Best Glamping near Hawkins, TX

Absolutely stunning Texas state park located along the Texas Forest Trail that showcases the rolling hills of pine trees that dubbed this region the name “Pineywoods” of East Texas. Clean lake with available kayaking and canoeing, and even paddle boats. RV hookups or tent campgrounds.

Hard to beat for $13/night (annual pass rate), hiking trails are decent, bathrooms are some of the cleanest in Texas and the staff were some of the best!

Very clean and well kept park. Camp sites are across the lake from a Texas Utilities generating plant and it is loud. You do get used to it but if that sort of thing bothers you I wouldn’t recommend this park.

This park seems to be a good fit for boaters and Fishermans , not the best hiking trails but there still there, little hike on the island ,is OK, and the other trails I went on did not look like they’ve been used a lot, but again the parks are just re-opening. The RV is well shaded the toilets and showers are Nice and clean. Nice two way drive-through dumpsite. Price with the Texas park pass for one night. $13 . AT&T 2-3 bars

This was our first experience at a Texas State Park. Overall, the park is clean and well maintained. There are three hiking trails that are between 1.2-1.5 mile each, so we easily accomplished all 3 with our 4 year old. There is decent spacing between camp sites. There is a nice fishing pier, boat launch, and fish cleaning station. Sites are water and electric only, dump station only. All the sites seem well shaded and a decent amount have lake views. Very relaxing trip and a great way to spend the first cool weekend of the fall season. I am only deducting one star because of the noise of the power plant across the lake from the park. While I know it’s out of the park’s control, it’s just something to be aware of. It can be heard from anywhere in the park and takes away from the natural vibes of camping in a state park.

I went there for 3 nights. It is a beautiful little park. It has an 80 acre lake that is really nice except there is too many lilly pads. I took my tiny camper, fishing poles and kayaks. I wish there where more campsites near the water. It is a quite little park. The campsites are nice. The restrooms are very nice. This park is very clean. The park had different activities during the day on Saturday. They had live music and a campfire that I really enjoyed. Then after that they had a dance with a free jukebox and disco lights. It was fun watching the people dance. They have a really nice fishing dock and a store to buy supplies, sueveniers and ice. They rent Kayaks, paddle boats and boards by the hour. The trails go completely around the lake and are easy and very beautiful . They have free WiFi that actually work. The sunset and night sky is amazing. The racoons are very brave and will rob you of anything they can. Do not leave ice chest out or vehicle windows down. The park is only a couple miles from town. I would say this is one of Texas hidden gems. The people that work there are very nice. You don't have to have a fishing license to fish there and that I like because I didn't have to buy an out of state fishing license. There are lots of places to eat out if you don't want to cook. There is a place called Arnold's about 7 miles from park that has really reasonable food. $4 breakfast Eggs, sausage or bacon, hash browns, and biscuit & gravy. The also have a giant hamburger, bigger than a dinner plate that can feed 4 adults for only $15. Also 2 miles from the park is a big grocery store that is very reasonable, convenience stores, ice machines, and drive in restaurants. There is a $4 per person per day park entry fee. If you are a 100% disabled veteran that fee is waived for you and 1 other person. The campsites with electric are $20 & $25. Unlike many other states Texas does not give discounts for camping if your disabled or hold an America the beautiful pass.

PROS 

Senior discount saved $20 

Each site has unobstructed lake view 

Site 67 level concrete pad surrounded by sandy soil with afternoon only shade 

Climate controlled toilet/shower facility 

Clean toilet/shower facility which are cleaned every weekday morning 

2 sand lot volleyball courts 

Small pier shared by every two campsites 

Metal picnic table, pedestal BBQ grill and concrete fire ring with no cooking grate. 

Fairly quiet during daytime weekdays except for neighboring campers 3 sites away who had their INSIDE television blaring that we could hear every word. This went on for 7 hours daily. 

Local police did regular daylight drive thrus 

Hundreds of squirrels 

Could hear whippoorwills after sunset 

Had a float plane land and then take off right in front of our campsite (see video)

Park had WIFI but didn’t use due to having 4 bars TMOBILE 

CONS 

Minimal pay/stay 3 nights

$5 fee to make on line reservations 

Had to email copy of Texas Drivers License to Water District in advance of making reservation in order to get Senior discount 

No security gate closed overnight 

No camp host 

Campers let their dogs run thru campsites and poop everywhere 

Big problem with day users and boaters walking thru campsites, even after dark, picnicking and partying late into evening in campsites where there were no campers/tenters, then leaving at all hours of the night 

LOTS of middle of the night boat noise 

Street lights throughout campground which hinders dark sky viewing 

No privacy from any other campsite 

Site picnic table anchored so not moveable

Reserved on-line 152 days prior to arrival. 

