Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Brackettville, TX

The BEST hidden secret for camping in Texas. I mean wonderful camping privacy. Can’t beat the friendly Christian atmosphere

Let's start off with the positives:

• Awesome friendly staff.

• Old Pickleball court to practice on.

• The Rio Frio...you can't beat it.

• Friendly staff.

• Quiet on the weekdays.

• Dog friendly.

• The front part of the park is level parking.

• Great staff.

• A Well-behaved pet gets a treat from the gals in the store.

• Well-maintained sites.

• Clean bathrooms, laundry, and shower area.

• Wonderful staff.

Ok, the negatives which really aren't:

• Not a fenced-in dog area but is that really an issue for a well-behaved dog?

•  Can be dusty....but when is camping not some form of dirt, dust, or grim.

• Can get a little noisy on the weekends but it's fun to hear the children having a great time away from this electronic world.

We would love to keep this place a secret BUT we want Parkview Riverside to succeed so come one come all!

Type of Park: Private- book with them through Campspot. 

Check In: 2 pm for RV sites, 4 pm for cabins Check Out: 12 pm

• 🚻 Restrooms
• 🚿 Showers
• 📶 Wifi(did not use)
• 🧺 Laundry facility
• 🐕 Off-leash dog park
• 🛒 Store has RV supplies, necessities, few groceries, souvenirs, ice
• 🚶🏻‍♀️ Trails
• 🌊 Water access- Frio was very low but still had some water from the springs
• 🏚 Cabins
• 🦌 Wildlife: Scarlet Tanager, bats, woodpeckers
• 📆 Nightly activities- mostly geared towards kids Volleyball, tetherball, gaga ball, horseshoes, playground
• 📡 AT&T had good signal. Verizon was non-existent
• 👩🏻‍💼 Staff was friendly and helpful 
• Can bring golf carts or rent them here 
• Recycling bins for cans
• ❗ Note: CP 3 is directly across from the dumpsters, but has a good shade tree

📋 Site#CP 06, Central Park 

Premium site, Central Park sites have a patio area looking toward the river with pergola top

• 🔙 Back In
• 🅿 Site Pad: Raised in the back to be level(watch small children), river rock base, level, long enough for camper and truck when unhitched, wide enough for another vehicle
• 💧 Water- low to the ground so hose and filter come off to the side along the ground
• ⚡ Electric max 50 amp
• 💩 Sewer connection in good condition
• 🔥 Fire Ring- but in a burn ban 
• Picnic Table: wooden with metal legs 
• Close to restrooms/showers 
• Shade in the afternoon 
• Full sun in the mornings 
• A little green space between the next campsite and lower campsites 
• Next to a road that leads to lower level and river- so a little extra traffic(but no campers on the front side of camper)

In the Area:

🛒 Several small stores, tube/kayak rentals

🍽🍺 Bar& grills on the way to and in Leakey(15 minutes) 

Garner State Park is very close- a Texas Parks Pass is very handy

We like this place because we were able to bring our dog. The site we had for ourselves was clean and spacious.

My husband and I and our two dogs camped here over thanksgiving and it was a blast. the campsites are all far enough apart to have privacy. Hiking trailheads are located close to the campgrounds. Amazing scenery in the fall!

We spent 4 nights in this small RV park. The grounds are not well maintained, with trash, dog poop and cigarette butts pretty much everywhere. Bath house and restrooms are dirty and old. Neals is mainly for cabin rentals, and there are only a handful of RV sites. It is on a beautiful and easily accessible part of the Frio River, which is why we stayed here. There is a decent restaurant on site

We only stayed one night, but we didn’t want to leave. The trails range from flat ground walks to actual mountain hikes. The facilities were decent, about what you expect from a state camp ground. Staff was more than accommodating. We took our 70lb dog and 3 year old child. They both had a blast. We will return for an extended stay soon. The grounds are massive. We hiked all day Sunday and all day Monday and only completed about 1/5th of the trails. They even had putt putt golf. No complaints. Great park. Worth the drive.

(Note, there used to be 3 reviews of Campground 406 but Dyrt deleted them for some reason. Dunno why because totally appropriate). I tent-camped here once around 2010 when the lake was high with my then 10-year-old son. We enjoyed it and caught a yellow scorpion in a jar and waded in the lake atop the flooded spur 406. Night was dark and to be honest, I feared a mountain lion attack because my son was smaller then and there had been recent sightings nearby. Otherwise nice experience. That said, I scouted it out in July 2023 and decided not to camp there, partly because the lake was much farther away and the bank didn’t seem conducive to fishing. By then my son was grown and gone, and my dog had died, so I was solo. That said, it is a decent campground and could be a good waypoint enroute to Big Bend. Now, another deleted review complained of a lack of toilet paper in the block bathroom and gave it like 2-3 stars.

Overall, this is the best RV park on the Frio River. I would give it 5 stars, however one negative with this park is the ground. It is made up of fine dirt and gravel that gets everywhere in your rig when it rains and with the morning dew. Simply taking my dog for a morning walk means I need to wash the mud off of her feet before taking her inside the rig. Some sites are paved and they do have one site, #17, that has a paved pavilion for a small up charge per day more than other river-front sites. The service is great and while there are no stores of any kind within 10 miles, they have a pretty well equipped store onsite with RV necessities, groceries, and now beer and wine. They have around 25 River front sites with a great view of the river. Garner State Park is directly across the River. We have been to this park 3 times and love kayaking here. It is very relaxing with stunning views of the oversized hills. If you do need to get groceries or gas, there is a gas station about 5 minutes from the park, and Leaky is only 10 miles away. There is an HEB about 30 miles south. The park also has a great view of Old Baldy, a large hill right across from the RV park. I recommend this park!

