Looking for an adventure where you can explore San Saba and then fall asleep in your tent? Find the best information on tent camping near San Saba, including sites, reviews, and tips for getting the most out of your camping experience. Search nearby tent campgrounds or find top-rated spots from other campers.
Colorado Bend State Park is one of central Texas’s most popular destinations. Two hours northwest of Austin, this park offers cave tours, river recreation, and over 35 miles of hike and bike trails. Visit in the off-season and enjoy a break from the intense Texas heat or take a dip in the cool, clear waters of Spicewood Springs for a refresher on warmer days. Texas’s tallest waterfall, Gorman Falls, is the prime attraction for visitors of Colorado Bend State Park. This 70-foot marvel can be reached from a moderate 3-mile hike where you can enjoy cool mist from the spring-fed waters upon your arrival. There are 15 drive in campsites at Colorado Bend where you can park RVs up to 30 feet, though the rest require some extra work to reach. 28 walk-in campsites can be found in the main campground, as can two primitive group campsites near the river. Looking for even more rugged seclusion? Hike to the Backcountry Windmill area where you will find designated backcountry sites just a mile from the trailhead. Every camper will find what they need at Colorado Bend State Park.
Sites #1-29 are only for tents, and are along the riverbank. You must carry your gear about 50 yards. Water is in the area, but not at each site. Picnic table Fire ring Water nearby Lantern post Restrooms nearby
$13 - $23 / night
$14 - $24 / night
This is a backcountry wilderness, low-impact, limited footprint camping area. It is not a group camp area. All tents must be in the boundary of the sites, with only four people per site. Camping outside the designated area is prohibited. Campsites are one mile from the Windmill Trailhead, but you can park at any trailhead in the park to customize your hike. The Windmill Backpack Area is five miles from the river and the main campground. No water or toilets are available in this area. No open fires are allowed, but you may use containerized fuel stoves for cooking. Carry out all trash and dispose of it properly.
$10 / night
Moss Lake (eight sites) and Walnut Springs (12 sites) are a 1 to 3 mile hike over rugged terrain. We charge an excess vehicle fee of $6 per car, per night, for each vehicle over two per campsite. No ash-producing fires are permitted in this area. You may use containerized fuel stoves that can be turned off for cooking. Minors (under 17) who are not camping with a sponsored group must provide a written consent form to stay overnight. No hammocks allowed in primitive camping areas.
Magical, Mystical, Enchanted Climb the ancient dome for amazing Hill Country views.
The massive pink granite dome rising above Central Texas has drawn people for thousands of years. But there’s more at Enchanted Rock State Natural Area than just the dome. The scenery, rock formations and legends are magical, too!
Things to Do You can hike, backpack, camp, rock climb, picnic, bird, study nature, geocache and stargaze. (You cannot swim here or ride bikes on the trails.)
Hiking Explore nearly 11 miles of hiking trails. Take a virtual tour with our Interactive Trails Map.
All trails close 30 minutes after sunset, except the Loop Trail. The Summit Trail may close in wet weather. Check our trail status here or visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed. Rock Climbing Rock climbers must check in at park headquarters. You can pick up route maps there and read the climbing rules. Read through our Climbing Information before you come.
Pets To protect this Natural Area, pets are only allowed in the designated day-use picnic areas, the campgrounds, and on the Loop Trail (pets are not allowed on any other trail). Don't leave pets unattended, including in vehicles and at campsites, and keep them on a leash no longer than six feet at all times.
Shopping Our park store carries some gift items. You can buy wood for campfires at the park. Please bring your own drinking water, as it is in short supply due to the ongoing drought.
Get involved Enchanted Rock needs your help! We will match your abilities to our many needs. You might guide a group to the summit, lead a tour of the loop trail, provide information to park visitors, or help maintain park facilities. Visit our Volunteer page to learn more.
Join or donate to the Friends of Enchanted Rock.
Outfitters and guide services The following guides lead rock climbing tours at Enchanted Rock:
Austin Ascents, austinascents@gmail.com Outpost Wilderness Adventure, info@owa.com Rock-About Climbing Adventures, Adam@Rock-About.com Texas Climbing Adventures, info@texasclimbingadventures.com Ranger Programs Enjoy a star party or a nature hike led by a park ranger, or contact the park for special tours for your group.
Check our Events page for upcoming programs. Become a Junior Ranger! Pick up a Junior Ranger Activity Guide and borrow an explorer pack. Email us to schedule a school or youth group tour. Connect with us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Area Attractions Visit Fredericksburg for a taste of German culture in the Texas Hill Country. There you can shop, dine, visit museums and find outdoor activities. Stop by Llano, known as the “Deer Capital of Texas,” for museums, music and more.
