Best Tent Camping near El Lago, TX

Tents are allowed at Surfside sites but they are more difficult to get reservations then at the tent sites a couple miles from the surf. we stayed in the tent sites away from the surf. Fishing was close by. water at the sites but no electric. Electric and water at Surfside sites. Mosquitoes are worse at Surfside at night. Full hookups available with dump stations for RVs.

RV hookups, the tent camping has super beautiful facilities, there's beachfront swimming, salt and freshwater fishing, the state park spans all the way from the forth to south side of the island

The

This campground is right on the beach, giving ready access to swimming, sunning etc. We stayed in a tent and it was very windy off the ocean. Hot and sand was everywhere! It was fun for the kids but tent camping here was not my cup of tea. Still, there are lots of things to do in the area if you have had your fill of the beach -Moody Gardens, the Strand, NASA is not far.

Camp Mohawk is a great get away close to home for many of us.  The staff is very

helpful and and kind.  They have cabins, dorms, tent camping, hiking trails, stocked

ponds for fishing, playgrounds, volleyball, basketball courts, pavilions for rent with

bar b q grills, plenty of picnic  tables throughout the park for convenience of park goers.

 Pet friendly with waste stations around for disposal of their waste.  Free  for day use

To make reservations call 281-756-2319 you and the whole family will have alot

of fun and won't regret it!!!

The best part of this park is the observatory, which has special events and regular weekend hours pretty much all year. It’s absolutely worth staying up late for this! Hikes and wildlife are good too, lots of easy trails along water for the kids, cool ponds, great little observation tour to climb. There are standard RV/tent sites, screened shelters (for sleeping), and rustic cabins, horse sites, and youth group sites. The sites are pretty spread out and maybe half of them are very shady. Awesome little park outside Houston.

There is not enough room here for me to describe how much I love Brazos Bend State Park. The campgrounds are wonderful- a bit cozy with your neighbors in some spots- but overall comfortable and sufficient for tent camping.
The park staff here are exceedingly polite and helpful. I've never had a bad experience with the folks who work here, and I've been coming here my whole life.
The things to do and see at this park are seemingly endless. The hiking trails are phenomenal for all ages and fitness levels, primarily because they're mostly flat. The wildlife you can get up-close and personal with is incredible. Your kids will definitely learn about wildlife here.
Hike to the observation tower, or in the evening, head over to the observatory to look at stars and planets through a variety of different telescopes.
Be sure to check online for updates on flooding status- the Brazos crested its banks this spring and the park was extensively damaged. When they get back up and running, they're going to need our support!

This is the best place to go in Galveston, even if you aren't planning on camping. It is beautiful and the beach is so clean. My husband and I, plus our kiddo (3yo) and 2 dogs went tent camping here for 3 nights. We went in January, so there was literally NO ONE there! Lucky for us though we got to pick our site and enjoy the solitary. We have state park pass, so entry was free otherwise it it $5 dollars. We picked a site on the bay-side instead of beach-side so we had grass for the dogs. They do however have beach-side camping, RV sites, and cabins.

Note: if you do stay in the bay site, you will have to drive across a main road to the beach side if you want the waves, but there are some coves, a bayou, and a lake on the the bay-side in walking distances from the camp sites so you still get that ocean feel without the crowds.

We walked a few of the trails, but it did rain (dogs were not having it) while we were there so we didn't get to do all we wanted. We did some fishing which was nice, and my son loves just casting and reeling to his hearts content. (Fishing is free in state parks and a license is not required.) Since we went in January it was too cold to swim but we did walk the beach and it was so lovely. The best part for me is the sound of the waves and wind at night mixed with a beautiful star-lit sky!

They do sell firewood on site which is nice and there is a town just 3 miles down the road with a grocery store. Obviously the heart of Galveston is just 10 miles down the road where you can go to the shops or the historic district, but sometimes it is just nice to be on a beach and joy some quiet, which is what we did! If you do go into the tourist area of Galveston make you park on the seawall and take the trolley to the historic district downtown. The trolley is just a few dollars round-trip and you can get off and on where you like. They have some great shops and restaurants. Make sure you go to La King's Confectionery on the strand, it is so fun and cool! They make salt water taffy right in front of you and it's fun for the whole family!

