Searching for a tent camping spot near Hillsboro? The Dyrt helps you find campsites near Hillsboro with tent camping. Whether you're looking for a quiet, dispersed site or an established camgpround with amenities, The Dyrt makes it easy to find the perfect place to pitch your tent.
$50 - $60 / night
$25 - $47 / night
Whether you’re a camping enthusiast or just looking for some peace and quiet for a night, Hackberry Hills has the best to offer. Enjoy a night sleeping under the stars, rocking in a hammock or nestled in a tent. Fall asleep to the sound of the cicadas and coyotes and wake up to a beautiful sunrise and the rooster crowing. Cast a line for bass or catfish, paddle the canoe, hunt for wild berries, or simple enjoy the view. Minutes away from Baylor, Magnolia, and everything else Waco has to offer. You’re guaranteed to leave rested and relaxed.
$30 - $40 / night
This recreation area is part of Benbrook Lake
Traveler
We tent camped in a primitive spot #47. Overall the spot was nice but not very level making the best placement of our large tent a bit of a challenge. Vault toilets were clean and had hand sanitizer. The nature and hiking in this park was our favorite part. Even rented a canoe and paddled across the lake to the river. Park staff were friendly and helpful. Some primitive tent sites are right on the edge of the lake and after a big rain were very swampy. I believe all sites had partial shade and some have more privacy than others. We did spot some full hook up sites in the RV section that have good space for a tent set up and we may try that next time cause we definitely will be back.
Scout
Great COE campground on Lake Whitney with well spaced sites for trailers and tent camping. Includes a large section for equestrian campers that includes paddocks for your horse as well as trails to ride on. There are both 30 and 50 amp spots as well as tent camping sites. A boat launch, shallow swimming areas and 2 playgrounds round out this fantastic, family friendly campground!
Guide
I tent camped here one night with my friend. Our site was perfect for us. It was close to the restrooms and privacy from others was great. Views of the lake were beautiful! I recommend if you just need to get out of your house for a bit!
TravelerThe hidden gem of Lake Whitney. Tent sites are tucked in the back of the park away from foot traffic and most vehicles. Lake front sites are perfectly located with access to the lake but not too far from hard stand bathrooms and showers. We will definitely be coming back again.
Scout
This place was amazing! The hiking is so much fun. You could spend days here and not hike all of the trails. There is also so much to do. The camp sites are very nice and quiet. We were tent camping during January and the bathrooms had heaters. The park rangers are always planning something new. We will definitely be back!
Traveler
Stayed in a screened shelter right in the lake because it was supposed to rain. The trails were nice and there were some good views. Some are definitely appropriate for beginners like me. We definitely will go back for tent camping. Note that the "lake" is very small - no motor boats. Folks were enjoying bank fishing and kayaking. The Rangers seemed omni-present. We enjoyed our stay.
GuideThis campground is nice and clean. The lake is small but has fish in it. Our tent site was kind of close to the road and there was a weird dude driving a suburban around all day and night. Plenty of trees to hammock camp. I would stop here again. They sell wood on site(pay with CC)
TravelerTent camped at site 60 which was great! Right off the water and super close (but not too close) to the restrooms. Weather for us was rough with high winds the first day but the next two were beautiful! Lots of wildlife, as we were pulling into the park we saw lots of deer..and throughout our stay we were visited by some Canadian Geese. The fire circle comes with a grill but it’s pretty small, and this specific site isn’t very level but we found a spot for our tent. Definitely coming back!
ScoutThe reason I'm leaving three stars is because we have small kids and tent camp. There was sand spurs all over the ground. I had to try to shovel out most before putting the tent out. It didn't matter, every 2 minutes the kids where crying or I was pulling one out of the dogs paw or my leg. They didn't seem as bad around other parts of the park. However, spot 48 and the tent areas around there were terrible. Other then dealing with sand spurs the entire time, the view and lake was nice!
