Best Tent Camping near Shepherd, TX

Tent campsites in the Sam Houston National Forest region near Shepherd, Texas offer a mix of established campgrounds and primitive backcountry options. Huntsville State Park Campground, located approximately 30 miles west of Shepherd, provides dedicated tent camping areas with water access and shaded sites. Lake Niederhoffer Campsite offers a more secluded tent camping experience within the national forest, requiring a short hike to reach the lakeside camping area.

Most tent campgrounds in the Shepherd area feature basic amenities with varying levels of development. Huntsville State Park provides water hookups at tent sites, picnic tables, fire rings, and access to restrooms with showers. The sites are generally well-maintained with good drainage, though some are situated on slight inclines which can be challenging during heavy rainfall. Lake Niederhoffer Campsite offers a more primitive tent camping experience with no facilities, requiring campers to pack in all supplies and water. The access involves a 1-2 mile hike on forest service roads, making it suitable for those seeking a more remote experience.

The tent camping experience near Shepherd provides opportunities to enjoy the East Texas piney woods ecosystem. Sites at Huntsville State Park are surrounded by tall pine trees offering ample shade, while the nearby lake provides fishing, paddling, and swimming opportunities. Wildlife sightings are common, with visitors reporting raccoons, various birds, and even alligators in the lake areas. Lake Niederhoffer offers a more secluded backcountry camping experience with fewer crowds and more solitude. According to one visitor, "The lake was clear and whether or not it was a good idea, we swam in it. The trees were nice to get lost in and the nature sounds at night were pleasant." Another camper noted that "plenty of spots around the lake" are available for setting up tents, making it a flexible option for groups seeking primitive tent setups.

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Best Tent Sites Near Shepherd, Texas (9)

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Tent Camping Reviews near Shepherd, TX

333 Reviews of 9 Shepherd Campgrounds


  • Napunani
    Jun. 22, 2022

    Cagle Recreation Area

    Quiet

    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

  • Elliott B.
    Sep. 29, 2016

    Stubblefield Lake Recreation Area

    Great sites, great access to Lake Conroe

    These are some great tent/trailer (small RV) only sites with no hookups (both deterring the giant RVs). You have nice open sites with pads under the tree cover with your standard table and fire ring but you then also have access to potable drinking water and flush restrooms and actually some showers. Easy access to the lake and lots of trails.

  • Fred S.The Dyrt PRO User
    Apr. 28, 2022

    Stubblefield Lake Recreation Area

    Really nice, wooded campsites

    Old campground, nicely maintained. Wooded; big pines. Two restroom/showerhouses; old, but clean. Camped for 2 nights in a camper van at site #24. It was a very large site surrounded on 3 sides by a thick forest of trees & shrubs. Private. Water faucet on site. No electric. The Lone Star Hiking Trail conveniently located in the campground. Nice hike through a thick forest. Canpground road & campsite driveways are paved. Sites have tent pads & appear pretty much level. Sites have a table, fire ring & lantern poll. The road toward the campground is paved, but broken up in places with several potholes. AT&T service is okay, but no T-Mobile service. This campground is great for tent campers, campervans, car campers & truck campers. I don't recommend this campground for large RVs.

  • Napunani
    Jun. 7, 2021

    Lake Livingston State Park Campground

    One of Our Favorites

    We arrived 151 days after making our on-line reservations for the very busy Memorial Day weekend in Piney Shore Loop campground. This was our fourth camping adventure at Lake Livingston State Park in the Piney Shore Loop. 

