Best Tent Camping near Pottsboro, TX

We spent the first weekend of March 2020 here and it was beautiful, even as the trees were still dead. We stayed in 52C, which has standard electric, 30amp.

We tent camped and it was beautiful!

Pros: -Reasonably clean comfort station (minus the normal daddy long legs) -Beautiful location on the lake and viewable from many sites -Easy to book online through the Recreation.gov app -Lots of trees for privacy and shade -The ranger made frequent drives through the loop for added safety and security -Campsites in C are all on a gravel pad, making it easy to setup

Cons: -Comfort station is quite a walk from some sites, including 52C - way too far to walk after dark. -Many sites looked tiny, may be too small for larger tents

• Sites might be difficult to back in a large camper due to tight turns.

Tips:

• For many sites, you must book ahead through Recreation.gov -We were not able to find much firewood or kindling around, but Sulphur has a super Walmart for firewood and anything else you need.

Lake Murray is a large state park which is an easy drive north from the DFW area, so I stay in the SP frequently, but never at this campground. It’s located a bit off the beaten path on the South end of the park. It’s also a smaller campground which accommodates smaller RV’s. Also, there is boat ramp, but it is not large and has little parking, plus it’s not located down the road that leads to the campsites. This means there isn’t constant traffic and power boat noise. 

The campground is tucked into a cove of Lake Murray and is down the road from the dam.  There are some very nice walk in tent camping sites where you could walk down to the rocky lake edge and swim. There are also a few drive in tent sites. However, be aware that when I stayed here in spring of 2020, there is no bath house or toilet facilities. There was a nice playground and a little picnic area right on the lake.

The RV sites are scattered around a circular road and there are several right on the lake. These are the best in my opinion. One of them (site 17) is labeled “premium” and I would pay the extra $ to snag this site. 

• Site 14 - Water/Electric 50 and 30 amp, no sewer (dump on site)

• gravel pad, mostly level, has a tree on awning side so couldn’t deploy my awning, but really unnecessary because the site was nicely shaded

• Cement picnic bench, BBQ, fire ring

• Walk down from site to water with rock ledge to sit a chair on and dangle feet in the lake!

• Site is private on 1 side with forested creek/water run off area, but neighbor is fairly close on other side

• ***No bathhouse (gutted - see photo)

• Little cons: no trailheads within the campground, but Tucker Tower is a bike ride or hike over the dam and the trailhead to Ski Jump Campground the the Lodge connects here. (8.5 miles). Also Dump station at the campground is easy access, however the exit up the somewhat eroded gravel hill may require some maneuvering for larger rigs.

Definitely check out Tucker Tower when visiting and Lake Murray SP Nature Center is very well done! I’ll return again for the always good hiking and try to snag the premium site or site 9.

UPDATE 5/2021 - Marietta Landing Campground is being revamped.

Nice area to tent camp

Lots of good tent sites both on the water or a short hike to it.

Great Tent camping. The grills are combined with the fire pits. The RV area has showers that are separate from the toilets. There are no electrical outlets or hand dryers or soap dispensers.

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!

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!

I have camped here many times. The park is well maintained and offers beautiful hiking trails and scenery. It is also safe with plenty of staff making rounds to ensure everyone's safety. I have stayed at their pull through camper sites, shelters, as well as tent camping with no complaints. The park is also undergoing construction upgrades and new paved roads ATM but the areas are clearly identified on their website. Definitely a family friendly park with plenty of wildlife to enjoy!

I didn’t have many sites to choose from online and really lucked out! Overall the everything was well maintained, the campground host at the time was very friendly, and so was everyone else around. I was tent camping, but it seemed like at least 2/3 of the people had some kind of and RV so there are a lot of lights on all night, but nothing too obtrusive. Bathrooms were very clean and showers had hot water. There was also a nice beach for swimming.

This was the first time we camped in Loop C, which is reserve only. It was in January, so the Loop was about 1/3rd full with mostly RVs. Loop D, first come, first serve, had less campers. RV sites have water & electric & tent sites have shared water. The restrooms were very nice, clean and heated. We stayed at site 81C, which was a challenge to back into because of trees that were close to drive. The pad was fairly level & the picnic table/fire pit pad was separated from the RV pad. I could only imagine how secluded this site would feel with vegetation on the trees. This loop also had many tent sites and all the tent & RV sites are well sized & spaced. Some RV sites closer to the water look like they would be a challenge to level, but most sites have fairly level pads & all sites have very level picnic/fire pit pads for an area that has some generally steep slopes. There was only one lake view RV site in Loop C, 56C, that had the hookups on the side that pointed the front door towards the lake, but all had a gorgeous view from the picnic/fire pit pads. Absolutely love the Chickasaw National Recreational Area because of the many activities this park offers & its history.

