Best Equestrian Camping near Chapman Ranch, TX

Goose Island SP is a great little hidden gem of a park on the Texas Gulf Coast.  The camping area is small, but they've arranged the spots very well, with good vegetation between each spot that hides your spot from your neighbor.  They offer both 30 amp and 50 amp service, water, fire ring, table on cement pad and nice flat spots.  Good day use spots and excellent boat ramp with a fish cleaning table.  Yes there are bugs, but this is in the middle of reclaimed wetlands, so be prepared!  This is their world and we must adapt.  The bay-side camping area is the island part of the park and is still being renovated (as of Aug 2020), but according to park staff, they should be open by Nov 2020.  There is also a brand new, huge pier with boat access and fishing that will be open soon.  Near-by there is "The Big Tree", purported the oldest tree in Texas (1000-2000 years old!) and Rockport beach and all the other Texas coast attractions.   Highly recommend and we will be returning soon.

I visit a lot of the state parks in Texas. Goose Island is a good one. It's a great area for fishing because it's really close to rockport. While most of the state parks do not have WI-FI, they say they do. It's very poor. I have T-Mobile, and the cell service at Goose Island was great. 5G was great. Also, the digital TV signal was excellent. The park staff was very friendly and helpful. Goose Island is close to Walmart. HEB and many other stores in restaurants. The park all around is great. I will definitely return.

The wooded area camping loops wind through lovely groves of Texas Live Oak, and Loblolly Pine, which make great habitat for winter warblers. The sites are spacious and set reasonably apart from each other to offer some privacy. Most campsites offer water and electricity. These sites are MUCH quieter than the Bayfront sites, which are plagued by loud boat engine traffic.  This area is much for secluded, thus not alot of walk/drive by traffic going through.

The bathroom building with internal hot-water shower stalls was relatively clean and updated. The area is great for all kinds of low-key activities like fishing, biking, walking, paddling etc. I wouldn’t go here if I had my heart set on swimming, though. The water is relatively shallow and in the middle of a massive oyster colony, pretty sharp edges on those bi-valves, so be careful. 

One of the best activities, especially during the winter months, is birding. The area is the winter home to the endangered Whooping Cranes, Sandhill Cranes, Spoonbills and many, many more. Grab your binoculars and your birding guide!

Been trying for two months to get my deposit refunded. When I call they just give me the run a round. Campground was ok. Hot tub only worked two weeks of the two months I was there.

I will visit again but not to stay. Just to get my deposit back. I paid it on time but they aren't responding in kind. There are many other places in this area. I suggest you stay at one that takes credit cards and fies business in this century.

I camped here 25 years ago and it was just as lovely as I remembered. Lots of walking trails, some bird feeders and a great place to stay to go out to Aransas Reserve with Rockport Adventures boat tour. Captain Tommy knew his birds, not just Whooping Cranes.

The tent site is a "walk-in" but it was only a few feet to the site. The bathrooms and showers were clean.

This State Park is really well maintained. The fishing pier is large and easily accessible. You can rent kayaks. Fish cleaning station. Boat ramp. The views are great! Fish right from your campsite.

Nice private spot in wooded area. Great fishing!

The waterfront sites are superb. Great view of Copano Bay and love being right on the water. They are very level, have electric and water. The dump site is also great - level, paved, water hookup, easy to get to and easy to use. I have decent cell service on the waterfront sites (T Mobile) and no service in the wooded areas.

I’ve been to about 10 different campgrounds this year on several different states. Goose island state park is by far the best. This time we stayed in the wooded area. I didn’t think I would like it (I loved the waterfront sites) but I loved it. The sites are a good distance apart and have new paved driveways that are very level. There is a pole for hanging lightning and a campfire pit. There is electricity and water. We are in site 115 and I have cell service which makes me very happy. I don’t think the site numbers 200’s have cell service as they are father in. It’s quiet and dark at night. The site has woods and trees behind so it’s very private. It can hold a pretty big rig. Ours is only 26 ft but it can hold much bigger. This site is fabulous. The weather is great and there are tons of things to do in the area. Book it! We are coming back.

Very clean and scenic campground. Plenty of space between sites if you park away from the seafront. I personally wouldn’t want to be right by the ocean as it’s just a 5 min walk from the more peaceful sheltered sites. We had campsite 115 and were very happy with it. Close to bathrooms and easy access in and out. Lots to see in the area, and if you want the beach we’d recommend Port Aransas which is only about 30 mins away. That beach is dog friendly and nicer than the closer Rockport. The short ferry ride across is also fun and free. Dolphins alongside the ferry. The only negatives would be mosquitos and humidity. Both were manageable given when we went, but only just. I’d aim for early spring or late fall to try to minimize these.

My wife and I went for a quick trip and decided to go to a place we haven’t been. I guess we chose the wrong time to go to this state park. Nothing but misquitos at the campground. And sand fleas come out at night near the water. The staff was super friendly and the bathrooms were okay.

the air boats run all day on the weekends and are loud. watch out for low tree branches if you're staying in the wooded areas. If you're staying in the wooden area, stay on the outer loop if you're a big rig.

