Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Childress, TX

I took my daughters out since we had a four day weekend. It took a little over 4 hours to reach. Check-in was easy since they assign you to a spot before you get there. We were placed in Lake Theo. The first complaint is you don't park anywhere near your site. You have to cart your gear about 1000 feet. I didn't see anything on the website about this. Next, we were placed in spot 9. This is possibly the worst spot they have. It is a very narrow space right on the trail to the toilet. Given these two things, we had people walking right by our heads while we tried to get to sleep. Finally, there are no dumpsters anywhere near the sight.

On the plus side, the views are amazing as is the history. We had a lot of fun exploring the canyon and dry creeks. We did see a bison roaming around and the night sky was spectacular. We wanted to see the bats, but it's a five mile hike surrounded by private land. The closest town with anything resembling civilization is Childress, so make sure you stock up there before heading in.

Caprock Canyon South Prong primitive camping area

The Caprock Canyon South Prong primitive camping site is about a 1 mile hike from the South Prong Tent camping area and the trailhead.

You’ll hike up and down some ravines and up a hill to reach it. If you’re able to camp at this site you’ll be rewarded with great views of the mountains and the valley. The red rock formations in this park are amazing.

I highly recommend hiking the Upper South Prong trail to the Fern Cave and then returning via the Haynes Ridge Overlook Trail.

Other highlights at this park include watching the prairie dogs and bison roam freely on the plains.

The only downside for this park is that to see some of the attractions you might need to drive because they are located far apart. The bison tend to gather on the open plains. The prairie dogs are located near the Honey Flat campground. Both of these attractions are far from the South Prong Camping Area. 

This park is located in the panhandle of Texas so it’s likely that you will have to drive a long distance to reach this park. if you would like to breakup the drive consider stopping over in Abilene to grab a bite to eat, see the worlds largest buffalo skull, or see the worlds largest paper airplane.

The park has a free roaming bison herd (ancestral to the original bison that once roamed Texas in the 1800's) and a large prairie dog colony. They have hiking trails for all levels. Campsites are not stacked on top of one another, so there's a bit of privacy. Lots of different camping areas depending if you want to tent, backpack or RV. The scenery is different than we'd experienced prior, but it's a breathtaking beauty. Our girls, 5 and 7, begged to have a few extra days at the park. We cannot wait to get back in the fall to do more hiking! Also, we took a day trip on the Texas Plains Trail up to Amarillo, to Cadillac Ranch and ended up at Palo Duro State Park for their TEXAS! show. It was a big day, but a great way to see more of the region.

This was an overnight stay for our trip from home in East Texas to Utah.
Hookups are 30 or 50 amp. There is water at each site but it was off for season.
Pay at the police station. There is a Dropbox with envelopes. $15 a night.
Location was fine for our 35 foot 5th wheel. We were disappointed by the amount of trash around the area. Also was a homeless person staying in a tent The person let his dog roam and almost got into fights with our German Shepherd.
If not for the trash and homeless person this could be a good cheap overnight.

The Rolling Plains has been home to my family for a long long time and it’s always wonderful to be back. Copper Breaks is a beautiful, wild place perfectly managed by Texas Parks and Wildlife. A light touch all around with simple, compact campgrounds to keep a small footprint on the terrain. This is a place where campsites are best used to live out of... not in.

TPW has done a great job keeping light to a minimum. If you don’t like the dark or need a bunch of exterior lights on your camper, please choose another site. There are no street lamps, no canopy lights and thankfully most campers respect the dark here and keep the blinds pulled and exterior lights off. Still... bring your red flashlights and take a hike to see the best views.

The trails are great day or night. Winter or summer. Use your feet, horse or your MTB to explore the backcountry and there is even primitive camping on some of the trials. Beware of snakes and although they are very rare, I would keep your little ones in sight as cats are very very occasionally seen in the Rolling Plains.

The little museum is great and I don’t just say that because my great grandfather’s photo hangs there.

The tent sites are decently spaced and occupy the low areas to serve as wind blocks. The Comanche RV site sits up on a ridge with a greater than 180 degree view of the night sky.

This brings us to why you should really be here. Though the trails are beautiful and the terrain rough and untamed... it’s the skies that draw people here. With the Comanche Springs observatory just around the corner and the dark sky designation... the views here in the after hours are simply astounding. Stars, planets, satellites and shooting stars galore. Set your calendar for the next new moon and head out west for a show you won’t forget.

Caprock Canyons not only looks like it fell out of a John Wayne classic but is also home to the Texas State Bison Herd! The Bison roam free throughout the park so keep an eye out for them when you’re exploring. There are also prairie dogs everywhere! Enjoy them! They’re funny and cool. You can hike around or into the canyon and both are AWESOME! The sites were good sizes and most had shade in the RV loop. One of the cleanest bathrooms I’ve used in a state park was here as well! There is plenty of history within the park as well as ranger programs and wildlife. Seriously worth the drIve!