Best Glamping near Lone Oak, TX

For our first RV camping trip of 2018 we took a short drive north to Bonham State Park right outside of Bonham, Texas. This great little Texas State Park was constructed by the CCC back in the 30's. There are plenty of things for a family to do while camping at Bonham State Park! Hiking, fishing, boat rental and best of all Smors cooked over a roaring camp fire! At every Texas Stae Park you can check out fishing equipment from the front office and you do not have to have a fishing license! Bonham State Park takes the fishing to a whole new level by providing boats so you can get out to where the fish are hiding! Bonham State Park is a great place to take the family for a long weekend of camping fun as it is just a short 45 min drive north of the DFW metroplex!

Check out my YouTube video here...

https://youtu.be/cxcORiV_zmA

We were driving through this part of Texas headed home to Oklahoma and saw the signs and needed to stop for lunch, so we decided to check this place out.This was a really beautiful park with a very nice campground that was really kept up. It had screened shelters, cottages with heat & air, shelters, nice playground, Amphitheatre, volleyball court, boat ramps, picnic areas, hiking & biking trails and a swimming area. The bathrooms and showers were nice and clean. The lake was beautiful and clear. I would absolutely recommend this place and I plan on going to stay there for a week in June.

We spent an entire month, as we typically do, in Bluebonnet Ridge RV Park in Terrell, Texas. There is a lot to really like about this campground. We would definitely stay here again.

Pros:

• The park was clearly being maintained

• The basketball /tennis courts had just been resurfaced

• Anytime someone left, or a spot was empty, new gravel was being dumped and leveled

• Even though closed for Covid, the pool was cleaned daily.

• There's a small dog park area.

• Doggie bags were provided in multiple places, and ample trash cans in which to drop them.

• Sufficient WiFi repeaters throughout the CG

• The grass is kept mowed down, good to avoid those Texas stickers getting in your shoelaces.

• All but one staff member was really friendly.

• Package receiving was well handled and painless.

• Each visitor, even short term like us, gets a mailbox. You can go in 24/7 and check it.

• There's a "swap area" where people leave magazines, etc. (Near the mailboxes.)

• There's a nice little pond you can fish in, catch-and-release only, no license required.

• LOTS of room to walk the dog!

• There's ample overflow parking and trailer storage space so you don't have to crowd your campsite.

• Laundry facility on site, we didn't utilize it since we have a W/D in the rig.

• Bulletin board for posting things, we bought our W/D from another person at the campsite!

• Park was pretty quiet while we were there. No ruckus or loud people. Folks walked around, talked a bit.

• They have Good Sam and Passport American discounts available.

Cons:

• You're really close to I-20, you will hear the road noise. Only trucks are loud. (We did hear a blowout, scared me to death!)
• The WiFi, while available, is really slow. When you connect, they track usage by hardware MAC address. Use too much, you get blocked and have to ask to be allowed back on.* There are some boggy areas you have to watch for near the pond. (Don't step on the thousands of crawfish towers!)
• The road is in fairly bad shape, leading into the park. They could really use a road company out there to fix it.
• There are some rigs that appear more"permanent" with stairs, patio furniture, that sort of thing. But none were run-down looking.
• When it rains, some of the driveways do get muddy.  The gravel replacement helps.

Other:

• There are a LOT of Tiny Houses that have been put on the property. They all looks really new, well maintained.
• The staff appears to reserve some spots near the front for folks coming in for a day or two to a week.  It was NOT all permanents by any means.

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

If you’re looking for somewhere off the grid that is truly primitive, then this is not the place for you. If you don’t mind other people nearby, then you may enjoy your time here. Great docks for fishing. Beautiful water views, if you camp next to the water. Tent camping sites with electrical hookups are piled next to each other pretty close, so if you’re getting a tent electrical site you had better not mind getting friendly with your neighbors. Also, when it rains some of the tent electrical camp sites fill with water. However, if this happens the front office is more than willing to work with you and give you a refund or switch your site. There is a lot of wildlife roaming around - lots of deer! The primitive camp sites by the docks that overlook the water are beautiful. There is a concrete slab, picnic table, and fire pit at each primitive site. If you want to throw up a hammock, some of the primitive sites have trees that are the perfect distance apart for that - but be aware some of these trees are covered in poison ivy! The primitive sites are all close by to other types of campers, so it is never quiet and you can hear people at all hours of the day/night for the most part. Where we stayed by the water, we were next to an RV site. The other primitive camping sites also seem to be near RV sites and electrical tent sites, according to the map. If you camp near the water, it is very windy, especially at night, so make sure to bring plenty of blankets! Are you ever really on your own here: no. Are there beautiful views: yes. Is it truly primitive: no. Will you be taken care of: yes. All sites are open, with no big trees or shrubs to give privacy. You can see your neighbors and they can see you, even at the primitive sites. It would be a good place to bring a family or children for sure. I will say, the customer service at the main office is outstanding. They have anything you could think of for sale there, which is a huge plus. It is highly likely that you won’t need to drive into town for anything. Workers drive around with trash bags every day to ensure everyone is disposing of trash properly, and will give you free trash bags if you don’t have any, which is nice. All in all it depends on what you’re looking for, whether you choose to come to this camping location or not. We enjoy going here just to get away from the house and enjoy the beauty of the lake/nature for a bit. Although, I do wish there was more privacy. Everything is too close together, in my opinion.

Most sites are full hookup’s, level and sandy surface, shade trees. The park is great its real camping with the amenities of a resort. Pool play ground, game room and a 250 yard driving range! The place could us some TLC, but I would still recommend going there! Great place if you have a boat or kayak!

Ver private and natural setting

The photos that you can find online for this RV park or misleading. When they say they have showers plural, restrooms plural, and laundry room When in reality they have one restroom which was filthy, one shower that was so dirty you could not stand in it. In one washer and dryer.