Best Tent Camping near Brackettville, TX

Recent Tent Reviews near Brackettville, Texas

130 Reviews of 4 Brackettville Campgrounds

• 

  Kera P.

  Ranger

  

  Nov. 12, 2020

  American Campground

  Lake and sunset view

  Laundry, showers, restrooms. Easy access from rt 90. Super close to Amistad National Recreation Area. Tent camping is $20, I think that’s a little high for renting, but there are many amenities on site.

• S

  Stacy M.

  Guide

  

  Oct. 11, 2021

  San Pedro Campground — Amistad National Recreation Area

  No Lake

  The lake as of October 2021 is so dried up you can not see it from the tent sites. But everything is clean. Fire ants EVERYWHERE. We just pitched a tent by the pavilion where we found the least ants.

• 

  Skye A.

  Guide

  

  May. 17, 2018

  Neal's Lodge

  Primitive camping with excellent fun!

  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.

• 

  Jacob W.

  Ranger

  

  Aug. 4, 2020

  Rough Canyon Campground — Amistad National Recreation Area

  Rough canyon, good camping

  We tent camped at Rough Canyon around New Years 2010 when the lake was high. There were no other people camping. Simple campground at the end of the paved road on the edge of the lake. It’s a round gravel parking lot with sites around it. There’s a small community above the campground. Great place, great lake.

• A

  April

  Traveler

  

  Sep. 28, 2020

  Nueces River RV and Cabin Resort

  Quite, clean & well layed 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.

• 

  ROBERT J.

  Guide

  

  Oct. 17, 2021

  Kickapoo Cavern State Park Campground

  Hikers Beware - Easy is Relative

  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

• 

  Jacob W.

  Ranger

  

  Aug. 4, 2020

  San Pedro Campground — Amistad National Recreation Area

  Good place

  My son and I tent camped at San Pedro several times circa 2010 when the lake was high. We always had a good time. I waded into the lake chest high and caught a bass with a rod and reel. The only time we found it busy was Easter but we still got a site and had a great time. The drought came in 2011 and the lake receded far from the campground. I don’t know how far away the lake is now.

• 

  Autumn F.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 9, 2017

  Rio Frio — Garner State Park

  Camping on the Frio

  We have tent camped at Garer 8 times over the last 3 or 4 years. We have stayed in both the new part and the original part of the park. The original campground has huge, beautiful oaks, and is close to the camp store and Pavillion. That being said, we actually prefer to camp in the new sites, because you can easily get a spot that is right off the river by just a quick walk, and the bathrooms are newer. Bathrooms are equipped with 3 showers and 3 toilets and 2 sinks. There are lots of trails to hike/bike, and the park is very well maintained. One of our favorite places during the summer.

• 

  Jacob W.

  Ranger

  

  Aug. 4, 2020

  Kickapoo Cavern State Park Campground

  On the edge of Hill Country

  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.

• 

  Karen B.

  Ranger

  

  Dec. 29, 2019

  Rio Frio — Garner State Park

  Beautiful landscape and gorgeous river

  The park has sone beautiful hiking along the Frio river. We stayed in the sites with full hookup which seam to be newer with new restrooms not open at the time so we had a short walk to the visitor center bathroom which was minimal and not as clean as I would like. The sites with just water and electric were much shadier and beautiful. They also have tent camping, some with shelters. I believe cabins are also available. Checkin process was a little slow even though we had reservations, I suggest to them they should have a separate fast lane for those with reservations. The camp store and gift shop were very nice and well stocked with essentials. Fire wood was about $6 for a large bundle. Garner grill was not open.

• 

  Tiffany M.

  Guide

  

  Oct. 11, 2018

  Neal's Lodge

  FUN TIME

  Neal's Lodges has primitive camp grounds, so you will not have water or electricity hookups. They also provide cabins, but who could resist getting to sleep in a tent right on the water.

