Cranes Mill Park, near Canyon Lake, Texas, is a fantastic spot for campers looking to enjoy the great outdoors with a touch of comfort. The park offers spacious sites with picnic tables and fire rings, making it easy to gather around for meals and evening chats under the stars.

This campground is pet-friendly and allows fires, so you can roast marshmallows and enjoy the warmth of a campfire. Visitors have noted the clean facilities, including recently remodeled bathrooms, which make it easy to freshen up after a day of fun. One camper mentioned, “The sites here are huge and the cement pad is long,” highlighting the generous space you’ll find.

Cranes Mill Park is perfectly situated for those who want to explore the beauty of the Texas Hill Country. You’re just a short drive from attractions in New Braunfels, San Antonio, and Austin, making it easy to enjoy local dining and entertainment. Plus, the nearby Canyon Lake offers opportunities for fishing and boating, so there’s plenty to keep you busy.

While some campers have pointed out that the water level in the lake can be low at times, the park’s natural beauty and wildlife, including deer wandering through the area, add to its charm. Whether you’re here for a weekend or a longer stay, Cranes Mill Park is a solid choice for a memorable camping experience.

## Overview

 Cranes Mill Park is located on a long peninsula on the southwestern shore of Canyon Lake in Texas Hill Country, halfway between Austin and San Antonio. Dramatic sunrises to the east of the park across Canyon Lake and sunsets on the western side of the park behind the Guadalupe River make this an unforgettable location.
## Recreation

 Cranes Mill Park offers a ramp for boating and two fishing piers. The Canyon Lake area has many options for recreation including: helicopter tours, boating, kayaking, canoeing, jet-skiing, dining, hiking, biking, fishing, camping, waterskiing, parasailing, horseback riding, guided gorge tours , river tubing, and much more. Anglers are welcome to try their hand at trout fishing in the Guadalupe River between the dam and New Braunfels.
## Natural Features

 The Guadalupe River flows into Canyon Lake on the west side of Cranes Mill Park creating tranquil, warm summer evenings as the sun rests across the horizon. The peninsula is home to wildlife including deer, squirrel, fox, armadillo, raccoon, Cardinals, dove, Mockingbirds, finch and swallow. 
## Nearby Attractions

 Some of the local attractions include: Historic Downtown Gruene Texas, Natural Bridge Caverns, Wonder World in San Marcos, Comal River, Guadalupe River, San Marcos River, Lake Dunlap, Lake McQueeny, historic downtown New Braunfels, San Antonio River Walk, Six Flags, Sea World and many others.
## Charges & Cancellations

 The reservation system has the right to charge fees for cancellation of a reservation, or for changes to a reservation. Changes include shortening a stay, extending a stay, or site transfers.

Cranes Mill Park

Canyon Lake is the perfect place for adventurous campers and RVers. Aside from great camping spots, you'll find hiking and many more outdoor experiences. Thinking of traveling with kids? You're in luck—Canyon Lake is surrounded by family-friendly activities. Find the best campgrounds near Canyon Lake, TX. Read helpful reviews and tips to find the perfect camping option for you and your crew.

Canyon Lake

The Best Camping Near Canyon Lake, Texas

I absolutely love canyon lake and have been to pretty much all of the surrounding parks. Cranes Mill has great trees for hammock camping as well as traditional camp sites. There are all the normal amenities you'd expect and there is a lot of space for everyone to spread out. Definitely recommend the park!

Great place

The water level of Canyon Lake was down so access to the water wasn’t real easy. once in the water it was great floating in a tube. very clean bathrooms. each campsite has a covered picnic table, barbs and fire pit. I will definitely return.

Clean Campground 

like to use the park across from this , Ft. sam army park, but they are all nice on canyon lake

great park on canyon lake

RV Camping

Cranes mill is a National Park. I purchased the senior lifetime pass and was able to stay every night for half price at this serene park. We arrived on the afternoon of Columbus Day weekend and we're happy that the park cleared out a bit on Monday.  The views were spectacular at sunset.  I appreciated camping on a small peninsula being able to see Canyon Lake on both sides of our campground.  Most of the pads were fairly level though ours was a bit steep. We were disappointed that there was a burn ban at that time. The small town of Startzeville is very near with adequate grocery and forgotten item facilities.  We found this a very nice, clean and quiet camp site in near proximity of home.

Serene setting at dusk

We stained over New Years, beautiful little spot. Camp was very clean and had decent large bathrooms with a clean shower.  Sites are large and well maintained, covered area was very nice and sturdy. Large amount of room between sites. No sewer hock up so we had to pump out. No fires they had a burn ban in effect but we were allowed to grill. Had a few visitors to the site. Would definitely stay again, very nice small RV park. 

Really nice spot

Nice open space with a lot of places for camping far from other sites. The Stars looked amazing at night. Ended up staying an extra night  because we didn't want to leave. The bathrooms were very clean and showers were amazing.