President Lyndon B. Johnson was born near Johnson City. Learn about this colorful Texan at the Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park. Tour the Texas White House and Johnson’s boyhood home. The Lyndon B. Johnson State Park and Historic Site and the Sauer-Beckmann living history farm are nearby.
Drive the Peach Loop, one of TPWD’s Great Texas Wildlife Trails. It will lead you to some of the best wildlife observation points in this area.
$10 / night
This is a backcountry wilderness, low-impact, limited footprint camping area. It is not a group camp area. All tents must be in the boundary of the sites, with only four people per site. Camping outside the designated area is prohibited. Campsites are one mile from the Windmill Trailhead, but you can park at any trailhead in the park to customize your hike. The Windmill Backpack Area is five miles from the river and the main campground. No water or toilets are available in this area. No open fires are allowed, but you may use containerized fuel stoves for cooking. Carry out all trash and dispose of it properly.
$10 / night
Guide
My son and I tent camped at Enchanted Rock and we had a blast. We hiked continuously through the weekend. The high dome was hard but the perimeter trails and smaller dome were so fun. Rock climbing, caves and other fun activities. Texas classic.
Guide
But there are two large smokers. Public bathrooms and showers. Can easily walk down to the river for floating or fishing. These tent sites are not very private or dispersed so keep that in mind. Everything was fairly clean. There was a large public pool and a basketball court but we didn’t get a chance to check them out and use them. We had a nice view of the golf course from our tent site.
Traveler
First time camping there. It a smaller but super cute area for tent camping. Friendly and well taken care of camp area. Easy access to the water.
Guide
I’ve stayed here lots of times in tent sites, RV sites, and the cabins. I like them all and especially love the hikes and swimming.
Scout
We have been camping here for years. We love going to the observatory at night. The tent sites are spacious with giant oaks for shade. A lot of sites with lake access.
Guide
Not too bad for a City operated RV Park. It was quiet at night although the flood lights were a little annoying. My electricity did not work but they fixed it quickly. I thought it was $20 a night, but it turns out Friday and Saturday nights are $40 each. Bathroom was clean. The City of San Saba is very nice.
Guide
At this state park you can tent camp along side the river. There are some aweso.e trails and one that leads to a water fall. You can fish, kayak, hike, or just sit by a camp fire and relax. There are no showers and the toilets are all compostible toilets but not bad.
GuideGreen grass, well spaced concrete pads, and large pecan trees right along the San Saba river. There are full hookups and cable tv. The office is confusing and is down at the golf course office. (Avoid parking in the spaces up against the river and under the pecan trees. A couple of large branches fell on and next to us causing us to move the first night.
GuideCamped here this weekend and it was enjoyable! Plenty of amenities, including restrooms with showers, a general store, and firewood vending machines (which were all empty, but still cool!)
Tent camping lot was near the restrooms but booked too late to be on the water. Staff was friendly and helpful! Definitely planning to return.
Guide
I car camped here while passing through TX in a tent site, and I found the peninsula-like campground gorgeous! Lake views, deer, and a well-kept bathhouse just feet away. Spots are close together with few trees around, although few others were around.
GuideTent Camped 28JUL, 1 night. Even at half capacity the park was humming. Camp store/marina onsite. Got 10 miles of hikes in as well as a great sunset and sunrise (all from the fishing pier. Site 224 had amazing trees and was close to the bathrooms & the Devil’s watering hole without feeling cramped. Definitely camping here again this fall.
Guide
I go camping here every year! Its pretty hard to get a walk in tent site on the weekends so book way in advance. The sites are always clean the bathrooms are great. The walk in sites have easy access to the small dome for an easy evening hike.
RangerI have gone tent camping a number of times at Ink's Lake. The campsites have always been of a good size with a fire ring, water, and bathrooms a short walk away.
I have often seen deer in the morning by my tent.
The hiking trails are ok. The best one is probably near the Devil's Watering Hole where you see waterfalls.
Swimming is great and there is a place near the Watering Hole where you can jump off rocks into deep water.
All in all, it's a great place to go to.
GuideIt's a nice property to explore. There's a lot of camp sites here, both for RV and primative tent camping. In fact we liked the primative sites better just for the inclusive nature surroundings. The campground is right on a bend of the colorado river and it's good for swimming, fishing, floating, etc. The bathrooms aren't the cleanest and the electric service would flicker at times. We did have a nice time. I wish the RV area had more trees.
Traveler
This place is inexpensive, but you get what you pay for. Primitive camping, but they do have a community bathroom and showers. They usually have wood for sale if you want to build a fire. Beware of stickers and ants. They are abundant. There are no designated tent camping spots. Just find a place you like and put your camp there. It’s kind of like camping on a ranch pasture minus the cattle. Also, the location marked on the Dyrt map is incorrect. Oxford Ranch is south of Llano on Hwy 16, not north.
