

• Clean campsite

• Picnic table in good condition, especially eating surface

• Our site had aluminum picnic table on a concrete slab under a metal shelter; not all sites had metal shelter

• Clean restroom/shower facility

•  Campsite hook-ups in good condition.

• Level gravel campsite.  

• Pedestal BBQ grill, fire pit with grilling grate, double hook lantern pole and aluminum picnic table at each site.   

• Park roadways in good condition. 

• Park Ranger patrolled campground numerous times throughout day/evening 

Cons:

• No AT&T signal; no park WIFI, so completely without phone service and no public phone available for emergerncies. Had to drive outside of Park about 3 miles for AT&T signal.

• County burn ban prohibited wood campfires and ban posted on Park’s website. Park Ranger stopped by our campsite to tell us to put out our campfire, but we showed him it was a propane firebowl.

• Limited shade in campsites

• Must pack out all personally generated trash. Absolutely NO dumpsters; no garbage cans in park

• No campground host

•.  No entrance gate locked at night

• One and only restroom used by entire Park, so campers and day users. Women’s restroom had 2 toilets, 2 sinks and one shower stall

• Women’s restroom lacked consistent supply of TP and wall dispenser soap• Wildlife sightings limited to squirrels and armadillos

• No park store, so come prepared with all necessary supplies as Brackettville is closest small town which is 25 miles away with only a grocery store and couple fuel stations. Ulvade and Del Rio have the typical box stores.

It’s wonderful here, everyone is family and the food is terrific! The people come from everywhere and yet no one ever knows where it is so only the best people ever get here! Bring your dancing boots, because they play amazing Texas county.

I camped here with my granddaughters and had a wonderful time. This is a small park that is centered around two main attractions. First is the actual cavern. Kickapoo Cavern is a moderate size cavern and completely undeveloped. The park staff conducts a hard hat and flashlight tour once a week, so reservations are a must. Next is the Stuart Bat Cave. About 1 million Mexican Free-tail Bats exit the cave at sunset to search for food. The viewing area is very nice and handicap accessible. You can also watch them return, which is quite impressive, if you get there before sunrise. Also there are many hiking trails to occupy the rest of your time.

The park has several campsites with full hookups. There is a dump station and fires are allowed in fire rings. Be sure to check the park website because the bats are seasonal and the park may not be open 7 days a week.

All in all this is one of the hidden gems in the Texas state park system.

My wife and I had never been camping together. Why not roll the dice and go on an adventure for our 5 year anniversary? We really wanted to be far from everything we knew, we wanted it to be beautiful, we wanted to get away from the city and close to the stars, we found “the camping spot”.

Ms. Donna is as honest and good hearted as they make here in Texas, she was super helpful from the start! We never had a problem! She has a truly unique piece of property for primitive camping chocked so full of wildlife we could hear the deer breathing next to our tent as the sun was coming up!

There are a couple short nature walks through her acreage that let you cut through the thicket. There is ample shade underneath some of the biggest oak trees in the area!

It’s a short distance to the Nueces River which will completely blow you away. I thought the Frio River had the bluest water and whitest limestone until Donna showed us the small private river access point where it’s deep enough to swim. Spring can’t get here fast enough.

I wouldn’t recommend driving a car out there, you’re going to need some clearance getting through rugged dirt roads, for the most part it’s very groomed.

We spent 4 days/4 nights there, if you can get there during the week, it’s as quiet and tranquil as you can dream up. Weekends naturally have a bit more “traffic” as it’s a semi popular area for the weekend warrior getting away with the family. Met the neighbors as our dogs roamed freely and stumbled upon their dogs, all were very friendly.

Not for the unprepared, town is not close!

I can’t recommend this place enough if you’re looking for that real private camping experience where it feels like you can see the far side of the moon at night. (Was awesome listening to the mountain lions screech and the coyotes howl)

This place has gone unnoticed for too long. It’s one of those places you’d like to be selfish with and keep quiet but more need to experience ALL this place has to offer!

Preface - I am reviewing from the perspective of a tent camper.  Photos really don't really capture what three days and two nights are like at a relatively large but isolated State Park. With only 15 tent sites it is sort of special. Almost like a neighborhood with everyone sharing experiences and suggestions for a good time. My grandson should be applauded for spending a weekend with an old and slow guy. After climbing to the peak of Armadillo Lookout Grandpa needed a nap. he then went on with a group to explore an undeveloped cavern. When he returned three hours later He convinced me to climb the Seargeant Memorial Trailhead and experience the"vista." Not sure what we ate for dinner but then left to watch the bats emerge from the Stuart Bat Cave for a second time. Kickapoo is a great park with all of the amenities including very clean showers and restroom facilities. It is really for hikers and those that want to see the bats emerge and explore an old cavern. Camp tent sites are well spaced and have everything except electricity. Nobody seemed to mind. Met some really nice families enjoying the outdoor

This state park is really in the middle of nowhere. It has a tiny campground, with only 5 RV sites. The sites feel well spaced with trees in between them giving you privacy. They have sewer hookups at the official RV sites, and a dump station if you stay in one of the no hookup sites. The sky is amazing at night! They have good hiking and allow mountain bikes on the trails. We stayed 2 nights and definitely want to go back again to experience this park. We hiked most of the trails, but did not get to see the bats due to the time of year, and did not get to do a guided tour to the cavern so have a great reason to go back. There is no cell service so you can fully unplug and relax.

