Best Cabin Camping near West Columbia, TX

Reserved 68 nights prior to arriving. Campground had 78% occupancy during our 3 night stay. 

PROS Able to clearly hear the ocean roar from all campground 59 FHU sites 

Campsite concrete pad level and in good condition 

Park roadways good condition with no speed bumps and easy to maneuver 

Lantern pole at some sites 

Some sites have two sewer connections 

Picnic table located on oversized concrete pad 

Combo lock on toilet/shower entrance doors 

Toilet/shower facility very nice

Laundromat on site with 3 washers and 3 dryers.$4.25 

Wood campfire allowed in off-ground fire pit with screen cover you provide and placed away from any grass 

Fairly good dark sky viewing as campground street lights are limited 

2 large wooden Colorado River fishing piers which are lighted from dusk to dawn 

Putt-putt golf$10 

Bagged ice machine across road from Park 

2 bars VERIZON signal 

CONS 

Toilet/shower door combination changed during our stay and was not notified and had no access until we tracked down park personnel 

Dog poop in the mens handicap stall Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday so obviously no one monitoring toilet facility

$6 reservation fee for self made on-line reservation 

10 campsites were reutilized to build elevated beach cabanas 

Park quiet hours not enforced 

No park officials or host cruising patrolling campground

No entrance gate locked overnight. Lots of fishermen cruising through campground

No shade what so ever. Some sites had a pergola over their concrete picnic table; Our site had no table covering. Brisk ocean"breezes", made it impossible to deploy our trailer awning

No privacy from any other campsite

Sites fairly close to each other

No campsite campfire pits

No on-site firewood sales

Concrete picnic table unmovable No ocean"view" from any of the campsites

No camp store in Park. Closest H‑E‑B, Walmart and Tractor Supply in Bay City. No grocery stores in Matagorda but there is a Dollar General store. Park WIFI poor; could only connect at toilet/shower facility

No playground, basketball or tennis courts

No pool or splash pad

This would be a 5 star if there was sewer hookup 

PROS 

No fee to make my own on-line reservations

Park security gate closed overnight hours 

Good space between sites 

Grass mowed in each site 

Extra wide campground roadway 

Quiet during our weeknight stay 

Wooden and metal picnic table on concrete slab 

Pedestal BBQ grill 

Metal firering (no cooking grate) 

Clean, climate controlled toilet/shower facility. 

Ample supply of TP, and hand soap but hand dryer didn’t work and no paper towels. Campfire wood for sale via honor system in the campground 

Regular ranger patrol through campground

Lots of dumpsters throughout the campground

.85 miles round trip from site 114 to closest toilet/shower facility 

2 bars T-MOBILE 

CONS 

No discount for a one night stay 

Aggressive raccoons 

Site 114 not level 

No lantern pole in campsite 

Site picnic table is anchored to concrete slab and not moveable 

No WiFi

📋 Site#32:

↔ Pull-thru

🅿 Site Pad: level, concrete, long enough for camper and truck, wide enough to have a little extra on each side

💧 Water- pressure seemed a little low but manageable

⚡ Max amp: 50

💩 Sewer connections were in good condition 

Picnic Table was all wooden with a concrete pad area attached to parking pad

👎🏻 Cons: Had issues with the power tripping using the 30 amp, ended up switching to the 50 amp side with the 30 amp adapter No shade

📝 Park Notes: 

Type of Park: Private(Good Sam) 

Check In: 1 pm Check Out: 12 pm

🚻 Restrooms in several locations

🚿 Showers

📶 Wifi

📺 Cable

🧺 Laundry facility

🐕 Off-leash dog park

🛒 Store with RV essentials, snacks, souvenir items, ice

🔥 Propane

🌊 Pools- adult and kid outdoors, indoor pool, splash pad, lazy river, across the street from beach access

⛳Putt-putt golf course, basketball, shuffleboard, volleyball

🍔Food truck on site- everything from hamburgers to poboys to funnel cakes

🏠 Cottages

👩🏻‍💼 Staff was friendly and helpful, including the owner, Ron Gustafson, who checked our power pedestal himself when we had issues 

Regular cost per night varies by weekday/weekend/holiday 

Discount:Good Sam 10% 

My Total Cost for 3 nights over Independence Day weekend:💲207 

In the Area: Dollar General and convenience stores nearby 

15 minutes to Galveston- shops, dining, bars, Moody Gardens

Very well-maintained and pet-friendly RV park with various amenities such as a pool, fishing pier, and dog park. Sites are very close together with little room to set up outside between RVs. Very little room to park vehicle once RV is in place and limited space to back in. Enjoyed the peaceful sunrises and sunsets and the constant breeze was a plus to keep the humidity and heat down. Take plenty of anti-mosquito repellent, as around mid-morning and late afternoon, the mosquitoes come out in force. A good location for those wishing to fish, but not sightseeing. The town has very few amenities and only a couple of restaurants and small stores.

