Best Equestrian Camping near National Forests and Grasslands in Texas

We went in early March for tent camping. The park seems very well designed for equestrian, but also good for tent camping. The trails are nice and wide. Tent spots are spacious, although most sites do require a decent walk from the car.

At least 14 sites with picnic tables on concrete slabs. Fire rings and Lantern poles. Very well kept and mowed. There is a loafing barn for horses. No bathrooms or water. Would be a 5 with just water. You need a Texas parks Limited use permit. It costs as little as $12 a year. If you want to fish or hunt the price goes up a little. Can be used to stay at any National Forest or Wild Management area.

There aren't many sites for basic tent camping here, maybe 10-15 tent sites, and the rest are equestrian. It's a pretty tidy looking campground. There is a park host that is usually hanging around if you need something. We ended up being neighbors with a large group that was using their fire like a bonfire so we let the park host know about it. Probably won't come back unless in off season. But it's good enough

Nice area for dispersed camping.  Several level areas.  Great hiking / horse riding trails around.  Would not recommend this area during hunting season.  Accessible via car, good roads, smaller trailers.  If RVing, will need levelers.

This is a nice little campground and a pretty little east Texas lake. It is clean and everyone we met was friendly. The tent sites don’t have electric but include a picnic table and fire pit. We had a great visit!

This is another Great in deep e. Texas. They have really clean it up over the years. Even thin out more by the swimming area and boat ramps. Has a boat ramp but no electric motors. Also a dump station. They upgraded a RV spot that also has a playground too. You will find remants of the old sawmill here.

Great campground in the Pineywoods of east Texas. Stayed 14 days in site 20 on Dogwood loop. Nice size sites with plenty of room between. Restrooms and showers clean, though showers do need some repair. Plenty of walking/hiking trails and wood for fires. Swim area looks nice, though we visited in November so we didn't swim. Can see the foundation for the old mill in back of the park.

East Texas weather is so unpredictable. When we arrived at camp it was nice and sunny, so my friend and I decided to walk our dogs. On our walk we got caught in the middle of a down pour! We laughed our way back to camp and waited out the rest of the storm in our cars. It cleared up quickly and we were back out in the wild. We took an inflatable kayak out on the lake. Decent little lake. People were in the swimming area. Would camp here again.

Nice, quiet, area to get away and enjoy alone or with family. Great trails and a small lake to enjoy kayaking, fishing, and swimming.

Nice campground area. In the Davey Crockett Nat forest. Nice little swimming area. Clean bathrooms.quiet

In the fall I could imagine staying here for a week. I didn't, this time, but I could imagine doing it. campsites were large and deep. Obviously you don't want to hang around the grass near the lakefront too much, cause of gators. Pick your site carefully online before you go, there are good and bad sites. Our site had quite a bit of litter and small bits of trash. The site with the lake views are stunning. Get them if you can. 

Bathhouse is fully enclosed bathroom and shower, fully ADA, and locking doors. Sinks have outlets. I don't know what else to say but the lolliby loop was really nice. Walking the campgrounds was very pleasurable. The little hiking trails were nice too. the sections of the 4C trail we walked were really chill, very flat. The more dynamic and better marked trails were in mission tejas about 20mins away, but, the better campsites were at Lake Ratcliff. Not a great or inviting park name, but it was nice campsite. Only downside was the highway was audible at all hours.

Amenities used:

Bathhouse

This is one of our favorite campgrounds due to the sense woods, well spaced campsites, clean family style bathrooms, and activities such as hiking, fishing, and swimming. Highly recommend!

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.

I spent about 5 days in Sam Houston National Forest. The campsite was pretty good in my opinion. Yes, there is plenty of sites here as this is a big National forest. I came here with my boyfriend and friend and there was plenty of room. The only downside was that it was really difficult to find dry firewood. At night it was really chilly with a breeze blowing across. The neighboring site were very respectful in talking with a low voice especially because they had a big group. The sites were quite close with only bushes dividing up the camps with a 5 second walk. We were able to visit Huntsville state park on the east side of Sam Houston National forest the next week

Beautiful place! We are at campsite 10 right on the lake. Breathtaking tall trees. Well kept clean campsites with a fire pit. The park host brought over firewood right to our site. No need to buy firewood at all. Plenty of cut wood around the park. Easy kid friendly hiking trails around the park. Restrooms were immaculate. So peaceful and quiet at night. I am smitten.

We rolled in at night, but woke up to a forest of breathtaking loblolly pines! The camp sites are very nice and spatious with plenty of room between your site and your neighbors site. Very clean, nice bathrooms. We loved it.

If you're someone who camps to get away from everyone, this is not the spot for you. It should come to no surprise that it isn't secluded as it does have several sites available. There's bathrooms and showers, a swim area, fishing, and a selection of trails to do while staying here. At the primitive sites you get a fire pit and a picnic table. Great place overall.