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$50 - $60 / night
Consider it a staycation–when you visit Meadowmere Park, you’ll have a whopping 288 acres to explore of sparkling water, sandy beaches, and green grassy expanses. You can rent kayaks, and standup paddleboards from DFW Surf for floating out onto the sparkling water of the lake.
Meadowmere Park is home to the largest floating aqua park obstacle course in Texas, WhoaZone. Located on Grapevine Lake, the enormous floating playground is the best way to cool off this Summer. Bring your family and friends to slip, slide, and have tons of fun. Get tickets here.
If you’ve come to eat your lunch, you’ll find the fire pits and grills perfect for whatever you’re cooking up. A designated beach just for swimming is just right for relaxing in the cool of the lake. When you’re bringing the whole family, a playground, and shaded picnic tables. Campers can choose to stay overnight on a beautiful lakeside primitive campsite complete with picnic tables and fire rings, and you’re free to bring your pets along too.
$35 / night
$20 / night
This recreation area is part of Lavon Lake
Welcome to Bella Hampton Farm Foundation, where our journey began with a simple dream of nurturing animals and cultivating wholesome produce for our community. What started as a humble farm dedicated to raising animals for food and eggs has evolved into a profound commitment to the well-being of animals in need. Witnessing the heartbreaking neglect and abuse suffered by countless creatures, we've transitioned into a non-profit farm with a dual purpose: caring for unwanted and mistreated animals while continuing to grow nutritious food to sustain our furry and feathered friends. Join us on this compassionate mission, where every bite and every rescue make a world of difference.
$30 - $45 / night
This recreation area is part of Benbrook Lake
Traveler
Since the primitive tent sites are down due to flooding, we set up our tent on a nice RV spot near the lake (site 9). If you drive around, you’ll find some good spots like this for tent camping. A little expensive at $30 per night, but it was still worth it. Pretty water. Gorgeous sunset. Good fire pit. Running water and electricity was nice.
Only complaint: our neighbors a couple sites down were blasting music until 1am. Not a peaceful experience for sleeping. I wish the park attendants would have stopped them sooner, as the official quiet time is 10pm. Otherwise, excellent spot!
ScoutAbsolutely no tent camping. Read this.... NO TENT camping.
TravelerExcellent tent camping right next to Lake Lewisville.
Guide
Overnighted here returning home from a longer trip. It was okay for what I was doing, but I would never choose to camp here as a destination as a tent camper.
Activities: looking at the lake, bringing a boat to put in the lake, fishing. Seemingly nothing else to do.
Accommodations: clearly geared towards RVers. Each of those sites have water, electricity, and a sewer connection, with a covered cement pad with a grill, a table, and other relevant features. The few tent camp sites were shoved seemingly randomly between and around the RV sites. At my particular site, the concrete pad and picnic table were cracked and seriously damaged, and few grill was rusty enough to be almost unusable. The fire pit and ground of the rest of the site were littered in bits of trash ranging from things like food wrappers, pieces of plastic hangers, and my personal favorite - a construction nail.
The only bright light of this camp experience for me? The bathrooms. Each bathroom ( 2 per building) was a single occupant bathroom with a locking door. In the bathroom was a sink, a toilet, a hand dryer, and a shower with two nozzles at different heights (tall and short). The appliances were stainless steel, and the bathrooms were clearly excellently maintained. The bathrooms also had automatic lighting, an exhaust fan, and what appeared to be a tiny space heater for colder months. The showers had hot water, and the drains in the floor were sufficient at getting all the excess water out of there quickly.
In summary, if you have an RV and/or a boat and love to do things on the water, this is probably a fine campground. If you are taking a tent, I'd avoid this campground.
Scout
We've stayed at Twin Coves several times, this is an excellent site for both RV/Tent camping and Cabins.
Scout
Five Star Park located just minutes from Dallas Fort Worth. The Park is extremely clean. Campsites are all level and great for the Big Rigs. Good Sams Park
Traveler
Lots of good tent sites both on the water or a short hike to it.
Traveler
RV and tent sites are spacious. Lots of lake access from sites. They also have cabins for rent. The staff is friendly.
