Best Glamping near Pottsboro, 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

This state park has really beautiful lake views. It can be a little tricky getting down to the lake as it is surrounded by rocky cliffs on the Texas side. Lots of fun trails.

This is a nice little state park with good camping. The bathrooms are clean as are most Texas state park. There are small hiking trails that are kid friendly. I think the longest was 3 miles.

One of my first and favorite state parks in Texas. Several nice hiking trails, fond memories of Daddy/Daughter camping trips, and a quick escape to a relaxing & restful place an hour north of Dallas!

This park has water and electric, some sites with sewer also.  There did not seem to be a campground host in the park.  The bathrooms were not well maintained.  If you don't like fishing there is not much else to do in the campground.  We did see a lot of birds along the shoreline.  If you need to go to town for anything you will need to go back to Texas.  Cartwright, OK appears to be very high poverty.

We found Lake Ray Roberts as a nice swimming spot near Dallas to go cool down during the hot Texas summers and we LOVE it to go grill and hang out as a day long activity. So when my husband and I decide to start camping 🏕 we chose this park as our first trial, and we found it a bit inconvenient for Car camping since the spots are walk up and you gotta leave your car behind in a parking lot. Also, is very primitive style, so clean bathrooms and close-by water is not really part of the package. We loved the view from our spot and if you are up for a primitive experience within a park, then this is great. Just not for us and the type of camping we wanna do 😊

We had a reservation for two camp sites for Oct 25th and 26th. It stormed heavily on Friday, October 25th. Arguably, it was even a safety hazard to go. As such, we did not go and was still charged the camp site fees. When I spoke with the Texas Parks and Recreations central reservations, they could not help and advised me to contact Eisenshower and informed me the park has discretion to refund the fees. When I called and spoke with"Rhonda," she informed me that she could not refund the money despite the rain and told me the park's policy prevents her from doing so. I question whether such a policy exist since central reservations specifically said the parks have discretion. This is the poor customer service. I didn't know state funded parks were under such pressure to squeeze money out of people and make margins since it is tax funded by individuals like me. Amazing how poor customer service governmental entities provide. Governmental workers will be just that...government workers. Sad.

One of the more expensive Texas state parks. Standard electric at 25/night. Large bathrooms and lots of trash bins. Actual pay phones (who knew those still existed?) the trails are for DORBA (Dallas Off Road Bicycle Association) so maybe that explains the horrible lack of signage. Bicycle fix it station.

Great security. I was with my 3 year old after dark, maybe 8PM at the playground on the water. No lights so I used our lamplight. I noticed a truck in the parking lot with its lights on. We were there maybe 90 minutes and the truck kept moving. When we left, they left. I spotted it down the road and saw they were camp rangers. Bodes well that they were keeping tabs on the facilities even if it was just a mom and kid.

Very clean and moist spots are secluded. Lots of REALLY great primitive spots if that's your thing.

Campground Review:

For Full VIDEO Review: CLICK HERE

I decided to visit Eisenhower State Park during the last part of November, just before Thanksgiving when the leaves were putting on their final showcase of the season and casting their amber and red tones everywhere. It was absolutely breathtaking to pull into the park and start to see this area unfold around me.

Eisenhower is named for our former president, Dwight D Eisenhower, who was born in nearby Denison, Texas. Opened in 1958 to tourists as a Texas State Park, the area is divided amongst lake activities and wildlife preservation. In more recent years they have added ATV trails to accompany the bike and walking trails, the swimming beach and the outdoor amphitheater and pavilion.

Day use here is only $5 or for those camping you can easily find a perfect fit for your needs between $12 and $25. I noticed depending on the loop of camp you are enjoying amenities do vary as to site sizes. All sites except primitive and a single specialty reservation lot were equipped pretty standardly with a metal picnic table and fire ring with grill. The biggest differences were in that some had electricity and water while others had neither. (You can book your campsite online by clicking HERE )

I really enjoyed the spacing of the campsites, though the area I was visiting for the day had neighbors the spacing managed to mask any noise that might come from their camp. The tree coverage in the area was amazing and shady, I can only imagine this to be a necessary feature during the hot Texas summers.

