Best Glamping near Caddo National Grassland, TX

For our first RV camping trip of 2018 we took a short drive north to Bonham State Park right outside of Bonham, Texas. This great little Texas State Park was constructed by the CCC back in the 30's. There are plenty of things for a family to do while camping at Bonham State Park! Hiking, fishing, boat rental and best of all Smors cooked over a roaring camp fire! At every Texas Stae Park you can check out fishing equipment from the front office and you do not have to have a fishing license! Bonham State Park takes the fishing to a whole new level by providing boats so you can get out to where the fish are hiding! Bonham State Park is a great place to take the family for a long weekend of camping fun as it is just a short 45 min drive north of the DFW metroplex!

Check out my YouTube video here...

https://youtu.be/cxcORiV_zmA

This state park has really beautiful lake views. It can be a little tricky getting down to the lake as it is surrounded by rocky cliffs on the Texas side. Lots of fun trails.

This is a nice little state park with good camping. The bathrooms are clean as are most Texas state park. There are small hiking trails that are kid friendly. I think the longest was 3 miles.

One of my first and favorite state parks in Texas. Several nice hiking trails, fond memories of Daddy/Daughter camping trips, and a quick escape to a relaxing & restful place an hour north of Dallas!

This park has water and electric, some sites with sewer also.  There did not seem to be a campground host in the park.  The bathrooms were not well maintained.  If you don't like fishing there is not much else to do in the campground.  We did see a lot of birds along the shoreline.  If you need to go to town for anything you will need to go back to Texas.  Cartwright, OK appears to be very high poverty.

We found Lake Ray Roberts as a nice swimming spot near Dallas to go cool down during the hot Texas summers and we LOVE it to go grill and hang out as a day long activity. So when my husband and I decide to start camping 🏕 we chose this park as our first trial, and we found it a bit inconvenient for Car camping since the spots are walk up and you gotta leave your car behind in a parking lot. Also, is very primitive style, so clean bathrooms and close-by water is not really part of the package. We loved the view from our spot and if you are up for a primitive experience within a park, then this is great. Just not for us and the type of camping we wanna do 😊

One of the more expensive Texas state parks. Standard electric at 25/night. Large bathrooms and lots of trash bins. Actual pay phones (who knew those still existed?) the trails are for DORBA (Dallas Off Road Bicycle Association) so maybe that explains the horrible lack of signage. Bicycle fix it station.

Great security. I was with my 3 year old after dark, maybe 8PM at the playground on the water. No lights so I used our lamplight. I noticed a truck in the parking lot with its lights on. We were there maybe 90 minutes and the truck kept moving. When we left, they left. I spotted it down the road and saw they were camp rangers. Bodes well that they were keeping tabs on the facilities even if it was just a mom and kid.

Very clean and moist spots are secluded. Lots of REALLY great primitive spots if that's your thing.

We had a reservation for two camp sites for Oct 25th and 26th. It stormed heavily on Friday, October 25th. Arguably, it was even a safety hazard to go. As such, we did not go and was still charged the camp site fees. When I spoke with the Texas Parks and Recreations central reservations, they could not help and advised me to contact Eisenshower and informed me the park has discretion to refund the fees. When I called and spoke with"Rhonda," she informed me that she could not refund the money despite the rain and told me the park's policy prevents her from doing so. I question whether such a policy exist since central reservations specifically said the parks have discretion. This is the poor customer service. I didn't know state funded parks were under such pressure to squeeze money out of people and make margins since it is tax funded by individuals like me. Amazing how poor customer service governmental entities provide. Governmental workers will be just that...government workers. Sad.

Campground Review:

For Full VIDEO Review: CLICK HERE

I decided to visit Eisenhower State Park during the last part of November, just before Thanksgiving when the leaves were putting on their final showcase of the season and casting their amber and red tones everywhere. It was absolutely breathtaking to pull into the park and start to see this area unfold around me.

Eisenhower is named for our former president, Dwight D Eisenhower, who was born in nearby Denison, Texas. Opened in 1958 to tourists as a Texas State Park, the area is divided amongst lake activities and wildlife preservation. In more recent years they have added ATV trails to accompany the bike and walking trails, the swimming beach and the outdoor amphitheater and pavilion.

