Best Glamping near Cisco, TX

Was pretty busy when we went for spring break. Lots of people live nearby so the lake is constantly filled with watercraft, swimmers and people cliff diving near the shore. Decided we didn't feel like kayaking with such a big crowd.

Lots of amenities and places to buy stuff. Very much a glamping crowd.

Although I don't fish according to our neighbors it is a good fishing spot. Saw lots of people cleaning fish at the designated fish cleaning spots.

Hiking trail near the primitive campsites afforded some birdwatching opportunities, although mostly we saw wild turkeys.

We had plenty of space to spread out and relax. Rented a pontoon and saw Hell's gates worth the stop. Spent most of the time swimming and fishing from shore. This is one of the clearer lakes in Texas.

We stayed here January 26 -31, 2021 on the first stop of a 3 month escape from Northern Wisconsin winter. I’m guessing it’s great when it’s warm and you have a boat. It was always windy. Concessions store closed for remodeling. Construction on cabin near our site. Nice bathrooms, shower water not super hot. Nice trails and tons of birds. A bunch of guys cleaning their catfish at a cleaning station near our site. Left a ton of carcasses that the rangers cleaned up. If you plan to use Texas state parks, get the pass as it will save you lots of money!

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.

This park was definitely out in the middle of nowhere, with a long peaceful drive full of wildlife. We made it to the park entrance, check in was quick. We arrived on a week day and they ranger informed us the camp store was closed until weekend and no firewood. Closest store with firewood was 30min away. They lake was beautiful. We were right beside the restroom and shower facilities which was great! We came to stay for one night, we had a roof top tent so the site we had was nice and would make a perfect side for a RV but for us it could’ve been wider for our ladder but we were close to the restroom which we wanted. The restrooms were clean, could use a little update, and water was warm but not hot. Lots of wildlife around! I would stay again but I don’t think it’s the best place to go for a winter camping trip. Thank you Texas state parks!

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.

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!

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.

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.

First time here. All hookups worked. Friendly staff.

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.

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.

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!

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

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

As a kid we would come out here several times a year. We would boat, float, cliff jump, cookout, and enjoy each other's company. Twenty years later we are still enjoying these traditions.

If you like primitive, tent sites, cabins, or RV sites, there are plenty of options.

You should check out Hell's Gate while you are here.

There are also a few hike and bike trails, but this is mainly a park for boating and fishing.

It was nice and peaceful there. They had an awesome store close by where they use the honor system at night for ice and firewood. The campsites close to the water were a little small and Rocky but we had a nice grassy one across the street.

The campgrounds at PK look well kept and cleaned up. The trails are nice. They have plenty of shaded areas as much as they do have open and sunny areas. Summer I was alil weary of the sunny areas because of the overgrowth of vegetation on the trail for the worry of a rattlesnake encounter. Other than that there are nice wide trails and great outlooks of the lake for just sitting back to rest with a view or snapping a few photos. You can see far on some spots. Overall it was a good experience. Might look into camping there once warmer weather hits us again.

This is one of my favorite parks to kayak or canoe at! You can rent them right there at the dock. You can rent jet skis, as well! You can’t get to the famous Hells Gate from the park, but if you take the loop through a private community called Sportsman’s World, you will run right into a view of it.