Guide
We tent camped at a sheltered cabin - cabin had two tables, water, and electric, plus a fan! Lots of easy water access. Showers and restrooms were available but definitely would advise these are "natural" bathrooms. Park staff very friendly. Sheltered cabins not super close to one another so helped with privacy and making you feel like you aren't crowded. No hiking trails though but is close to Mammoth if you want to spend a day there. About 3 hours from San Antonio. Wifi and cell service
GuideI remember going here as a kid and going back some 20 years later the park doesn’t disappoint. With a new pavilion that hosts multiple picnic tables great for an afternoon lunch after visiting the track sites or swimming in the river. At the time that I visited camping still wasn’t open yet but there is tent camping sights set back from the main parking area. The property has multiple grills, picnic tables and even a pavilion that you can rent out with an outdoor fireplace that overlooks the river.
TravelerThis Is a great area to camp near Waco without having to travel far. Just 5 minutes outside the Waco City limits, these grounds have a lot of hook up spots without feeling too crowded. Its also a great place to tent camp, or use one of a few cabins that are available. Nearly every camp site is a stones throw from the water. Great Swimming and fishing. There are a number of places to pull your boat up to shore. There is a play ground, but its only near a few sites and quite a distance from most sites. But for older kids with bikes, it's a fun ride. There are deer and rabbits and birds and squirrels. Its a nice little spot that is laid out to feel big.
Scout
We found this place when our other reservation got messed up, but boy am I glad we did! The tent sites have water and electric at each site. Sites feel secluded and spread out and our was covered by trees so the shade was great!
There was a little litter around the campsite but my son and I tired to clean up as mush as we could before we left.
There was a covered picnic table, fire pit, and grill, and lots of nails on the picnic covering table (although they are up really high, so if you’re short it’s hard to get to them).
We plan on going back and taking advantage of the hiking trails and swimming spot!
GuideThis was our family’s first tent camping trip. We have two young kids (6 and 3), so we wanted to go somewhere with which we were already familiar.
Check-in was easy, the bathrooms and showers were very clean and in excellent condition. The sites are close, but not too close together, and it was very quiet (despite being full!). We felt very safe the entire time. At one point, our 3-year-old got sick (most likely due to the heat and over exertion); the park ranger on duty was so helpful.
It ended up being one of the hottest weekends in June and the tracks were not visible due to recent flooding, but we still had the best time. We still got to swim in the river, go hiking, and make a trip to Fossil Rim. Our kids were begging to go back as soon as we left! We’ll be back for sure.
GuideMy wife, dog, and I headed here for an impromptu overnight. We did not know what to expect, though. We were tent camping, and the campground is pretty small and quite. We loved the place. We got one of the Shinnery Ridge West "primitive" sites which means no water faucet nearby, but it was right on the lake and had a nice picnic table and grill. We had plenty of room and the site could have held two tents.
We hiked two trails: the Shinnery Ridge trail made about a 2 mile loop from our campsite. The first quarter mile or so was paved like a sidewalk to be ADA accessible. It then went up a ridgeline and looped back down. There weren't any great views, but there were lots of rabbits.
The Bosque hiking trail looped the entire lake in about 2.5 miles. You get to see areas of the lake filled with lilly pads and walk across the dam. On the far side of the lake from our site was the swimming area & boat ramp, and we were able to get more water to drink as we went by.
The swimming area was pretty good. It isn't sandy, but the lake isn't very rocky and it gently slopes down to allow you to wade out and splash and play. You can rent kayaks and SUPs by the hour here. The lake seemed sheltered enough to make these great options, but we did not take advantage on this trip.
Legend"Dinosaurs may be extinct from the face of the Earth, but they are alive and well in our imaginations."
This Texas state parks is one of favorites. I have been quite a few times since I was a kid and it never gets old. It is just inside of Glen Rose, Texas, located along the Paluxy river. This park will bring out your inner child.
