Searching for the perfect place to pitch your tent near Harlingen? Find the best tent camping sites near Harlingen. Each tent site offers quick access to one or more of Harlingen, Texas's most popular destinations.
Legend
Boca Chica Beach is the end of the road for South Texas. The beach is about 15 miles outside of the Port of Brownsville Texas and very close to the Mexican Border. The beach is a wild and desolate place. It’s quite a contrast from the overly commercial and manicured beaches to the north on South Padre Island. The beach has a lot of debris from river run off and storms. The amount of trash and plastic waste can be overwhelming at times. The campsites are primitive and only include metal trash barrels. This is a good day trip for locals or a place for visitors who really want to get away. Of note, the beach is currently closed due to Covid 19. However, locals are exercising and walking their dogs despite the closure. When it’s open, you can drive on the beach but will need a 4x4. They don’t allow atvs or RVs on the beach. You will be able to see the Space X facility on the road near the beach.
Legend
KOA do a nice job catering to the RV and family camper community. This location is no exception and is loaded with amenities and a great location as a full service RV resort. This place is nearly full most of the year. So, reservations are a must here. The campground is located on the Laguna Madre side of the island near the bridge leading to South Padre Island. They have a variety of camping option for RVs, campers, tents, and cabins. The site has a great boat dock for those wanting to try their luck at fishing. The ocean is about 1/2 mile walk across a couple of busy roads. The sites have sewer, water, and power for even the largest RVs. They even have spaces to walk your dog and a pet playground. Like many RV resorts, you do not have any privacy and most of the sites are in the direct sun. Tenters and campers without AC will need to time their visit around the hot spring and summer temperatures. The night time temps average around 85 degrees and over 90 in the daytime in the summer. The Pier 19 restaurant is next door. Otherwise, you will need to bike or drive to restaurants.
Ranger
I really enjoyed my stay at this campsite with my family. We actually came here on our Spring Break when we were in high school. We decided to come here because it wasn't a very long drive from home, and we knew there was some good hiking nearby. Located in Pharr Texas, the park is surrounded my beautiful citrus groves. You literally feel like you are in a desert oasis. Our favorite part is that it is located very close to the Rio Grande Valley. There are so many great attractions and places to do outdoor activities. If you want to head to the water you can drive an hour away and hit the Gulf of Mexico. We did this the second day we stayed here and it was so much fun, i would highly recommend doing this!! My mom and I also went shopping nearby- there is a great mall and shopping area close. The RV park was good. Water and electrical hookups, and enough room between sites which we like. Clean restrooms and area.
Guide
Many of the campsites are right on the water, which is the Arroyo Colorado, a canal that runs east-west to the Laguna Madre, the bay between the south Texas shoreline and South Padre Island. I've visited the park many, many times over the years because of its proximity to the Laguna Madre. I fish from a kayak, and have tried fishing South Padre Island, Port Mansfield, and Boca Chica Beach with some success. But I always go back to Adolph Thomae County Park because I have better luck there. I don't have to worry about leaving my vehicle unattended, either.
What else? There is a website - http://www.cameroncountyparks.com/adolph-thomae-park - that has all the info you need if you plan to visit. There are even a few pictures. But if you want to get a much better look at the park, download and load Google Earth and type 'Adolph Thomae County Park' in the search bar. For some reason, the locator map on thedyrt is way off. The latitude for the park is 26°20'42.65"N and the longitude is 97°24'50.43"W. I've tried editing the location to no avail.
If you use Google Earth, you'll see that there are 2 lighted fishing piers that are free to park visitors. There are also 3 public restrooms - one at each of the piers and a third between the two large parking lots at the end of the road. There are also two boat ramps at the end of the park road.
It's 3 miles from the park to the Laguna Madre, so if you're bringing a kayak be prepared to paddle for about 45 minutes before getting to the bay. The park opens at 6:00 AM, and the fishermen with motorboats start lining up about 5:45 AM. If you want a parking spot near the water, get there early. I've found that the best parking lot to use is the next-to-last. The water is just a few steps from the parking lot, and the grade down to the water is not that steep. There are no streetlights in the next-to-last parking lot - at least not yet - , so bring a headlamp. It's a relatively new parking lot, so lights may be installed at some point.
