Best Tent Camping near Ennis, TX

We went to check this place out to reserve for a family camp trip. The grounds are clean and spacious. They have wonderful cabins and RV sites. The only have 5 tent sites. There are no tent pads and the sites are on a small hill. The picnic tables are limited and not every tent site has one. There are no fire rings so it’s a little unnerving building a fire on the grass. The lake and marina is wonderful and clean. They have all sorts of thing to do there. Kayak rentals, fishing charters, a cute little cafe. This is a place I would come to rent a cabin but not to tent camp!

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.

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!

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.

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.

Typical clean and safe for a texas state park. No public drinking. Very little wildlife. We did have some squirrels get into out tent, my bad for leaving sweets out.

No feral pigs which are common these days. Nice sized spaces with tent areas and tables spread out.

Bonus in the loop bathroom they have individual rooms that have toilet and shower with a high lock. Really awesome if you are using shower with toddlers.

We saw signs about the ants bit we didn't see them. We were here over Christmas so that's probably why.

Arrived late, office closed. Confused by all of the red "reserved" signs throughout the campground- even thoug8h there were hardly any campers there. Too late to make an online reservation for the night. Sites 1 thru 4 are available for late arrivals; only one stays are allowed. Paid for site 4 at self pay station. Then changed to site 21 the next morning which is closer to the restroom, and paid in the office. $20 per per site, plus $5 per day per person for a day use fee (which annoyed me). Campground is clean & well maintained. Sites are not close together and have some shade. Concrete pad for parking an RV, plus a tent pad. Fire ring, table, light pole, water & electric included. Easy access to Lake Towakani, which is a typical north Texas man made lake. Nice hiking trails. Clean restroom/shower facilities. Lots of deer.

Sites are spread out for tent and RV's best times to visit is fall or spring

I’ve been there twice and have had a great time….quiet,clean convenient to the DFW area..nice fishing area and water sports rentals available…will be going to this park a lot..had full hook ups…has 30/50 amps..water/sewer…a lot of tent spaces and spots with just water/electric…a great variety…

This 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.

It’s okay but it’s too pricey for how small it is. Good representation of Texas wildlife and a good spot for family camping. Lots of traffic and places for rvs and such. Good trail system

Although a small park, the design is thoughtful and you don't feel like you are so close to the huge DFW area.  The sites are tight (we have a 30' rig) but I did see a large 5er do some tricks to get into his spot, but he got 'er in there.  Because the sites are so compact, the covered table, fire ring, and nice flat tent area is behind the RV pad.  See the picture posted.  It is an interesting layout, but it does work.  Quite a few of the lake-side spots are closed, looks like previous flood damage.  Lake level was good.  Fairly clean and nice.  But ongoing improvements are being made.  I would stay there again.

We are from Houston and I opt to drive 4 hours to this one in burleson. Waller is good fun but that park does not compare to this site. The website doesn’t do burleson/n Texas jellystone justice for how good it actually is. Bring bikes!

St Patrick’s Day 2018 we head out to Cedar Hill State Park on the banks of Joe Pool Lake. Cedar Hill State Park is one big Texas State Park! With over 300 campsites you are sure to find one to your liking! A visit to the historical Penn Farm, heavy spring rains and lots of paved roads for scooting make this visit to Cedar Hill State Park a truly unique Texas State Park Visit for the Dude RV crew!

There are 5 camping loops in this park! If you are wanting a lakeside campsite there are many options. The 3 loops on the north end of the park are close to the very busy road so there is road noise all the time.

The Penn FArm exhibit is very cool for the whole family and is ADA compliant but a bit on the rough side for handicap scooters. 

The day use area was in need of some work on my visit but I think the day use area has since been rebuilt.

You can see the several videos of my visit on my YouTube...DudeRV

Cedar 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.

Stayed there during our trip to Texas, after visiting Big Bend. Overall, pretty good spot for RVing.

Couldn't find any photos, probably is on the camera I've left at my folks house during the trip.

Pros: easy to find, quick booking, good view.

Cons: can't remember any.

Also a semi-pro is that it's located pretty close to a bunch of outdoor sports stores( https://gritroutdoors.com/ is the one we've visited most I think) so if you forgot something on your trip - it's pretty easy to pick up.

The first weekend camping trip of 2019 found me (Dude RV)  camping in the cold and rain at Lake Tawakoni State Park. This Texas State Park is a fisherman's paradise! 

You will have no issues with bank fishing at Lake Tawakoni State Park as there is so much shore line! 

My visit to Lake Tawakoni State Park was on the fist weekend of March 2019, and that just happened to be a record setting cold temp event! I spend two very cold days and nights RV camping at Lake Tawakoni State Park. I had the pleasure of meeting new friends and fellow You Tubers Mike and Christie of The Sunset Seekers, great people! Go check out their channel!

I did a little fishing but it was so cold that I really did not want to catch anything because I would have to put my hannds it the water!

I found the park to be a little dated for Texas State Parks. The trails were pretty well unaccessable for my mobility scooter and the park ranger tride to limit my use of the scooter, I set him on the correct path. 

I think this park would be better in the warmer seasons. You can see my videos of this park on my YouTube,... Dude RV.