Best Glamping near Brownwood, TX

I would rate this park 3.5 out of 5 stars. The park has a variety of facilities which earns it a 4 star rating. But the quality of the facilities only earns it a 3 star rating. So it averages out to 3.5 in my opinion.

Lake Brownwood State Park is pretty much located in the center of Texas. However, it is a bit of a drive from many of the major cities like Houston, San Antonio, Austin and Dallas. It is fairly convenient to reach from Abilene and San Angelo. If you need to pick up camping supplies there are grocery stores and sporting good stores in the nearby town of Brownwood.

The main attraction of the park is that it is situated on the shores of Lake Brownwood. There are ample opportunities to take advantage of lakeside activities like swimming, boating and fishing. There are a variety of camping options with tent sites, cabana sites and RV sites. At most of the sites there are nice oak trees that provide shade and can support a hammock. Note that Texas State Parks require 2 inch suspension straps when hanging a hammock. There are boat ramps, fishing piers and a loop hiking trail. The hiking trail is a loop trail, fairly level, but I would say moderately interesting. The real attraction of this park is the lake.

Some of the facilities such as the restrooms and the cabanas are a bit dated and could benefit from an update. The staff was very friendly when I visited. And the other campers were respectful.

I would like to say that I visited the park during a weekday when the park had few visitors. However, I've heard that on the weekend the park fills up quickly and can be quite busy.

Enjoyed our time at Lake Brownwood SP! Stayed at Campsite 50. It was close to the restrooms, but it was a private site. Hiked the Lakeside Trail and the lake was perfect for our kayaks!

This park is a gem. Located on the shores of Lake Brownwood. It’s a civilian conservation Corp park and has many wonderful pavilions and guest halls and guest houses for rent. Fishing, boating, hiking. Something for everyone!

Lake Brownwood area is full of trees, nice lake for boating, fishing and jet skis. The state park sits on a pretty cove of the lake. Sites 50,51 offer privacy and are close the bathroom/showers....not too close. You can see the water, but aren’t lakefront. Typical state park amenities. Sites have fire ring and picnic tables.

Sites 57-65 are right on the water, but are packed in side by side. We loved site 50.

Lake Brownwood State Park. We had a great time over here, not the biggest park but still very enjoyable we rode our bikes a lot there are a 3 miles bicycles, trail plus a hiking trail, and a few small trails around the park. The RV sites are not very private but still, it was a good time, because of the rain the previous nights we were able to do a fire finally. It seems like a good place for fishing there were plenty of people doing that also.

The remarkable area of this park lies not in it's campground loop. The loop is pretty, lovely even, and it looks like a lot of other campgrounds on a beautiful lake. But take a walk along the lakeshore trail and see the cabins, dance hall, and steps constructed by the CCC and you'll be transported back in time. In 8.5 years on the road, I've never been more tempted to go inside than by these simple, lovely, stone structures.  Just a bed, small kitchen, table, and a bathroom complete with vintage rustic decor, and that's all you'll think you ever need.  So adorable!

But this is a campground review so let's get back to it. The campground seems like the perfect bustling summertime holiday vacation spot. It's set up more like a city park with lots of open space and grass, than individual sites carved out of the woods. Walking around during winter, you can imagine the families gathering at the water, renting stand-up paddle boards, playing volleyball, or chasing a frisbee into the water. It has a reputation for being a place where families gather year after year, and I can see why. There are electrical/water sites as well as tent only sites right by the water, which really have the best location in the park. The bathroom is a little dated, but functional and clean with hot showers. 

Brownwood is within a 20 minute drive and has all the services of a modern suburban city. There are several trails throughout the park, but getting out on the water seems to be the focus of this park.

General: Approximately 140 sites (plus 12 cabins) spread out all around Hords Creek Lake in two areas: Lakeside Park and Flat Rock Park. According to the map, two of the four gatehouses are closed – not sure if this is a permanent closure (and don’t know if these campsites are also closed). There was no attendant at the gate when we arrived.

Site Quality: Paved/gravel driveways, some are pull-through, some have sewer hookups, and some have 50 amp electric. A bonus for us that we did not know when we reserved is that several sites have screened-in shelters with electricity and a generous-sized concrete picnic table. There are many trees throughout the campground and although we didn’t need the shade when we were there, I imagine it would be nice during the hot summer. There is also a fire ring but there was a strict fire ban when we were there (In fact, there was a large wildfire about 8 miles from the campground and we had been warned to stay ready to evacuate if the wind changed direction).

Bathhouse: There seem to be more than adequate bathhouses located throughout, however, the one closest to our site was small and somewhat inadequate: one shower, one sink, and two toilets. If the campground was completely full, this may pose a problem. There was no hot water, even in the shower and the shower door did not have a latch for privacy. Also, no hooks or shelves, or soap dispensers. Make sure you bring a towel if you do not want to use the air dryer. 

Activities/Amenities: There are several boat ramps, fishing docks, and swimming areas at different points of the lake. There was a nice, covered playground in the Lakeside Park campground. It is a bit of a hike to the dumpsters. 

