Best Cabin Camping near Valley View, TX

Campground review

Paradise on Lake Texoma is on the Big Mineral Arm of the lake, on the Texas side and only a short 90 minute drive from Dallas. This proximity makes it a great spot for a quick weekend getaway. Texas and Oklahoma’s border share the 89,000 surface area of Lake Texoma which just happens to be the 12th largest Corps of Engineers lake in the U.S. Lake Texoma is home to great fishing for Striper, Catfish, Black Bass and Crappie. Because of heavy rains in the Dallas area the boat ramp was closed. The area has cruise activities if you don’t have your own boat, and for those who prefer, kayaking is also available, or simply swimming. Believe it or not, Lake Texoma has sandy beaches!

The people at Paradise campground were amazing. We got a call the afternoon of our reservation to confirm that we would arrive before closing time and if not, they would give us after hours information. We did arrive in time and our hostess was pleasant and provided us with all the information we needed. We reserved a primitive campsite and were the only tent campers in the campground (it was a Monday night though). The primitive campsite is just a vacant lot on the waterfront across from a bathroom/shower area. Parking in the bathroom lot, you take a very short walk to the primitive site and pitch your tent in any spot you choose. The lot had been mowed and our only issue was mounds of fire ants which are rampant everywhere in Texas.

The bathrooms had not been cleaned and the recent users had left a bit of a mess. The bathrooms did have all the supplies we needed and we always welcome flush toilets and hot and cold running water. 

Being a primitive site, there was no picnic table so we drove over to an empty spot to prepare and eat our dinner. A staff member came by to check our credentials and while we weren’t really supposed to be using that area/spot, he let us since the campground had plenty of room/spots. He was so friendly, he gave us lots of information about the lake and the campground. The RV sites and also lakefront and very roomy. The campground also has the cutest glamping tiny cabins and other regular size cabins to rent. There is a nice hammock garden which we took advantage of. Cell service was strong, no issues and the only noise we dealt with was the sound of the lake and the birds and critters.

We want to encourage our family to come to Paradise on Lake Texoma for a fun family weekend, we will definitely return.

Product Review

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get products to test from time to time, today I am testing Wenzel’s Double Never Flat Fabric Air Pad. My husband and I had individual sleeping air pads, but were looking for something that wasn’t so slippery and would allow us to cuddle, this Air pad fit the bill, it was exactly what we wanted. It was very comfortable and roomy. We were able to use an existing pump for inflation which was great as I wasn’t sure about the specs for the pump. Deflating the air pad was easy and great news it fit back in the carry bag easily!  

Www.wenzelco.com

Clean and spacious RV sites in two areas, about 100 total and several with water view. Open and tree covered sites in both. Cabins also available, again several with water views. Two designated tent camping areas separate from RVs. Dry storage and dump station on property as well. The park offers open activity areas and covered picnic tables by the water. A 3-lane boat ramp to Lewisville Lake, rental paddle boarding, full marina, and swimming area. Seasonal restaurant with indoor & outdoor eating areas. Privately owned so there is an entry fee, but 2 or 3 levels of yearly membership passes available saves a lot! Currently upgrading to full hookup for all RV sites and wifi.

One of the more expensive Texas state parks. Standard electric at 25/night. Large bathrooms and lots of trash bins. Actual pay phones (who knew those still existed?) the trails are for DORBA (Dallas Off Road Bicycle Association) so maybe that explains the horrible lack of signage. Bicycle fix it station.

Great security. I was with my 3 year old after dark, maybe 8PM at the playground on the water. No lights so I used our lamplight. I noticed a truck in the parking lot with its lights on. We were there maybe 90 minutes and the truck kept moving. When we left, they left. I spotted it down the road and saw they were camp rangers. Bodes well that they were keeping tabs on the facilities even if it was just a mom and kid.

Very clean and moist spots are secluded. Lots of REALLY great primitive spots if that's your thing.

