Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Eden, TX

Stayed here last summer on our way to Sedona, one night stop.  Super friendly folks in the office, guided to spot following golf cart.  It was super hot when we arrived and were pleased to find the crystal clear pool to cool off in.  Doggies enjoyed the dog park.  Camp store had a 50 to 30 amp converter we needed for later in the trip.  Trail nearby and running up the hill gives you a great view of the surroundings.  Would definitely stay there again if we happen to be passing through!

We stayed here in May ‘21 when passing through Brady. The owners were extremely friendly and helpful. The site we had preselected online was booked, so we were put in another pull through site that had some nice shade. There were some stray cats in the park that kept trying to get into our trailer whenever we’d open the door. Most of the folks there seemed to be permanent residents, only 1 or 2 others seemed like they were passing through like us.

It’s well kept, the spaces are far apart, and it’s exactly as advertised. The staff is friendly and helpful. Dog friendly too. And dogs are allowed on all of the trails. It’s still the desert, but there is a small lake.

As a general rule, we like to stay somewhere a month.  At Pecan Valley, we did so, of course not knowing what to expect exactly, as always.  We were very pleasantly pleased with our stay, and we will definitely be back.  I'll just bullet point out all the pros, followed by one single con.

Pros:

• Quiet.  I-10 is across the river branch the CG sits next to, but you really don't hear it unless you're listening for it.  You definitely can't see it!
• DEER!  Every day, about 6:30'ish the come across the main road, through the pecan orchard, behind the owner's house and equipment areas into a large field.  It was so awesome to keep a side window open and holler at the wife: "It's DEER-THIRTY!"  (There is also a large heard of Axis deer in the area.)  We saw as many as 30 at one time.
• Chickens.  Their "rules" state to keep your animals leashed, because the chickens are their pets!   They even let you know what is not okay to feed them.  We had some oatmeal that we bought that wasn't what we expected, but made great chicken feed. "Chick, chick, chick!" will bring them!  I named two of them "Big Elvis" and "Little Elvis" based on the size of the "hair" on their heads (even though they are likely hens.)  They are super curious, don't leave your bay doors open!  It's fun to watch them taking dirt baths!
• The river is right there!  We tried to walk most every day, sometimes up the entrance all the way to the main road, sometimes down past the many-chickens coop and "Goat on a Boat" area, down to the river.  When no one else was there, I liked skipping rocks.  
• Cute little gift shop.  Just write down in the book what you got and pay at the end.
• Owners:  Delivery of pecans (regular or candied), firewood, packages.  I'm telling you, the owners were so friendly and so awesome, maybe the best we've ever had in 4 years of full-timing.  We had gotten one bundle of firewood (just as inexpensive as anywhere, but MORE of it, and it's hardwood), but realized that we likely wanted more.  The owners were driving by on their golf cart, parking someone, and I just asked for a couple more bundles when they got a few minutes.  Sure enough...about 15 minutes later, they came by in the golf cart with more firewood!
• Drainage.  The second-to-last day of our stay (and also right before we arrived), there was a very rainy day. We had gotten back with groceries and it was a torrential downpour.  (I took off my tennis shoes in the truck and just muddy-sock-footed the groceries and put them inside.)  The rain slowed later, and it was almost back to normal.  It rained, again hard, during the night, but tapered off around 2am.  When we got up to pack up the rig in the morning, there weren't really any muddy spots.  We've been in campgrounds where it's just horrible.  Pecan Valley set up their spots correctly!

Cons:

• Tree Sap.  Now, this doesn't apply to every spot and, honestly, it's not that big of a deal.  Unlike pine sap, the sap from the pecan trees just washes off easily.  Every few days when we'd get in the truck, the windshield would look horrible, but a squirt of washer fluid and a couple of wiper wipes and it was perfectly fine.  That rainstorm our last day, it washed off the truck completely!

Town Notes:

• Lowe's Grocery store:  Not a bad little store for a small town.  Much better than I expected.
• Spurs Liquor store:  Right on the corner between town and FM 1674 (road to campground).  Cute little store, was pleasantly surprised.
• Junction Fuels:  If you need diesel, go here.  Don't be intimidated by the setup.  I just parked, went inside to ask "how it works", then got it handled that time and the rest.  You want the "CD" pump (Ultra-Low Sulphur Diesel), second unit with pumps 3 and 4.  Park at the pump, go to the blue box at the end, enter your pump number and put in your credit card and zip.  Maxes at $75, I had to run it twice.  Absolutely best price in town, way better than at the corner of I-10.  During our stay, most in town were like $4.69 whereas Junction Fuels was $3.99.  At one point, it had dropped to $3.97, but no else had dropped at all.  This means they are being reactive to market prices.  (I believe this is the right propane location, too, though we didn't need it during our stay.)

We stayed at this campground 5 nights.  Level Asphalt.  One Shade Tree on our site that helped a bit with the summer heat.  Husband was hoping to fish in the lake but it is pretty dried up.  Plenty of roads and trails to run and bike.  Drove into town and had dinner at Zero Ale House.  Biggest Cons:  Flies!  And  ALOT of Cockleburs!  My dogs couldn't walk anywhere without getting them on them!

You can camp here for up to 3 nights. Park anywhere along the water. Plenty of space for any type of rig. Great service for att and T-Mobile. There’s a bathroom house but it was locked. Plenty of fire pits, picnic tables, playground, dogs allowed, and you can swim and fish in the dam. The only weird thing is that the local traffic through the park is insane. At least a car a minute on the weekends. There’s a laundromat and grocery store a half a mile away. Would stay here again!

This is a very quiet and open campground. We saw lots of deer every night. This area of Texas is hot and dry and the landscape reflects that. We had electric and water (slow flow). There is a dump station at the front near the gas station and the store. Most people are here to catch giant fish in Lake OH Ivie.

