Best Tent Camping near Sam Houston National Forest

You’ll find Huntsville State Park six miles southwest of Huntsville, TX in Walker County in the Sam Houston National Forest. Huntsville State Park has over 20 miles of trails to explore along with a pretty great lake to fish, paddle or swim. Fish for crappie, perch, catfish, or bass. Lake Raven also has a boat ramp, fishing piers, and fish cleaning stations. Bring your own canoe or rent one from the little supply store. The supply store also has miscellaneous supplies and bait for purchase.

Campsites are spaced modestly except those in the full hookup loop. If you are looking for full hookups, book in advanced as those are in high demand at this location. All sites have a two-day minimum on Friday and Saturday.

Available sites:

• Full hookup campsites - pull-through, picnic table, fire ring, water hookup, lantern post, restrooms & showers nearby 20/30/50-amp hookup
• Electric sites - picnic table, fire ring, water hookup, lantern post, restrooms & showers nearby 20/30/50-amp electric hook up
• Campsites with water - picnic table, fire ring, water hookup, lantern post, & restrooms & showers nearby

Pros 

Senior pass discount 

Quick check-in( in fact, we were still backing into our site) by camp host who delivered vehicle pass 

Asphalt parking pad surrounded by grass 

Non moveable metal frame wooden picnic table on an oversized concrete slab 

Metal fire ring with cooking grate 

Lantern pole 

Shady site #4 

Spacious area between campsites 

Quiet 

Good night sky viewing as there are no street lights in park and shower/toilet facility had minimum lighting 

Cons 

Campers ignore basic rules/courtesy such as keeping dogs on leash and letting children run thru everyone’s campsites 

Entrance gate unmanned (closed) 24/7) so lots of“drive-by” gawkers in the campground Non campers consistently showered in the campground showers facility

Gates to campground not locked overnight 

TP not available in women's restroom SWEETGUM most of the 2 nights of our stay 

No security drive-throughs by park staff 

Unlevel parking pad Site #4 

No privacy from any other campers as there is absolutely no brush/vegetation between sites 

No firewood for sale in park 

Non-climate controlled shower/toilet building, but did have a box fan sitting on the floor running, but he was a sweat box in that facility!

Site picnic table at the rear of the site and it was anchored to the concrete pad 

No WiFi 

1 bar Verizon

There are 29 campsites which include a tent pad, picnic table, and a trash pole. Water is available throighout the camp ground. The campground has two public bath houses with hot showers. It is well maintained by volunteer hosts working with the Sam Houston National Forest. The Lone Star Hiking Trail connects at the south side of the park. The east side of the park borders Stubblefield Lake. The adjacent Sam Houston National Foredt offers hunting, Trails for ATV, horse back. and motorcyle use. There no RV hook ups. Spaces will accomodate RV up tp 20 Ft in length, but they must be self contained. No reservations are allowed; first come only.

Sam Houston National Forest is my absolute favorite. There is so much to do there, plus the longest foot trail in Texas (Lone Star trail) resides here. This campsite is located on the Eastern side of the forest and it very close to the Eastern Terminus of the Lone Star trail ( trailhead #15).

Double Lake is the campsite that has it all. Plus there is a lake, or two, where you can fish, boat, and swim. There are lots of bike and hiking trails, along with off roading vehicle trails. The scenery is amazing. I love to go hiking early in the morning as all of the wildlife begins to rise. The sounds and views are some of the best in the state.

The facilities are kept very clean and the staff is always to kind and helpful. Some of the trails were closed the last time I visited but the park rangers were very helpful in helping me navigate. There are tent sites, group tent sites and RV sites available to reserve, which you can easily reserve online. My favorite tent site, that I try to get every time is site # 28. It is easily accessible, off by itself, and still close enough to the bathrooms. I like it because it has quite a bit of room, lots of tree cover ( which is nice when it rains, or in the summer) and it has some character to it.

There is a ranger station at the entrance of this site, but be aware they are closed on the weekend. They have a little drop box and fill out sheet is you come on the weekends, but make sure to download a map of the trails and park beforehand, because the maps are never stocked and there likely won't be one. If you don't have one, there is usually a ranger driving around on a golf cart you can ask.

Make sure you hike the double lake trail. It is about 9 miles long with a very easy footpath, but the views and stillness of the forest make it worth it. The trailhead is between the lake and bathrooms after entering, but be aware it is also a bike trail and can get muddy after a good rail.

There is a fee to enter. If you have a National Park pass it is free and it is twenty dollars a night. Please visit this park!!

My wife, son, and I arrived around 9pm on a Saturday because two other Sam Houston National Forest campgrounds we intended to stay at were already full. Since it was after hours we were skeptical that we would actually find a spot out of the 5 available but thankfully there was 1 spot left #2, in between two other campers who had obviously been there all day. Water on site for each camper, and electricity, two benches around a firepit, and a picnic table. We arrived after hours and were not given a bathroom code so that was an issue and not ideal, but all else was ok. We left by 9am.

Just finished another camping trip to Cagle Recreation Area in the Sam Houston National forest.  It was pretty chilly in the beginning of March, but we camped during the week when all the weekenders had left, and there were only a handful of campers there.  So peaceful and serene.  Lots of clearly marked trails to hike.  The campsites are so spacious, with full hookups.  Our site was sloped a bit so had to use 9 leveling blocks.  All sites have asphalt pads and are kept clean.  The hosts gave us some firewood to make a fire in the pit, and we got to roast some hot dogs.  Camped in Sycamore Loop, which is the campground loop closest to the boat ramp.  Great views of Lake Conroe, and I'm told there is great fishing here.  We walked miles and miles on the trails and just enjoyed the beauty.  Saw a bald eagle, which was an awesome experience.  The bathhouse was cleaned daily and was always well stocked.  Sites are very large, so social distancing is no problem.  Cagle is one of my favorite places to camp!