    Pros EXTREMELY quiet during the Memorial Day weekend. Even tho not backed up to 

    lake, nice view of lake from Site#55. Double concrete pad as it is an accessible campsite. Very level concrete pad; no need to do any type of leveling. Nice early morning shade onto Site#55 Very good privacy from neighbor Site#54 and Site behind#48 Park ranger drive-thru about every four hours Restroom/showers good working condition, clean, ample hand soap and toilet paper. Recently paved park roads very nice upgrade Mosquitoes were drawn to those who strung lots of lights throughout their site, so many did not use those lights which resulted in good dark conditions for night sky viewing. 1-2 bars AT&T cell service. Lowes, Walmart and small HEB close by n the town of Livingston Cons. Campers requiring mobility assistance may find this campsite very challenging, even tho it does have a double wide concrete pad. Site#55 labeled as accessible but is very accessible unfriendly as it is not close to campground toilet shower facilities, fire ring is up a gravel hill on driver side of camper. Piney Shore Loop sewer hook up required 20 feet of stinky slinky. No privacy from Site#56. No privacy from the campground road. Picnic table in mud hole nearly the size of the table and very unleveled with one end higher than the other end. Unable to move picnic table as it is chained to concrete pylon. Picnic table not wheelchair accessible. No afternoon-to-evening shade what-so-ever. Site#56 campers permitted their dog to run without a leash. No park WIFI

  • GoWhereYouAreDraw N.The Dyrt PRO User
    Apr. 30, 2019

    Huntsville State Park Campground

    What you'll need to know....

    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
  • Sarah M.
    Jun. 27, 2016

    Huntsville State Park Campground

    Beautiful Piney Woods Campground

    We went Thursday - Saturday, and will go again during the week to avoid crowds.
    The check-in process is a bit troublesome if you're picky about getting a good tent site- you can't reserve specific sites ahead of time. Also, your visit will cost you more than listed on the website because they charge entrance fees for each person on top of the campsite rental. That was an unpleasant surprise. The only other unpleasant surprise is that the campground store is closed on Thursdays. Lesson learned- bring your own Snickers!
    However, the scenery, quietness, and availability of rental boats was wonderful. We camped in tent site #70, and I would grab that one again in a heartbeat. The 70's sites have water access and beautiful views, and are generous with their square footage. Plenty of trees down there to hang hammocks and clotheslines on, and more than one flat spot for tents on each site.
    I normally would not devote a whole paragraph to restrooms at a state park, but I will this time. These were the CLEANEST restrooms I've ever seen at a state park, and the most updated. The stalls had modern dividers, the toilets all had clean, functional seats, the showers had separate bench areas with lots of hooks, plus normal faucets you could just turn on once (as opposed to having to push a button every minute), and the sinks also had great faucets with good pressure and reliable water temperatures. Very easy to use.
    All our issues with this park were related to unexpected costs and logistics, but the park facilities were fabulous. We will definitely be back!

  • A
    Feb. 10, 2021

    Stubblefield Lake Recreation Area

    Very quiet here in the Sam Houston National Forest!

    28 campsites! Not too close together either! They fixed the water spigots throughout the camp just recently. Bathrooms get cleaned daily, super clean during the week, but gets crowded on weekends. So bathrooms get kinda overused. The showers are hot! Many places have luke warm, but they turn up the heat here which is great. New host Robert is cool AF. Nice guy, doesn't bother anyone who isn't being a nuecince. Walker County has many fire bans, so check before you head out. First come first serve. No reservations. Gets overcrowded on weekends. Fishing, kayaking, the LSHT ( Lone Star Hiking Trail), all are great fun. Dogs are welcome , but forest workers come regularly, like 2xs a day drive by to check if people got them on leash. Alcohol permitted, but not publicly. Only on your site. Verizon service is great here! Sprint sucks. Att was marginally working. You may stay up to 14 days at a time here. I actually love it here, been back 5 times! $15 a night, if you have Americas Beautiful Pass, its half off! $7.50 a night folks! Pass is $80 annually online at National Forest. Just Google it.

  • Napunani
    Nov. 18, 2021

    Cagle Recreation Area

    Night Sky Friendly

    Reserved 183 days prior to arrival. 

    PROS 

    Quiet even on Halloween weekend except for road noise from FM1375 

    Night sky friendly. NO STREET LIGHTS in Campground! 

    Two FHU Campgrounds. Sweet Gum with 19 sites and Sycamore with 28 sites. 

    Metal picnic table 

    Cooking grill on metal fire ring 

    Site level and asphault parking pad in good condition 

    Friendly camp host who came directly to site on our second day for our check-in 

    Not charged a fee to make my own on-line reservation 

    Campsite discount with America the Beautiful Pass 

    CONS 

    Campsite water hook-up sprayed water everywhere. Even tried using plumber Teflon tape that didn’t even reduce the large spray. Talked to camp host about it and he just laughed and agreed it was needing some repairs, but no one ever came by and it sprayed like that for 4 nights! We had quite a large puddle.

