Best Tent Camping near Somerville, TX

This is a wonderful very well maintained Corp of Engineers campground on Lake Somerville. RV sites are level with plenty of spacing, lots of people tent camping. Sites have water and electric and there is a dump station. Clean bathrooms, well maintained trails and miles of accessible shoreline. Great AT&T and 2 bars T-Mobile reception. Some areas are closed because of previous flooding. Tons of deer wandering around every evening. Highly recommend for a relaxing place to stay.

This is a mountain biker's dream! Well groomed tent camping around a large pond with showers and toilets just a short walk away. Firewood and ice are complimentary! Great trails for intermediate to advanced mountain bikers. There's also an Air B-N-B on the property for those who don't want to tent camp as well as a sheltered area for cots, etc. Helpful, available staff and I didn't hear a peep of highway traffic or other sounds of civilization for the 3 days we were there!

Various camping options including primitive tent sites, RV sites(with and without hookups), and group camping heardle areas.

I've camped at Stephen F. Austin a number of times and have always enjoyed it. I've been with my family and by myself. The primitive walk-in sites are great for tent camping. My kids had a great time building a campfire and roasting marshmallows. There are 4+ miles of trails and we had a wonderful hike on the ironwood trail. I definitely recommend this park. The only caution is to call ahead to confirm trail conditions. 2015 and 2016 have been very wet and flooding and rain have resulted in trails being closed.

The lake is fairly warm, large amount of bass, huge gar, croppy, And catfish. when the water is right you can take a flat bottom boat up to any of the creeks. Overall a great campground with decent facilities. They do have horse stalls at many of the campsites so definitely bring your horse and trot around the lake !! They do have rv and tent sites with a lot of trails that are mowed down and well taken care of. Lots of picnic areas and covered areas S well!

We made a reservation for a tent site and found the rate very reasonable. Sites are well equipped with water, a fire pit with grill grate, picnic table, and pole to hang food if necessary. Bathrooms and dumpster area are clean and well lit. The park hosts were very friendly and helpful. We enjoyed the short trails that were accessible from the campsite. Saw deer in the camp area and enjoyed (mostly) watching the big yellow garden spiders building their webs next to the trail in the morning.

We have been to this park twice now, once at a tent site and once at a Yogi on the Lake cabin. Both during Halloween time a year apart. What a FUN place to be!! Our kids loved that we got to go Trick or treating at a campground! But probably my favorite thing about this place is the waterpark. Really refreshing on a hot day, and the best part? The staff are usually pretty lienient about slide rules, so small kids and parents alike are allowed to ride! I just can't say enough good about this place. Can't wait to go back again!

We had a really nice relaxing stay at Stephen F Austin State Park near San Filepe, Texas. Great little state park easily accessed from I-10. The 38 RV sites are all asphalt pad pull throughs with 30/15 amp electric, water and sewer complete with concrete pad for table, fire pit, lantern and all well spaced for plenty of privacy...big rig friendly. They have an additional 39 tent only sites with water and 25 primitive. Screened shelters are reservable for tent camping with 20 amp electric and water plus one rustic cabin with amenities. There is a$5 daily entrance fee in addition to camping fees. The bathhouse facilities are brand new. It's a small park but they do have five miles of trails for hiking/biking with views of the Brazos River. We enjoyed the wildlife; deer strolling in the campground every morning and evening, birds, rabbits, frogs, turtles, a bobcat and numerous owls. They have a Nature Center; however it was not open during our visit. The park office has a small store with sundries and park souvenirs. The nearby San Felipe de Austin State His­toric Site tells the story of early settlers to Texas and is worth a visit. We made a run to the nearby town of Sealy to do a much needed laundry stop...small community with grocery, dining and fuel to meet most needs. GPS 29.811982-96.108059 l(979) 885-3613 l Park Road 38 San Felipe, TX 77473

I recently went on a camping trip solo (minus the hubby) with my old-man dog here. We tent camped at site #177. This is a beautiful park on a beautiful lake! Here are some of the pros: friendly couple at check-in/entrance shack, friendly rangers driving around checking on folks, deer everywhere(!), beautiful lake view, well-maintained grounds, good shade trees, trash dumpsters within walking distance, electricity/water hookups worked great, picnic table/fire ring/grill, gorgeous sunsets(!), very quiet at night, cute and clean little beach/swim area to hang out in. The cons for me were: getting to the water from my site was not as direct as it looked on the map, circular bricks with holes on the shore were not dog friendly (not human leg friendly either), bathrooms/showers were closed in our area/circle due to Covid-19. I would ABSOLUTELY return to this park!! 

I really appreciated the hospitality shown here! They recognized that I was a lone female (but a very confident/independent one) with an old man-dog and, respectfully, went out of their way to make sure that we were okay!

We spent 2 nights here in the tent sites a couple weeks ago. We loved it.

There are 8 tent-only sites at the north end of the park - there is a short trail by the restrooms that lead to them. Upsides are that they are removed from most of the park's bustle, so it's easier to relax and enjoy your time "in the woods". The restrooms and shower facility are a ~200-300 ft walk, depending on which site you choose. Each site has a grill, picnic table and fire ring. The sites are not particularly level, but we were able to get two tents on the site with minimal issues. The tent area also has a community grill and fire pit that would make it a great candidate for a group camping event.

