Best Equestrian Camping near Lake O' The Pines

Ashley here with The Dyrt. I want to give a warm welcome to Lynda and Ruston, your hosts. Setup camp at this lovely farm and choose your lodging option. Wake up to pigs, chickens, horses and more. Book your stay today and leave them some love here.

We did dispersed camping here while we still lived in Texas. The forest was nice, but hike in was not challenging at all, and short. Park gets busy during spring/summer for fishing at pond. Best parts of our trip was how the forest animals really came alive at night, and the clear starry sky. The out-house at the primitive sites was a luxury you don't usually get when camping that way. If you enjoy dispersed camping the way we do, this may not be the place for you. The regular campsites may be nicer here but we did not venture that way. Also, Texas March weather is perfect for camping. Good place for a quick get-a-way from the city.

4.5 total miles of trails and none of it difficult. You can't take a baby stroller but obey because of a few branches, it's all easy hiking.

One bathroom but all the lits are spacious and secluded.

The lake is great. Beautiful swimming area and playground. We were here 7 days and only left once to hut Walmart (20 minutes)

Definitely 5 star, and only 18/night. Just as good as the 25/night Texas State Parks.

And as always, as a Texas State Park it is extremely safe. Park Police (actual police) are scene everywhere.

Oh, and everywhere it says no wifi and while it's true you can't log into a free network we had zero problems getting wifi on our phones and we were the only people in our loop being midweek during winter.

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.

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.

My husband and I just started our camping adventures so we are not big connoisseurs on the “campgrounds of America” topic yet, but we were impressed by this State Park. Peaceful, beautiful trees surrounding you at all times, great campgrounds and all facilities were super clean at all times! There are a couple hiking trails but they are mainly easy walks. Is a great place to go relax, walk by the lake and hang out making S’mores! We live in Dallas so its only 2hrs away from home so is a perfect weekend getaway. 🏕🥰🍁

Driving into this park was so gorgeous! we arrived and were met with a big field with lots of kids playing. The store was closed (for the winter holidays I assume), but bathrooms were some of the best I've been in at a state park. We camped at site 49 at the Cedar Ridge campgrounds and were super happy with the site. Some sites at the entrance of the Cedar Ridge area were worryingly close together - wouldn't recommend. 

Mountain View trail was a bit challenging to stay on, but everything was beautiful and both it and Rustling Leaves had great views! Will be back!

Great wifi and bathrooms. Tons of security. Decent (even if short) trails.

Sign is too close to the highway without a safe place to park but there's an old sign inside the park.

Park store closed during winter except open on Saturdays.

Huge swimming beach.

We stopped here for one night while passing through, and we loved it! Site 34 was nice and ducked off. The park has a lot to do; a lake with boat rentals, swimming in the summer, and beautiful trails! We loved it so much!

We came here first week of April 2021. Spring in the air, blooms all around. Very quiet but lively park, almost all the sites were occupied for the weekend. Friendly park ranger and store personnel. All amenities were kept up with. We enjoyed hiking, biking and even an ice cream from the park store.

Our site 22 (Dogwood Camping Area) was huge, very close to Rustling leaves trail and had clean bathrooms. Some of the sites on this loop are on a slope, and is not big enough for large RVs.

I stopped at Daingerfield State Park on my way to Arkansas... I got there after dark and left around 9am so I wasn’t able to enjoy the park but it was beautiful with all the fall colors. I was at cedar ridge site 51. It was a Wednesday night so there were only 3 other sites being used in that area. 51 was right next to the dumpster but a good walk from the bathrooms. There was a neighbor on one side of the site and across the street. I like not feeling surrounded by campsites. The site and park seemed very well kept up. The bathrooms were one of the nicest state park bathrooms I’ve been in. I got in after the park office was closed but they called me earlier that day and had given me the key code so I had no trouble from getting there after hours. This is one I’ll need to come back to.

Overnighted here on my way to an extended Ozarks trip. Check-in was quick and easy, and the staff were extremely helpful. They even offered my dog some treats when they noticed him.

I was thrilled when I pulled up to the site to see that I was close to - but not able to smell- the loop dumpster. The site had shade with trees perfectly spaced to hang a few hammocks, and a water spigot right at the site. My only complaint about the site itself was that it was very difficult to figure out how and where to back in, and I came dangerously close to high centering my vehicle.

The bathrooms were clean and well maintained, and the showers had hot water. Each shower stall had a small shelf/bench for presumably changing clothes, or, in my case, holding my supplies.

Stayed here for fun to camp and hike around the lake. It was very quiet and peaceful. A few nice hikes, potable water, a small store, and free showers.

Me and my husband had a great time and experience at the DF state park! Bathrooms were clean, the park was in great shape, and the trails were great to walk through and enjoy the scenery.

Our site was large with a pull thru concrete pad right on the water. The sites are large and separated separated by trees and private. There is a fire ring with grill grate provided.

Great campsite. Beautiful tall piney woods. Clean, well maintained campsites, restrooms, park and lakeside facilities. Gorgeous lake for our boys to practice canoeing and kayaking skills. Nice looking swimming area.

This is definitely one of my favorite campsites. Stayed on a Sunday night in February so the campground was empty. Was woken up a couple of times throughout the night by a Great Horned Owl, but no complaints. Would definitely stay here again, clean bathrooms, nice site, and great habitat.

camp site was flat had pads for tents and was well mantaind. had a shower and restroom that was clean and also had great hikng

If you like the outdoors you’ll love it at Daingerfield. It’s abundant in beautiful pines that surround the small lake. It also has some CCC features. If you’re looking to accommodate a large group of people I would recommend the Bass Lodge- it’s PERFECTION! It sleeps 15, has several bedrooms and one large meeting space. It has a patio with a trail that leads right down to the lake. You can swim in the lake if it’s warm enough and there is a pier to swim out too. Don’t miss the trail that goes around the perimeter of the park- it’s a beauty!

One of the smaller campgrounds I have been to. Beautiful trees! In the fall the colors are gorgeous. Thus is one of the few parks that I have seen such color. Its quiet and has a small lake. It is maintained very well. One of the nicest parks I have been to.

Excellent park. Clean clear lake with a great swimming area. Great hiking trails around the lake. I have never been there, even on a hot Sunday, that I wasn’t able to get a picnic table to eat on. It even has trout fishing. I go there monthly. Terry

The title sums it up! Nice hiking trials. Privacy if that’s your thing, it is for us and our three dogs. However, there is an awesome pavilion, swim dock, picnic area and paddle boat area. Something for everyone.

The kids loved the versatility of the trails at this SP. we climbed to 535 ft, walked around the lake and explored waterfalls all at the same park! Good times and good facilities!

We loved fishing and hiking throughout the park but our kids loved the double bunks in our cabin. The campsite was great, right off the water and a well placed fire pit. We will definitely be back.