Guide
It’s not super private and there are only 2 bathrooms (one men’s and one women’s) serving the entire site and the shower is inside the bathroom so if someone is showering you may be waiting quite awhile to be able to potty. The site was clean and each tent site came with some extra tables and chairs and a picnic table. Had a grill and a fire pit at ours. Dumpster available so you don’t have to take all your trash with you.
TravelerIf it’s family time you are searching for or just somewhere to get away. This is a good place to go. Although some tent sites had views of their neighbors, they were still far enough apart to have privacy and they were very well kept up with and clean.The port a potties were not very clean but the bathrooms and showers were very clean and private. The view of the wildflowers was amazing, the lake was refreshing and we got to see a Bald Eagle along with the Golden Cheek Warbler and Black Vireo! Plus we were able to enjoy the dark sky at their observatory and then from our tent!
Legend
This is a private campground that has tent camping, car camping and RV camping. It is open to both individuals and groups. It is an excellent venue for large group events. There are some 250+ primitive campsites and a communal restroom with toilets and showers. There are a few RV sites with water and electricity hookups, but no sewage.
The campground has some nice facilities. There is a large outdoor pavilion with tables and a kitchen. The terrain itself is typical Texas Hill Country. There are not any dramatic terrain features at the sight like mountains, rivers, waterfalls or expansive forests. The real attraction of this campground lies in the opportunity to pursue a number of outdoor activities. The terrain is great for hiking, trail running, mountain biking and obstacle racing. One can paddle in the pond and even scuba dive in the nearby quarry lake.
RangerNice RV sites and CCC built cabins on a relatively low traffic lake. There are many stone works from the CCC including benches and tables at some sites. We stayed in the Comanche trails loop which is part RV sites and part tent sites. I really liked it, compared to the other 2 RV loops we saw. There are some medium length hiking trails with lots of deer, feral hogs, snakes, skunks, raccoons, armadillo and more to see. The lake has a nice grassy shaded swimming area. We saw plenty of people fishing. Overall a very nice park that I'd visit again.
Ranger
We found this place by accident. It's a city park that has rodeos or something. So they have a lot of "agritourism" stuff around. There are two rings of RVs spots. They have full hookups and cost $30 a night. Free and amazing wifi. Laundry is 1.50 to wash and 1.50 to dry. Showers. They claim $5 for non-camper showers and $25 for non-camping dumping. It's all a pay box though so….
We stayed in the tent only section. We were very impressed. This section is in the far back of the park, closest to the nature trail. It's a large area to accommodate a lot of tents but there are only 3 electricity poles. All tent sites are only$10/night even if you use electricity. The bathrooms have 3 stalls and a couple showers. Very spacious considering. We camped during the winter and were the only tent campers. They have a baseball field and other things through the back end of the park so you do have some local kid traffic. But it was mostly quiet. Lots and lots of deer.
The camp host is in the first ring across from the laundry so you are the furthest away in the tent sites. That being said, they came by a couple times to check on us while we were unpacking and hanging out outside the tent. Seemed very nice.
There is a rundown playground in the main park and there is a newer playground in the middle of the baseball fields. We were here for a week with a 3 year old and we stayed mostly on the property.
Security wise- there are streetlights on everywhere. I don't know if they are on all night(it's possible…we go to bed at 9pm) so you won't have a true"camping" experience of star gazing but you can peek out your tent if needed. Just make sure you have darkrest or something so the lights don't keep you up.
Cleanliness- it was not busy at all so I can't attest to how it is when it is busy but I don't think I saw a single piece of trash anywhere. Each bathroom stall had clean trashcans with empty bags. And there are lots of trash cans throughout the park and people seemed to use them.
Sheriff Visit - I wasn't offended at all by this but it's worth noting that someone called the police because they were concerned about us. I'm guessing they saw my 3 year old and thought we might be homeless?? Anyway, a very nice Sheriff came by our tent and asked us if we needed help. It was I can only imagine a very typical welfare visit. He asked questions about heat so I pointed out the electricity poles. So if nothing else, you have some nosey people that might be worried enough to call the cops to check on you if you use the tent sites.
GuideI liked this site a lot. Usually the tent sites are cramped and not a lot of spare space but this place had plenty of space for all our gear around the site. There are two docks within walking distance and a little bird watching spot that was nice to have. I wasn't from the area so I got to see bird species that aren't usually up north with me. It was a fun time. We spent 2 nights there fishing and hiking and I would go back if I had the chance. There was water, electricity and a pretty nice bathroom set up. It was worth the stay.