ScoutThe trip we planned months was to relax at the KOA in South Padre Island, Texas. My wife and kids were looking forward to stating at the KOA with our new camper.
Upon arrival, things seemed normal for the COVID-19 check-in. Things went well until after renting a golf-cart. My children and I were going back to the camper when a KOA employee yelled at me to "Slow Down" and "Yes, I work here." The woman followed to my campsite yelling and threatening to kick my family "to the curb". When asking for management I was told "I am the manager". When I notified that I will contact corporate I was told "they will just kick it back". Indeed they did. To note this "manager" was the only person who felt they needed to treat me and my family this way.
With this said, I contacted our attorney who began working on escalating the issue. Our vacation went down from there. My wife and I were unhappy with the campground due to the mistreatment by management.
The campground itself is large but spots are very close to one another. The restrooms are clean, there is a decent-sized laundry, and there is an on-site store for your basic tv supplies. The pool was large at a maximum depth of (4) feet and had a hot tub onsite. The pool at the time of my visit was overtaken by mosquitos.
There is a restaurant in walking distance which is very good. They service breakfast also and can have a long wait at times. Even if you do not stay at the KOA stop by here.
The city/county campgrounds at Isla Blanca Park are just a mile further down and have better access to the beach. The prices are cheaper also. The KOA I felt was overrated and overpriced in this case.
In retrospect of the stay, I will not stay at this KOA nor can I honestly suggest anyone else to. Some may have a better experience but with the way management treated me I feel they deserved the one-star review.
Scout
All considering this park needs a lot and is neglected and over rated. Stayed her for a week based on reviews and is not what we expected. First the park is in the middle of no where and I mean no where. Nothing within biking distance or walking distance, the winds are non stop windy. The grass is still, well there isn’t any nor do they water to grow any, was all weeds which they don’t keep trimmed or cut. Dust and dirt in the trailer everyday. The water is incredibly hard and stains everything. The pool(only 1 pool for the size of this park) get full quick. If you don’t have your seat or chair by 9am bring your own. Oh yah, though they do offer good rates on gold carts, you will need it because it’s a long drive to the pool. There is also a daily resort fee per person for whatever reason they tack onto your bill. The park is way over rated and way over priced considering all the conditions I listed. And the funny part of this, if you go to there website they claim it’s a 9.5 star according to good sams reviews, yet when you go to good sams reviews to look up there park it isn’t listed. Definitely don’t recommend this park nor will we ever return.
GuideNew park, not many trees, otherwise a great place to stay. Service was excellent, maintenance even helped set up our router, exceptional speeds too. I'd go back!
Guide
I stayed here for February and March while visiting my aunt, who snow birds at Fig Tree. While it’s marketed as a 55+ community, they do allow a small portion of spots to be booked by younger singles or couples (I don’t think they would allow families with children, however). They have a wide array of events weekly that can be fun to attend, and the residents and staff are kind and enjoyable. The park is clean but could use some upgrades/fixing up (a fence needs to be replaced, 1-2 washer/dryers are usually out of order, the gate was broken during my stay, etc), but they are actively working on improvements. Pets are welcome, it’s about 45 minutes from South Padre, and great for day trips into Mexico.
Don’t count on their WiFi working (it is also not secured), but I did have great service with Verizon and good service with AT&T.
Overall, I would definitely consider coming back next winter.
ScoutInterior roads are in need of repair. Outside loop new.
TravelerStayed here for about a week in July 2023. Very nice pool, hot tub, showers and bathrooms. Verizon was about 1 bar 4g
Legend
Llano Grande was a nice park and we enjoyed our stay there, but it sounded lime there were some issues with pools being heated and communication on events. We dont really use ammenities, so didnt affect us, but could hear grumbling among guests. We had a nice pull thru site, level and plenty long and were close to the laundryroom/pool. Everyone had a golf cart and it was nice to see all the activity going on. There is a big canal behind the park with a levy you can walk on, a nice rec room, a shuffleboard area, horseshoe area, three pools, pickleball courts, a golf course and very nice people. I was bummed that it was so far from the beach. There is a bird viewing state park near, costco and walmart were fairly close and South Padre Island was about an hour away.