Traveler
If you’re looking for somewhere off the grid that is truly primitive, then this is not the place for you. If you don’t mind other people nearby, then you may enjoy your time here. Great docks for fishing. Beautiful water views, if you camp next to the water. Tent camping sites with electrical hookups are piled next to each other pretty close, so if you’re getting a tent electrical site you had better not mind getting friendly with your neighbors. Also, when it rains some of the tent electrical camp sites fill with water. However, if this happens the front office is more than willing to work with you and give you a refund or switch your site. There is a lot of wildlife roaming around - lots of deer! The primitive camp sites by the docks that overlook the water are beautiful. There is a concrete slab, picnic table, and fire pit at each primitive site. If you want to throw up a hammock, some of the primitive sites have trees that are the perfect distance apart for that - but be aware some of these trees are covered in poison ivy! The primitive sites are all close by to other types of campers, so it is never quiet and you can hear people at all hours of the day/night for the most part. Where we stayed by the water, we were next to an RV site. The other primitive camping sites also seem to be near RV sites and electrical tent sites, according to the map. If you camp near the water, it is very windy, especially at night, so make sure to bring plenty of blankets! Are you ever really on your own here: no. Are there beautiful views: yes. Is it truly primitive: no. Will you be taken care of: yes. All sites are open, with no big trees or shrubs to give privacy. You can see your neighbors and they can see you, even at the primitive sites. It would be a good place to bring a family or children for sure. I will say, the customer service at the main office is outstanding. They have anything you could think of for sale there, which is a huge plus. It is highly likely that you won’t need to drive into town for anything. Workers drive around with trash bags every day to ensure everyone is disposing of trash properly, and will give you free trash bags if you don’t have any, which is nice. All in all it depends on what you’re looking for, whether you choose to come to this camping location or not. We enjoy going here just to get away from the house and enjoy the beauty of the lake/nature for a bit. Although, I do wish there was more privacy. Everything is too close together, in my opinion.
Guide
I tent camped here one night with my friend. Our site was perfect for us. It was close to the restrooms and privacy from others was great. Views of the lake were beautiful! I recommend if you just need to get out of your house for a bit!
Ranger
Easy reservation process on recreation.gov. Stayed in the tent section for $10 a night. Each tent site has a picnic table and fire pit. Water was off when we were here. Trash cans are conveniently located (throw your trash away!) Relatively large park for being in the city. Good hiking trails and a boat launch. Shopping and restaurants so close, DoorDash delivers here!
TravelerThis place is calm and pleasant during the day. At sundown, the party starts and goes till 2:00am. If you are looking for a quiet evening, this ain’t the place. If you are good with day time activities and loud music at night, join the party. My kids and I will go back simply because it is a clean park with nice tent camping spots.
Legend
RV sites have water and 50/30 amp electric and there are 12 tent sites. We had a nice view of Lake Lavon. Grills and tables vary by site, some are very old, but many have been replaced. There are trees- some large enough to provide some shade if desired, but most small enough to allow satellite reception. The sites are well spaced and are"mostly" paved with aging asphalt. The roads are in need of repair, with numerous potholes, some very large, but the attendant did say that the park was on the CoEs list for repairs. There is a dump station just outside the entrance. The entry gate is locked from 10PM to 6AM, so plan accordingly if leaving the park, lest you park outside and walk back to your site. Overall, this is a good value, and one of the few non-RV park options in the greater Dallas area.
Legend
Look, I found this campground by total accident following signs. There is so much construction around Lewisville Lake it is difficult to get where you want to go. There are better parks around Lewisville Lake like Pilot Knoll Park.
This is mostly for RV's and camper trailers. There are a few tent sites near the beach but you are surrounded by baseball fields and city parks. It has a shower house and a laundry facility, but the campsites are stacked on top of each other.
The campground staff was very helpful.
Ranger
Camping amongst the llamas was a dream come true! It was everything we hoped for- and more! You can tell Judy does this for the love of llamas. We got a tour of the pasture, and met all of the llamas by name. We got to feed the llamas, and they hung around our camp for almost our entire visit. We. Had. A. Blast.
Multiple fire pits and picnic tables per site. Big, shady trees to escape the beating Texas sun. And we felt safe enough to let our boys camp in their own tent for the first time. Not too far from the city, but definitely feels like you're in the middle of nowhere. Tent sites aren't secluded, but they aren't close-by either, and our neighbors were never bother. 10/10 we will definitely be back.
ScoutClean and spacious RV sites in two areas, about 100 total and several with water view. Open and tree covered sites in both. Cabins also available, again several with water views. Two designated tent camping areas separate from RVs. Dry storage and dump station on property as well. The park offers open activity areas and covered picnic tables by the water. A 3-lane boat ramp to Lewisville Lake, rental paddle boarding, full marina, and swimming area. Seasonal restaurant with indoor & outdoor eating areas. Privately owned so there is an entry fee, but 2 or 3 levels of yearly membership passes available saves a lot! Currently upgrading to full hookup for all RV sites and wifi.
