Best Tent Camping near Grapevine, TX
Tent camping near Grapevine, Texas provides several lakeside options within a 30-mile radius of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. Meadowmere Park & Campground offers 36 tent sites along Lake Grapevine with walk-in access, while Sycamore Bend Park in Lewisville features primitive tent campsites along the shores of Lake Lewisville. Black Creek Lake NF Campground in Decatur provides tent-only primitive camping within the Lyndon B. Johnson National Grasslands, offering a more natural setting approximately 40 miles northwest of Grapevine.
Most tent campgrounds in the area require short walks from parking areas to actual campsites. Meadowmere Park provides drinking water, showers, and toilets, with sites that include fire rings and picnic tables. Sycamore Bend Park charges $20 per night with a maximum 3-night stay and offers no electricity, water, or showers, though toilets are available. The primitive tent camping at Black Creek Lake operates on an honor system at the kiosk, with $2 per night including a fire ring and picnic table at 14 official sites. During summer months, rattlesnakes may be present in taller grass areas, so campers should stick to maintained paths and camping areas.
The tent-only experience at these locations offers varying levels of seclusion and amenities. According to reviews, Sycamore Bend Park requires a short walk from the parking area to campsites, making it unsuitable for roof-top tents but ideal for traditional tent camping. One camper noted, "Really nice, secluded campground for being so close to suburbs." At Erwin Park in McKinney, tent sites are "far enough apart that you have privacy yet close enough that you don't feel alone," with most requiring a park-and-haul approach. For backcountry tent camping, the Lyndon B. Johnson National Grassland offers free dispersed camping with no facilities, providing a more remote experience for self-sufficient campers prepared to pack in all supplies and pack out all waste.