Campground Review

It's incredible that I was born and raised in Houston and have lived here the past four years but haven't made it out to Brazos Bend State Park until now! A quick, 45 minute drive southwest will get you out of the concrete jungle that is the sprawling Space City metropolis and into one of the lushest, greenest parts of Texas. Brazos Bend is a "Nature Lover's Paradise" - there is abundant wildlife. There is great fishing, ample bird watching, and lots and lots of alligators (!). Lots of trails for walking, running, biking, and horseback riding. The George Observatory is a pretty amazing feature of this park (but only open Saturdays).

We arrived at Brazos Bend on a Friday afternoon and were able to walk-in no problem. Walk-in rate is $12/day + the daily park entrance fee ($5 for adults, free for kids). I have a Texas State Parks Pass so we didn't have to pay the entrance fees (saved us $40 for two nights of camping!). Additionally there were several other great options including: Full-Site RV hook-up ($25/night), Standard Camping ($20/night, incl. water & electricity), and 14 Cabins ($80-200/night but have everything you could ever need or want).

We did a lot of nature walks, game playing, and swimming during our two days at Brazos Bend State Park. Summer is probably not the best time to visit any park in Texas - its hot and muggy and the mosquitos are out in full force. Bring your DEET. Seriously. Despite that though, we were very pleasantly surprised by the amenities (swimming pool, screened in picnic tables, fire pits, and tent pads!)

Product Review

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get products to test from time to time - this past weekend at Brazos Bend I tested out the Kameng Mid eVent Waterproof Hiking Boot by Mishmi Takin.

These boots have got it all.

First, these boots are hella comfortable! I was blown away how comfortable they were right out of the box. Over the years, I've owned many pairs of hiking boots and they all required a significant break-in period. Not these!

Second, they're waterproof AND breathable. Not water resistant, like actually water proof.

Third, the look great. All 3 color schemes are fantastic I had a tough time choosing between green, grey and orange.

Fourth, so lightweight. These only weigh 1.5lbs so even though they are boots, they won't weigh you down.

5/5 Would Recommend.

Pros:

• Quick and friendly check-in

.• Large parking area that is rig-friendly for check-in.

• Knowledgeable park personnel

• Nature center with interactive exhibits and gift shop

• Well maintained. Daily we saw the camp hosts working diligently, even hosing down and scrubbing bird poop from campsites.

• Saturday morning 1.5 hour guided Gulf beach walk($5/pp) by Paige and Whitley. Paige knew her“stuff” as she was pelted continuously with questions and she never missed a beat!

• Complimentary early Saturday morning coffee and pastries.

• Along the Colorado River but you can hear ocean roar where the river meets the Gulf of Mexico.

• Level concrete parking pad surrounded by grass. Back-ins and drive-thrus.

• Two sewer hook-up outlets.

• Large concrete picnic table.

• Very nice and clean toilets/shower building in an elevated building accessible by a ramp. Must have code to enter.

• Laundry facility in toilet/shower building with code entry.

• Nice Colorado River fishing piers with fish cleaning tables with freshwater spigot and a super pier over the beach/ocean.

• Primo sunsets

• Bay City, 20-minute drive, for the closest Walmart, HEB and other retailers and restaurants.

Cons:

• LCRA $6 on-line reservation fee.

• Absolutely no trees or vegetation between sites which equals NO SHADE and NO PRIVACY.

• Ocean“breeze” made it impossible to deploy trailer awning.

• No fire pits, but if you bring your own with a screen cover, you may have a fire, if you bring wood as no wood is sold at this park.

• NOT A DARK SKY FRIENDLY CAMPGROUND due to way too many street lights throughout the campground, along the river bank and on the fishing piers.  This would be a 5 star campground if there was more darkness!

• Complimentary LCRA WIFI was weak and unreliable.

• When the ocean"breeze" died down and the humidity was up, we were attacked by swarms of mosquitos which required us to heavily apply repellent in mid-February

• Not much in the town of Matagorda, basically a fishing village, and of those businesses, not many operating in mid-February.