Stayed only one night on my way to another site! Big camping spots with Fit Pit and Grill (separate). Picnic Table with coverage and great unobstructed views! Quiet even though you are relatively close to the housing and traffic intersections!

Lost power because of a huge rainstorm but it’s was totally worth the sights and sounds of a West Texas Thunderstorm!

Stopped here on my way through Texas. It was clean and the showers had hot water. The lake has fish in it if you have a boat. I kayaked the entire thing and it took a few hours. There aren't many trees to hammock camp from so bring a tent or RV. Hosts were nice. Good place for an overnight stay.

This was a campsite with a nice view, except for the power line running through it. Went right after Texas’s big freeze so it was absolutely empty. Great paved picnic area and fire ring were nice accommodations. Located near a driveway down to the river. This site might not have been super private if more people were at the park, but there were certainly way less private sites at this campground.

We stayed here for 4 nights in early May 2019. We stayed in the Red Arroyo Campground at the South entrance of the park. The best thing about this park is the amount of space between spots. Plenty of space between you and your neighbors. The park is beautiful and very quiet. When we were there the wildflowers were in full bloom. Spots are water and electric only, but there is a dump onsite. We had spot #13 and it was steep, but we were able to tuck our 30ft trailer at the bottom where it leveled out. No levelers required. The park has many trails for hiking and biking. Some of the trails were a bit muddy, but they had recently had rain. Cell phone service was good. We were able to get internet through the hotspot. Overall, it was a nice stay and we would stay here again. $20 price reflects camping fee only. Day use fee is $4 per person if you do not have a Texas State Park Pass.

General: Approximately 140 sites (plus 12 cabins) spread out all around Hords Creek Lake in two areas: Lakeside Park and Flat Rock Park. According to the map, two of the four gatehouses are closed – not sure if this is a permanent closure (and don’t know if these campsites are also closed). There was no attendant at the gate when we arrived.

Site Quality: Paved/gravel driveways, some are pull-through, some have sewer hookups, and some have 50 amp electric. A bonus for us that we did not know when we reserved is that several sites have screened-in shelters with electricity and a generous-sized concrete picnic table. There are many trees throughout the campground and although we didn’t need the shade when we were there, I imagine it would be nice during the hot summer. There is also a fire ring but there was a strict fire ban when we were there (In fact, there was a large wildfire about 8 miles from the campground and we had been warned to stay ready to evacuate if the wind changed direction).

Bathhouse: There seem to be more than adequate bathhouses located throughout, however, the one closest to our site was small and somewhat inadequate: one shower, one sink, and two toilets. If the campground was completely full, this may pose a problem. There was no hot water, even in the shower and the shower door did not have a latch for privacy. Also, no hooks or shelves, or soap dispensers. Make sure you bring a towel if you do not want to use the air dryer. 

Activities/Amenities: There are several boat ramps, fishing docks, and swimming areas at different points of the lake. There was a nice, covered playground in the Lakeside Park campground. It is a bit of a hike to the dumpsters. 

This was an overnight stay for us as we continued to travel through Texas, but we appreciated some of the amenities offered at this campground

1. There is no "lake" at this time. It is more like a narrow stream that winds through a valley. At 17% capacity when I visited in June 2018.
2. There are drive-up campsites with electrical and water hookup, but apparently water had not flowed through the pipes going to my campsite in a very long time. When I opened the water valve, a flood of ants preceded a brown geyser of dirty water. I closed the valve and never opened it again during my overnight visit.
3. There are primitive sites that overlook the "lake," but in the absence of water the view is surreal. It's actually a young forest trying to establish itself.
4. You can get a burger and fries for lunch or bacon and eggs for breakfast at the Concho RV office. The staff are very friendly and helpful.
5. Black ants rule the park. Plan accordingly.
6. The Concho RV park has restroom/shower facilities that are free to use. The toilets flush, there is hot AND cold running water, and there was plenty of TP available. I had to hang the mirror on the wall myself.
7. I found only 1 campsite suitable for hanging a hammock.

This is camping the way we like it -- rustic, beautiful and inexpensive.  And, there was no one there in January, despite the state parks being packed!  We had the place completely to ourselves, with the exception of a few fisherman.

For $5 a night you can camp at any one of the dozens of sites scattered around the lakeshore.  Lots of space in between sites and most with beautiful sunrise/sunset views. Each campsite has a picnic shelter above the table for shade, and rain, a grill and fire ring, plus your very own trashcan – never saw all that before in such an inexpensive park but there you have it!   No hook-ups in the park, so bring your solar panel for some electricity if you need it.

The lake is used mostly by local anglers, but I can imagine it gets pretty busy during the summer months when the lake level is at its highest. The only bathrooms were centrally located near the diner/ campstore/ RV Park/ gas station near the boat launch.  So, if you are out in the campground, you'll want to bring your own method. The folks were great there and let us use the wifi for a few hours. 

There’s not much in the way of trails in the immediate area of the lake, except the dirt roads. A word about the dirt, it is mostly clay which when saturated with rain water will form the most exceptionally sticky mud to coat the underside of your vehicle. It comes off, but wow, only with some strong encouragement and a high pressure hose. 

The closest towns with grocery stores and other services are Balanger and Menard, but you can get a few things including drinking water, ice, and drinks at the camp store.

Really well maintained famcamp. Even the full timers there kept their sites neat and tidy unlike some we’ve been to.

The water and electric sites had no shade whatsoever. And the full hookups are first come first serve. So beware of you need or want to visit in the summer. I mean hades.

Oh. No exchange or commissary facilities are close and the base exchange is closed for renovations.