The bathroom facilities were very well maintained and looked brand new. The campsites are set un in a circle with a bathroom in the middle of ever circle which is really helpful! I loved that the park was not overly crowded like the rest of the island! The rangers were helpful and kind, but I expect no less at a Texas State Park! Wonderful trip for us! We will be back!

Campground Review

Galveston Island State Park is a really beautiful, peaceful stretch of land south east of Galveston (the city) straddled by Galveston Bay along its north and the Gulf of Mexico to the south. We were amazed at the number of day use patrons there were but it was Easter Weekend and about the best possible place to picnic in all of Galveston. (Day use is $5 per person, kids under 12 are free, or if you have the $70 Texas State Parks pass it gets everyone in the car into any TX State Park for a year.)

There are two areas to camp at GISP - on the Bay Side and on the Beach Side. There are 10 Bay Side Primitive Tent Campsites at $15/night and Water/Electricity Hook-Up Sites are $20/night. Beach Side only offers “Premium Camping” with Water/Electricity Hook-Ups at $25/night. IMO, the Beach side is worth the extra $5/night since you are literally steps away from the water. All sites have picnic tables with shaded cover, trash, fire pits, and nearby restroom access. Additionally, there are two really beautiful cabins you can rent at $200 or $250/night but they are booked months in advance...

A couple other things about GISP. No trees so plan on waking up with the sun cooking you in your tent (RVs outnumbered tents). There are no open alcohol containers are allowed (but I think that applies more to glass bottles) and dogs must be on leashes at all times. We saw some well-behaved dogs off their leashes along the beach but I think this is more for the safety of the animals because there are long grasses between the beach and the bay sides with venomous snakes. Galveston’s water is not my favorite and it was particularly cold this early in the season but there were tons of people swimming, boogie boarding, kayaking, and fishing along the beach (especially on piers closer to town). It’s a great place to ride bikes and Galveston has a great cultural history that is unique in Texas.

4/5

14901 FM 3005 Galveston, TX 77554

Product Reviews

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get products to test from time to time - this weekend I tested two new products, Midland USA Two Way Radios (GXT1000VP4) and Mountain House Turkey Dinner.

Let me start with the Midland Radios. They. Are. Rad. I am so excited to have these and am considering buying a second set as you can hook up additional radios and put them on the same channel. Without an FCC license you’ve got to stick to specific channels (certain ones are reserved for police, first responders, etc). These have lots of different ring tones and settings. They are water resistant (I took these into the ocean but didn’t submerge them… that makes me nervous) and they have a fantastically long range. Website says 36 mile range. I wasn’t able to test it that far but we got to 10 miles down the beach and they worked great. (We also used them in downtown Houston and were able to get about 2.5 miles away but that was with lots of big buildings and trees obstructing them - pretty impressed!). These walkie talkies came in extremely handy - whenever anyone would head back to the campsite or into town we could call back and forth. Considering the cell service on Galveston Island is pretty miserable, these were seriously great and came in so handy. (Furthermore, I cannot wait to use these puppies at music festivals this summer!!!!)

5/5

My second review is for the Mountain House Homestyle Turkey Dinner. Let me preface this with, I’ve got a particularly snobby chef husband who was very very skeptical of this just-add-water meal in a bag situation. Well. He loved it. And honestly, it tasted like Thanksgiving. Basically a stuffing with chunks of veggies and turkey. The directions on the bag could’ve been a little clearer. I think the time to re-hydrate should’ve been a bit longer as the turkey was a bit chewy and maybe a little salt? But overall, really quite good. Cooking while camping is either super fun or terrible, so this was extremely convenient and easy. I definitely plan on try some of their other products (I’ve heard the Mac & Cheese is yum).

