Best Cabin Camping near Gainesville, TX

One big issue with this park is the distance to the actual lake itself. You will need a cart or be ready for a hike to the beach area as it is quite a ways from the campground. that is an issue for us as my wife is disabled and needs a walker and we have no cart. But, lucky for us we were in the B section and decided one of the days we were there to attempt the picnic walk. Well worth it, even with a walker we managed to make it down to the waters edge within 15 minutes and its an easy gradual walk. Bring a picnic basket. tables to sit at or on the waters edge.

As for the rest of the camp, most amenities due to winter months and covid were shut down. Did see people enjoying the hot tub. The roads in many of these TT campground in the loop around Dallas do need attention so take your time going through them. We did need to use the laundry and they had ample enough machines and the basic price which was 1.50 and 1.75. The sites are nice, many shaded but snug not of other campers but trees. Some have fire pits, some do not. As with more and more campgrounds these days many annuals throughout the park.

This is actually our second stay at this campground and I cannot say enough great things about it. Well kept, thoughtful hosts, a cute little campstore, an amazing playground for our kids, a beach, golf cart rentals, cabins, and you can easily pull in a giant RV. I highly recommend this campground.

I stayed at several campgrounds on Lake Lewisville, but I Hidden Cove was the best. It has a huge marina and restaurant. The campsites are pretty and have a decent amount of room. The bathrooms are not all conveniently spaced but overall it is a nice campground.

One of the things that sets it apart from the other campgrounds is that there are several cabins that you can rent. They are basically structures that keep you out of the elements, but it is a good place to set up a cot and have a nice night of sleep.

There are rentals for kayaks, paddle boards, etc. If you like camping and enjoying the Lake, go visit Hidden Cove.

My daughter rented a cabin for her birthday so my wife and I rented an RV spot close to the cabin to spend time with her. 2 days before her birthday she received a call that the AC was out and they had to cancel her reservation. When my wife and I arrived there was someone in the cabin. We asked if they were having trouble with the AC. There response “No it works great. Or other cabin didn’t work so they moved us over here”.

Jake from the Dyrt here!  The Lodges at Fossil Creek are a unique stay with modern cabins, or you can bring your RV to explore the area!  Check them out and make sure to post some pictures of your stay!

Lake Murray is a favorite camping area for us. Camp grounds are clean, have childrens play area, and cost is reasonable. Cabins are available if no tent or camper. Lots of hiking trails, bring your atv or utv for a ride at their riding park.

This campground was one of a few we could find locally that had spots available while state parks were closed. We typically prefer state parks because of their spacious/private sites. Lighthouse is mainly cabins (some are for rentals, some are full-time residents), but there are approximately 15-20 RV sites right on the water near the marina. The sites are nothing fancy - grass pads, concrete picnic tables, but are convenient if you plan to spend the day in the lake. You can easily walk to the water’s edge and get in the lake. There isn’t a beach - you pretty much get in rom the edge of the road that leads to the boat ramp.

The RV pads are not at an angle and, depending on the size of your rig, can be challenging to get into depending on its location and if you have a tree on your site.

We also have two dogs, one of which is a super friendly pitbull. Because of that, we sometimes run into problems finding campgrounds without breed restrictions. We had no issues here.

The marina store doesn’t have much in the way of a variety of supplies/gifts/trinkets, it did have necessities like food items, milk, some camping supplies, etc. I think the store could really up its game and offer more.

All in all, we had a nice long weekend.

Campground review

Paradise on Lake Texoma is on the Big Mineral Arm of the lake, on the Texas side and only a short 90 minute drive from Dallas. This proximity makes it a great spot for a quick weekend getaway. Texas and Oklahoma’s border share the 89,000 surface area of Lake Texoma which just happens to be the 12th largest Corps of Engineers lake in the U.S. Lake Texoma is home to great fishing for Striper, Catfish, Black Bass and Crappie. Because of heavy rains in the Dallas area the boat ramp was closed. The area has cruise activities if you don’t have your own boat, and for those who prefer, kayaking is also available, or simply swimming. Believe it or not, Lake Texoma has sandy beaches!

