Best Equestrian Camping near Powderly, TX

We stayed here by happenstance. This campground isn't really near anything and is a 30 minute drive from even the smallest town so come prepared for all your needs. There is a vault toilet and the grounds weren't in terrible shape. This would be my choice for a campground in the National Grasslands. There is lake access here and you could tell that this is a equestrian meet up area. The camps pots weren't leveled and you just throw your tent wherever you want. We didn't have any neighbors so it was quiet. The spot we got had a fire ring and a table. This is basic no frills car camping here if you are interested. We didn't have time to research so we don't know if there are any trails or anything in this area as we couldn't find any.

I am always pleasantly surprised with 'national' organizations' campgrounds. Whether a national forest or like this one, national grasslands, they are always pretty good, and this one is no exception. The campground is small, maybe 12 sites, vault toilets decently cleaned, and multiple water spigots. There was only one other camper, but there is access to the lake at this site with a few cars in the parking lot when we arrived, so you will see people even though it is secluded on the whole. We also saw a lot of horse riders. The sites have picnic tables, fire pits and are well spaced. You basically have your pick of sites so you can choose wooded areas or open without trees.

The South Sulphur campground is about half an hour north of Interstate 30. It’s under a 2 hour drive from the DFW area so, I find it’s a nice weekend getaway. I camped here on a Sunday to Monday and it was very quiet. I was one of only 5 campers in the Deer Haven section (aside from the 3 camp hosts). I’m giving the park 5 stars but this is based on my experience of having camped here when there were few campers around. I image this place could be loud and busy on a weekend.

There are many shaded lakeside sites in the Deer Haven section. I stayed at site 68. The site was on a cul de sac so there was no campground to the one side. However, the site located on the other side was close. This would be a great spot for 2 camping families to share. The concrete pad at site 68 was level and shaded by a beautiful, mature oak tree. I could walk from the pad to the lake. It would be a great site to put out a kayak, but unfortunately the weather didn’t cooperate on my stay. So I didn’t get to kayak. I did see deer who ventured in from the wooded area next to the campsite.  Deer Haven lived up to its name!

Electric and water hookups were good as were the restroom/shower facilities, which seemed climate controlled because it felt cooler and less humid inside than outside. This usually isn’t the case in these buildings.

A big storm blew in around dinner time. The wind was fierce and blowing out of the north across the almost 20,000 acre lake! I actually called the ranger to find out if I needed to evacuate. The ranger was very responsive and reassuring. Luckily, there were no tornados warnings, so I weathered out the storm and woke to a beautiful crisp morning.

This park is huge and there is much to do. Cabins, shelters, primitive walk in sites, equine sites, a beach, several boat ramps, hiking trails, playgrounds and a fishing pier. I didn’t get to see a fraction of it, but I’ll be returning. 

I stopped in the town of Sulphur Springs on my way back to DFW. The town has a nice historic town square and makes for an interesting side stop.

We like to come here because it's relatively close to the house. We've been out here a few times total since living in the area and always have a pretty decent experience. The showers and bathrooms are always well maintained and the camping spots are clean and not too close together. We came for an anniversary/birthday weekend and tent camped with some friends and had a great time even with the weather. There is a park ranger who seems to think it's his personal duty to strictly enforce everything and he's kind of a jerk about it. Aside from that individual the majority of the staff are nice and friendly. The trails are pretty kept also and even with the recent flooding the park was still nice. Be mindful of wild hogs because we did have some a little too close for comfort two of the nights we were there!