4/5

Beach side sites for RV or tents. High winds. All close to bath houses and beach walkovers. Bay side has two overnight loops. Tent loop has bath house, no electric, all open loop, next to great marsh view. RV loop has large public pavilion.
Quiet park Great hiking, kayaking, private beach, ranger programs, birding, fishing.

Campground Review

It's incredible that I was born and raised in Houston and have lived here the past four years but haven't made it out to Brazos Bend State Park until now! A quick, 45 minute drive southwest will get you out of the concrete jungle that is the sprawling Space City metropolis and into one of the lushest, greenest parts of Texas. Brazos Bend is a "Nature Lover's Paradise" - there is abundant wildlife. There is great fishing, ample bird watching, and lots and lots of alligators (!). Lots of trails for walking, running, biking, and horseback riding. The George Observatory is a pretty amazing feature of this park (but only open Saturdays).

We arrived at Brazos Bend on a Friday afternoon and were able to walk-in no problem. Walk-in rate is $12/day + the daily park entrance fee ($5 for adults, free for kids). I have a Texas State Parks Pass so we didn't have to pay the entrance fees (saved us $40 for two nights of camping!). Additionally there were several other great options including: Full-Site RV hook-up ($25/night), Standard Camping ($20/night, incl. water & electricity), and 14 Cabins ($80-200/night but have everything you could ever need or want).

We did a lot of nature walks, game playing, and swimming during our two days at Brazos Bend State Park. Summer is probably not the best time to visit any park in Texas - its hot and muggy and the mosquitos are out in full force. Bring your DEET. Seriously. Despite that though, we were very pleasantly surprised by the amenities (swimming pool, screened in picnic tables, fire pits, and tent pads!)

Product Review

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get products to test from time to time - this past weekend at Brazos Bend I tested out the Kameng Mid eVent Waterproof Hiking Boot by Mishmi Takin.

These boots have got it all.

First, these boots are hella comfortable! I was blown away how comfortable they were right out of the box. Over the years, I've owned many pairs of hiking boots and they all required a significant break-in period. Not these!

Second, they're waterproof AND breathable. Not water resistant, like actually water proof.

Third, the look great. All 3 color schemes are fantastic I had a tough time choosing between green, grey and orange.

Fourth, so lightweight. These only weigh 1.5lbs so even though they are boots, they won't weigh you down.

5/5 Would Recommend.

The beachside campsites offer electric hookups and shaded picnic tables that are great for tent and RV camping! Keep in mind, the beach is not visible from any electric campsite- but it is a close walk to the beach and conveniently located next to a comfortable restroom with accessible private showers. The beach itself is clean/not littered and is perfect for skim boarding!

If alligators are what you want to see, you will find them here. We stayed in the primative campground in a tent and had no problems with alligators coming in the campsite. They are in the lake and swamp area and may be sunning on the hiking trails. They won't bother you if you walk around them. The picnic sites and pavilions are nice.

We camped here over New Years. The RV circle doesn’t have a bathroom, so we had to drive over to the tent circle each time, but those bathrooms and showers are really nice. The view on the far side of the circle as you enter is spectacular, looking over the water on the bay side. The sites are fairly close to each other, but for some reason, every third site was blocked off, which gave us more space. We had a great time and can’t wait to come back!

Pros of this campground: tents are allowed! (Unlike San Luis Pass RV campground down the road). Great fish to catch if you go for a boat ride. Proximity to the beach and water sports is also nice.

Cons: because it's a beach, the campground is flat and lacking trees, meaning the you mostly feel "out in the open", even if you have enough distance between camping sites. Also, there is a bit of a wait for shower facilities when the park is full, because all the campsites in the park share the one shower area.

Arrived here just before a big thunderstorm rolled in.

But it was super cool to watch as the lights of Houston illuminated the sky across the bay.

Can camp for up to 3 nights maximum with $10 permit from the courthouse down the street.

No utilities, but large open camping area near fishing pier.

Cool Texas history here too!