There is a small floating dock where you can fish or launch a kayak (remember, you can't park close so you'll have to carry the boat in...good for kayaks, bad for canoes). There is ample room at the park's main launch to put in larger canoes or kayaks without carrying them as far.

The park amenities are fine - swimming area, fishing pier, and fairly clean showers/restrooms. Also, there is a Bucee's 5-10 minutes away for those last-minute needs/forgotten supplies!

All in all, a good weekend, and a good spot to camp!

I came across this campground while searching on thedyrt. I had not previously heard about this park, so I decided to check it out. The park is operated by the City of Smithville. There is not a park office on the grounds to accept reservations or fees for camping. To reserve a campsite, call the City Recreation Center at 512-237-3282x7 Mon-Fri, 8:00am - 4:30pm.

There are a number or recreational facilities at the park such as a playground, baseball field and frisbee golf course. The Colorado River runs along one side of the park and offers opportunities for paddling and fishing. One of the most unique features is that there are rodeo facilities on the grounds. The rodeo events only occur during certain times of the year, so check the park's website and calendar.

The campground area is at the very back of the grounds down a gravel road. The park is primarily designed to host RVs, but they do allow tent camping. Each site has a parking pad, water and electric hookup, picnic table and grill. There are bathroom facilities in the center of the campground.

Compared to some of the other parks in the area such as Bastrop State Park, Buescher State Park and Lake Bastop South Shore Park, this city park is a little bit rough around the edges. The reservation system, or lack of an onsite office, is a bit baffling. But if you're looking to witness a rodeo, this might just be your only option.

We stayed equestrian site 4 which is a fairly private site. Moon was nearly full and the coyotes were howling all night long. All in all it was a nice small state park with great views of Lake Somerville.

This was our first time here at lake Somerville birch creek. It was a great one. We stayed in old hickory loop. Lots of trees and plenty of shade. Short trip from Houston so we will definitely be going back!

We didn’t camp here since we live so close by, but stopped on our way to Lake Somerville State Park. Driving by the camp sites they appeared nice and tucked between some (remaining) tall pine trees; you could definitely see your neighbor though. This park endured a huge forest fire about 9-10 years ago and you can still tell. Lots of charred and dead trees, but some new growth coming up underneath. We drove to the highest point and took a picture. That was about all we needed. Sort of underwhelming, but quaint.

Had a great night camping at Lake Somerville SP-Nails Creek. It was really quite with only 2 other sites occupied. Lots of coyotes and owls calling throughout the night. The site was not too far from the bathroom and had great privacy. Didn’t use the horse corral, but each site has 1-2.

Tested out our klymit static v2 sleeping pads and LOVED them. It was a bit cold as hadn’t thought to bring an extra blanket and slept without the rain fly—but not too bad.

Tried the Backpackers Pantry Pad Thai and Mountain Home Biscuits and Gravy and all were terrific.

I’m reviewing the hike in site on the Lake Somerville trail way, entering at the Birch Creek Unit (northern side of the lake). It’s around a three mile hike to the campground area. The hike has a few nice views of the lake and a few nice fields here and there. Once you make it to the camping area, you’ll find an outhouse, some benches, a fire pit and even a little well. Footsteps and a few coyotes can be heard in the evening. The campsite is close to a little meandering river if you’re willing to do a little bit of bushwhacking , just be careful as it’s easy to get turned around. Plus there are probably some crocodiles around, who knows. Anyway, I’d recommend this trail/campground, I didn’t see anyone once I got a few miles in and really enjoyed being close to a little river, plus the wildlife.

A nice, quiet fall camping weekend on Lake Somerville. It was a solo trip and since the weather was warm, I brought my kayak on this trip.

Check In: 2p Check Out: 12p

⛺ Site#26- Back-In

💲20 per night+$4/person/day Parks Pass Discount saved$18.00

• Water
• 20/30 amp
• Fire Ring with grate
• Picnic Table: wood with metal legs, concrete base
• Site Pad: Asphalt, level, long enough for my camper and truck with room to spare
• Corrals for horses

👍🏻 Pros:

• Extra parking places across the street
• Can see the lake from this spot

👎🏻 Cons:

• There's not a direct trail to the lake shore other than animal trails through some of the tall grass
• The table and fire ring are on the non-camping side so it was a little strange. Very dark at night on that side.

📝 Park Notes:

• Dump Station
• Restrooms/ Showers- clean. The Bent Tree area has a portable trailer for the restrooms and showers. The main building is closed.
• There are Munzees and Geocaches here
• Lots of trails in the park and between this and the Birch Creek Unit
• Great trails for equestrians
• Enclosed Group shelter for events (no kitchen)
• Family Fishing Pond (small)
• The open style pavilion doesn't appear to be open. Looks like it's is structurally unsound

🐦 Wildlife:

• Birds: Great Blue Heron, Cardinals, Chickadees
• Deer
• Squirrels

💜 Highlights of this trip:

•🔥 Campfires and breakfast over the fire

•🐕 My brother came for a short visit to walk the dog

•🛶 Kayaking and there was only ONE other boat on the lake

•🍂 Nice fall colors

•🚫 Some of the trails and areas of the park were closed this weekend due to public hunts

•🌟 Warm temperatures and clear nights. Lots of stars.