  This is a great camping spot, we had tent site 3 and it was right on the water. We had a huge camping area. There was a big slide for adults and kids as well as beautiful big jumping rocks. They also had golf cart rentals for 24 hr periods which definitely came in handy. We were close to the restrooms which is great when you have kids. They had a store with all the supplies you forget or run out of, as well as a restaurant. They had a dance hall with a snack bar and offered excursions with the ranch animals.

• 

  Laura F.

  Ranger

  

  Jan. 2, 2022

  San Pedro Campground — Amistad National Recreation Area

  Nice, no hookups, sites with good access to Amistad and Del Rio

  We stayed 2 nights at San Pedro, using it as a base camp to explore Amistad National Recreation Area. It's very close to the Spur 454 boat ramp, which we used to launch our kayak. You can also get over Diablo East, Governor's Landing, and the Figueroa trail for good hiking by driving maybe 10 minutes. 

  The non-tent sites all have covered picnic tables with a concrete pad and charcoal grill. There are quite a few pit toilets dispersed amongst the sites. There doesn't seem to be anyway to get down closer to the lake from this campground. 

  When we were there, we saw 4 - 5 other campers in the campground and everyone setup spaced apart. We heard lots of coyotes in the distance just after sunset.

• 

  Jacob W.

  Ranger

  

  Jul. 24, 2023

  San Pedro Campground — Amistad National Recreation Area

  Maybe not viable in July anymore

  Note, this is my second review of San Pedro campground. My first review was based on good nostalgia from around 2010 when the lake was high. However, I tent camped here on July 5, 2023 and I was the lone camper. The place felt scorched abandoned. It was hot. There is almost zero shade apart from the metal shade structures. I stayed in site 10 or 12 where there is some evening shade from the mesquite or huisache trees. The closest lake water is a 2 mile drive down Spur 454, where the NPS has improvised a boat ramp and swimming area with parking. But man, San Pedro campground is now high and dry and hot. I hate to give it 2 stars because I love Amistad but times have changed. Maybe some day the lake will rise again but it’s been like 12 years already since the lake receded. I had planned to stay more nights but it just wasn’t wise. Not in July anyway.

• 

  Jacob W.

  Ranger

  

  Jul. 4, 2024

  Spur 406 Campground

  On the far side of Amistad

  (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.

• 

  Jacob W.

  Ranger

  

  Aug. 4, 2020

  Spur 406 Campground — Amistad National Recreation Area

  On the far side of Amistad

  My son and I tent camped at Spur 406 at Lake Amistad circa 2010 when the lake was high before the drought of 2011 and the low lake levels afterward. Simple campground with several sites. Great place near Highway 90 to camp. There wasn’t anyone else camping there that night. It’s on the opposite side of the lake from Del Rio and it gets very dark. There were lots of stars. We went wading in the lake at night where the old highway enters the lake and it’s easy to walk in the water or swim there farther out. The next day we caught a yellow scorpion in a jar and later released it. Good times. There was a simple bathroom. The sites have grills and maybe metal shade structures and picnic tables. There are no RV hook-ups but the road and sites might be conducive to RVs and trailers. The spur is a good 2-lane paved road but I don’t remember how big all the sites are. Per 2020 official website, camping fee was $6/night. Great place.

• S

  Shirley K.

  Scout

  

  Oct. 13, 2021

  BECS Store & RV Park

  Awesome

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

• 

  Napunani

  Legend

  

  Mar. 29, 2021

  Kickapoo Cavern State Park Campground

  Camp With the Bats

  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.

• R

  Richard T.

  Guide

  

  Jun. 5, 2023

  Governors Landing Campground — Amistad National Recreation Area

  Views. Water. Shelter. Restroom. Windy!

  Everything you would want out of a cheap campground. This was our first stop in our week long van-camping trip. We swung by the dispersed site past the reservoir going west on 90, but it was occupied by a large family with very little room left. Right before crossing the reservoir we noticed a campground overlooking the water and it looked somewhat open. The map showed it to be Governor’s landing and guided us into a sketchy road off the highway under the bridge, but once we entered the campground you can see Amistad Reservoir in all its glory.