Let's start with the facilities. Sosome of the bathrooms are old, but they are well maintained even with all the traffic. This park gets very busy in the summer. So we tent camped but we stayed at an RC site because they don't have water only sites and with a 4 year old and my grandmother, I didn't want to have a walk-in (no bathrooms nearby) or a backpack site. There is quite a bit of shade around the campsites, and there are awesome playgrounds for children.
Now there are a LOT of trails. They will give you a map that is very helpful and let's you know where all of the track sites and overlooks are. The main track sites are along the river and are so cool see! There is also information things everywhere that tell you about the tracks that were excavated so make sure to check those out!
The one problem I had was that we went during a drought, so the river is very low and makes it hard to view some of the tracks, also swimming was a bust. So make sure you check the river advisory on their website to see what your getting into. Especially in the hotter months you definitely want to get in the river to cool off.
This place is larger than life, so make sure you plan your hikes beforehand. My favorite trail is the Buckeye trails. It is about 2 miles, so good for kids, and it is up through the woods. Lots of shade and variety in the path. Don't miss out on this adventure.
GuideThis is absolutely one of my favorite State Parks and campgrounds I’ve ever been to. I have been visiting this park & campground since I was a child. I’ve camped, tube rafted the river, played in the water, found all the dinosaur tracks (yes, real actual dinosaurs were here) and hiked all the trails numerous times. I have never had a bad experience here. Always lots to do and I end up finding at least one new thing every time I go. The campsites are pretty secluded by trees for privacy. They are clean, well maintained and each have a fire pit and picnic table. There are tent sites as well as full hook-up sites. The public restroom & showers are always clean & well kept. The absolute best thing about this place is that you can actually touch and stand on a REAL dinosaur track!!! There are signs explaining which dinosaur left each particular track and giving all the information about the individual dinosaur and the time frame they lived there. It’s really cool, even for an adult. The water is always clear and cool. There are several swimming “holes” that are very refreshing, one even has a cliff you can jump off of into it because it’s deep & safe. The hiking is superb, with nice groomed trails and beautiful scenery. Easy enough for children but still challenging enough for the adults due to the elevation changes. The outlooks are spectacular views. I see why the dinosaur’s chose to live there. The town of Glen Rose is right down the road and they have stores for anything you might’ve forgotten or need. Also, the town has several good restaurants if you want a night off from cooking. You can’t go wrong with this State Park & campground. I can’t find one negative thing about it. Pure Texas Perfection!!
GuideThis is the real outdoors..tents.horses.fires..the real camping in texas
Legend
We made reservations 92 days prior to arriving Thursday of the Columbus Day weekend for Horseshoe Loop full-hook-up site, which is a nice elm tree grove. With the Texas State Park Pass, we paid$21/nightly. Our spacious pull-thru site was partially shaded, but there is no vegetation between sites in this loop, so not one site had any privacy from another. Site surface was mostly gravel from deteriorating asphalt. Our site had a deteriorating concrete picnic table on a concrete slab and a fire pit with a grilling grate. There is a possibility that trees make could make site access difficult to deploy slide outs. We witness larger rigs getting creative with pulling into their site because of close trees. Quiet campground with no highway noise. There is no gate closure overnight. This is an excellent dark sky campground, but unfortunately during our stay surrounding campers had excessive outdoor lighting illuminated throughout their site most of the night, which inhibited good star glazing and Draconid meteor shower viewing. Shower/toilet facilities for this loop were clean, but heavily worn and not ADA compliant. Besides a small step into the structure, the women’s had 3 equally sized toilet stalls and 2 equally sized shower stalls neither with any safety grab bars. There are no sites in this loop that are lake front. A few sites can just see the lake from a distance. Trash dumpsters are placed on roadway edge making safe rig egress tricky. AT&T 1 bar coverage in this campground loop. No wildlife sightings during our 4 night stay. Campfire wood available for sale from“lockers” at the Park Headquarters building. Closest restaurants, fuel stations and grocery stores in Whitney and Hillsboro. Waco is 40 miles southeast.
