Are you looking for a place to stay in Lockhart with your horse? Equestrian camping is the best way to experience nature. With our help, you'll find the best Texas equestrian campsites from scenic to easily accessible.
Flowing over and around huge slabs of limestone, the Pedernales River can be turbulent. But most often it is tranquil, and a great place to relax and recharge. We are just 30 miles west of Austin. Come over for an afternoon swim or hike, or load up your gear for an overnight adventure. The river awaits! Choose a site with water and electricity or hike to a primitive site. Bring your group to the Youth Group Camp or Equestrian Group Camp.
Look no further for camping near Austin - Pace Bend Park is popular for camping on the cliffs overlooking Lake Travis, swimming on a beach, boating, and exploring the Hill Country beauty with miles of hike, bike, and equestrian trails. Primitive Camping Primitive campsites with picnic tables, barbecue grills, fire rings, and plenty of trees for shade and privacy are scattered along the cliffs and are available on a first-come, first-served basis. The east and north sides of Pace Bend offer more gentle, sloping shorelines with sandy and gravel beaches, providing easy access to the lake for families with young children and people with disabilities. Numerous primitive campsites can be found among the oak and mesquite trees and all are within a short walk to the lake. Camping on the beach is also permitted. Please note that primitive camping permits do not include shower privileges. Waterless toilets are available. Improved Camping Pace Bend offers 20 improved campsites, with water and electrical hook-ups, showers and restrooms. These sites are all located on the east side of the park just above Levi Cove, within easy walking distance to the lake. They feature plenty of shade trees and flat, grassy areas for tent camping. All sites are back-ins only. Reservations are highly recommended. Parking is available on site. A maximum of two vehicles may occupy a site.
$15 - $30 / night
A private campground serving youth groups and church groups. Not open to the general public.
RiverBend RV Park & Campground is a scenic 20 acre gated park located on the banks of the San Marcos River. With pool and river access, plenty of space to walk the pets and enjoy the beauty of nature, RiverBend RV park offers a relaxing get-away. Exploring the area within an hour of the park creates interesting possibilities for historic, nature, museum or amusement activities as well as early Texas history, nature trails, ornate painted churches, caves and scenic drives around the area. Luling is home to world famous barbecue, and is the first stop on the Texas Barbecue Trail. There are also a good variety of other restaurants, grocery, gift and antique stores, hospitals, pharmacies, library with genealogical wing, oil museum, bowling alley, golf course, skydiving, airport, hang gliding, and parks. Zedler Mill park offers a slice of life from the early 20th century, and provides canoe rentals and shuttle service for the first inland river paddling trail established by Texas Parks & Wildlife.
$20 - $30 / night
$20 - $25 / night
$25 / night
Traveler
Was absolutely stunning, it’s on a cliff top so your “backyard” is a small trail to a gorgeous overlook of the lake and adjacent cliffs. I didn’t expect to be given this view. The campsite itself is also fairly shaded and there are some cacti but it’s the best spot I’ve stayed at while being there!
Guide
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Ranger
Stayed here in October and did cold plunges and it was so lovely! Beautiful hikes and sunsets!
RangerThis was a halfway stop between Tennessee and Big Bend . Large campground with nice facilities and trails . Unfortunately it rained the nights we passed through . Nice place in the off season . I bets it’s packed in the summer
Traveler
We booked Muleshoe excited about the views. We were very disappointed. There were stickers/burs everywhere so our dogs were very uncomfortable. I couldn’t tell from the pictures, but Muleshoe is very out in the open so you’re really exposed to the wind and have zero privacy. Totally fine if you’re cool with that, but it made it another negative for us. There was a large family/group next to us who was obnoxious and loud until 10:30 so we couldn’t enjoy camping peacefully as you would hope.
PS if you need a plug, check the closet in between the bathrooms at the front gate. That was the one positive about this place(batteries died on my air pump)…if the door isn’t locked.