Day use here is only $5 or for those camping you can easily find a perfect fit for your needs between $12 and $25. I noticed depending on the loop of camp you are enjoying amenities do vary as to site sizes. All sites except primitive and a single specialty reservation lot were equipped pretty standardly with a metal picnic table and fire ring with grill. The biggest differences were in that some had electricity and water while others had neither. (You can book your campsite online by clicking HERE )

I really enjoyed the spacing of the campsites, though the area I was visiting for the day had neighbors the spacing managed to mask any noise that might come from their camp. The tree coverage in the area was amazing and shady, I can only imagine this to be a necessary feature during the hot Texas summers.

Since I was only able to enjoy the park for a day, after enjoying one of the campsites for a lunch, I took to the hiking trails and explored the many areas there are to check out. I was most excited about the swimming beach, it reminded me of the beaches I had seen in Nevada nestled along the Colorado River in groves of mountainous rocky mountains. It felt secluded and while the beach area itself was a mix of rocks and sand, it could be a great retreat on a warm day for some fun with the family. The steps down to the beach captured my attention, I later noticed the same steps repeated by the marina and also by the amphitheater. They were unlike poured concrete and made for a more organic feel to the landscape. Created by bags of concrete hardened then used as pavers the surface provided a perfect step that was both functional and aesthetically pleasing.

A few things to remember about Eisenhower:

In this area throughout camp and other parts of the property you might see bats, armadillos, beavers, coyotes, deer, opossums, rabbits, bobcats, raccoons, foxes, squirrels and roadrunners. In addition, during warm months you can see a variety of snakes hiding on rocky surfaces so always be aware of your surroundings and remember to keep your food items secured inside your vehicle.

• The Lake is a BIG draw. This is one of the more popular stops along the massive Lake Texoma. Because of this you can take advantage of fishing, utilize the boat ramp and boat houses or rent one of the many watercraft they have to offer. CLICK HERE for more information about the lake, requirements of fishing and boating, activities available and any current advisories.
• There is an interpretive guide online which will completely give you a better perspective of the park and some of what it has to offer. CLICK HERE

Rating:

Overall I would give the State Park a 4 of 5 stars. I feel as though the park is large enough to accommodate large groups, essential during the busy lake season including holidays such as the 4th of July, Memorial Day and Labor Day. With the spacing it provides, not only can it accommodate crowds but it can make for a still enjoyable experience when visiting on these busy seasons.

Activities vary for those seeking non-lake related things to do, this is of great interest to me as a traveler who does not often hit the lake on one of my adventures. I like that there is an option for someone like myself to be able to if I choose however it isn’t the sole focus of the site.

Ashley here with The Dyrt, I'd like to welcome your host April to our platform. "Tipi sites feature potable water, composting toilets, picnic tables, and fire rings all within easy walking distance." Book your stay today and come back here to leave them some love.

One big issue with this park is the distance to the actual lake itself. You will need a cart or be ready for a hike to the beach area as it is quite a ways from the campground. that is an issue for us as my wife is disabled and needs a walker and we have no cart. But, lucky for us we were in the B section and decided one of the days we were there to attempt the picnic walk. Well worth it, even with a walker we managed to make it down to the waters edge within 15 minutes and its an easy gradual walk. Bring a picnic basket. tables to sit at or on the waters edge.

As for the rest of the camp, most amenities due to winter months and covid were shut down. Did see people enjoying the hot tub. The roads in many of these TT campground in the loop around Dallas do need attention so take your time going through them. We did need to use the laundry and they had ample enough machines and the basic price which was 1.50 and 1.75. The sites are nice, many shaded but snug not of other campers but trees. Some have fire pits, some do not. As with more and more campgrounds these days many annuals throughout the park.

I didn't like it because there isn't campsites near waters edge. #179 is the only campsite where you get a good view of the lake. But it is high on the cliff and you can't get down to the water. The only place to get down is at the swimming area which has a very long stair path. It wears you out. The cliff formations and little caves are kinda cool. But it cost too much to camp there because you have to pay an entrance fee and camping fee. Don't bring your boat and expect to be able to bring your near where your camping. You have to go in and out of the marina. They don't give out of state Vets or disabled a discount. Whereas if you drive 4 miles across the dam on Oklahoma side of Lake Texoma the campsites are better. You can camp on the lake shore and don't have to pay an entrance fee per person if your camping. I'll never go there again.

Wooded sites are perfect for a hammock. Lots of choices, many close to water and some right next to docks/launches. Simple clean sites, just how camp tenting should be. If you don’t have a boat you’ll regret it, but there are some hikes nearby too.