•💚 Found a couple geocaches and put out a few Munzees

More info at https://www.denisevajdak.com/2021/12/fall-camping-at-lake-somerville.html

November 2020 ALERT! Due to Interstate 10 construction, the eastbound exit for San Felipe is closed so the navigation system took us further East and then backtracked on some horrible condition rural roads. Recommend going to Brookshire and using FM 359 and then FM 1458 to reach Park Road unless you want to really beat up your rig. West bound entrance onto Interstate 10 was a bit crazy also so you may want to do some recon before finding yourself down a horrible back road. No notice of this on the State Park website. 40 FHU sites here under Spanish moss-draped trees. Good spacing between most sites, but no privacy from neighbor sites. The site required leveling side-to-side. Quiet campsite. No highway noise. Train whistle in distant. Saw lots of deer that came fairly close to us. Nice trails but very busy on weekends as Houstonians escape the city for some country fun! A brand new toilet/shower facility opened in early November 2020 in this FHU campground that includes 2 family restrooms. Toilet stalls are very narrow with residential toilets which are water-saving that required 4-5 flushes to empty the bowl. Dyson hand dryer. In the FHU loop, there were 3 camp hosts and one campsite marked for the 4th camp host. Another site has a firewood wagon and an ice machine. Then another site is coned off. So 6 sites gone from the inventory! There is a camp host site also in the tent loop. Wow- 5 camp hosts?? That has to be a record for this size park! We did see Park Police drive thru the FHU loop very frequently. A new toilet/shower facility is under construction in the tent loop. Construction just began so probably another 6-9 months to finish. In the meantime, there are 4 job johnnies and campers from the tent loop utilizing the new toilet/shower facility, with 3 toilets for women and 2 for men. AT&T 1 bar signal.

Katy Texas is a 20 minute drive where you will find all types of stores and services.

OK, this was my second visit to a Texas State Park. Simply said, I was blown away with this park. Driving in, deer scattered the landscape. Like my trip to Huntsville State Park, I opted for a screened shelter. The protection from the elements were well worth the $122.50 I paid for four nights. With electric/water, I was very comfortable and was able to use my electric heater in my tent. The shelter came with a locking door, although I don't think anyone would bother you anyway. There are some nice trails, including one that will take you to the Brazos River. The park was nice and quiet and the weather was cold, I absolutely loved it. The Park entrance has a little Store and the town of Sealy is just a few miles away should you need supplies. The staff was remarkably helpful and courteous. I really enjoyed the peace of this park, the Solitude and good energy force you to take in it's grandeur. Since it was freezing cold, (which I loved) the extremely clean bathrooms, with showers would be a welcome site. I was surprised how clean the facility was, it was even heated. I definitely plan on returning to the park, maybe gonna try out the cabin.

This campground is located a short distance away from the city of Austin, Texas. The park is managed by the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA). At the entrance there is an office where you can pay your admission fee and it has a small store where you can pick up supplies. If you arrive late, there is an after hour station to pay your fee which accepts cash or a credit card.

This park has car and RV campsites. There are no primitive sites. There is a campground called the Lake Bastrop North Shore Park located 15 minutes away with primitive sites.

The campsites are all very similar. There is an area to park your car and it will fit a small or midsize RV. There are water and electrical hook-ups which make it very convenient. There are typically plenty of trees for shade. Each site has a picnic table for dining, a grill for outdoor cooking, a pole to hang food or trash and there is a fire ring for a campfire. Of course they also have pad sites where you can place a tent. The pad sites will fit anywhere from a two man tent up to an eight man tent. In addition to the campsites there are a number of small cabins which can hold up to four people. The cabins have some basic amenities and the restrooms are nearby. Most of the campsites and cabins are only a short walk to the lake shore where you can catch a sweet view of Lake Bastrop.

There is limited hiking with one trail that runs along the lakeshore for about 6 miles. The main attraction of this park is living the lake life. Near the campsites one can launch a canoe or kayak. But there is also a boat ramp and boat dock where you can launch larger sized watercraft. If you don’t have your own watercraft you can rent a canoe or kayak from the office and pick it up near the boat dock. It is possible to fish from a boat or the shore. There are a number of community spaces which are great for picnicking. There is a sand volleyball court. And there’s a special area of the lake that has been roped-off and is designated for swimming.

I think that the only possible downside about this park might be that there are always lots of families and energetic kids running around. If you’re seeking peace and quiet this might not be your place. If you are seeking some fun activities, this place is great.

I think that the Lake Bastrop South Shore Park is a 5 star campground for all of the facilities, amenities and considering that the staff are friendly.

We camped at spot 1, right up from the lake. Very spacious spot to fit three tents. Dog friendly. Very quiet, everyone courteous. Two great fishing spots: down on the lake by the campsite and by the marina (both super close to the campsite).