This was an overnight stay for us as we continued to travel through Texas, but we appreciated some of the amenities offered at this campground

It is friendly, clean neat, well kept, the bathroom s have hot water to shower, and the landscape is peaceful

1. Take plenty of water, Insect repellent, and sunscreen with you if you decided to bike the Nopales Ridge Trail in the middle of June. Note that there are several areas along the trail where you may need to carry your bike.
2. There are air conditioned cabins available, many with lakeviews.
3. There are at least two floating piers (with lights!) and one wooden fishing pier (with lights!).
4. The park has many trees and is beautifully maintained.
5. The public facilities (restrooms, showers, picnic areas) were clean and usable. Toilets flushed, TP was available, there was cold AND hot water, overhead lights worked, mirrors above sinks were usable
6. It is well worth the time to visit the beautiful and elegant CCC Lodge.
7. Black ants rule the park. Plan accordingly.

very nice place. great place for fishing swimming camping and boating. super nice personnel. very nice and clean showers and restrooms.

We have been renting cabins here for years. Each cabin is rustic and unique. There are tons of easy trails and shore access. It has great fishing areas, bridges, and stone structures to explore as well.

Nice RV sites and CCC built cabins on a relatively low traffic lake. There are many stone works from the CCC including benches and tables at some sites. We stayed in the Comanche trails loop which is part RV sites and part tent sites. I really liked it, compared to the other 2 RV loops we saw. There are some medium length hiking trails with lots of deer, feral hogs, snakes, skunks, raccoons, armadillo and more to see. The lake has a nice grassy shaded swimming area. We saw plenty of people fishing. Overall a very nice park that I'd visit again.

First time here. All hookups worked. Friendly staff.

Great place to camp. Very clean and has everything you need to camp. Great staff, very kind.

Very nice park. We are at pad # 84 and it’s great. They have a large concrete pad next to the trailer . Very new picnic table. Rest room , shower is very clean

I car camped here while passing through TX in a tent site, and I found the peninsula-like campground gorgeous! Lake views, deer, and a well-kept bathhouse just feet away. Spots are close together with few trees around, although few others were around.

Site 69 not level(68 looked better). Both are on green space facing the lake(large grassy area that comprises the beach). Showers old but but great hot water. Flush toilets, walking trail along lake, cabins also near lake. Pretty buggy(gnats/flies--did not see mosquitos). VERY quiet(we were also the only campers in this area).

It was a rainy weekend but enjoyable. Some nice trails along the lake. Got a tour of the group barracks. Sun finally came out on the last day enough for me to kayak. I was the only one out on the lake.

Reserved 159 days prior 

Pros

No reservation fee charged for marking online reservation 

50% discount with National Park Pass 

Roadways easy to maneuver without any low-hanging branches 

Quiet except for middle of the night party animal noise and distant trains 

Good dark sky viewing as there are NO street lights in campground 

Concrete treads where RV wheels land were level requiring no additional leveling efforts 

Metal cover over concrete picnic table 

Entrance gate closed10pm-6am so exit only without any reentry until 6am

Saw 1 squirrel and 5 deer 

Nice Golf Course next to campground 

Nice fishing piers 

Plenty TP in toilet/shower rooms 

Very nice large group picnic pavilions 

3 bars 3G Verizon 

Cons

Site consist of sandy gravel which high winds created a dust storm making a gritty mess of everything inside and out

Site water hookup below ground 

Campsite had unusual amount of trash and cigarette butts 

Campfire ring full of ash and trash upon arrival and there has been a county burn ban for the last 6 months

Campground toilet/shower facility lit up at night like a Christmas tree 

County Burn ban, which we discovered ourselves and confirmed by calling park prior to arriving with campfire wood

Upon check-in, friendly woman at gate told us one thing then a man at the gate contradicted the woman regarding charcoal fires

Quiet hours not enforced. 4 toilets for 24 campsites for possible 8 people per campsite PLUS boaters and fishermen. Phew! 

Half of park closed during winter so 37 campsites only open April-September

The park 3 dumpsters were overflowing; 1 was over flowing upon our Thursday afternoon arrival and the other 2 were overflowing Sunday morning so we had to pack out our trash

No number sign on our site

No patrolling host or ranger. 

No privacy from one campsite to another

No playground, basketball or tennis courts 

No campsite BBQ grill 

No hiking trails 

No soap or hand towels in toilet facility 

No trash cans in or outside toilet facility so people threw trash on floor 

No WIFI

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Eat at Granny Clark’s in Dublin TX. Blue plate special and buffet. Brookshires Grocery and Tractor Supply in Comanche Stephenville 30 miles from campground has Walmart, H‑E‑B, CVS, Walgreens, but no Lowes or Home Depot.

Beautiful and spacious sites, unobstructed view of the lake, well maintained park. Site 76 is at the last site on the stretch right beside the dam with no thru traffic (boat ramp is closed) and we never saw or heard anyone down there the entire weekend. Full hookups on that stretch and large shady spots with covered picnic tables, a fire ring, and a grill. Absolutely love this place and will definitely return regularly.

This place is BIG. Very spacious campsites. Wide open so if it’s windy you will feel it. There are deer roaming every morning and evening. Very interesting place but not much to do unless you are able to use the lake. There is a Walmart about a half hour away. Neat little town of Coleman about 10 minutes away has some good restaurants.

We stayed in loop 2 site 149. Very big well spaced lakeside sites. Wanted to add more days but the weekends book full. Plan ahead and book early.

In the middle of nowhere but so awesome to stop at on a long trip. Beautiful lake with a beach. Lovely trees everywhere around your sites. Gravel but mostly level.

Park is beautiful and reasonably priced. Sites are great!

This camp ground is well kept. Plenty of RV spots and tent spots. We like to tent camp. The bathrooms are pretty clean and maintained, and you never have to go to far to get to one. We take our bikes to get around. I’ve gone to Lakeside since I was young for family reunions and camping and I love it. It’s always so peaceful and I love to watch the deer that roam around. My go to spot!