Best Tent Camping near Hemphill, TX

National forests surrounding Hemphill, Texas provide several primitive tent camping options for outdoor enthusiasts seeking natural settings. Angelina National Forest near Sam Rayburn Reservoir offers tent campsites with basic amenities, while Bouton Lake Campground in Zavalla provides a more secluded tent camping experience along a small pond. Harvey Creek Park in Broaddus features tent-only sites with picnic tables and fire rings. For those willing to cross into Louisiana, Kisatchie National Forest contains several highly-rated tent campgrounds including Kisatchie Bayou and Coyote Camp, both within an hour's drive of Hemphill.

Most tent campgrounds in this region feature unpaved access roads that may become difficult to navigate during wet weather. Campsites typically include fire rings and picnic tables, though amenities vary significantly between locations. Vault toilets are common at established sites, but potable water is rarely available at primitive tent camping areas. Campers should bring all necessary water and supplies. Many locations enforce a 14-day stay limit and operate on a first-come, first-served basis. Summer months bring high temperatures and humidity, making insect protection essential for tent campers. Fire restrictions may apply during dry periods, particularly in late summer and early fall.

In early spring and fall, tent campers often find these areas less crowded and more comfortable. According to reviews, Kisatchie Bayou offers "17 primitive walk-in tent sites with sites running alongside the beautiful Kisatchie Bayou" with "the hardwood and pine forest laying down a beautiful carpet under your feet." Campers at Coyote Camp noted the area is "extremely quiet, with great dark sky opportunities." Bouton Lake Campground provides what one visitor described as a "nice, small dispersed campground with several picnic tables on a small pretty pond with open field and large pines." Walk-in tent sites typically offer more seclusion than drive-up areas, with backcountry tent camping options available for those seeking complete solitude.

Best Tent Sites Near Hemphill, Texas (11)

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Showing results 1-10 of 11 campgrounds

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Recent Tent Camping Photos near Hemphill, TX

3 Photos of 11 Hemphill Campgrounds


Tent Camping Reviews near Hemphill, TX

249 Reviews of 11 Hemphill Campgrounds


  • NThe Dyrt PRO User
    Nov. 25, 2021

    Willow Oak

    Lazy Days

    Fees:  $4.00 camping per day

                $2.00 per vehicle per day

    Limit:  up to 28 days (select sites)

    Sites:  1 RV and tent walk in sites

    409-625-1940

    No water or electric.  Drinking water, portable toilets, picnic table, trash, fire pit, water views, boat ramp and parking area.  This campground is set on the shores of the Toledo Bend Reservoir close to Hemphill.  The reservoir is 185,000 acres and provides a great outdoor vacation.  The fee is suspended at this time.  The road in is in good shape and travels through the pine forest.

    LNT

    BTYFI

    AIS

    Travel safe

  • NThe Dyrt PRO User
    Dec. 22, 2021

    Kisatchie Bayou NF Campground - Temporarily Closed

    Beauty on the Bayou

    Fee: $2.00 day use $2.00 per vehicle 

    17 primitive walk in tent sites with the sites running along side the beautiful Kisatchie Bayou. There is one drive in that is located in the parking lot.  The bayou looks more like a creek in Arkansas than a Louisiana bayou. Don't think you will find a gator in that bayou. The hardwood and pine forest has lain down a beautiful carpet under your feet with very little noise when you walk. NO WATER. Nice parking area and great hiking. There are a lot of picnic tables and grills close to the parking lots for day use. Pit toilet, grill, picnic table, fire ring, lantern pole.  The area is very beautiful and the peace is amazing especially along side the bayou.  Road in is in very good shape.

    LNT

    BTYFI

    Travel safe

  • Debbie J.
    Mar. 23, 2021

    COE Sam Rayburn Reservoir Twin Dikes Park

    Beautiful Setting, Average Sites

    There are only 43 sites at this park, but most have no hookups. Only 9 full hookups, which is what I prefer if staying more than a couple days. The FHU sites are really close together and not private at all. Our picnic table and fire ring were at our neighbors sewer connection. The water and electric sites are more spacious and private, but some were a long way from the restrooms. There are many beautiful sites at waterfront, but that is all dry camping.