We recently decided we wanted to spend more time outside and over the last year started accumulating camping supplies. When it was finally time to put them to use we chose Brazos Bend because it wasn't to far from the city and had a lot of hiking trails. This park is amazing! We saw around 15 alligators while hiking, and these are animals in the wild in their habitat (not like the gator farms where some dude is sticking his head in ones mouth). The have a nature center where park rangers give you info about the animals in the park and let you see snakes and baby alligators up close. The campsites have a fire pit, table and grill and for the most part lots of shade trees. All the hiking trails were accessible right from our site. Since we only camped overnight we didn't use any of the facilities but heard they were very clean. We ended up buying the texas state park pass and cannot wait to come back!

Before we stopped at the Brazos park we went from Pottsville Arkansas to the beaches in Texas .Started out in Houston and seen the San Jacinto Monument , The Washburn Tunnel, Aquaworld in down town Houston. Went over some Big bridges . Than we went to the beach in Galveston and spend the night in the back of my explorer what a night great view and the breeze was nice . The next day moved on to travel down the coast to the Port Aransas and crossed on the ferry heading to Mustang Island beach. Than passing Corpus Christi down to Padre Island . Can't remember the name of the beach we spend the night on . The next morning we headed out away from the coast and back towards home . This it where we stopped at the Brazos park and sleep in one of the screened rooms . The park was beautiful and the moss on the trees make you think you have gone back in time . But a last we have to go home!

Brazos Bend is alligator headquarters! This is my son's favorite park, right up next to Dinosaur Valley State Park. So first i'll tell you that the facilities are nice and pretty new it looked like. There are tent, group, equestrian, and RV sites, plus cabins and screened shelters. They have a few hike and bike trails, but nothing very challenging or long, but everything else they have is what makes it the bomb!

There are six lakes, a creek, and the Brazos river in the park, so if you go during summer take bug spray, or bugs will eat you alive. Also tons of spiders...so yeah. You can fish at some of the lakes, and most of the lakes have a viewing pier where you can bird watch and look for big alligators.

OK, the Nature center is the coolest thing ever!!! They have snakes, spiders, and lots of fun stuff for kids. My son got to touch a king snake and a baby alligator, which was so cool. They also have lots of planned activities going on, so make sure you check the calendar or ask a park ranger if they have an event going on. We got so lucky that they had a group of alligator hatchlings that they brought out for all the kids to see and did a whole informative, interactive discussion. They brought out like 60 baby alligators in tubs and showed the kids how they feed them and how they would release them back into the wild. It was the most amazing thing! They made sure every kid got to touch one, and there were a lot of kids.

So yeah alligators are awesome, but on top of all of that, there is an observatory in the park. If you go on the weekends they have tours and shows at the observatory. There is an extra fee, but it is well worth it.

Bring a hat, sunscreen, good shoes, and bug spray is a must!

I have been going to this campground since I was a little girl, I won’t even mention how many decades that is LOL. But I’ve never had a bad experience.  The campground was completely redone after Hurricane Ike in 2008, so all the campsites are newer, with updated tables, BBQ pits and so forth. You can literally camp on the beach if you choose to. There are even full hook-up campsites within mere feet of the beach.  But book early because these sites fill up fast.  Lots to do of course. Swimming, laying on the beach, birdwatching,  Fishing, crabbing, surfing (yes you can surf in Texas)  stand up paddle boarding, boogie boarding, sunbathing, the list is really only limited by your imagination. You can even build a campfire right in the beach at night and listen to the waves roll in while making s’mores. The campsites themselves are not very private because it’s an open setup so everyone can enjoy the view of the ocean.  The public restrooms and showers are nice and clean.  There are outdoor showers to rinse off after the beach.   There is even a fish cleaning station. This campsite is far enough out that you feel more isolated yet within a few miles of major restaurants and big box stores and grocery stores too.  The hosts are polite and helpful. If you get tired of the beach, you are within a short drive to the “Strand” downtown, Moody Gardens or Schlitterbahn water park. The location can’t be beat. Beautiful park with nice campsites, what more could you want?