I tent camped here alone around spring 2012 and laid under the stars on one of the concrete pads next to the visitor center because the private spots were occupied. The next morning I hiked a trail along a western ridge and then bushwacked back down. It was cloudy and lonely but pretty country with live oaks, junipers, sage, and limestone. It felt like a donated ranch and I think the ranch family retains the right to exclusive use sometimes. I spelunked the pristine cavern on a different, guided trip with my family after needing to make reservations a couple months in advance. Then we spent a couple days housesitting on nearby Ft. Clark, swimming in the spring fed pool and playing golf. Fun time.

Okay, this is definitely an experience to stay here. If you are looking for a luxury or even moderate RV park, don’t stay here. However if you are someone who can find the diamond in the rough...go here. The owners are super nice and there is a bar on the park that is kickin! Everyone you meet in the bar will be your best friend before you know it and you’re gonna be hugging them and Facebook friending them on your way out.

A very nice & well kept camp ground. This place has wonderful amenities for campers of all types. They have tent sites close to the water with electric, water, picnic tables and grills at what looks like every tent site. There are multiple gate ways leading into the beautiful Nueces river bed where you can explore, fish and swim in the crystal clear cool water. The cabins are beautiful, clean and thoughtfully placed. There are well placed and easy to pull through RV sites that look like they'll fit even the biggest rigs.They also have a driving range for golfers, a very nice pool area with splash pad, separate mens and womens bath houses/bathrooms, pavilions and even a laundry mat! There are also multiple play areas, volley ball court, basketball courts, and thoughtfully placed hanging porch swing type swings to sit and enjoy the views in. All very clean and well kept. I thoroughly enjoyed my tent stay and plan on coming back on a regular basis. Love this place.

Nice campground tent spaces, rv spots, and cabins for rent. Access to the river. Clean restrooms and showers. Rules are enforced.Also have pool area splash area for kids pretty nice for a get away.

Now Called Nueces River RV & Cabin resort. We were here Easter Weekend 2021. Lots of families here for the holiday. We have an 18 foot travel trailer so they put us down near the river. There were mostly tents on that area but there were partial hook ups. Our spot was Beautiful with a perfect view of the hills and the river. 2 basket courts, driving range, sand volleyball, see saws, swings....a slight walk down to a nice rocky river area. The Nueces is very clear. We brought paddle boards but it was quite a walk down to the river (if I was carrying a board). We could have probably driven down the road a bit to the dam and gotten in there but it was a little too cold on the weekend we were there. The main RV area was up near the front in a more typical “RV park” set up in rows. The bathhouse had about 6 individual bathrooms. It would probably be plenty big for a normal weekend but was very small and busy for a holiday weekend. ****BYOfire pit!!

This is one of the oldest campgrounds around. It has tent camping and cabins. They have concerts in the summer as well as a restaurant. They offer toobing shuttles and rent tubes as well. I love this place! Going again this year. Tents and cabins fill up quickly so reservations are a good idea.

We have been coming to Neal’s for years, but have always stayed in their cabins. We had a change of plans for a trip (thank you Hurricane Beryl) and were lucky enough to get in at Neal’s. Had an amazing time, and changed our upcoming cabin reservation to an RV site!

The place is very quiet. The staff is very friendly and is here to help with whatever you need done. Well kept place. Close to Frio River for a swim if you desire. Weekday rate is good, weekend rate is a bit high but worth the stay

The RV sites are spacious, and the grounds are spaced out nicely. The river access is nice. There are a few drawbacks. There's isn't a dog park for pets to safely let out energy without tons of wildlife poo (it was EVERYWHERE). Disposing of dog waste was a challenge. There are only two bins on the opposite side of the grounds from the RV sites. One by the playground and the other by the river, additionally were no guest accessible dumpsters, and they don't tell you to put your trash by the curb. To have pets, it is $2.50 for each pet per night. Also, a second vehicle parked at a lot is an additional $10 per night, and the credit card fee is ~$10. They will also charge $50 for violating the pet policy. The site price range has gone up from $45-$75 to $55-$91(and that's still off-season pricing). This place is very nice, but they aren't pet friendly, and the hidden fees are ridiculous.