    The sites are all paved, and all seem pretty sloped, so make sure you have levelers. All picnic tables have shade covers, and most sites have good shade. The grounds are well kept and the park very quiet and tidy. If you like to fish, there are plenty of spots for shore fishing. There is also a boat ramp. The lake is clean and beautiful, also huge.

    There is only one hiking trail, but it is not paved and seemed a bit overgrown so we did not hike it for fear of encountering a snake.

    This is a nice park, but not a “do over” for us because of the lack of space and privacy at the full hookup sites. Also you can hear some road noise at times, which is really a distraction, especially if you are a person who enjoys the peacefulness of a nature setting.

  • John H.
    Jul. 31, 2020

    Martin Dies, Jr. State Park Campground

    Tall Trees, Open Waters, Tired Trails

    Tent Camped 9JUN20- 1 night

    TO BE FAIR, this was RIGHT after everyone reopened and things were all weird. There was no one to check in with and the whole time we were there we never saw any park personnel. The park was MAYBE 25% camped, but might have been less than that. Sites were huge and well treed, no pads but good drainage, which was a blessing because it POURED overnight.

    Site 334 was on the water with great trees and soft ground to camp on. Our closest neighbor was 500 feet away, and they were the only other one on our loop.

    The park was empty and quiet with no canoes or anything available due to COVID.

    The bathrooms were older and pretty clean, but not overly tended to.

    The trails were a little rough and needed a lot of rotted wood replaced on the bridges and benches. Tons of birds and wildlife to see.

    Brought my dog but not a lot of good places for him to get in the water.

    It was the first time I had camped in 10 years, so this was the perfect place for a shakeout camp.

  • A
    Apr. 1, 2021

    COE Sam Rayburn Reservoir Twin Dikes Park

    Beautiful Sunsets

    Beautiful campground. Stayed in last loop camp 36. Was too close to 35. Not much privacy. Wish I would have chose 43, drive down the hill a bit to unload, had its own private beach. The last loop 35-43 is primitive campsites. Still has bathrooms though with flush toilets. Each loop has flush toilets, the first 2 loops has shower houses. Didnt check the water temp. Have my own hot water privacy shower. Dogs must be on leash. Quiet tim 10pm to 6am. Cute couple in matching shirts comes around on golf cart several times a day checking on guest. First 2 loops are for electric amps for RVs. But the primitive loop still has water hook ups as well. There is a dump station. And must Reserve Online only! No cash, cards, checks accepted on site. Boat dock is $5 a day with a credit card machine as soon as you go through gate. The gates do not lock at night. Was there for 2 weeks March 2021. Many fireflies,, which was like a fairytale,, through the forest and down by lake.. cell service was good for Verizon, Sprint, and Tmobile. Kinda slow but worked. Fire rings, and tables at each site. The primitive loop had no tent pads, just set up where you like. I paid $7 because I get half off with my American is Beautiful/interagency pass which is available online for $80 annually. Saves me %50 @ most parks. Price is $14 a night for the primitive loop. And goes up to like $40 depending on amp. They have 3 shelters, which is just a box with windows and electricity for $38 a night in the first loop. All sites are basically on the water, some are too close to one another, some are very private. Gotta look at the park map online. Only 1 walking trail with 2 benches through the walk. Very short, not much to see, kinda muddy. Trail ends at a picnic table by the water. There is a short cut if you follow the path to the boat ramps so you don't have to turn around and walk back out. No wildlife messed with our food out side. No coons. Saw red cardinals, blue Jay's, woodpeckers, white tailed deer, bunnies was about it. There are some fat dark brown squirrels tho. If you come out gates for gas/ice/food make a left. Twice the ice 16lbs for$2 is a mile on your right. As is food and ⛽ and doughnuts 🍩 😋. Being next to a major road and the giant trucks and boats driving through to get down by the dock kinda killed the forest, fireflies, lake, sunset ambiance for me a little. Very windy up on the primitive loop, mind you its a peninsula 30ft above the lake!