    Security gates are NOT closed overnight

    Extra high sided campfire ring

    No privacy from any other campsites

    Toilet/shower facility without temperature control

    4 Camp Hosts for 47 campsites. Sweet Gum Loop #11 Camp Host site packed to the max with all kinds of stuff that isn’t seen at other Camp Host sites. Definitely hording homesteaders.

    Only park amenity is boat ramp for Lake Conroe.

    No swimming is permitted.

    Never saw any park rangers or park security driving through campground Wildlife sightings of grey squirrels

    Zero to 1 bar AT&T

    No park Wifi

  • Daniel L.
    Jul. 8, 2022

    Cagle Recreation Area

    Nice... But.

    Summary: Nice small older park with mature trees & two loops. Sweetgum and sycamore. We stayed in the sycamore loop site #28. Sycamore loop has a boat ramp on the southern end as this park is on lake Conroe. Pros: IMO there is allot to like at this quiet park. Shade, mature trees, most sites had adequate space between them, full hook-ups,30 & 50 amp, newer style fire rings with adjustable grates to cook on. Although there was a fire ban when we went. Access to the lake if you like to boat or fish. Grounds were well kept up while there, no stickers in the grassy areas of you have pets or little ones. I hate if we go somewhere and there are thorns in our dogs feet when we walk them, that is no fun but not here. OHV area trail head with miles of trails are minutes away.

    Cons: Our site was really off level side to side. We have auto leveling and it wouldn't work it was so far out of level. We had to manually do it. Side to side isn't fun. Front to back is much easier to set up. So I would say bring leveling blocks or boards with you in case you need them. Be prepared. Also as with any park sites rig size vary as to what can fit where. So my advice is to go visit it and pick which one you think you'd fit into best and mark it down for when you want to go. Some sites I couldn't fit into. And no pull-thrus if that's your thing. Sewer hookup on some we're a ways away so bring an extra hose. Mine was close but I seen others that needed 3 hoses. I always carry two 10 footers and one 15 footer. No swimming area for the kids. No fishing pier. Fishing access is not great at the campground. Huntsville 20 miles away for supplies, food, etc. No store close by. Hope that helps.


Guide to Shepherd

Tent camping near Shepherd, Texas offers a blend of serene nature and convenient access to local attractions, making it an ideal getaway for outdoor enthusiasts.

Tips for tent camping near Shepherd

  • For a cozy experience, consider staying at Big City Little Farm, where you can enjoy a beautiful night sky and a welcoming atmosphere with farm animals nearby.
  • If you're looking for a quiet retreat, Lake Niederhoffer Campsite provides a serene environment with emerald waters, perfect for swimming and relaxation.
  • Don’t forget to bring your hiking gear when visiting Hoot Owl Campground, which is close to scenic trails and offers a friendly atmosphere.

Local activities for tent campers

  • Enjoy a day of fishing and hiking at Huntsville State Park Campground, where you can explore beautiful trails and unwind by the water.
  • Experience the tranquility of nature at Slay Creek, a primitive camping area that’s perfect for hunters and those seeking a quiet escape.
  • For a family-friendly outing, Tomball RV Park offers spacious sites and a clean environment, making it a great spot for your first camping trip.

Tent campers should check out unique features

  • At Hoot Owl Campground, you can enjoy amenities like drinking water and electric hookups, along with the option to bring your pets.
  • Huntsville State Park Campground is well-equipped with showers, toilets, and a market, ensuring a comfortable stay for all campers.
  • Experience the charm of Big City Little Farm, where you can gather around a cozy fire and enjoy s'mores under the stars.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular tent campsite near Shepherd, TX?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Shepherd, TX is Huntsville State Park Campground with a 4.5-star rating from 69 reviews.

What is the best site to find tent camping near Shepherd, TX?

TheDyrt.com has all 9 tent camping locations near Shepherd, TX, with real photos and reviews from campers.