Looking for the best O.C. Fisher Lake tent camping? The Dyrt helps you find campsites with tent camping near O.C. Fisher Lake. Would you prefer a quiet dispersed site or an established camgpround with amenities? Either way, The Dyrt makes it easy to find the perfect place to pitch your tent.
To fish, hike, camp, or picnic in this area, persons 17 years and older will need a Limited Public Use permit ($12/year).
TravelerNot a bad site for primitive and tent camping. Needs to be cleaned up a little bit and have a few things added but overall was a great weekend
Legend
We have enjoyed staying at San Angelo State Park because of the natural things it offers. We stayed in the Red Arroyo campground. The sites are large and well-spaced apart. You don't have much privacy due to the lack of trees since this is where the prairie and desert come together, but the distance between sites helps. Also, having a picnic table and covered shelter at each site is a nice touch.
One thing we noticed is that when the wind gets going here it really blows hard, so be prepared to take care of anything that might need to be held down. Several times it was bad enough that we had to close our roof vent.
The night sky is decent because it's so wide open, unfortunately, it's not as dark as we had hoped because of the lights from nearby San Angelo. You also tend to hear some road noise -- it's not bad, just louder than we expected considering how this place seems like it would be in the middle of nowhere from most of the pictures. Given the expansive horizon, though, you're in for some really cool sunrises and sunsets right from your campsite.
The hiking, biking, and equestrian trails here offer a lot of variety and with 50 miles of them, it's tough to get bored. Note that the North and South units have separate trail systems and there's no road within the park to reach the two units. You have to drive out on the main road and it's too far to bike or walk.
In addition to trails, make sure you check out the wildlife blind set up near the Red Arroyo loop, plus on Saturday and Wednesday mornings, the rangers do supplemental feeding of the bison and longhorn cattle herds, bringing them right up to the fence for visitors to see. It's a nice treat! As you hike, you're likely to see plenty of wildlife, too. We have seen deer, owls, birds, and javelinas so far.
Cell service was pretty good for Verizon and T-Mobile. (2-3 bars consistently)
The only real complaint (other than tiring of the wind after a while) was that the bathrooms are really old. They are kept clean and the showers were hot with good, modern showerheads. But in Red Arroyo, there is only one shower for women and one for men for the whole campground. And there also are very limited toilets in the main bathhouse and the secondary bathhouse has at least one defunct toilet in the men's room. The whole park could use a bathroom/shower house overhaul. It hasn't been very busy with campers here but we could see that a busy season could wreak havoc on bathroom availability.
Note that if you're coming for O.C. Fisher Lake, that is a reservoir that is emptying out and never likely to come back. A ranger told us the lake is at about 6-8% of its glory days. The place is filled with boat ramps to nowhere and when hiking you can find several abandoned campground loops.
All-in-all a good place to stay but go in with your eyes open.
GuideStopped here on my way through Texas. It was clean and the showers had hot water. The lake has fish in it if you have a boat. I kayaked the entire thing and it took a few hours. There aren't many trees to hammock camp from so bring a tent or RV. Hosts were nice. Good place for an overnight stay.
Traveler
This is the north part of San Angelo State Park. I camped here the last weekend of January. Other than being quite windy during the day, the weather was gorgeous. Chilly at night with temperatures in the thirties but the days were sixties and seventies and sunny. I didn't get to do much exploring because I went to San Angelo to pick up something on Monday morning and thought I would use this trip to test out some gear. The parking sites are great for either a tent or small RV. This was ideal for my setup which is a rooftop tent on my SUV. There were some nice large trees over many of the campsites and there were clean concrete picnic tables with a sun or rain cover above that.
GuideSo many trails to do but so hot when I went. Loved the view by the lake. Restrooms were not very clean but the park host were very friendly. I did almost all the trail in the week that I was there, I even picked up the trash that I found along the trail, a whole trash bag worth. Be careful of ants, got bit by an ant why setting up the tent.
Ranger
Decent spot for couple of nights while checking out the area. This park has maybe 10 sites. Most have tables and grills. Not really suitable for big rigs, as it is in the middle of Granbury. Ideal for tents, vans, or small campers. Lot of day use activity among the locals. Dumpsters and portable toilet are available. Lots of trees to protect from the summer heat! T-mobile was decent at this site. I was able to get some work done.
Guide
This is the 2nd Texas state park I've stayed at. Both have a weird design. Bathrooms are at 1 end of sites. I was driving distance. It was cold, 20 degrees . This place suffers from long term neglect. Peeling paint, broken trim , It's a beautiful place. Great views. Bison, long horn and tons of deer.
TravelerStayed only one night on my way to another site! Big camping spots with Fit Pit and Grill (separate). Picnic Table with coverage and great unobstructed views! Quiet even though you are relatively close to the housing and traffic intersections!
Lost power because of a huge rainstorm but it’s was totally worth the sights and sounds of a West Texas Thunderstorm!
Guide
This is a very quiet and open campground. We saw lots of deer every night. This area of Texas is hot and dry and the landscape reflects that. We had electric and water (slow flow). There is a dump station at the front near the gas station and the store. Most people are here to catch giant fish in Lake OH Ivie.
