Kelly Creek Park

1/19/23- 1/26/23: We stayed one week and it was a quiet and enjoyable campground at a reasonable price, but it still has some misgivings. 

Good Points: The park was mostly empty and very quiet. The views of the lake are particularly nice. The sites are grass(good for dryer weather) and spread reasonably apart for privacy. 30A electric, fresh water, picnic tables, Verizon 4G: 4-bars with 4.8Mbps(down) and 3Mbps(up) can be found here. 

Other Points: 

* Rainy days completely saturates the grass with large puddles in the uneven areas; while walking to the office I discovered that the road had unavoidable puddles too. 

* 40 of the 75 sites have sewer; site#36 does not. Those with sewer were uncapped PVC pipes stubbed out of the ground. 

* Pricing: On Campendium, the facility is listed as Army Corps Of Engineers(COE) with a daily rate of$20. Naturally, with a Senior Lifetime Pass I expected to get a spot for$10/night. No so. The owner Leon Jennings(903-585-5453) said that it is a privately run(and leased) campground and the rate is$20(also posted in the office). After I said that I’d move on to a COE site he offered a spot for$13/night matching what the Clear Springs Park campground(COE) nearby would charge me. Rates on Campendium, the Wright Patman Lake website, and the RoverPass list at$20,$13, and$17 respectively. My interpretation is that the real rates are $17 (30A) and $20 (50A). I didn't see a distinction between sewer or no sewer sites. 

* Odor: There can be a sewer-like odor that I'm told is coming from a paper mill in New Boston. 

* Un-level sites: The sites are rolling grass hills; it is possible to park in a direction that is even (L/R) but may take some finesse. 

* The dump station is a PVC pipe protruding diagonally from the grassy ground across from the office and there is no water spigot for cleanup. I pulled the diagonal pipe out and inserted the dump hose directly into the drain below grass level. After dumping, be sure to use your gray-water to flush your dump hose. 

Summary: The owner and staff are very nice and accommodating. However,$13 at the Clear Springs Park campground would have provided level sites with good drainage, a proper dump station, and perhaps less odor from the paper mill.