RangerI tent camped here in December at the Hawthorn campground site 8. One thing I wasn’t expecting was that this was a walk in site. It was about 100 yards from the parking lot to site 8. Kind of a pain when setting up camp but it makes for a very quiet camping experience once you’re done. Water spigots are close by. The bathrooms were really clean and there are hiking and biking trails nearby. Unfortunately I didn’t get to explore the park much but it seems there is lots to do. There is a marina where you can rent boats and a swim beach nearby. I’ll definitely be going back for a longer stay.
ScoutWe found this place when our other reservation got messed up, but boy am I glad we did! The tent sites have water and electric at each site. Sites feel secluded and spread out and our was covered by trees so the shade was great!
There was a little litter around the campsite but my son and I tired to clean up as mush as we could before we left.
There was a covered picnic table, fire pit, and grill, and lots of nails on the picnic covering table (although they are up really high, so if you’re short it’s hard to get to them).
We plan on going back and taking advantage of the hiking trails and swimming spot!
Traveler
I grew up going to Erwin Park to camp. It was a well kept secret with spacious tent sites, picnic areas and hiking trails.
Located just outside of McKinney, it has become a popular spot with mountain bikers. That can create issues on the weekend when the trails are teeming with cyclists. It just gets crowded and parking can be a challenge. Hiking also isn’t as safe.
The park is maintained by parks & rec and can cleanliness can vary. Unfortunately we have noticed more litter and left over junk in the fire pits as its popularity has increased.
If you are a mountain biker, this park offers great creekbed, wooded trails. As I mentioned before, it’s a popular spot so bring your patience with other riders.
LegendCampsites are modern and very well shaded. They offer water access, electricity, are near facilities, have tables and fire pits. Many of the sites overlook the lake or have easy access to the lake. The area is unique because it is within minutes from Dallas but offers the quiet and solitude that an area farther away from a major city would provide. The trails in this area are fantastic, great for mountain biking, trail running, hiking with small children, etc… It does get relatively dry and hot during the summer, and despite the abundance of trees the trails remain relatively exposed to the sun. There are swimming areas available. If you forget something you have easy and relatively quick access to shopping.
This was our first camping trip as a family, we have learned a lot about camping since staying at this park a few years ago. We do regularly visit but don't camp here often.
Traveler
I stayed at two different sites while I was here, in total about 14 days. P07 had a lot more privacy and P11 was quite exposed. The walk-in to P07 was quite lengthy, but P11 had parking spots right next to camp. They are strict about parking; I got woken up around 1:30am by local police because I parked in an area I wasn’t allowed to and also forgot to print a permit to put on my dash.
Super, super windy. Got hit by two really bad lightning and thunderstorms and had to sit in my car for a while during the worst of it (certain parts had tornados and hail).
I will say, there seems to be a few long-timers here despite a max 14 day stay. The park is technically closed at 10pm but there’s no gate and technically anyone can drive in any time.
I saw the police drive through often, but it still didn’t feel as secure as other campsites I’ve been to.
The park seems to be well-known amongst locals, so on the weekends it’s especially crowded. Lots of big groups coming, drinking beers, being slightly rowdy. Maybe it’s just because I’m an introvert and wanted peace and quiet, but I felt a little too close to everyone trying to have a good time.
My stay ended prematurely because there was a guy who kept trying to talk to me and made some weird comments. The park did seem to attract a certain clientele, so if safety is your primary concern (I’m a woman traveling solo), then this might not be your best bet.
Other than that, the staff were super nice and welcoming. I got to know the compliance officer by name while my stay there, and it’s clear he takes great pride in the park.
The bathrooms are clean, signal is great for Verizon and T-mobile. There are showers but I wasn’t brave enough to try them; there are a few Planet Fitness locations close-ish by that have great showers, so that’s what I did instead!
Fairly close by to Carrollton where there’s amazing Asian food and boba. Lake is gorgeous too but no swimming was allowed from what I could see. Cute coffee shops nearby too. Sip Stir, The Perc Coffeehouse, and George Coffee and Provisions are all great digital nomad spots and are some of the coolest coffee shops I’ve seen! Super unique, local gems with fast WiFi.
Overall: Great park. I personally wouldn’t stay here for more than a few days, especially if you’re camping in a tent full-time. RV’ers made up the majority here and I didn’t feel as safe in my tent. Still well-kept though and overall a positive experience!