  • Trevor H.
    Oct. 25, 2020

    Ebenezer Park

    Decent

    There aren't many sites for basic tent camping here, maybe 10-15 tent sites, and the rest are equestrian. It's a pretty tidy looking campground. There is a park host that is usually hanging around if you need something. We ended up being neighbors with a large group that was using their fire like a bonfire so we let the park host know about it. Probably won't come back unless in off season. But it's good enough

  • Napunani
    Dec. 6, 2020

    COE Sam Rayburn Reservoir Twin Dikes Park

    Weirdly Spaced FHU Sites

    We camped in Loop A during the week of Thanksgiving 2020 by making reservations 134 days prior to arriving. Very friendly volunteer gate attendants, but not sure when they work the gate as we tried to find them twice in one day and no one around and no info on how to contact/find someone, even tho there are four different campsites marked“attendant”. Overall, very quiet campground the week of Thanksgiving except for the highway noise from Highway 255, which was loud! Nine site FHU loop where sites are crammed together, weirdly and poorly laid out and spaced. No vegetation between sites so no privacy here what-so-ever! We could hear everyone’s conversations, even some that were inside their RV! Back-in site 12 was a tricky challenge to get into due to the terrain. First a dip before a narrow entrance over drainage ditch pipe, then a steep grade which almost had us scrapping the asphalt as we saw evidence of many that had previously. The narrow asphalt parking pad is deteriorating on the utility hook up side leaving a 6-8 inch drop off, so not very forgiving! Most asphalt site pads in this loop are in poor condition. Site 12 was not level side-to-side. Site 12 also has two wooden enclosures(wooden fence) that house utility panel boxes. At first, we thought we had our own outhouse! There is a slight view of the lake from Site 12. Recreation.gov states this site is"full shade", which we disagree. Our concrete picnic table on a concrete pad was fairly close to the parking pad. Our site also included a rotting shelter over the table, a rotting wooden bar-height prep table(aka fish cleaning table), a wooden lantern pole and a metal fire pit with a grilling grate that was one big tripping hazard due to the concrete slab the pit was placed on was broken up and huge hunks of concrete displaced around the metal fire pit. What a mess. Toilet/shower facility just for this campground loop fairly clean, but not serviced every day(during the week). Tent sites are along the lake in Loop A. There is a significant drop-off down to the water’s edge. Evidence of tent campsites that had been washed out/destroyed in recent flooding. Not a good stargazing location due to other close by campers with numerous outdoor lights burning all night! Super friendly squirrels that ate from our hands. No other wildlife sighting during our 4 night stay the week of Thanksgiving. Sam Rayburn Lake is beautiful. Park has a boat ramp and a large ramp parking area. No firewood for sale in this park. A bait shop, Valero fuel station, liquor store and a couple restaurants within a 5-minute drive of the Park entrance. Jasper has a Tractor Supply and a small Walmart. Lufkin has most chain restaurants, Lowes, Super Walmart, etc. Two bars AT&T signal

  • A
    Feb. 25, 2021

    Boykin Springs Recreation Area

    Spillway from Lake to Springfield fed creeks!

    Beautiful place! Host Jerry is cool guy, loads of information. Rides around once a night around sunset on his golf cart to see if everyone is okay. Been here 5 times. Sawmill trail is very cool. 2.5 miles to the old sawmill and 2.5 miles back out. Loads of deer here. Many interlacing creeks. Water from down under pumps into creek which you may see by the 3 bridges. Fire pits, grills, huge tent pads, lantern post, and giant picin tables are at each campsite. Very spaced apart. Lots of privacy. 1 vault toilet which is super clean, and a bathhouse in center of park. Showers are luke warm at best. Verizon works well here, sprint sucks. Never really busy here. Its $10 a day to camp, but I have the America is Beautiful interagency pass for $80 annually, saves me 50% off, so I only pay $5 a day! Decent roads in and out, barley any pot holes. Dogs must be on leash, rangers come by once a day to check. No reservations here, first come first serve. Many trees for hammock and I did kayak on the small lake for fun. Fished for days, caught nothing. Woodpeckers are here! As many other bird species. Loads of 🍄. All different kinds, bought a book to identify them! Store is a bit far about 8 miles east. They got a water filter and ice house to fill 5 gallon jugs and 16lbs of ice for $2.

  • Cheri H.
    Aug. 31, 2020

    Kisatchie Bayou NF Campground - Temporarily Closed

    Nice tent-only campground

    This is a US Forest Service campground. It’s located on the Caroline Dorman trail. When the water levels are high there are beautiful waterfalls. It’s remote and requires travel down gravel roads to access it. I didn’t have a cell signal there with AT&T and didn’t have one for some time prior to arrival at the campground. It’s a great location especially if you are backpacking the Caroline Dorman Trail. It’s not too far from the Backbone and Longleaf Vista trails either. A pretty peaceful place for those who appreciate a “no frills” camping experience. These are clearly defined, walk-in, first come, first serve campsites. No bathhouse, vault toilets. You park in a designated parking area then walk in to the campsite.