  $10 a night and first come first serve so you should get there early enough to find a spot facing the the water. You can hear the highway for sure but I didn’t mind it. The wind, on the other hand, was a challenge. I learned it’s more efficient to cook in a charcoal grill than a gas stove with high winds. The winds were so high, the overhang of my roof top tent lifted up taking the ladder up with it. By the way, if you ever get into that situation, tie down your tent to your vehicle. You’ll thank me later.

  Come to find out, that wind fed a storm that freaked both us out inside our tent! We’ve weathered a storm before in the tent, but the added high winds had us holding on all night.

  Concluding my review of this place, we went back as a bookend to our trip because we did love the place and learned how to deal with high winds since. Then, of course, we were hit with a storm. Again. Same camp. Same time. Same day of the week. But this time we sealed up the tent tight and hung out in the van watching movies on an iPad using the car stereo to over power the thunderous storm.

  We see you Governor’s Landing. We’ll be back. We still love you.

• R

  Robert H.

  Guide

  

  Apr. 4, 2023

  Fort Clark Springs Camping World

  Nice place

  The tent area is well shaded, water at each site and power by the bath house. Bath house is concrete floors but the water is hot and the facilities sufficient. Love the live oaks and the manager John is a great guy.

• 

  Kd D.

  Traveler

  

  May. 5, 2019

  Rio Frio — Garner State Park

  Frio River, amazing hikes!

  When we stayed we only stayed the day in the park at a drive in site. This was due to the weather was still a bit cold to break out the tent for an overnight. We did day camp with our tent and jet boil right by the water. I can see this place would be quite busy during the hot summer days we the frio right through the park. They did have options for cabins which we looked at which were very nice! This would be a great spot for summer but make sure to book early.

• 

  Manuel A.

  Scout

  

  Jun. 16, 2020

  Nueces River RV and Cabin Resort

  Nice camp ground

  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.

• 

  Yasmin S.

  Guide

  

  Oct. 25, 2024

  Rio Frio — Garner State Park

  Garner

  Has endless trails to hike. Home like vibe and stay. Has a store and even dances in summer. Has a small laundry and rentals for water items. You can rv, cabin, or tent even!! Book ahead, most often booked out!!

• 

  Frances G.

  Scout

  

  Mar. 12, 2023

  Rio Frio — Garner State Park

  Best spring fed river, EVER

  I've camped at Frio River at least 20 times over the past 10 years the last time was just recently with the covid it was great big rocks little rocks Sandy area there are several places where you can throw down a tent so just bring your imagination

• 

  Kera P.

  Ranger

  

  Nov. 12, 2020

  Governors Landing Campground — Amistad National Recreation Area

  Beautiful, great stars, swimming

  These campsites are very nice. Each one had a shaded picnic table and a fine gravel tent pad. There are pit privies near each site. Sunsets and sunrises are gorgeous, stars are fantastic. Only downside is the noise from the highway is quite loud and there’s some light pollution from the highway as well.

• 

  Carolyn S.

  Guide

  

  Jan. 6, 2023

  Governors Landing Campground — Amistad National Recreation Area

  Winter Camping Bliss!

  This campground has running water, pit toilets, and well maintained campsites (small camper van or tent - not good for big rigs). First come availability- we pulled in at 7pm and had plenty of spaces to choose from. No electric Beautiful views of the water Safe and clean Credit cards only to pay fee ($10)

• 

  Jacob K.

  Guide

  

  Jun. 29, 2020

  Neal's Lodge

  Not a bad little spot

  Nice place to camp. We were in spot 12 it’s close to the water and has nice trees to cover your tent and campsite with shade. The area is for campers only so it doesn’t get to busy which is nice. The restaurant across the street is amazing you have to try the chicken fried steak and the salsa is a must.

• 

  Charles M.

  Traveler

  

  Nov. 28, 2020

  The Camping Spot

  The ultimate Texas camping experience

  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!