PROS

 Good Sam discount 

Well maintained park 

Security gate closed at 6pm with code for entry 

Sites nicely spaced from next campsite 

Site 4 level concrete pad 

Very nice camp store 

Climate controlled toilet/shower facility in very clean condition 

Firewood vending machine 

Metal picnic table and fire ring with cooking grate 

Easy access check-in and roadways 

Free Sunday morning donuts 

Easy drive to George W. Bush Presidential Library

3 bars TMobile 

CONs 

Non-stop aircraft noise from DFW International 

Site 4 minimal shade 

After rain, our concrete parking site had retained water about 3 inches deep 

Utility pedestal had a huge dusk to dawn light that could not be switched off 

Dogs running throughout campground 

Campers left their dogs outside all night, barking 

Picnic table chained to concrete 

WIFI slow and not compatible with streaming

This campground was one of a few we could find locally that had spots available while state parks were closed. We typically prefer state parks because of their spacious/private sites. Lighthouse is mainly cabins (some are for rentals, some are full-time residents), but there are approximately 15-20 RV sites right on the water near the marina. The sites are nothing fancy - grass pads, concrete picnic tables, but are convenient if you plan to spend the day in the lake. You can easily walk to the water’s edge and get in the lake. There isn’t a beach - you pretty much get in rom the edge of the road that leads to the boat ramp.

The RV pads are not at an angle and, depending on the size of your rig, can be challenging to get into depending on its location and if you have a tree on your site.

We also have two dogs, one of which is a super friendly pitbull. Because of that, we sometimes run into problems finding campgrounds without breed restrictions. We had no issues here.

The marina store doesn’t have much in the way of a variety of supplies/gifts/trinkets, it did have necessities like food items, milk, some camping supplies, etc. I think the store could really up its game and offer more.

All in all, we had a nice long weekend.

I remember going to this place when I was younger. It seemed so large and always had a lot going on that was interesting. We hosted a summer camp here, went to company picnics and came out with friends. It was the resort type feel without the huge resort style price.

Now that I am older I wanted to check it out to see if it lived up to the hype I recalled from childhood when the pool and the boats on the beach seemed to give me life on hot summers. Now I look at things from the eye of a camper which notices amenities differently, blogs about budget travel and explores the outdoor spaces.

When I pulled in I spoke to person at the entry who gave me a basic rundown of the facility which included a small restaurant, atv area, sports area including mini golf and a pool and of course the camping experience options themselves which have grown since I last was here. There are cabins available and RV spaces however they do allow a tent in these spaces as well, of course you are paying for a full hook up site so your price is a bit more than primitive camping, which is located in a space close to the bank of the water.

This is a pretty large property!! Over 200 sites available and several cabin options so anyone trying any kind of adventure can find something they will be interested in. The price of your site covers a lot of activity space and also has some very nice shower and bathroom facilities to make your trip comfortable.

Some of the downside is maintenance! You can tell this is an older facility in way of the broken roads and potholes. Also some of the facility amenities and furnishings are in need of an update. Some of the picnic tables were in need of replacement and looked like they had been used pretty heavily over the years. Not all the facility looks like this but in he areas like the primitive camping it seemed a bit more obvious, sometimes I feel like just because you aren't wanting all the amenities they think of you as a second class citizen at campgrounds.

It is pretty busy during early summer, when I had checked it out and more so during the holidays such as July 4th, Memorial Day and Labor Day. I decided to go during the week so there was no issue in getting a canoe from the rentals but on the more busy weekends I was told it is first come first serve.

TIPS:

• If renting a cabin do so well in advance between summer camp, family outings and normal traffic these book up quickly.

• Bring Cash for the restaurant when I was there their machine was down for cards.

• Shower Shoes!! if you don't wear them in the showers already start here!!

First RV stay so this review is from the perspective of a family that has no experience with any RV Parks. 3 Stars is my starting point and as we stay at more campgrounds I would like to think that we will have a better understanding of what makes an RV stay "5 stars". This location is "first come/first serve" sites so for a beginner that can be a bit challenging. Working with Thousand Trails and the experience with that service was great. The road into and around the park was okay, there was room to drive around the entire park while looking for a spot. The spot's varied in size and there were no fire pits or grills provided by the park in the spots that we were able to see. The picnic tables have seen better days and i'm sure that is not uncommon. The 30 amp S/E/W hookups were clean and no issues with any service during the stay. There was not cable so TV was over the air antenna only. Cell coverage was fine during our stay. The park had activity areas but with COVID restrictions most were still unused. There is road to the lake that you can take to go to a small fishing pier and some rocky lake area access. The restrooms/showers were clean and the garbage bins were full but never overflowing with trash. There are multiple pools and the water appeared clear from a distance. Saw lot's of pet's and every size RV, there appeared to be quite a few long term RV sites. We would visit again since this is part of our Thousand Trails membership.