Best RV Parks & Resorts near Jacksonville, TX

The name drew us in, the convenience, friendly staff, large spaces and the usual amenities will bring us back.   

A very convenient location for a base if you are looking to go to Canton Trade Days, Edom's many art festivals, Moore's Store in Ben Wheeler to see a show, shopping in Tyler or any of your East Texas adventures.

Although near the highway and the Tyler Pounds Field Regional Airport, this rv park is surprisingly quiet and peaceful. An older park, well maintained with mature trees lining the property. A good portion of long term stay residents with smiles and waves and neat spaces.

Pretty campground. Tall pine trees. Camped with our camper van along the loblolly loop. Not suitable for large rigs in this section. Level tent pads. Sites have access to the lake. Loved the tall trees. Restroom/shower rooms were very clean. See previous reviews about this. Paved roads & driveways in this section. No water & electric hookups in this section, but available in another section of the campground. Water spigot nearby for drinking water. Busy Hwy 7 is nearby; road noise from big rigs can get loud sometimes. AT&T cell/data service okay. No T-Mobile cell/data service. Would like to camp here again & explore some of the hiking trails.

We spent a month here. We came in to attend the NRVTA and were bummed when the adjoining park was booked. So we chose Lake Athens, and what a treat! Location is wonderful. Right on a huge, nice lake. Very safe. Large field where we let our dogs off leash. Walking distance to the fishery. There is a restaurant on site with FABULOUS food. People are relaxed... not rude, or loud, don't complain about friendly dogs off leash etc. Sites are gravel but level. We have a 44ft triple axl fifth wheel, had plenty of room (we had an end site but the middle row Sites do appear tight). The permanent residents here are nice. Clean laundry facilities, allowed all our packages/Mail. There is a community fire pit near the play ground. Small area in the back with walking trails. Can't wait to return honestly. Didnt use their wifi as we have our own. We switch from Verizon to ATT, and at times signals were weak. Other times just fine. Hit or miss depending on utilization I suppose.

Ensconced in the deep Piney Woods of Davy Crockett National Forest lies the site of the original Franciscan Mission to the Caddo Indians. The local tribe’s word for friend was tejas (tay-hoss) meaning friend. The camping sites are all situated in the woods scattered among the hills above the Neches River Valley. They do not have sites for extremely large diesel pushers, but 32 foot trailers or RVs fit nicely.

The location has Texas state park normal accoutrements like fire rings, tables, lantern posts, showers, bathrooms and new front office with interesting rain harvesting equipment to view. Serene and beautiful area with hiking trails of easy to moderate level of difficulty with a historic walk to the site of the original Camino Real also known as the Old San Antonio Road.

Nearby you have historic markers every 3 miles or so on the current King’s Highway with Caddoan Indian Mounds to visit, sites of early settlers, including the original Rice Family Dog Run Cabin on site. There is a lovely lake for perch and bass fishing and playgrounds for young children.

It is favorite park of mine to visit and I return every few years.

This is a new campground that is just getting up and running. The sites are all large and shaded with a picnic table and a fire pit. Our site was also a full hookup site as was the site of our friends that also came with us. They have a camp store and a laundry mat and a couple of small hiking trails. There are several other amenities coming. The only con is they will move you. I don’t care if you picked that spot out for a specific reason (as I did) when booking, it likely won’t be your spot when you check in. I find that annoying, but that’s literally the only con. The staff was nice, park clean, and shaded sites. I did not go to the restrooms (if they even have any) to tell you how those are.

Come for the hiking trails and access to local communities like Palestine, TX and 4C Trail.

You will get to know your neighbors at this state park if you choose to camp here.

Our party was spread out between the main campground and the Day Use area sites. We enjoyed the site we had, but our friends were camping in the main camping loop which was very crowded and cramped mid-week. Personally our site was B near the playground and the ADA trailheads. Site B is kinda magical and if you like people watching than you are in luck, there is no shortage of foot traffic near your campsite. For us it was nice and hikers, passersby were very respectful. 

Amenities used:

Bundled FIrewood (donations accepted, however it is free to use)

WIFI at the visitors center is sub-dial-up speed

Bathhouse is stall type so it is not a fully private room.

Staff if friendly and helpful

Sites are all on hillside, if you have an RV/camper I would rec the pull through sites. The back in sites really only work for tent camping. For Tents, the pad sizes vary so be sure to check your tent dimensions. We saw a few sites our 4 person tent wouldn't have fit onto. (Saw the same at Lake Ratcliff) 

Personally I would recommend the campgrounds at Lake Ratcliff if you are looking for spacious camping loops. Also Lake Ratcliff's bathhouse was much nicer and more ADA friendly. Mission Tejas's high quality trails are only a 20min drive from Lake Ratcliff.

Would've given this park a 4 star if campground hadn't been so cramped. Maybe my expectations need curbing. I will return for some winter camping later this year, possible even early spring as well. It is a great park, but if it is full, it feels crowded.