Kickapoo Cavern State Park

This state park is really in the middle of nowhere. It has a tiny campground, with only 5 RV sites. The sites feel well spaced with trees in between them giving you privacy. They have sewer hookups at the official RV sites, and a dump station if you stay in one of the no hookup sites. The sky is amazing at night! They have good hiking and allow mountain bikes on the trails. We stayed 2 nights and definitely want to go back again to experience this park. We hiked most of the trails, but did not get to see the bats due to the time of year, and did not get to do a guided tour to the cavern so have a great reason to go back. There is no cell service so you can fully unplug and relax.

Preface - I am reviewing from the perspective of a tent camper.  Photos really don't really capture what three days and two nights are like at a relatively large but isolated State Park. With only 15 tent sites it is sort of special. Almost like a neighborhood with everyone sharing experiences and suggestions for a good time. My grandson should be applauded for spending a weekend with an old and slow guy. After climbing to the peak of Armadillo Lookout Grandpa needed a nap. he then went on with a group to explore an undeveloped cavern. When he returned three hours later He convinced me to climb the Seargeant Memorial Trailhead and experience the"vista." Not sure what we ate for dinner but then left to watch the bats emerge from the Stuart Bat Cave for a second time. Kickapoo is a great park with all of the amenities including very clean showers and restroom facilities. It is really for hikers and those that want to see the bats emerge and explore an old cavern. Camp tent sites are well spaced and have everything except electricity. Nobody seemed to mind. Met some really nice families enjoying the outdoor

This park is a great escape to disconnect, view the DARK SKY and witness Mexican free-tailed bat emergence! Park campground is 25 miles after the turn off of US90. We stayed Friday and Saturday nights in mid-March. Few bats emerged during our stay; much better emergence in April as experienced in previous visits to Stuart Cave. 

Pros:

• Excellent DARK SKY campground

• Stuart Cave bat emergence nightly from a very nice viewing deck

• Small park

• Extremely quiet park during March Spring Break

• Good campsite privacy due to good brush coverage

• Most sites had a nice distance from neighbor sites

• Clean campsite

• Picnic table in good condition, especially eating surface

• Our site had aluminum picnic table on a concrete slab under a metal shelter; not all sites had metal shelter

• Clean restroom/shower facility

•  Campsite hook-ups in good condition.

• Level gravel campsite.  

• Pedestal BBQ grill, fire pit with grilling grate, double hook lantern pole and aluminum picnic table at each site.   

• Park roadways in good condition. 

• Park Ranger patrolled campground numerous times throughout day/evening 

Cons:

• No AT&T signal; no park WIFI, so completely without phone service and no public phone available for emergerncies. Had to drive outside of Park about 3 miles for AT&T signal.

• County burn ban prohibited wood campfires and ban posted on Park’s website. Park Ranger stopped by our campsite to tell us to put out our campfire, but we showed him it was a propane firebowl.

• Limited shade in campsites

• Must pack out all personally generated trash. Absolutely NO dumpsters; no garbage cans in park

• No campground host

•.  No entrance gate locked at night

• One and only restroom used by entire Park, so campers and day users. Women’s restroom had 2 toilets, 2 sinks and one shower stall

• Women’s restroom lacked consistent supply of TP and wall dispenser soap• Wildlife sightings limited to squirrels and armadillos

• No park store, so come prepared with all necessary supplies as Brackettville is closest small town which is 25 miles away with only a grocery store and couple fuel stations. Ulvade and Del Rio have the typical box stores.

I tent camped here alone around spring 2012 and laid under the stars on one of the concrete pads next to the visitor center because the private spots were occupied. The next morning I hiked a trail along a western ridge and then bushwacked back down. It was cloudy and lonely but pretty country with live oaks, junipers, sage, and limestone. It felt like a donated ranch and I think the ranch family retains the right to exclusive use sometimes. I spelunked the pristine cavern on a different, guided trip with my family after needing to make reservations a couple months in advance. Then we spent a couple days housesitting on nearby Ft. Clark, swimming in the spring fed pool and playing golf. Fun time.

I camped here with my granddaughters and had a wonderful time. This is a small park that is centered around two main attractions. First is the actual cavern. Kickapoo Cavern is a moderate size cavern and completely undeveloped. The park staff conducts a hard hat and flashlight tour once a week, so reservations are a must. Next is the Stuart Bat Cave. About 1 million Mexican Free-tail Bats exit the cave at sunset to search for food. The viewing area is very nice and handicap accessible. You can also watch them return, which is quite impressive, if you get there before sunrise. Also there are many hiking trails to occupy the rest of your time.

The park has several campsites with full hookups. There is a dump station and fires are allowed in fire rings. Be sure to check the park website because the bats are seasonal and the park may not be open 7 days a week.

All in all this is one of the hidden gems in the Texas state park system.