TravelerTent camping is all they offer here I believe. I went on solo weekend camp out and really enjoyed it. The grounds are nice. You are not allowed to hang anything from trees which is a bummer. You can hang things from the awnings but not every site has one. Keep that in mind is you plan on sleeping in a hammock. It was June so the mid-upper 90s are the norm. I woke up and hiked up Enchanted Rock for sunrise to avoid the heat and crowd. I was the only one up there! The rock itself is steep so good shoes are a must. The loop around is mostly flat and a nice mid morning/evening hike (summer). Most of the trails are in the sun so wear sunscreen and bring water! The weekends get very busy with day hikers so come early.
RangerWe came to this park with the plan of floating in the water for a few hours, showering, then hiking to a backcountry/primitive tent site. Water was great - ventured out at the furthest cove you can get to from the park water access and walked around and saw a water moccasin! Showers were fine (couldn't get the warm water to work but not a huge deal).
The walk to our primitive site was fun and challenging - rockier than expected and it was a welcome sight to us. We also got to see some deer! The site itself was amazing. Great shade coverage (site D Pecan Flats Trail), and had a raccoon visitor who we caught red handed trying to sneak up on us! the day was warm but still got a bit chilly in the evening (October). Overall, great water activities and camping!
TravelerThis campground had all types of camping, from family style tent sites, group campground, an RV park, and for the glampers a nice resort all on the same property. We took our Girl Scout troop and did a family end of year campout with a lot of first time campers. There was an outdoor movie and s'mores night. They have a professional observatory with two telescopes and an astronomer giving lessons. We are now considering trying to plan a stargazing sleepover. The naturalist on staff gave fishing lessons to the kids, had a craft for them to do and talked about the native flowers. We were able to rent kayaks to take out into the lake. The lake was gorgeous. The bonus for everyone was the naturalist who had the reptile exhibit. Watching them handle the snakes was a fun way to learn which ones were safe and which ones to avoid. The girls are already asking to camp here in the fall and learn some more about camping.
TravelerWe stayed at Inks Lake State Park Primitive campsites. We could hear our camping neighbors on both sides and the road traffic more than we would have liked. But I still gave it 4 stars because the campsites were huge and perfect for multi-tent camping. It was a fun little hike out there. We actually used our mt. bikes to move back and fourth, which isn't forbidden but just advised against, so its fair game. Another bummer on the hike is you have to cross a MAJOR road...I find this odd and dangerous. So in the morning we just parked in the small day lot to pack up our stuff instead of trekking it all the way out. The main part of the lake was so crowded but our primitive campsite was wayyy less crowds and at moments completely still! There has been a somewhat recent fire in the field across from the campsites which means all the trees are gone and makes for a beautiful meadow filled with flowers and honeybees. It was gorgeous we watched the sky turn to night there. I would recommend this site but probably not in late may, better in winter or fall.
RangerThis is a beautiful green park with tons of waterfalls, hiking trails, swimming, and nature. You can hire a rafting trip from nearby and join a ranger hike to the caves too. The campground is nice and simple but all the sites are wonderfully close to the river. If you choose a walk-to tenting site you can be right next to the river. There’s also a backpacking area a few miles down one of the hiking trails. This is a great park to enjoy nature. Not sure if there are hot springs, but the swimming is fed by springs.
LegendI would rate this park 3.5 out of 5 stars. The park has a variety of facilities which earns it a 4 star rating. But the quality of the facilities only earns it a 3 star rating. So it averages out to 3.5 in my opinion.
Lake Brownwood State Park is pretty much located in the center of Texas. However, it is a bit of a drive from many of the major cities like Houston, San Antonio, Austin and Dallas. It is fairly convenient to reach from Abilene and San Angelo. If you need to pick up camping supplies there are grocery stores and sporting good stores in the nearby town of Brownwood.
The main attraction of the park is that it is situated on the shores of Lake Brownwood. There are ample opportunities to take advantage of lakeside activities like swimming, boating and fishing. There are a variety of camping options with tent sites, cabana sites and RV sites. At most of the sites there are nice oak trees that provide shade and can support a hammock. Note that Texas State Parks require 2 inch suspension straps when hanging a hammock. There are boat ramps, fishing piers and a loop hiking trail. The hiking trail is a loop trail, fairly level, but I would say moderately interesting. The real attraction of this park is the lake.
Some of the facilities such as the restrooms and the cabanas are a bit dated and could benefit from an update. The staff was very friendly when I visited. And the other campers were respectful.
I would like to say that I visited the park during a weekday when the park had few visitors. However, I've heard that on the weekend the park fills up quickly and can be quite busy.
Tent camping near San Saba, Texas, offers a blend of scenic beauty and outdoor adventure, making it an ideal getaway for nature enthusiasts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near San Saba, TX?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near San Saba, TX is Colorado Bend State Park Campground with a 4.3-star rating from 32 reviews.
What is the best site to find tent camping near San Saba, TX?
TheDyrt.com has all 8 tent camping locations near San Saba, TX, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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