The people at Paradise campground were amazing. We got a call the afternoon of our reservation to confirm that we would arrive before closing time and if not, they would give us after hours information. We did arrive in time and our hostess was pleasant and provided us with all the information we needed. We reserved a primitive campsite and were the only tent campers in the campground (it was a Monday night though). The primitive campsite is just a vacant lot on the waterfront across from a bathroom/shower area. Parking in the bathroom lot, you take a very short walk to the primitive site and pitch your tent in any spot you choose. The lot had been mowed and our only issue was mounds of fire ants which are rampant everywhere in Texas.

The bathrooms had not been cleaned and the recent users had left a bit of a mess. The bathrooms did have all the supplies we needed and we always welcome flush toilets and hot and cold running water. 

Being a primitive site, there was no picnic table so we drove over to an empty spot to prepare and eat our dinner. A staff member came by to check our credentials and while we weren’t really supposed to be using that area/spot, he let us since the campground had plenty of room/spots. He was so friendly, he gave us lots of information about the lake and the campground. The RV sites and also lakefront and very roomy. The campground also has the cutest glamping tiny cabins and other regular size cabins to rent. There is a nice hammock garden which we took advantage of. Cell service was strong, no issues and the only noise we dealt with was the sound of the lake and the birds and critters.

We want to encourage our family to come to Paradise on Lake Texoma for a fun family weekend, we will definitely return.

Product Review

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get products to test from time to time, today I am testing Wenzel’s Double Never Flat Fabric Air Pad. My husband and I had individual sleeping air pads, but were looking for something that wasn’t so slippery and would allow us to cuddle, this Air pad fit the bill, it was exactly what we wanted. It was very comfortable and roomy. We were able to use an existing pump for inflation which was great as I wasn’t sure about the specs for the pump. Deflating the air pad was easy and great news it fit back in the carry bag easily!  

Www.wenzelco.com

There’s a ton of great camp sites at Lake Murray. A lot to do as well- fish, golf, horseback riding, ATV trails, boating, nice pool with a splash area (only lodge and cabin guest have access), putt putt, activities on the lake (water trampoline, slide, etc), hiking. It’s a huge park so even when it’s crowded it doesn’t feel too crowded. There’s a lot of shaded sites and sites on the water. Highly recommend. We stayed in site 4 in the ATV campground.

Lake Murray State Park located near Ardmore Oklahoma has something for everyone. Water activities on the centerpiece 5,278 surface acre Lake Murray, 18 hole golf, picnicking, fishing, camping, trail riding, hayrides, 30 miles of hiking, swimming, miniature golf, 100 acres of ATV trails, several marinas and more. Accommodations include Lake Murray Lodge, 56 cabins and six campgrounds. The campgrounds are dotted around the lake with tent and RV sites of varying hook-ups; 30& 50 amp electric, water and some full-hook-up with table, fire ring and grill. Each campground has a camp host, paved roads, modern bathhouses, dump stations, pull-through sites, lake front sites, concrete pads with both open and shaded sites. Research the sites to find one to accommodate your rig. Our choice was Elephant Rock Campground. The nearby town of Ardmore has all the amenities: shopping, dining, groceries, fuel and Walmart. WARNING: Oklahoma State Parks charge a daily parking fee per vehicle of$10 in addition to the camping fee and they enforce it...just saying from experience...read the information carefully! Park Office: 13528 Scenic Hwy 77 Ardmore, OK 73401 l Park Office GPS- 34.071612,-97.101490 Reservations: https://www.travelok.com/

Terrific experience...management was friendly and helpful. The sites were large and clean. Nice views of the lake...quiet and peaceful. Great getaway.

Best campgrounds I’ve been to in a while. But it was nice. Very clean bathrooms and showers. Very large campsites 🏕 Just a great time with the family. All the marinas were closed when we went. No rentals.

We go all the time for day trips for picnicking, boat rentals and also for camping. It's less than an hour from my home. The trails are great and the Rangers are friendly and share a lot of knowledge. Cool beach with caves. New food trailer with great food. Great fishing on beautiful Lake Texoma. Bathrooms are always clean. Fellow campers are very friendly. We love Eisenhower state park.

We loved the proximity to north Dallas. It makes for a nice getaway weekend. We enjoyed exploring the different areas of the park. We noticed most of the trailer/tent sites are almost in pairs. So two sites, have a common grassy area. Makes this park great for camping with friends or for making new friends, as we did! The store are the marina was a great break for ice cream on a hot day. Our friends have a boat on Lake Texoma and their home was only a 15 minute drive from the park.