The campground was nice and clean. There is still a lot of damage from the hurricane. I hadn’t been there in over ten years and was very surprised at how much the area has changed. There are beach houses all around and that kinda spoiled the natural vibe.

large well spaced out campsites. Allows pets. Quiet. Great area if you like to fish. Only downside was lots of bugs, especially mosquitoes.

Not the best for tent camping in the middle of summer. Had fun but not used to the humidity

You can choose beach csmping or wooded area camping.

The park itself doesn’t have much to do as they are still recovering and renovating from Hurricane Harvey a couple of years ago(this was my rationale for a lower rating). Having said this,it’s a great park and I highly recommend it and we would surely return. The bathrooms are above average, clean with nice showers. Our campsite was nice and shady with a picnic table and water. We saw deer and one snake (too quick to identify it). We hiked the trail in the park which was nice and well maintained. The next town over is Rockport which has million dollar mansions on the water. We rented a kayak for half day and kayaked in and out of the canals gawking at the boats and houses. There is a bird sanctuary on the island in little bay where we kayaked and in addition to all the birds we saw two dolphins swimming around. We were close enough to port Aransas to drive over and took the ferry (had to stay in the vehicle due to corona virus). We ate seafood at our favorite seafood restaurant “Snoopys”.

Very clean. Friendly staff. Lots of wildlife around. Make sure to bring plenty of bug spray, the higher the deet % the better. We will be going back very soon.

This island state park is dedicated to getting out on the water and putting out a fishing line. I think there were more sport fishing folks than birds– and that’s saying something. The Bayfront area camping loops are set right up to the shore and offer amazing views of the bay, sunrise and sunset. The sites are packed rather close together, but there is certainly enough room for trailers and tents of all size.  All campsites offer water and electricity. The bathroom building is relatively clean and updated, has flush toilets, and external access individual shower stalls. Pro-tip: third shower from the left has good enough pressure to remove a tattoo!

The area is great for all kinds of low-key activities like fishing, biking, walking, paddling etc. I wouldn’t go here if I had my heart set on swimming, though. The water is relatively shallow and in the middle of a massive oyster colony, pretty sharp edges on those bi-valves– so be careful. 

One of the best activities, especially during the winter months, is birding. The area is the winter home to the endangered Whooping Cranes, Sandhill Cranes, Spoonbills and many, many more. Grab your binoculars and your birding guide! 

The only real downside is that the boat launch is extremely popular with airboat enthusiasts and their engines are crazy loud. If being awoken at 4am by some hunter/fisherman launching his boat isn’t your thing, then I’d suggest choosing the wooded area of this state park, away from the water and noise.

Wish I would have come better prepared to fish. Did see a Whooping Crane. Stayed on the bay side. Kinda strange the had restricted capacity so they shut an entire loop instead of spreading people out. Air boats are loud early and late.

Beach & wooded sites. Remodeled after 2019 hurricane. A steal @ $22/night with TX Park Pass!

It is a great spot for anyone wanted to fish with a HUGE pier. The sites were well groomed. We were on Live Oak Circle with a nice view of the fields. One thing I’d say is BRING STUFF FOR MOSQUITOES. One bottle of bug spray won’t work. Bring more. There is a Walmart in Fulton if you underestimate. Short trip to Rockport beach as well

This state park has campsites right on the water and back in a more forested area. We were right on the bay and loved watching birds and watching the fishers camped in the area. Basic amenities include water and electricity. Showers okay. This area has got lots of mosquitos so bring your spray!

Stayed 4 nights in December. The weather was mild, and we saw Whooping Cranes! We stayed in the woods ( bayside spots are too noisy & close together for my taste ). We walked all over the camp ground and met some really interesting people - walked the mile to see the Big Tree. Even tho the wooded sites were close together, they felt private and the Live Oaks are beautiful. We spent Christmas there and the Camp Bird Hosts came around visiting folks. Bathrooms are clean and nice, everything in the park seems pretty spotless. I would go back in a minute!

We stayed 14 nights in one of the Bay sites. Really enjoyed the view and sunsets. We watched Dolphins right in front of us every day. Pros: Bayfront site's view, easy in and out, easy set up, fishing, close to stores and restaurants, nice pavillion with picnic table at each site, Nice dock to fish off of and can fish right at your site. Clean restrooms. Pet friendly with 6ft leash rule. Cons: TTs and 5th wheels are supposed to back in. This causes the pavillion to be on the wrong side. You open your door to your neighbors pavillion. Motorhomes, Cs & Bs can pull in so the pavillion is on the correct side however the W&E hookups are then on the wrong side. (They are working to fix this issue) Wooded section is not big rig friendly. Low hanging branches and many sites difficult to back in to. (We didn't stay in this section, we drove through without 5th wheel) The air boats. There are 3-5 different ones that come in and out ALL day every day starting around 6:30am. They are so loud they vibrate the campers.