Best Equestrian Camping near Cooper, TX

The South Sulphur campground is about half an hour north of Interstate 30. It’s under a 2 hour drive from the DFW area so, I find it’s a nice weekend getaway. I camped here on a Sunday to Monday and it was very quiet. I was one of only 5 campers in the Deer Haven section (aside from the 3 camp hosts). I’m giving the park 5 stars but this is based on my experience of having camped here when there were few campers around. I image this place could be loud and busy on a weekend.

There are many shaded lakeside sites in the Deer Haven section. I stayed at site 68. The site was on a cul de sac so there was no campground to the one side. However, the site located on the other side was close. This would be a great spot for 2 camping families to share. The concrete pad at site 68 was level and shaded by a beautiful, mature oak tree. I could walk from the pad to the lake. It would be a great site to put out a kayak, but unfortunately the weather didn’t cooperate on my stay. So I didn’t get to kayak. I did see deer who ventured in from the wooded area next to the campsite.  Deer Haven lived up to its name!

Electric and water hookups were good as were the restroom/shower facilities, which seemed climate controlled because it felt cooler and less humid inside than outside. This usually isn’t the case in these buildings.

A big storm blew in around dinner time. The wind was fierce and blowing out of the north across the almost 20,000 acre lake! I actually called the ranger to find out if I needed to evacuate. The ranger was very responsive and reassuring. Luckily, there were no tornados warnings, so I weathered out the storm and woke to a beautiful crisp morning.

This park is huge and there is much to do. Cabins, shelters, primitive walk in sites, equine sites, a beach, several boat ramps, hiking trails, playgrounds and a fishing pier. I didn’t get to see a fraction of it, but I’ll be returning. 

I stopped in the town of Sulphur Springs on my way back to DFW. The town has a nice historic town square and makes for an interesting side stop.

We stayed here by happenstance. This campground isn't really near anything and is a 30 minute drive from even the smallest town so come prepared for all your needs. There is a vault toilet and the grounds weren't in terrible shape. This would be my choice for a campground in the National Grasslands. There is lake access here and you could tell that this is a equestrian meet up area. The camps pots weren't leveled and you just throw your tent wherever you want. We didn't have any neighbors so it was quiet. The spot we got had a fire ring and a table. This is basic no frills car camping here if you are interested. We didn't have time to research so we don't know if there are any trails or anything in this area as we couldn't find any.

I am always pleasantly surprised with 'national' organizations' campgrounds. Whether a national forest or like this one, national grasslands, they are always pretty good, and this one is no exception. The campground is small, maybe 12 sites, vault toilets decently cleaned, and multiple water spigots. There was only one other camper, but there is access to the lake at this site with a few cars in the parking lot when we arrived, so you will see people even though it is secluded on the whole. We also saw a lot of horse riders. The sites have picnic tables, fire pits and are well spaced. You basically have your pick of sites so you can choose wooded areas or open without trees.

4.5 total miles of trails and none of it difficult. You can't take a baby stroller but obey because of a few branches, it's all easy hiking.

One bathroom but all the lits are spacious and secluded.

The lake is great. Beautiful swimming area and playground. We were here 7 days and only left once to hut Walmart (20 minutes)

Definitely 5 star, and only 18/night. Just as good as the 25/night Texas State Parks.

And as always, as a Texas State Park it is extremely safe. Park Police (actual police) are scene everywhere.

Oh, and everywhere it says no wifi and while it's true you can't log into a free network we had zero problems getting wifi on our phones and we were the only people in our loop being midweek during winter.

We did dispersed camping here while we still lived in Texas. The forest was nice, but hike in was not challenging at all, and short. Park gets busy during spring/summer for fishing at pond. Best parts of our trip was how the forest animals really came alive at night, and the clear starry sky. The out-house at the primitive sites was a luxury you don't usually get when camping that way. If you enjoy dispersed camping the way we do, this may not be the place for you. The regular campsites may be nicer here but we did not venture that way. Also, Texas March weather is perfect for camping. Good place for a quick get-a-way from the city.

First, the good. The free wifi is pretty strong and the TV reception was excellent. Communication with the owners through email was promptly answered. We stayed a month and the electricity was decently priced. For the month in the Texas heat, our bill was about$75. It is a new park so all the utilities were functioning as they should. 

The bad. To get there, you travel a rough dirt road that has had some oil put on it near the few houses that are there but that stops about halfway to the site. Otherwise, it is a dusty, rough road. It appeared that the campground doesn't have any sites that approach level. It is covered solidly with rocks, not gravel and some were quite large. A few of the campers had to have their back wheels off the ground in order to get level! The are no restrooms, showers, picnic tables or any other amenities, not even an office. The monthly is $550 for a"deluxe" site plus 3.5% processing fee when you pay with a credit card. The"deluxe" sites are the pull throughs and those that back up to the"pond", accessed by climbing up a steep incline. The pond appears to just be a stock tank. I've never stayed at a campground with sites as bad as this one and of course, I won't be back.