GuideThe residents at this park/rv resort are friendly and come from all over the country, we spent the winter of 20/21 and 21/22 at Snow to Sun and enjoyed it, facilities I would rate 4-5 star, staff 3 star, sites 4 star, neighbors 5 star, activities 5 star.
ScoutOverpriced for what they offer. Small concrete pad that's not even aligned with the RV door. The hook ups are on the right side when the electric cable and tanks' valve is on the left so the sewer hose ended up underneath the RV. $40/night... Stayed 3 nights... waste if money.
Legend
Ashley here with The Dyrt. We're happy to have this property on our platform. This resort has been in business for over 40 years. Come check them out and leave them some love.
ScoutVery nice place and the people are great. Mostly used by winter Texans, visiting from Wisconsin and Michigan. Very clean and well maintained.
ScoutVery nice great pools hot tub tennis court Fun place to rv
ScoutVery nice park, 3 pools, friendly people
ScoutSpiritual awakening
GuideFrom the park map, it looked like the campsites were pack in like sardines. When we got there, we found very nice, spacious site right on the water. We were there on a Sunday, so there were lots of families grilling and fishing, but we would not have known if we didn’t leave the campsite. The bathrooms were clean, but sparse. They were also used by day-trippers. We enjoyed watching the birds, particularly the pelicans which entertained us by diving into the water in front of our campsite.
TravelerSites or not to love a list of pads are old and broken but overall it’s a nice place to sit and watch the boats go bye
Guide
Very busy and popular CG with the local fishermen. Some sites on the water way. Those are very busy with locals walking through the sites to fish and tons of road traffic to the boat launch. We stayed in the area divided by foliage. Much quieter and a lot less traffic. Had a beautiful view of the Laguna Atascosa sanctuary behind us.
30/50 amp service with full hookups. All sites are back in and gravel but easy to level our 40ft 5th wheel.
If you have dogs be careful. While we were there they were having a problem with the Javelinas. A pack attacked our neighbor's dog and bit the owner as she tried to save her pug. A day later we were chased by them at our site when we were out with our dogs. Carry a club of some sort. I scared them with a loud dog whistle. The rangers were notified and they contacted animal control.
ScoutNo pool but lots of activities available. Which include shuffle board, horse shoes, billiards, card games five nights a week, live entertainment and country jam weekly, pot lucks and special events. Camping fees are $30 per night with full hook ups and $15 per night with Passport America. Monthly and long term rates available.
Legend
Jake here from The Dyrt! It’s been great getting to know the owner and learning about this resort. They are about an hour from South Padre Island and far enough south to keep you warm all winter long! Check out the video they posted and leave a review with some pictures when you stay here!
Scout
Hosts are awesome. Very noisy and crowded. Very clean facilities and super clean swimming pool. The sewer hookup does not have a trap therfore no water to keep stench down. Smelled so bad I could not leave drain pipe connected while I stayed.
GuideIf your looking for a spot to winter over this could be the spot for you. It is crowded, but as a solo nomad I find it refreshing to be in a community setting from time to time. Big clubhouse with a full kitchen and full size pool table plus all kinds of events like fish fries, chilli cook offs, live music, bingo, karaoke and more. I am not into public swimming pools but they have one that is very nice and well maintained. Individual mail boxes to transfer your mail service to and of course package delivery in the library. Located 20min. from the SpaceX launch pad on Boca Chica Beach which you can drive on and allows dogs. Also South Padre Island which is like Daytona Beach on steroids. Monthly rates are O.K. but with location and amenities a fairly good deal. Thinking of making this my winter home!
ScoutNo pool but lots of activities for campers including shuffleboard, horse shoes, cards five nights a week, pool table and country jam on Mondays. $30 per night and $15 per night with Passport America. Monthly and long term rates available. Live entertainment and special events. Large hall for meetings, get together etc.
Traveler
Every Friday afternoon they have a jam session. Coffee and doughnuts every Saturday. Breakfast every other Monday. Water way with canoes. Game room with pool table. Laundry facilities on site. Large recreational hall. Owners are a joy to work with.
Tent camping near Harlingen, Texas, offers a unique blend of natural beauty and outdoor adventure, perfect for those looking to escape into nature.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Harlingen, TX?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Harlingen, TX is Bentsen - Rio Grande Valley State Park with a 4.5-star rating from 2 reviews.
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