Peace and quiet 

Great park! Very clean and the sites are well maintained. They aren’t all level but compared to other campgrounds they are pretty even. Loved the extra parking spot for our truck. This campground feels super secluded away from the bustle of town, but is an easy 30-40 mins drive into New Braunfels/San Antonio. I’d recommend picking up food at the H‑E‑B on they way in. There is a Lowe’s grocery store near by but the selection of organic produce was non existent. Didn’t have a chance to explore the towns near by but did spend a lot of time in New Braunfels which is very quaint. We’d recommend and if we’re ever back in the area would stay again. 

100% Recommend

Plenty of room on each campsite close to stores clean bathhouse

great place

Great state park. Right on Canyon Lake. Clean sites and bathrooms. Quiet campground overall.

Great place on Canyon Lake

Good condition.  Paved pads not level.  No playground or beach.  Good fishing.

Nice and clean

This is a great park. Much like the others in the area. The bathrooms were clean and the staff was very friendly. Close ramp access to the lake.

Great COE park

Nice small campground a bit off the beaten path. Our tent site was surrounded by a low pipe fence. We parked in our designated parking spot (2 vehicles allowed) and had to walk about 30 yards to our site. It wasn’t horrible but the fence meant we couldn’t roll from the car straight there. We had a beautiful view of the lake! I loved the covered table and surrounding pad. Nice fire pit.  I also liked that we saw the sheriff and a host drive through the campground a few times. The bathhouse was functional but poorly maintained. It would have benefited from a daily sweep and counter wipe down at minimum. There was one bathhouse for the whole campground so it is a fairly long walk from the peninsula end to the toilet. A bike would be a good accessory. The boat ramp was closed and gated on our trip we weren’t sure why. This was disappointing because we weren’t able to get our kayaks in the water. I’m not sure if the closure is temporary.

Nice Spot for a weekend 

Saw this park on an episode of Grand Adventure with Marc Guido. We were able to reserve the site from the episode and Marc’s review was spot on. A great small park on beautiful Canyon Lake in legendary Texas Hill Country.

The park is perfectly situated to explore the Hill Country. Austin, San Marcos, Gruene Hall, Luckenbach and much more all within a short drive.

Canyon Lake Beauty

We stayed here almost 2 weeks!  Absolutely beautiful, quiet campground.  Weekends were busier with the boaters.  Site was level. Very Spacious and away from neighbors.  AT&amp;T and T-Mobile coverage. Picnic Table was the best design.  It had a tin roof for shading.  Lots of deer to watch in the morning and evenings.  They did have a very strict 10 pm curfew to get back into the campground. We had a great time in New Braunfels, San Antonio and Austin!  Be sure to visit Goofy's Bar &amp; Grill and Dam Red Barn there in Canyon Lake as well.

Beautiful Campground - Convenient to large cities as well!

Our $15 a day rate reflects America The Beautiful/Access Pass. Arrived about 3:30 PM as you cannot check in before 3:00 PM. Check in was quick and easy. We were not provided with a map nor rules sheet but the info is on park info boards and it's such a small park, you don't need a map. We had no problem backing into site 17 with water&amp; 50/30 AMP. Water pressure was good. We did have to be careful when backing in as there was a trash dumpster at the entrance of the site. The sites here are huge and the cement pad is long plus there’s a parking space for a vehicle or boat. All the RV sites have water&amp; electric. Most RV sites looked level, but there were a couple of interior sites that had a slight hill. There was a fire ban so no fires but grills either propane or charcoal were allowed. We received a few OTA channels but there was a clear shot to the southern sky for satellite. We got 2 bars on Verizon and with our JetPack we could get internet, call, and text service. There was no formal dog area but we could walk down to the boat ramp and through the tent area. Early each morning there were deer wondering throughout the park. Fishing was also decent off the shore. If I had my kayak, it would have been fairly easy to launch behind the camp site.

Another Enjoyable Experience

Sights are not real level but still a nice park. 
Bathrooms have recently been remodeled 

Green grass and a beautiful lake

Disclaimer: I am biased towards COE campgrounds. Cheap, ample grass, trees, water, blue sky and stars at night. Usually a paved pad, reliable utilities, picnic table, fire ring, grill, friendly volunteers. Did I mention cheap? With a National Park Pass you get 50% off so nightly rate is usually $11-15 range. How can you go wrong. Almost always good site spacing, 20-30 feet. Almost always well maintained. Waaayy closer to camping than commercial RV parks. 

Cranes Mill is 4 of 5 on COE scale, paved pads, pretty level. Good spacing, generally 25-30 feet. Hooded picnic table with usual fire ring, grill. Excellent bath houses. Canyon Lake was low when I was there (Nov,'22) but still fishing and boating activity. Small towns/shops &lt;5miles, major shopping 15 miles. I'm going back in Feb'22 for another stay.

Good cell coverage - Verizon, 3bars LTE, 10+mb down, ATT 3bars LTE 10+mb down. I work remote so this is important. No issues in my ten day stay.

Another fine COE campground

We LOVE this park! Recommend it to everyone!

Great Family Spot

I passed off about 75 feet between sites. Most have views of the lake. At the moment the water level is very low and facilities near this campground are high and dry. 

Nice size spaces 

I have been here before. It is an ideal tourist destination. My family loves it here. [Head Soccer](https://head-soccer.io/)

Photos of Cranes Mill Park

Real photos from real campers