My son and I spent 2 nights tent camping at the Buckhorn Campground at Lake of the Arbuckles.  We camped at Site 064 Loop C and it was very convenient to the restroom and showers.  Also, the Camp Host was right next to us.  But, there were no safety concerns.   Boating on the lake was also nice.  We took a Jet Ski and did some wakeboarding and it was not very crowded. All the campers we talked to were very pleasant and friendly.  I would highly recommend this campground.

We loved the proximity to north Dallas. It makes for a nice getaway weekend. We enjoyed exploring the different areas of the park. We noticed most of the trailer/tent sites are almost in pairs. So two sites, have a common grassy area. Makes this park great for camping with friends or for making new friends, as we did! The store are the marina was a great break for ice cream on a hot day. Our friends have a boat on Lake Texoma and their home was only a 15 minute drive from the park.

I tent camped here in December at the Hawthorn campground site 8. One thing I wasn’t expecting was that this was a walk in site. It was about 100 yards from the parking lot to site 8. Kind of a pain when setting up camp but it makes for a very quiet camping experience once you’re done. Water spigots are close by. The bathrooms were really clean and there are hiking and biking trails nearby. Unfortunately I didn’t get to explore the park much but it seems there is lots to do. There is a marina where you can rent boats and a swim beach nearby. I’ll definitely be going back for a longer stay.

We found a nice secluded tent site, despite it being fall break weekend. There are many campgrounds at Lake Murray to choose from. We chose this site which was conveniently located near a nature trail with a beautiful lookout point, as well as a hiking trail. Did not use the restroom facilities, but judging from the nature center, lodge and other park facilities I am sure they were nice. The recently built lodge is beautiful. The staff we met were friendly and helpful. Seems like a very nice and well rounded park even if you aren’t planning any lake or water activities. dog friendly. We will be back!

Was able to spend a night at Buzzards Roost campground while visiting Lake Murray State park.  Our tent site was at the point and provided us with great views of the marina, and Tucker Tower.  There is plenty of parking and the tent pads were nice and level with plenty of space for larger tents.  Each fire pit had it own grate that provides a cooking surface over the fire; however, must were damaged but still usable.  Bath house is a little older but the amenities were nice.  There are 4 showers that are available with great pressure and temps.  All but a few campsites were on the water so it makes it easy to put in a small water craft or even pull a larger boat up to your site.

We stayed in Loop C, site 48. Had to book about a month in advance, and didn’t have but 3 spots to pick from. Camp site was clean, and although far from the C comfort station, it was a short walk to the D comfort station.

Site had a picnic table, fire pit and lantern hook, with a nice flat area for any tent camping. We were in a teardrop, so the 2 parking spots made it really easy to back the teardrop in and park next to it. Campsites are pretty close together, so you can definitely hear your neighbors, but the trees do provide lots of screening. Easy walk to the lakeshore for some shoreline fishing, and campground itself is a quick 10-minute drive from town and the main park area.

Definitely a beautiful area of Oklahoma, and an easy campground to stay at. Would recommend to anyone.

I stayed at two different sites while I was here, in total about 14 days. P07 had a lot more privacy and P11 was quite exposed. The walk-in to P07 was quite lengthy, but P11 had parking spots right next to camp. They are strict about parking; I got woken up around 1:30am by local police because I parked in an area I wasn’t allowed to and also forgot to print a permit to put on my dash.

Super, super windy. Got hit by two really bad lightning and thunderstorms and had to sit in my car for a while during the worst of it (certain parts had tornados and hail).

I will say, there seems to be a few long-timers here despite a max 14 day stay. The park is technically closed at 10pm but there’s no gate and technically anyone can drive in any time.

I saw the police drive through often, but it still didn’t feel as secure as other campsites I’ve been to.

The park seems to be well-known amongst locals, so on the weekends it’s especially crowded. Lots of big groups coming, drinking beers, being slightly rowdy. Maybe it’s just because I’m an introvert and wanted peace and quiet, but I felt a little too close to everyone trying to have a good time.

My stay ended prematurely because there was a guy who kept trying to talk to me and made some weird comments. The park did seem to attract a certain clientele, so if safety is your primary concern (I’m a woman traveling solo), then this might not be your best bet.

Other than that, the staff were super nice and welcoming. I got to know the compliance officer by name while my stay there, and it’s clear he takes great pride in the park.

The bathrooms are clean, signal is great for Verizon and T-mobile. There are showers but I wasn’t brave enough to try them; there are a few Planet Fitness locations close-ish by that have great showers, so that’s what I did instead!

Fairly close by to Carrollton where there’s amazing Asian food and boba. Lake is gorgeous too but no swimming was allowed from what I could see. Cute coffee shops nearby too. Sip Stir, The Perc Coffeehouse, and George Coffee and Provisions are all great digital nomad spots and are some of the coolest coffee shops I’ve seen! Super unique, local gems with fast WiFi.

Overall: Great park. I personally wouldn’t stay here for more than a few days, especially if you’re camping in a tent full-time. RV’ers made up the majority here and I didn’t feel as safe in my tent. Still well-kept though and overall a positive experience!