Best Tent Camping near Ratcliff, TX

I was in site #122 in the Cenizo Loop ($16). The $10 water-only tent sites weren't reservable and I needed the assurance of a site with a later arrival planned.  I arrived at 5:02p and the office had closed but my name and site were posted on the board and the person who was there said I just needed to return in the morning by 9 to check-in.

This loop was~80% occupied. I appeared to be the only tent camper, the others were RVs, vans or trailers. The sites are close together and sounds from more than one neighbor were regular, but not too annoying (save for one younger parent riding through with a boom box playing). My particular site didn't seemed cramped because the back side was brush, but the cleared space for a tent was limited and required  shortening the guy wires. 

Restroom w/showers was just one site away and didn't cause any noise issues. The facilities were marginal but functional, didn't use the shower.

Overall I'd say this would be average expectations. Definitely recommend studying the maps to choose a site carefully depending on your own priorities.

We stayed here for 15 nights in February 2021. The park itself is beautiful. Walking trails, dirt trails you can drive your truck on to the lake and the lake is beautiful. The place is so clean and well maintained. There are deer, javelinas, buffalo and mountain lions that walk through your site and tons of birds to see. We were told it's a Fisherman's paradise. VERY busy on weekends with boaters. At the time we visited they were only allowing every other site to be occupied due to social distancing. It gave us tons of room between the pull through u-shaped sites. The sites well that's the problem. Sites 201-231 are sloped badly. If your rig is 20ft and under you probably won't have an issue. However, larger rigs beware. It was impossible for us to level our 40ft 5th wheel on our reserved site 230. Our drivers side wheels came off the ground and we had to abort auto leveling as the front jack's were fully extended and still trying to level. The staff is aware of the leveling issue and allowed us to park between 2 sites. (BTW the rangers are very nice and helpful.) We still needed blocks under a leveling jack and had to park our passenger side tires off the blacktop site on the dirt to level. Also, the narrow u-shaped sites are difficult to pull in and out of due to large wooden poles that protect the hookups on both sides of the site. When the park's at full capacity I can see large rigs really having issues. In fact one 5th wheel got caught on one of the poles and it had to be cut down to get the rig off of it.

There is no wifi available but our Verizon cell and hotspot worked great. The park is in the middle of nowhere. The closest stores are over 20 miles away. We like being away from things so we didn't mind.

The wind really picked up as I drove into this part of Texas, gusting to 15 miles an hour. I had reserved a campsite but asked if I could switch to a shelter for the 3 nights I was there. Once again, the Ranger could not have been more accommodating. Birding on the lake was excellent as was the demonstration garden designed to attract birds and butterflies. Thanks to the camp hosts who kept the feeders stocked. The shelters were full over the week-end with lots of families but it was very quiet at night. The showers were clean and hot water was plentiful.

I don't understand why people put 3 stars for this park. I thought it was great. The camping spots were super clean. All the pads are pull through. They can accommodate different size campers. The pads are well maintained and new. Each spot has a covered pavilion. I was able to pick up TV signal here. The bathrooms were clean and maintained. I had 4G network with T-Mobile. The service is iffy kind of in and out. Spots #222 and #223 are directly across from the Wi-Fi extender. And you'll have 5 bars. The other spots near the restrooms. The Wi-Fi is okay, but not great. The 2 spots that I took pictures of with their numbers are the best spots if you want Wi-Fi.

I really enjoyed my stay at this campsite with my family. We actually came here on our Spring Break when we were in high school. We decided to come here because it wasn't a very long drive from home, and we knew there was some good hiking nearby. Located in Pharr Texas, the park is surrounded my beautiful citrus groves. You literally feel like you are in a desert oasis. Our favorite part is that it is located very close to the Rio Grande Valley. There are so many great attractions and places to do outdoor activities. If you want to head to the water you can drive an hour away and hit the Gulf of Mexico. We did this the second day we stayed here and it was so much fun, i would highly recommend doing this!! My mom and I also went shopping nearby- there is a great mall and shopping area close. The RV park was good. Water and electrical hookups, and enough room between sites which we like. Clean restrooms and area.