Guide to Hemphill

Tent camping near Hemphill, Texas offers year-round opportunities in the Piney Woods region, with elevations ranging from 200-400 feet above sea level. The area receives approximately 50 inches of rainfall annually, creating lush forests and diverse wildlife habitats. Winter months (November-February) typically provide the most comfortable primitive camping conditions with temperatures averaging 40-60°F and significantly reduced insect activity.

What to do

Fishing access: Angelina (Sam Rayburn Reservoir Area) offers excellent kayaking opportunities on the lake. "The lake was fun to kayak on. It was raining so not many people were there," notes camper Bonnie C.

Hiking trails: The region features multiple interconnected trail systems for day hiking. At Kisatchie Bayou Campground, campers have direct access to the Caroline Dorman trail. "This campground is beautiful. You almost feel as if you're in Arkansas with the clear water bayou running over sandstone creating a relaxing waterfall sound," shares Nicki M.

Wildlife viewing: Early morning and dusk provide optimal wildlife spotting opportunities. "Lots of deer and bobcats" can be seen according to Daisee Mae S., who stayed at Coyote Camp. The forests surrounding Hemphill support diverse bird populations, making the area popular with birdwatchers during migration seasons.

What campers like

Secluded campsites: Many tent campers appreciate the privacy available at primitive sites. At Coyote Camp, David S. noted, "It was nice and fairly secluded area, with your standard National Forest toilets, but no other facilities."

Water features: Creeks and small lakes enhance the camping experience across multiple locations. At Bouton Lake Campground, campers enjoy "a small pretty pond with open field and large pines," according to Rick H.

Stargazing opportunities: The minimal light pollution around Hemphill creates excellent conditions for astronomy enthusiasts. Fabein D. mentions that Coyote Camp offers "extremely quiet, great dark sky opportunities."

What you should know

Road conditions: Many campgrounds require traveling on unpaved roads with variable conditions. Hunter's Camp in the Kisatchie National Forest is located "deep in the woods" according to Danny H., who warns that "mosquitoes, horseflies, and yellow flies were in abundance."

Water sources: Potable water is scarce at primitive sites. Red Bluff Camp has "no water" according to N I., who describes it as "bare bones if that is what you are looking for."

Reservation systems: Most primitive campgrounds operate on first-come, first-served basis and may fill during peak seasons. Weekdays typically offer better site availability than weekends, especially during spring and fall when temperatures are moderate.

Cellular service: Connectivity varies significantly across camping areas. Cheri H. notes about Kisatchie Bayou: "I didn't have a cell signal there with AT&T and didn't have one for some time prior to arrival at the campground."

Tips for camping with families

Safety considerations: Prepare children for wildlife encounters and weather changes. Po-Man Outdoor Collective R&R offers family-friendly tent camping with more amenities than most primitive sites, including drinking water and showers.

Activity planning: Pack games and exploration tools suitable for forest environments. The area around Angelina (Sam Rayburn Reservoir) features "roads are paved, kids can roam, lots of trails and some playgrounds," according to Bonnie C.

Timing considerations: For comfortable tent camping with children near Hemphill, visit during spring (March-May) or fall (September-November) when temperatures are moderate and rainfall is less frequent.

Tips from RVers

Access limitations: Most dispersed camping areas have restrictions for larger vehicles. At Red Bluff Camp, RV access is limited and requires careful navigation of forest roads.

Dump stations: Plan for waste management before arrival. Rod F. notes that Coyote Camp has a "14-day stay limit and FREE!" but recommends bringing a portable waste system as facilities are minimal.

Leveling challenges: Prepare leveling equipment for uneven terrain. Many primitive sites lack designated pads. The Kisatchie National Forest sites require self-sufficiency for RV campers with limited hookup options and primarily natural surfaces.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular tent campsite near Hemphill, TX?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Hemphill, TX is ANGELINA (Sam Rayburn Reservoir Area) 936-897-1068 with a 5-star rating from 1 review.

What is the best site to find tent camping near Hemphill, TX?

TheDyrt.com has all 11 tent camping locations near Hemphill, TX, with real photos and reviews from campers.