Best Tent Camping near Palestine, TX

We went to check this place out to reserve for a family camp trip. The grounds are clean and spacious. They have wonderful cabins and RV sites. The only have 5 tent sites. There are no tent pads and the sites are on a small hill. The picnic tables are limited and not every tent site has one. There are no fire rings so it’s a little unnerving building a fire on the grass. The lake and marina is wonderful and clean. They have all sorts of thing to do there. Kayak rentals, fishing charters, a cute little cafe. This is a place I would come to rent a cabin but not to tent camp!

Beautiful small state park. We usually tent camp but this time we decided staying at a cabin. Nice, beautiful and modern cabins. Love the enclosed porch and open porch as well. The cabin was spacious enough for our family of 6. The new family restroom close to the cabins was great, nice and clean. I will be back.

Camping amongst the llamas was a dream come true! It was everything we hoped for- and more! You can tell Judy does this for the love of llamas. We got a tour of the pasture, and met all of the llamas by name. We got to feed the llamas, and they hung around our camp for almost our entire visit. We. Had. A. Blast. 

Multiple fire pits and picnic tables per site. Big, shady trees to escape the beating Texas sun. And we felt safe enough to let our boys camp in their own tent for the first time. Not too far from the city, but definitely feels like you're in the middle of nowhere. Tent sites aren't secluded, but they aren't close-by either, and our neighbors were never bother. 10/10 we will definitely be back.

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.

I had a great time at this park. Sites A and B are next to the day usage areas of the park, and are separated from the RV accessible areas. I found the site delightfully secluded - with a nice set of steps from the picnic table and fire pit right up to the tent pad. Water spigots are everywhere - although the one immediately adjacent to A&B was a little muddy, so I walked across to the playground to get water there. There's a trash can right next to the sites, and a set of clean, nice bathrooms not far off. This spot is also conveniently located next to several trailheads.

Only major problem with this site - there happened to be two fire ant nests on or directly adjacent to the tent pad. Luckily, I was able to angle my 2 person tent perfectly to avoid trouble, but for a larger tent it may have been a huge problem.

Very primitive and off the beaten path, our 02 Mustang was able to handle it. No site numbers just pop the tent wherever. Very quiet and beautiful.

The park has a couple small campsites available for both tent and trailer, with price variation to reflect that. The ranger I met at the gate was friendly, engaging and welcoming. The park boats three historic locations, miles of trails and a small but beautifuly curated interpretive center that all ages interested in history will find entertainment and education in. It also boasts a library which is an unexpected but pleasant feature to find.

This park is beautiful with lots of areas to explore. The camp sites are all in one location and are very close to one another. Some sites are awesome while others are kind of awful, unfortunately. We were in site 004 and it wasn't great. There wasn't a good spot for a tent or a hammock. However, site 005 was much better. The sites that are listed as next to the bathrooms are RIGHT next to the bathrooms.

There's not much to this campground, although it is very beautiful with enormous loblolly pines. This is a primitive campsite. There's no water, no electricity, not bathrooms, etc. Just an area you can use to set up tents or hammocks. We met a nice older fella who said he comes there every day and builds a fire at dusk, stays for a little bit, then leaves.

We bikes from the Ratcliff Recreational Area and we had to cache water.

My girls and I loved hiking on one of two parks in Texas that you can WALK on the El Camino Royal!!! Great playground, facilities and staff!

Well spaced out, but not huge sites (both RV hookup electric and Non "tent only") which allow you to not really spread out, but at least people aren't on top of you. Like most campgrounds you have your standard table and fire ring, but you also have access to flush toilets and showers.

The recreation area also rents out canoes and has pretty good fishing or you can make sure of thee swimming area and the tons of trails for some short nice hikes or a long trek through the region.

The campground is located in the Davy Crockett National Forest, with spots located around the edges of a small lake. Although we could occasionally hear noise from the highway, it was mostly peaceful and quiet. The campgrounds are spacious, with tent platforms, poles to hang trash, and large picnic tables. The bathrooms were amazingly clean and with camp hosts and park rangers on site, we always had help with anything we needed. We hiked and kayaked (with our own boats) and it was all just lovely. I would go back for sure!

We brought our dog here for his first ever camping trip, and this was the perfect place and time to do so. We arrived as the weekend crowd was departing, so of dozens of sites, the site we chose was one of only four that were occupied that night. Thus, it was fabulously quiet and we were undisturbed. Our particular spot (#36) was large with many trees and plenty of brush for privacy; the ground was soft and flat for our tent; and the nearby bathrooms were relatively clean. Park staff were friendly and helpful. We were barraged by bugs at dusk, but once our fire was roaring, the smoke helped fend them off. And per the suggestion of another reviewer, we sure did pop over to the Cooper Farms store to try the peach ice cream, a delectable treat with which to end our out-of-town excursion.

More than meets the eye here. Texas was founded on this spot and the Caddo natives lived in the area. They are putting in a bigger interpretive center soon to commemorate the importance of this region. I would like to return to see it and do more hiking here. They have expanded the hiking trails recently. Short drive to the beautiful town of Nacogdoches and its lovely gardens.

I went for a one day hike and it was phenomenal! Only two hours away from Houston. Great park to shade yourself from the Texas summer sun. It was hot but 90% of the trails are covered by shade. Most trails I went on were hilly and I wasn’t expecting that! Restrooms looked brand new! Don’t expect to have signal in or 20 min outside the park area so prepare for that. 10/10