Best Tent Camping near Powderly, TX

I found this campground through a US army core website, and the details at that website did not turn out to be very accurate. Both loops at Pat Mayse East Campground showed to have bathrooms, which I assumed meant flush toilets and sinks, since the map also had an icon for vault toilets and this was not used. Both loops actually do have vault toilets and no running water. The campground seems set up pretty well for RVs; there were a lot of rv hookups for water and electric. There are also basic tent sites, picnic tables and metal fire rings. Water spigots are placed throughout so access is not difficult. You have your choice of sunny areas or more forested. Some spots are tightly packed in, but others are on the outside of the loop and seem like they'd be pretty quite. I wasn't overly impressed on the whole.

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.

Beavers Bend State Park is a incredible beautiful state park hidden in the southeastern corner of the state. We planned our trip and reservation process on the TravelOK.com website which I highly recommend reserving in advance because this place fills up fast. We ended up reserving a premium RV site 5 in Acorn and our 5th wheel fit perfect. This site is a back in site with the river directly behind the site. Site consists of 1 fire pit, 1 picnic table and barbecue pit. The hookups consist of water and 30/50 amp electric. The road is on a one way loop with shower, bathroom and trash containers within walking distance. Trails are also within close proximity and vary in elevation be prepared and bring water and pick up a map from the ranger station. With that said the place is green for a reason and very humid during the warmer months but if you want to cool off check out the swimming area or rent a Kayak or paddle boat. We were told that the most popular time to visit is during the fall due to the color change just remember reserve ahead time and happy camping!

When searching for a unique camping experience you might check out something a little bit outside of the box. Offering tent sites and RV sites Tiny Town might seem normal on paper but when you were arrive they have a lot of options which might be considered a little bit different. 

I pulled into Tiny Town I noticed right away the unique experience which they offer. Though RVs were parked in the front and on the right I noticed a community of tiny homes just beyond the bounds. Many tiny homes were under construction however a few options were already up and running in a variety of floor plans ideal for any traveler visiting the area. 

The property it’s self is small but does offer a few amenities including a restroom and laundry as well as a small play facility. The big draw to this area is the quick and easy access to beavers Bend State Park and other attractions around the Broken Bow area. 

The offering of cabin rentals varies from humble three person dwellings all the way up to a 20 person“Deck-A-Saurus”. Cabins are all equipped with standard furniture including couches and beds, making it ideal for those who just want to pullin and immediately jump into comfort. The RV area it’s self accommodate 17 spaces in three various sizes. Each side includes full hook ups, and barbecue pits. The larger areas have private fire pits as well as picnic tables. 

When I visited I noticed that the area was a little void of large trees. However the area is currently working to re-landscape and provide better shade accommodations along the perimeter’s which would be very beneficial to tent campers. While they do not market the smaller sites as tent only facilities I did notice there were several people staying in vans or tents in these sites along the outer border. 

The facility itself is very clean and well-maintained. You can really tell there is attention to detail at this location and that as it continues to grow and be developed that this will be a continued point of interest. 

Standard nightly rates run between $30 and $45 depending on the site for RV or tent camping. They do also offer both weekly and monthly rates but do impose strict guidelines for those who are staying long-term to keep the facility clean and not looking unkept. 

The Broken Bow Area offers beautiful unique attractions. If you like fishing, hiking,canoeing or trying something a little new this area is perfect. This park offers easy access to not only the outdoor features but also the nice Intown features such as restaurants making it a perfect place to stop if you’re in the area.

The only downside I could see to this campsite is that it is not as remote as some.    While it does provide great amenities and access points to everything around with easy pull ins for RV traffic, it does lack that in the woods feel that many other campsites provide.   You will be a little close to your neighbors here.

We camped at McGee Creek State Park over Memorial Day weekend. We camped at tent hill #3. The thing we really liked about this particular site was that there are only 4 tent sites here, so it’s secluded and nice and quiet. There is very little traffic driving by as well. What we didn’t like is that there is only a pit toilet and no water faucets. There is a real bathroom with a shower about a 10-15 minute walk away. The bathroom was pretty typical of a state park. There is an area that has some lake huts for rent as well. They don’t have bathrooms but the are heated/cooled.

There is another area about 1.5 miles away called Buster Height campground. This is where the swim beach and another boat dock is. There is also an RV area and a bunch of tent sites. Most of these tent sites are pretty small and crowded together. If you have a big tent or don’t like being near others, you might want to consider tent hill if it’s available.

On the other side of the lake (about a 25-30 minute drive) is the natural scenic recreation area. There are a ton of hiking trails that lead to backpacking campsites, equestrian camps and there are boat in sites as well.

Overall a pretty decent park but definitely not one of our favorites.

This is another great hidden away campground in the Caddo National Grasslands Wildlife Management Area. It is only 3 miles from Coffee Mill campground, but does not have the parking lot area for lake access. The camp features around 8-10 campsites; established fire rings and picnic tables at each. The toilets are pit toilets. As you can see in one of the photos there is this cool old fireplace, looks like a CCC build, just out in the middle of a sunny grassy area. It was overall a pleasant campground, my only concern would be the bugs if it is hot weather. The campground is close to the lake, and I can see mosquitoes being an issue in the summer.

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.