Best Glamping near Princeton, TX

PROS

 Good Sam discount 

Well maintained park 

Security gate closed at 6pm with code for entry 

Sites nicely spaced from next campsite 

Site 4 level concrete pad 

Very nice camp store 

Climate controlled toilet/shower facility in very clean condition 

Firewood vending machine 

Metal picnic table and fire ring with cooking grate 

Easy access check-in and roadways 

Free Sunday morning donuts 

Easy drive to George W. Bush Presidential Library

3 bars TMobile 

CONs 

Non-stop aircraft noise from DFW International 

Site 4 minimal shade 

After rain, our concrete parking site had retained water about 3 inches deep 

Utility pedestal had a huge dusk to dawn light that could not be switched off 

Dogs running throughout campground 

Campers left their dogs outside all night, barking 

Picnic table chained to concrete 

WIFI slow and not compatible with streaming

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.

I've been coming to this park since I was 12 or 13 years old and we would tent camp. The only things to do is fish and go swimming and the play ground is kind of sad. I came camping in 2009 when I got back from Iraq and it was very well maintained then either, just leaves piled up so high mosquitos and various other pests loved it. We brought our camper out this weekend after reading reviews and hearing about how updated it is and how great it is but it's still the same park it's always been. There was literally a camper across from us being stabilized with cinder blocks... we have a three year old and took him to the park to burn some energy and were quite disappointed (as well as our son). The equipment was the same equipment from when I was a kid and there's really not much more than swings, a slide, merry go round, and a see-saw type thing. We paid over $90 for three nights and ended up leaving a day before because there was just nothing to do. There was also someone walking around our camper the first night and I'm still not sure who it was 😲. We had a tree in the worst part of our site, we couldn't let our awning out hardly. If we moved up a little bit we couldn't use out outdoor kitchen, if we a lot we'd be lucky to use our connections. We ended up in one of the only spots that didn't have some kind of asphalt and it had been raining for two days, that was a load of fun also because the mud was thick and there were two mini lakes around us. The campsites at the state park we're further away then here and I would have preferred some distance to our "neighbors". The gentleman who led us to our site was polite at least and they did spray for ants around our camper. However, I doubt we'll go back unless they make some better changes.

One big issue with this park is the distance to the actual lake itself. You will need a cart or be ready for a hike to the beach area as it is quite a ways from the campground. that is an issue for us as my wife is disabled and needs a walker and we have no cart. But, lucky for us we were in the B section and decided one of the days we were there to attempt the picnic walk. Well worth it, even with a walker we managed to make it down to the waters edge within 15 minutes and its an easy gradual walk. Bring a picnic basket. tables to sit at or on the waters edge.

As for the rest of the camp, most amenities due to winter months and covid were shut down. Did see people enjoying the hot tub. The roads in many of these TT campground in the loop around Dallas do need attention so take your time going through them. We did need to use the laundry and they had ample enough machines and the basic price which was 1.50 and 1.75. The sites are nice, many shaded but snug not of other campers but trees. Some have fire pits, some do not. As with more and more campgrounds these days many annuals throughout the park.

First RV stay so this review is from the perspective of a family that has no experience with any RV Parks. 3 Stars is my starting point and as we stay at more campgrounds I would like to think that we will have a better understanding of what makes an RV stay "5 stars". This location is "first come/first serve" sites so for a beginner that can be a bit challenging. Working with Thousand Trails and the experience with that service was great. The road into and around the park was okay, there was room to drive around the entire park while looking for a spot. The spot's varied in size and there were no fire pits or grills provided by the park in the spots that we were able to see. The picnic tables have seen better days and i'm sure that is not uncommon. The 30 amp S/E/W hookups were clean and no issues with any service during the stay. There was not cable so TV was over the air antenna only. Cell coverage was fine during our stay. The park had activity areas but with COVID restrictions most were still unused. There is road to the lake that you can take to go to a small fishing pier and some rocky lake area access. The restrooms/showers were clean and the garbage bins were full but never overflowing with trash. There are multiple pools and the water appeared clear from a distance. Saw lot's of pet's and every size RV, there appeared to be quite a few long term RV sites. We would visit again since this is part of our Thousand Trails membership.

If you’re looking for somewhere off the grid that is truly primitive, then this is not the place for you. If you don’t mind other people nearby, then you may enjoy your time here. Great docks for fishing. Beautiful water views, if you camp next to the water. Tent camping sites with electrical hookups are piled next to each other pretty close, so if you’re getting a tent electrical site you had better not mind getting friendly with your neighbors. Also, when it rains some of the tent electrical camp sites fill with water. However, if this happens the front office is more than willing to work with you and give you a refund or switch your site. There is a lot of wildlife roaming around - lots of deer! The primitive camp sites by the docks that overlook the water are beautiful. There is a concrete slab, picnic table, and fire pit at each primitive site. If you want to throw up a hammock, some of the primitive sites have trees that are the perfect distance apart for that - but be aware some of these trees are covered in poison ivy! The primitive sites are all close by to other types of campers, so it is never quiet and you can hear people at all hours of the day/night for the most part. Where we stayed by the water, we were next to an RV site. The other primitive camping sites also seem to be near RV sites and electrical tent sites, according to the map. If you camp near the water, it is very windy, especially at night, so make sure to bring plenty of blankets! Are you ever really on your own here: no. Are there beautiful views: yes. Is it truly primitive: no. Will you be taken care of: yes. All sites are open, with no big trees or shrubs to give privacy. You can see your neighbors and they can see you, even at the primitive sites. It would be a good place to bring a family or children for sure. I will say, the customer service at the main office is outstanding. They have anything you could think of for sale there, which is a huge plus. It is highly likely that you won’t need to drive into town for anything. Workers drive around with trash bags every day to ensure everyone is disposing of trash properly, and will give you free trash bags if you don’t have any, which is nice. All in all it depends on what you’re looking for, whether you choose to come to this camping location or not. We enjoy going here just to get away from the house and enjoy the beauty of the lake/nature for a bit. Although, I do wish there was more privacy. Everything is too close together, in my opinion.

Overnighted here returning home from a longer trip. It was okay for what I was doing, but I would never choose to camp here as a destination as a tent camper.

Activities: looking at the lake, bringing a boat to put in the lake, fishing. Seemingly nothing else to do.

Accommodations: clearly geared towards RVers. Each of those sites have water, electricity, and a sewer connection, with a covered cement pad with a grill, a table, and other relevant features. The few tent camp sites were shoved seemingly randomly between and around the RV sites. At my particular site, the concrete pad and picnic table were cracked and seriously damaged, and few grill was rusty enough to be almost unusable. The fire pit and ground of the rest of the site were littered in bits of trash ranging from things like food wrappers, pieces of plastic hangers, and my personal favorite - a construction nail.

The only bright light of this camp experience for me? The bathrooms. Each bathroom ( 2 per building) was a single occupant bathroom with a locking door. In the bathroom was a sink, a toilet, a hand dryer, and a shower with two nozzles at different heights (tall and short). The appliances were stainless steel, and the bathrooms were clearly excellently maintained. The bathrooms also had automatic lighting, an exhaust fan, and what appeared to be a tiny space heater for colder months. The showers had hot water, and the drains in the floor were sufficient at getting all the excess water out of there quickly.

In summary, if you have an RV and/or a boat and love to do things on the water, this is probably a fine campground. If you are taking a tent, I'd avoid this campground.