Pros 

Pristine clean restroom/showerhouse. Seemed recently renovated 

BIG PINE camping area only big rig friendly(longer than 20 ft) out of 40 FHU sites. Big Pine, Dogwood and Mountain View Campgrounds FHU so 40 FHU sites with no park dump station. 

Aluminum picnic table and fire ring with cooking grate 

Very quiet campground except for highway and train noise 

4 camp hosts 

Good night sky viewing in BIG PINE 

Good view of lake in BIG PINE 

Privacy from side neighbors 

No leveling required from side-to-side 

Asphalt parking pad heaved various places due to tree roots creating numerous tripping hazard 

Campsite utility hook-ups in good condition with no problems encountered 

Security gate that closes overnight 

No street lights in BIG PINE 

Campsite and entrance fee discount with Texas State Park Pass 

Not charged a fee to make my own on-line reservation 

CONS 

Most FHU sites (other than BIG PINE) are extremely short in length. Barely room for single axle TT, so need to review site details carefully 

Site 8 had an extreme amount of above ground roots causing tripping hazard

Picnic table approx 50 feet from Site 8 parking pad

Highway and train noise

BIG PINE sites barely off campground road, so therefore no privacy from campers across the road

Restroom/shower facility not heated

No lantern pole

No wildlife sightings

No park Wifi

1 bar AT&T in BIG PINE

This park is easily in our Top 3 in the Texas State Parks system. It's a small park, but a little slice of heaven. Towering pine trees grow right up to the waters' edge. So peaceful. Donna, my wife, will often sit and gaze over the water. 

The park is neat and tidy, and the bathrooms have always been clean. There are several picnic tables by the lake, a swim out platform, kayaks, paddleboats, a fishing pier, and a few swings on the playground. We typically visit during the week, so it's always been pretty quiet. And if you need supplies, there's a Brookshire's grocery nearby(only a few miles away). One trip, we decided to fish and grabbed bait from the Ace Hardware in town. 

We love laying in our hammocks, watching the pines sway, and listening to the birds sing. In the warmer months, we swim and splash around the floating platform. And with a fire pit at every site, s'mores are a given each night(so long as there's no burn ban). 

There's a short trail that circles the lake(about 2.5 miles). We do it EVERY trip. It's a beautiful and easy hike. Take a picnic and make your way to the CCC picnic area on the lake's other side. There will be a spot where you can enjoy your lunch, looking back across the water.(But don't let your dog grab your PB&J when you're not looking or you'll be hungry on the way back.)

For folks that went camping in the 70s, 80s, 90s with your coleman lanterns, coleman fuel stoves, and actually camped in tents (as intended)... Daingerfield State Park is the place to be. It gives you the classic nostalgic feeling of camping. Its nestled in the thick pineywoods of northeast Texas - the towering pine trees, lakeside cabins and crystal clear lake all combined bring back memories of a person's childhood. Being in this park makes you feel like that picture perfect family on the packaging of camping products. It is a beautiful park with plentiful trails for mountain biking and hiking. There are multiple campgrounds allowing for large RVs/campers and tent camping. Bathrooms are always clean and the staff is polite and helpful. Fishing is good in this large spring-fed clear water lake - although motorized boats are not allowed, kayaks, canoes and paddle boats are permitted and available to rent as well. The park store is small but has most of your camping basics such as drinks, snacks and tshirts, etc.

All of the campsites have fire rings and the park sells firewood at a fair price and permits ground fires if the county is not under a burn ban. The park also hosts a healthy amount of events such as dances, Halloween in the park, and Christmas in the park.

The town of Daingerfield is a neat little town - only a 5-10 minutes from the park, it provides multiple fast food options, a Brookshires supermarket, gas stations and perhaps the most famous location in Daingetfield - the Morris Movie Theatre. (Cash only $1.50 tickets on the newest movie releases, two auditorium building, great snacks and best of all it is a family run operation. Nightly showings which makes it a perfect place to visit if you're camping at the park for a few days)

Stargazing is also great at DSP.. the park is far enough away from bigger cities which allows for darker skies.

This is defintely one of my favorite parks to go to and in the year I've lived in this area, we've probably gone to DSP at least two dozen times or more. Do make reservations ahead of time, as this park is largely popular and fills up quickly on summer days (day use) and weekend nights (camping).

I highly recommend this park and hope you and your family make long last memories.