Scout
Site #33 is for tent camping so there was no electric or water. The website said no toilets but there was a port-a-potty about 40 yards from our site along with a water spigot. The site was fairly level and comes with a covered picnic table and enough trees to provide shade and hang a couple of hammocks. The folks that work there are wonderful. The only caveat to the site is that it is right next to a Marina, so there are boats coming and going and partying going on which didn't bother us but just be aware. At 10:00 p.m. all that stopped and it got quiet. Unfortunately it was hotter than hell Labor Day Weekend when we set up on Friday and slept overnight so we picked up and went home on Saturday. Nothing to do with the site. There are similar sites to the left and right of this site, They are staggered so you are not right next to someone which was nice.
Guide68 year-old solo camper getting ready to travel around the country, car/tent camping primarily. Haven't really camped since 1973, so I drove out to Lake Ray Roberts for a one-night trial for some new gear and knock off the rust.
This was a terrific choice – Hawthorn Area #9, wooded area, 4th on the path from the Hawthorn parking lot to the other nine campsites on this loop (150 steps from campsite to car and restrooms, a little over 100 yards). As most (maybe all) of the campsites here, this was walk-in to the campsite from a common parking lot.
I walked around the rest of this loop and the adjoining one (16-40). Each campsite had a tent pad, picnic table, fire pit and lantern post. Mine was one of the more private in that I couldn't see another picnic table. However, with the trees and in some places tall grass, I would rate most of the sites as private.
The next morning there were about half-dozen deer roaming around the area between my camp and the parking lot. There was only one other car in the parking lot overnight and they camped in one of the other areas. One of the lots (I think it was #13) actually had lake front. Others had views of the water.
Depending on exact location you could see the dam and except for a few hours of the deepest night you could faintly hear the drone of road noise. But the near-full moon lit the area so well I walked to my car about 4:30 in the morning without a light and could see very well – it was really nice and bright.
The Isle du Bois unit is at the far southeast corner of the lake, near the eastern end of the dam. The Hawthorn area is one of the first sites from the entrance, maybe a 5-minute drive.
GuideThis is the real outdoors..tents.horses.fires..the real camping in texas
TravelerI've been coming to this park since I was 12 or 13 years old and we would tent camp. The only things to do is fish and go swimming and the play ground is kind of sad. I came camping in 2009 when I got back from Iraq and it was very well maintained then either, just leaves piled up so high mosquitos and various other pests loved it. We brought our camper out this weekend after reading reviews and hearing about how updated it is and how great it is but it's still the same park it's always been. There was literally a camper across from us being stabilized with cinder blocks... we have a three year old and took him to the park to burn some energy and were quite disappointed (as well as our son). The equipment was the same equipment from when I was a kid and there's really not much more than swings, a slide, merry go round, and a see-saw type thing. We paid over $90 for three nights and ended up leaving a day before because there was just nothing to do. There was also someone walking around our camper the first night and I'm still not sure who it was 😲. We had a tree in the worst part of our site, we couldn't let our awning out hardly. If we moved up a little bit we couldn't use out outdoor kitchen, if we a lot we'd be lucky to use our connections. We ended up in one of the only spots that didn't have some kind of asphalt and it had been raining for two days, that was a load of fun also because the mud was thick and there were two mini lakes around us. The campsites at the state park we're further away then here and I would have preferred some distance to our "neighbors". The gentleman who led us to our site was polite at least and they did spray for ants around our camper. However, I doubt we'll go back unless they make some better changes.
TravelerCedar Hill State Park, Cedar Hill, TX Site# 42
Cedar Hill State Park is only 10 miles southwest of Dallas, but its topography will remind you of the Texas Hill Country. The park is situated on the shores of Joe Pool Lake and it features 30 primitive hike-in camp sites, over 300 wooded modern sites, and more than 1,200 acres of mountain bike terrain. The park also offers multiple boat ramps, kayak rentals, and a swimming beach.
RangerThis park is just outside the DFW area which makes it a great alternative to staying in an expensive hotel. It’s only about 30 minutes to downtown Dallas but it still feels like you’re way out in nature. I stayed at site #77 in the Shady Ridge area. It was an RV site but there was plenty of room for a tent. Plus, you have water right at your site. There are hiking and biking trails, swimming and fishing. There was a little bit of road noise from the nearby highway but it wasn’t too bad.
Tent camping near Dallas, Texas offers a variety of scenic spots where nature lovers can unwind and enjoy the great outdoors. With options ranging from well-equipped parks to more primitive settings, there's something for everyone.
Frequently Asked Questions
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