GuideMy boyfriend and I came here for a weekend backpacking trip and had a great time! We hiked 2 miles down wolf mountain loop then about a quarter mile on the camping trail to the primitive sites on Saturday. We arrived at the campsites around 5pm and there were so many people camping it kinda looked like a shanty town (but in a cool way!) Even though there were lots of spots filled we managed to find a decent spot fairly quickly that was somewhat secluded. The next morning we hiked to Jones Spring and also checked out the remnants of the Trammels house. When we came back to out site just about all the other campers had already packed out and we had the whole camping trail pretty much to ourselves Sunday. We packed out Monday morning and before leaving the park checked out the bird blind, (which didn’t require a hike), then drove north to the falls. The falls had a short but somewhat taxing hike, since coming out was steep uphill, but it was a beautiful sight! After that I walked down to the swimming area, which was absolutely gorgeous, but the water was very cold of course in November so I just waded around a bit. The hike back from the swimming area was short but very strenuous! Very steep uphill! Overall it was a fantastic experience!
TravelerThis was only about an hour from Austin. There was only one campsite available and thankfully it was not on the 1-12 strip which apparently is really loud. Our stay was pretty quite and there’s a decent amount of space between camp grounds. It was $25/night and included a charcoal grill, a fire pit, and a picnic table. My campsite was pretty shaded and the outhouse wasn’t too far of a walk. They have an outdoor shower at the entrance as well as a filtered water/ice machine.
Guide
Only there for one short night but it was delightful to sit in the water of lake Travis and watch the stars on a warm texas summer night. I’m guessing it gets crowded during the day but I had enjoyed my evening there.
TravelerI went for an early morning hike in full swing Texas summer heat. I decided to do the Falls hike following the water and Hackenburg loop. Ended up doing around 3 miles right before 10:30 (started at 9). From there the sun started to beat down and enjoy some time in the water but heads up as of today the water was pretty low. So many wildlife saw some deer, birds (singing the whole time I was there) and some cool lizards!
RangerOne of my favorites you can do a lot of different activities from horse back riding swimming hiking biking. The facilities are well maintained and the sightseeing is wonderful.
This site has no shade at all but is close to one of the trails to swim
TravelerI brought my family of four here for our first solo camping trip with two littles and we loved it! The drought caused the lake to be pretty dried up so our water front view didn’t have much water! That didn’t take away from how beautiful the view was from spot 11! The camp host was exceptionally kind and really takes care of the park! Already making plans for our next trip!
GuideFantastic short stay in Pace Bend on Lake Travis. We paid for the improved tent camping site but ended up switching to a site North Gracy Cove which had way better views of the river and more privacy. We still went back to use the showers and running water at the improved site though.
Gracy Cove was a great spot for a swim to cool off on a hot day. No boats allowed.
LegendThe campsites were decent size and well-spaced with buffers in between. Many of them have small pavilions over the picnic tables. All sites in electric area also have a fire pit, water and 20/30 amp electric.
Bathrooms were small but decent and well-maintained.
Note that cell service was quite weak to nonexistent (Verizon and T-Mobile) unless you were out hiking and reached a high spot.
Beautiful area to explore and the nice trails made for plenty to do. The river is super low right now (April 2022) so no water fall, but walking around on the rock formations made for a unique experience.
Also a good campground for some dark skies at night.
TravelerExcellent park, great hike to falls
RangerThis park has fantastic hikes, new clean restrooms with showers, and great spacious campsites.
Only con (if you consider it a con) is that with ATT, there is no service at the campsites.
GuidePedernales is a classic Texas state park with a lot to offer and a short distance from Austin. It is often fully booked and your best chance to book a spot is far in advance or create a notification through the Texas State Parks site if a spot opens up. In the warm weather there's lots of swimming to be had, not in the falls themselves which are prone to flash flooding, but in another part of the park. Occasionally the water is home to poisonous algae which makes the water neither kid or dog friendly. Many of the sites have small shelters over their picnic tables.
GuideAs typical for Texas State Parks, this is well maintained, scenic with good trails. River can be dangerous during rainy season with flash floods but otherwise beautiful views and some great swimming. RV as well as primitive sites.