Bathrooms were VERY clean, water stayed hot and we never had to wait in line for a restroom or shower. 99% of the time we were in there alone.
The customer service at the store was amazing and everything was reasonably priced.
The store offered: Meats produce Camping supplies and tools Pool floats, tubes, Shirts and MUCH more. There was a free pump jn the back for us to blow up the tubes. We thought the river would be too cold to float in October but there were several people swimming to our surprise! So we joined them all four days. There are some sites with plenty of shade and some with no shade. The grounds are well kept and everyone staying there short term or long were very friendly. We will stay at this campsite again for sure! Oh! There are two river access points fairly close to each other. One is a dirt ramp and the other is a steep set of metal stairs. The stairs creeped our 4 year old out making her feel like she was going to fall through and it was painful on our dogs feet. The stairs are very stable though. All that being said there is a completely different entrance that was more comfortable for the entire family very close by. LOTS of squirrels! We are “distant learning” with the kids do to Covid. We had to connect to the wifi every morning for zoom meetings. GREAT wifi!!! No problems. We have Verizon and had NO cellphone reception which was fine. Great place.

Garner state park has been one of my most favorite campgrounds in south texas. From the months of July through August..Garner hosts multiple events and a nightly dance at the dance hall. .Most campgrounds here give you access to the frio river. During the summer months, the campsites get reserved up fairly quickly so maybe a week in advance will do. Great state park with many things to do!

Quiet, small, 16 site RV Park set in a pecan grove along the scenic Frio River in the southern end of the Texas Hill County. We stayed in late October and the pecans were falling. If you wanted to gather any pecans you had to beat the deer to them. Lots of deer and wild turkeys all over the grounds. Plan ahead and book early, it’s quite a popular location.

A challenge to get into the park (hour and a half wait) and a challenge to hike the trails. Some of the steepest trails in Texas, but they are worth the views! I camped in New Garner, which is nicely laid out, fairly quiet, and about a half hour walk to Old Garner. The river is great for swimming. You can rent kayaks, paddleboats, and stand up paddle boards.

Located under 2 hours west of San Antonio, Texas, Garner State Park is a nice weekend get away with the family. The Frio River is enjoyable to relax in on an inner tube. Note, you may want to purchase your own tube in advance for $10-15 a tube or if not wanting to invest in your own you can rent them at the park. There are a variety of campsites available so take note the amenities available in each site (water, electricity, no electricity, and electrical Amp value varies) when you're choosing your site. The landscape is green, luscious trees and bushes amongst hills. You'll find hiking trails to take in as well. We noticed a lot of large groups and families while we were visiting. It seems like a campground and park that would be great for a family reunion. Reasonable nightly rates. We enjoyed our weekend stay and lounging on the Frio River.

My wife's favorite state park for 20 years finally met its match. Daingerfield SP now sits at#2, and Garner has taken its 1st place platform. 

We almost don't want to write such an awesome review for Garner, because it doesn't need any more traffic. It's the busiest park in Texas. I have no idea how we've missed it for so long. But it's obviously no secret. 

So let's start at the beginning. Check-in. Be ready for a wait. Take a number. Really. You take a number. And yes, we had a reservation.(You definitely should make well in advance reservations for this park.) 

Wait till your name is called over the speaker and then enter the check-in room and approach one of the staffed windows(they have multiple staff working to process their large number of visitors). We arrived the Sunday of a holiday weekend and waited an hour for our number. I can't imagine what the start of a holiday weekend looks like.(0_0) 

But after check in... it's all gold for this family. Spring fed, cool, crystal clear waters flowing thru a limestone bed is the star of Garner. Lounge, float, swim, rope swings, tube the river, just get in. You won't want to get out. 

This SP has scenic hikes for all levels, plenty to bike, Miniature Golf, a candy store, an ice cream shop, an Airstream food trailer, and nightly boot scootin' summer dances(my wife LOVES two-steppin'). 

So pack your swim trunks, inner tubes, and boots, and Garner will take care of the rest...

Garner is a popular camp site, but it also has a lot of space available, so booking a site isn't often an issue.

Old Garner (which is closest to the trails, shop and the rentals) books up the quickest and New Garner (which is further away) books up slower.

One thing to note is that when checking in, you must do so the day of arrival. Unlike other Texas State Parks, you may not check in the next morning. If you arrive after the gate is closed, you are sleeping in your car.

The campsites themselves are pretty nice. In Old Garner, you're camping mostly in a field so there isn't much privacy. In New Garner, it has more trees and you feel like you have some space from others.

All sites have water, a fire ring, and picnic tables. Some of them also have access to electricity. In Old Garner, there are shelters you can book as well.

Garner has a number of buildings to check out. The Visitor Center (which use to be the old park HQ) has some displays of CCC artifacts as well as things to buy. There is also the store where you can buy food you may have forgotten, ice, wood, and a bunch of other camp items. Lastly, there is the gift shop that has a wide range of items with the Garner name on it.

The Gift Shop building was built by the CCC and they held dances in front of the building, something they still do today.

Near the Gift Shop is the Garner Grill that serves burgers and the like. There is also a mini-putt course.

All of the buildings are in Old Garner.

The Frio river runs through Garner State Park and it is often cool and clear. People can rent kayaks or paddle boats to play. You can also float the river. The other shore of the river is private property, but people still go over there to use the rope swings.

One of the highlights of Garner is Old Mount Baldy. It is the tallest point in the park and offers a great view of the area. It is not technically part of the state park, but there is a trail up there.

Garner also has a few small caves to explore and some other smaller look-outs. The trails all start off rather steep, but eventually level off. It is important to go slow as I have had to fix up a few cut knees on the trails.

All in all, Garner is a great place for a hike, swim, or just to be out in nature.