Since I was only able to enjoy the park for a day, after enjoying one of the campsites for a lunch, I took to the hiking trails and explored the many areas there are to check out. I was most excited about the swimming beach, it reminded me of the beaches I had seen in Nevada nestled along the Colorado River in groves of mountainous rocky mountains. It felt secluded and while the beach area itself was a mix of rocks and sand, it could be a great retreat on a warm day for some fun with the family. The steps down to the beach captured my attention, I later noticed the same steps repeated by the marina and also by the amphitheater. They were unlike poured concrete and made for a more organic feel to the landscape. Created by bags of concrete hardened then used as pavers the surface provided a perfect step that was both functional and aesthetically pleasing.

A few things to remember about Eisenhower:

In this area throughout camp and other parts of the property you might see bats, armadillos, beavers, coyotes, deer, opossums, rabbits, bobcats, raccoons, foxes, squirrels and roadrunners. In addition, during warm months you can see a variety of snakes hiding on rocky surfaces so always be aware of your surroundings and remember to keep your food items secured inside your vehicle.

• The Lake is a BIG draw. This is one of the more popular stops along the massive Lake Texoma. Because of this you can take advantage of fishing, utilize the boat ramp and boat houses or rent one of the many watercraft they have to offer. CLICK HERE for more information about the lake, requirements of fishing and boating, activities available and any current advisories.
• There is an interpretive guide online which will completely give you a better perspective of the park and some of what it has to offer. CLICK HERE

Rating:

Overall I would give the State Park a 4 of 5 stars. I feel as though the park is large enough to accommodate large groups, essential during the busy lake season including holidays such as the 4th of July, Memorial Day and Labor Day. With the spacing it provides, not only can it accommodate crowds but it can make for a still enjoyable experience when visiting on these busy seasons.

Activities vary for those seeking non-lake related things to do, this is of great interest to me as a traveler who does not often hit the lake on one of my adventures. I like that there is an option for someone like myself to be able to if I choose however it isn’t the sole focus of the site.

I like this site and recommend it all the time.

Stayed a night at this park. I preregistered and thought I was ready to go. The gate guard said I still had to go inside to check-in. They couldn’t find all of my info and it took forever to get straightened out. The State employees made me feel like a criminal. Ridiculous!

This park is very large! There is camping for everyone here! Great marina, fishing, hiking, kayaking and camp fires! All types of RV and tent sites! The swimming beach is the best, but you have to walk way down a hill to get to it!

It has been a while since I visited Eisenhower State Park. On my last visit it ssmed as if the park staff could care less. There was litter scattered everywhere. My neighbors had to complane multiple times to get someone to come to there campsite and clean up the large pile of tolet paper and human fecies that was right next to the picnic table.

(things may have changed since then, I sure hope they have).

The swim area in this park is down a pretty steep gravel trail that I had a hard time navegating. There is very limited bank access since the park sits about 50 feet up from the water line.

There is a  boat ramp, store, food truck, fuel for your boat and bait located at the marina.

I doubt very much that I ill return to this park as there is not much for the mobiity challenged to do.

Our camping site was 022 On Armadilla Hill

Nice and quiet state park. Trails are decent for biking and hiking, lots of fossils to look at on the shore, and paddling is great here.

We didn't stay here overnight. We only came a couple days. We stayed at Bonham which is 15/night instead of here that's 25/night.

Beautiful everything! Even the bathroom is gorgeous with granite walls!

Swimming area and trails along the cliffs are exquisite. Great wifi as well.

Spent one night here on our way to Tulsa. Our back-in site was a little tight but manageable. We had to disconnect because it was not long enough for trailer and truck. We parked the truck sideways in the entrance to our site. It had a picnic table and fire ring. The pad was asphalt and had a drop-off on the door side so we had to prop up the stairs. The lake was beautiful and we let the dogs swim. I would stay here again.

Nice camp sites, well spaced for privacy, hiking trails everywhere, and cliffs all around the lake. Beautiful place all around.

Not a huge fan of camping in state park campgrounds, but this is a very nice option. Had a group campout here with those new to camping. Having easy access to bathhouses and power made it easier to have more people show up. Eisenhower has great hiking options and sells firewood on site

Loved our stay here in the tent section. Trees provided much needed shade, yet enough for solar to stay charged. Restrooms were close, showers were a little bit of a walk. Each tent site has a table and fire pit. Lovely views of lake Texoma. Great hiking and rock climbing opportunities. The marina store is a short walk away and you can rent kayaks and canoes!