LegendI gave this park a 5 because I loved the park and campground. Lots of trails and very large beautiful peaceful sites with their own pergola, picnic table, and campfire ring. The only negative there, was trying to level. They have several level sites, we just didnt happen to have one.
Guide
We stayed here for a few days in late January. The campground is new, everything is in pristine shape, the sites are huge, and they keep it nice and clean. The lake is pretty decent, there are a few small trails around the area, and you are close to a small town. Biggest issue? 30 bucks a night, plus 5 dollars per person for a day use fee. That works out to 40 bucks a day for two people. Steep. Why on earth they have campers paying the daily use fee is ridiculous. That should be included in the campground cost! I guess they are trying to recoup the cost for all their modifications. Other problem are the luke warm showers and horrible shower heads. It’s like taking a shower under a pressure washer with a button you have to press every minute. Please provide NORMAL showers for your campers! Other than those two gripes, this place is really nice and clean.
ScoutSuper clean park, had a great time out here. There were lots of deer, really neat to look at. The deer didn’t even seem bothered by us. Convenient dumpster, restrooms, fire pits, and grills! Great view of the sunrise/sunset.
RangerLarge, spaced out sites with nicely covered picnic tables, lantern hook, and fire pit. It was nice to not easily see your neighbor. This park has it all with very many miles of trails for good hiking, rugged mountain biking, and has the beautiful falls to explore. You can even swim in parts of the river. This place is a gem and is not very far away from Austin! Two downsides: no cell service in the campground and only one dump station for quite a few RVs.
RangerIt’s good and hidden but well worth it! The swimming it awesome! Bring goggles and water shoes! Water snakes a plenty! There’s cool natural rock slides. We will definitely be back!
TravelerWe had a great time out here on the military reserve side. Took my parents and the kids. Purple campsite was just a small walk away from the small store and bathrooms. It was a nice campsite but the sites were kinda close together. The spot we had overlooked a small beach area where you could swim and launch boats. We took jet skis and had a blast.
GuideAs the title suggests, this is a pretty decent little primitive camping site. The camping area is along the top of cliffs, affording a nice view. The sites are decently spread out. The sites seem like they are used on a fairly regular basis, which makes sense as this is outside of Austin. I am hoping that the primitive camping is still open, as it was a little while ago that I camped, but I decided to go ahead with the review and share the pictures. Overall it is recommended, although there are better primitive camping experiences especially if you are willing to drive a few hours, such as lost Maples. Another good thing is that you can go check out the falls which is kind of the thing that most people do you come to this park. Enjoy!
Traveler
This campground is beautiful. There’s a river right next to it for fishing, I stayed during the week and I was the only one camping. I car camp and all of the camping spots have water and electrical outlets. The bathroom is old, but it is clean. Enjoyed it! And it was only $10!
GuideIt was a beautiful day. Got there a little late right around 3pm. Didn't know what really to expect since it was our first time there (My husband and myself) . He chose the camp site ahead of time online. They only had primitive camping available. Primitive entails a minimum 2 mile walk over 3 creeks (luckily dry this time of year) and no running water. You literally have to plan accordingly and don't over pack. Proper shoes are a must. We learned the hard way that over doing it is over packing . When we finally got to a good camp site sun was quickly fading and we pitched a tent and a hammock in the dark with little light seeing as you cannot have a fire in this camp. Woke up with several spider guys all in the tent and on top between the screen and tent topper. Next time I will use more hammocks and one less tent if I'm primitive camping. Overall it was a good lesson in camping and will be back again.
GuideFavorite campsite rear Austin! Great drive on beach area where you can swim or lay out. If you are feeling adventurous you can go cliff jumping and rock climbing.
Campsite amenities could be better.
Horse camping in Texas offers a unique blend of outdoor adventure and equestrian enjoyment, with several well-reviewed spots catering to both riders and their horses.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Lockhart, TX?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Lockhart, TX is Pedernales Falls State Park Campground with a 4.6-star rating from 88 reviews.
What is the best site to find equestrian camping near Lockhart, TX?
TheDyrt.com has all 9 equestrian camping locations near Lockhart, TX, with real photos and reviews from campers.