RangerMeridian SP is such a hidden gem. If you’re not a fan of the Texas heat they just added one limited use cabin in addition to RV, tent and screened shelter sites. The BEST place to stay is the shelters on the lake hands down! There is also a CCC building at this park that serves as a gathering area on the lakeshore. It has several well maintained trails and the lake is good for fishing. Wildflower season here is CRAZY!
ScoutWe had limited weekends to take the grandkids camping. It has been raining non stop all over Texas. I began to look for places within 2 hours of Fort Worth. Texas State Parks are a great. I settled on Lake Whitney. They have these shelter sites that are awesome. For $30 per night ($10 per night more than normal e&w site) plus $5 per adult gate fee. That may not be economical for everyone, but $40 for an overnight camp was fine. The shelters are very clean and well kept. Inside is a picnic table and enough floor space for another plus some. So if your tent fails in you go. The top of walls are screened and bottom solid. I set up my camp kitchen and we ate meals inside due to weather. We set up our large tent behind the shelter to block wind from the lake. The site also had it's own parking, another table outside and fire ring. We had site 4 right across from the lake and swimming area. The bath house was very clean and only a short walk. You can fish license free from the shore. There are 5 or 6 moderate hiking trails. Also the park is home to plenty of woodland animals. The 4 yo and I took a 2 am bathroom break and saw a herd of dear about 30 head.
The park is very good for families and fishing.
There are also a boat ramp, small airstrip and day use areas.
The staff is awesome.
RangerBest camping ground ever! Bathrooms and restrooms are newly remodeled, everything is clean and organized. Every camp spot has its own water source and electricity hookup, makes a huge difference at the hot Texas summer days and perfect for spending the nights not in a complete dark in case you’re using only a tent without a generator. The trails are great even in the Texan summer as many of them are beside the river where you can cool off. Highly recommended for families with kids all ages!
From website:
Find dinosaur tracks, camp, picnic, hike, mountain bike, swim, fish and paddle in the river, watch for wildlife, look for a geocache, ride your horse, or visit our interpretive center.
Stay at one of our campsites. Explore 20 miles of trails. Shop our park store for souvenirs, camping and fishing supplies, books and much more.
Discover dinosaur tracks It’s easy to find dinosaur tracks in the park – just head to the river!
RangerWe camped at site 31 which is a primitive tent only site. The sites are HUGE!!! tons of space between you and the next site. Sites are level and easy to find a spot to pitch your tent.
Set up a camp chair, bust out your fishing gear and kick back and relax while watching the amazing sunset over Lake Meridian.
ScoutAll sites have concrete pads, picnic tables, grill, fire ring, electric and water. Also can camp in tents or rent a cabin.
ScoutClean park but lake currently has an algae bloom. Older small camp sites with a few drive thrus. Really friendly people and stores about 5 mi away. Nice time but better for tent campers. No wifi.
ScoutReally nice sites to park and camp. Lake is beautiful but rocky shoreline. Only nit-picky thing is that the tent pads between me and my neighbor were pretty close, but hey - it’s a state park. The bathrooms were also further than you’d want to walk. Overall, good experience though!
RangerOur family started a new tradition of having a small camping thanksgiving the weekend before thanksgiving and we love lake Whitney. We camped in spot 91 and 92. We have our tent and the kids have a RV. The campground is nicely maintained and the bathrooms are clean. We hiked and biked.
Tent camping near Hillsboro, Texas, offers a fantastic opportunity to immerse yourself in nature while enjoying a variety of amenities and activities. With several well-reviewed campgrounds in the area, you'll find the perfect spot for your outdoor adventure.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Hillsboro, TX?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Hillsboro, TX is Cedar Creek Park Campground with a 5-star rating from 1 review.
What is the best site to find tent camping near Hillsboro, TX?
TheDyrt.com has all 6 tent camping locations near Hillsboro, TX, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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