GuideWe stayed here for 4 nights in early May 2019. We stayed in the Red Arroyo Campground at the South entrance of the park. The best thing about this park is the amount of space between spots. Plenty of space between you and your neighbors. The park is beautiful and very quiet. When we were there the wildflowers were in full bloom. Spots are water and electric only, but there is a dump onsite. We had spot #13 and it was steep, but we were able to tuck our 30ft trailer at the bottom where it leveled out. No levelers required. The park has many trails for hiking and biking. Some of the trails were a bit muddy, but they had recently had rain. Cell phone service was good. We were able to get internet through the hotspot. Overall, it was a nice stay and we would stay here again. $20 price reflects camping fee only. Day use fee is $4 per person if you do not have a Texas State Park Pass.
Ranger
We were using this as a stop over/mid point in Texas and it happen to be during the crazy article blast that crippled the state. The family who owns and operates the campground were absolutely amazing during rolling black outs, single digit temperatures, and water being shut off due to main breaks. They had propane fill onsite, kept their well stocked general store open, and were so kind and pleasant even though they were working round the clock to keep things running.
We were able to use the laundry (when the water was on), bath houses were closed (I think for winter). Those areas could probably use a little upkeep, but it didn’t bother us. There was cable and we had great T-Mobile cell service. (I think they had hard wire internet too if you wanted to pay for it)
Lots of wildlife out an about which was pretty fun to see. Deer and turkey lots of them.
My family was very lucky to have a camper with heat water and electricity during a time where many were without.
GuideExcellent camp site. Very dispersed and most have picnic tables with shade awnings which are great for hammocks. Bathrooms were fine. Miles of off-road Bike trails were well marked and varied from easy to technical.
ScoutIt was still hot out, but lots of animals to be seen. We saw tons of deer, porcupines, foxes, and bison of course. There are Javelina and Longhorns, but we didn’t see them this weekend. Great Labor Day 2020 glamping trip, but we didn’t make it to the lake this time.
RangerIt’s well kept, the spaces are far apart, and it’s exactly as advertised. The staff is friendly and helpful. Dog friendly too. And dogs are allowed on all of the trails. It’s still the desert, but there is a small lake.
GuideI stopped here for the night on my way to Arizona. It was a good place to stay overnight. Nice and flat and level. No trees, no shade. Certainly would not want to be here in the summer. I did have a nice view of the lake.
GuideWe stayed at this campground 5 nights. Level Asphalt. One Shade Tree on our site that helped a bit with the summer heat. Husband was hoping to fish in the lake but it is pretty dried up. Plenty of roads and trails to run and bike. Drove into town and had dinner at Zero Ale House. Biggest Cons: Flies! And ALOT of Cockleburs! My dogs couldn't walk anywhere without getting them on them!
LegendSan Angelo good place for mountain biking, decent trails, it was so hot, that it brought some very bad thunderstorms, had some hail damage at this location, would like to be back here, but with a Mountain bike, at a cooler time of the year. 20 to 23. June 2020
TravelerWide opens fields surrounding the lake, shelter/shade type enclosures and boat launch
GuideThis campground had sites all over the place from rustic to hook-ups. Big Sky and many trails.
GuideOnly one night passing thru, but this goes on the return for an extended stay list Campsites were large and spread out Large lake and water access Power and water at campsites Staff was extremely friendly and helpful. No problem getting thru park with 41ft 5th wheel. Hiking, water, open space - a perfect setting for a longer stay. Covered picnic tables, flat camp sites.
RangerWe were in the Red Arroyo loop in the south section. Sites are huge and spaced out well. Not much privacy, but that's because it's basically prairie land.
While we were there, it was really windy, maybe that's the norm. I enjoyed our stay as there are many hiking trails and wildlife viewing. Not very far from the park is the city, in case you forgot something or need ice, or a cheat meal.
ScoutVery clear instructions on the voicemail for after hours check in. Signs directing you to the campsites were minimal (ex: instead of “red arroyo campsites 1-11”it said “trailer 1-11.” Otherwise it was a well maintained state park, clean bathrooms, flat sites, easy hook ups. Not much to do but some easy hikes and I believe fishing/boating.
RangerWe stayed over Thanksgiving and the campground was less than half full. The sites in the Bald Eagle loop are spacious, many have covered picnic tables, a few trees, and there is a playground. If you cross the dry creek bed into the horse campground you can access the extensive network of hiking, biking, and horse riding trails. The trails are well marked. The only downside is that to drive into the campground you have to get out and remove a pad lock and manually open the gate.
Guide
Well maintained full sefvice park with plenty of amenities. More than we are used to. The price was average for 30 amp hookups with wifi, cable tv, restrooms, shower and laundry. There is an onsite pool and game room, trash pickup, dog park, and the lake is a short drive away. Parking is level raked gravel but a little close together. There is a municipal airport close by but doesn’t seem to be alot of planes passing over.
TravelerStayed here last summer on our way to Sedona, one night stop. Super friendly folks in the office, guided to spot following golf cart. It was super hot when we arrived and were pleased to find the crystal clear pool to cool off in. Doggies enjoyed the dog park. Camp store had a 50 to 30 amp converter we needed for later in the trip. Trail nearby and running up the hill gives you a great view of the surroundings. Would definitely stay there again if we happen to be passing through!
Traveler
pretty great place! I can’t wait to go back!!
TravelerNo showers or power. Does have public restrooms. Bring hammock, has plenty o trees.
Tent camping near O.C. Fisher Lake in Texas offers a blend of natural beauty and outdoor adventure, making it an ideal spot for nature enthusiasts and families alike.
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