Reservation all the way to leaving was a great experience. Staff was awesome and super supportive with any questions/assistance.
Camp sites and park altogether super clean and maintained.
Bathrooms in good spots.
Trails are awesome and scale from easy to hard. Cool landmarks to find in each of the trails as well.
Group campsite itself was great and was huge! Plenty of space and located great with couple Peking spots
I went for a one day hike and it was phenomenal! Only two hours away from Houston. Great park to shade yourself from the Texas summer sun. It was hot but 90% of the trails are covered by shade. Most trails I went on were hilly and I wasn’t expecting that! Restrooms looked brand new! Don’t expect to have signal in or 20 min outside the park area so prepare for that. 10/10
The park has a couple small campsites available for both tent and trailer, with price variation to reflect that. The ranger I met at the gate was friendly, engaging and welcoming. The park boats three historic locations, miles of trails and a small but beautifuly curated interpretive center that all ages interested in history will find entertainment and education in. It also boasts a library which is an unexpected but pleasant feature to find.
One night stand on the way home, found the park pretty and quiet
I had a great time at this park. Sites A and B are next to the day usage areas of the park, and are separated from the RV accessible areas. I found the site delightfully secluded - with a nice set of steps from the picnic table and fire pit right up to the tent pad. Water spigots are everywhere - although the one immediately adjacent to A&B was a little muddy, so I walked across to the playground to get water there. There's a trash can right next to the sites, and a set of clean, nice bathrooms not far off. This spot is also conveniently located next to several trailheads.
Only major problem with this site - there happened to be two fire ant nests on or directly adjacent to the tent pad. Luckily, I was able to angle my 2 person tent perfectly to avoid trouble, but for a larger tent it may have been a huge problem.
This state park is usually full and booked far in advance for a reason. It’s beautiful! Lots of upland pine and hardwood bottomlands with history. You can hike in the footsteps of those who traversed the Camino Real and visit the commemorative mission built by the CCC in 1934 to remember the original 1690’s mission.
As far as the campground, when I visited one section was closed due to a sinkhole situation that took out part of the road. Perhaps this section had larger spots available, but from what I could see, there aren’t many spots available for RV’s larger than 24 feet. I have a 24’ Class C and reserved site 3, which the park website lists as accommodating this size. I managed to squeeze in, just barely and the site was so sloped that I couldn’t level and had to move. Fortunately, there was one spot remaining. The RV sites have electric and water.
Hiking is great and make sure to check out Fire tower Hill, Sentry Pine, the CCC bathtubs and the Camino Real.
Classic C.C.C. park, quite and clean. Plenty of hiking trails through the majestic pine trees. Water and electricity at each site and a dump station at the entrance of campground.
We have camped here twice, both times in winter. In 2007 and 2017. Last time was over Christmas break and our group were the only ones in the park other than a few daytime visitors. 2020 has definitely changed that! 😂 When we were there last the water heater in the bathroom wasn’t working so the water was freezing 🥶 temperatures were in the 40’s. I just love the smell of the piney woods and when the sky is clear the stars are bright.
Come for the hiking trails and access to local communities like Palestine, TX and 4C Trail.
You will get to know your neighbors at this state park if you choose to camp here.
Our party was spread out between the main campground and the Day Use area sites. We enjoyed the site we had, but our friends were camping in the main camping loop which was very crowded and cramped mid-week. Personally our site was B near the playground and the ADA trailheads. Site B is kinda magical and if you like people watching than you are in luck, there is no shortage of foot traffic near your campsite. For us it was nice and hikers, passersby were very respectful.
Amenities used:
Bundled FIrewood (donations accepted, however it is free to use)
WIFI at the visitors center is sub-dial-up speed
Bathhouse is stall type so it is not a fully private room.
Staff if friendly and helpful
Sites are all on hillside, if you have an RV/camper I would rec the pull through sites. The back in sites really only work for tent camping. For Tents, the pad sizes vary so be sure to check your tent dimensions. We saw a few sites our 4 person tent wouldn't have fit onto. (Saw the same at Lake Ratcliff)
Personally I would recommend the campgrounds at Lake Ratcliff if you are looking for spacious camping loops. Also Lake Ratcliff's bathhouse was much nicer and more ADA friendly. Mission Tejas's high quality trails are only a 20min drive from Lake Ratcliff.
Would've given this park a 4 star if campground hadn't been so cramped. Maybe my expectations need curbing. I will return for some winter camping later this year, possible even early spring as well. It is a great park, but if it is full, it feels crowded.
My girls and I loved hiking on one of two parks in Texas that you can WALK on the El Camino Royal!!! Great playground, facilities and staff!
Ensconced in the deep Piney Woods of Davy Crockett National Forest lies the site of the original Franciscan Mission to the Caddo Indians. The local tribe’s word for friend was tejas (tay-hoss) meaning friend. The camping sites are all situated in the woods scattered among the hills above the Neches River Valley. They do not have sites for extremely large diesel pushers, but 32 foot trailers or RVs fit nicely.
The location has Texas state park normal accoutrements like fire rings, tables, lantern posts, showers, bathrooms and new front office with interesting rain harvesting equipment to view. Serene and beautiful area with hiking trails of easy to moderate level of difficulty with a historic walk to the site of the original Camino Real also known as the Old San Antonio Road.
Nearby you have historic markers every 3 miles or so on the current King’s Highway with Caddoan Indian Mounds to visit, sites of early settlers, including the original Rice Family Dog Run Cabin on site. There is a lovely lake for perch and bass fishing and playgrounds for young children.
It is favorite park of mine to visit and I return every few years.
I visited this park on a trip with my field botany class through my university. If you’re interested in ecology or botany, this is a great site to visit! It was quite wet for much of our stay, but the region was still absolutely stunning. The campsites were nice and the facilities were well maintained. I will definitely be returning here again!
Clean bathrooms ... good spacing between camps ... beautiful
More than meets the eye here. Texas was founded on this spot and the Caddo natives lived in the area. They are putting in a bigger interpretive center soon to commemorate the importance of this region. I would like to return to see it and do more hiking here. They have expanded the hiking trails recently. Short drive to the beautiful town of Nacogdoches and its lovely gardens.
We stopped at Mission Tejas on the way back to Corpus Christi for only one night, but I wish we had stayed longer.
The campsites are a good size and fairly standard. Each site has a fire ring, water, a table, and a tent pad. The bathrooms are within easy walking distance.
The Mission that the park is named after is right next to the bathrooms. You can go inside it and there are info signs next to it that talk about the Mission's history and the importance of the Old San Antonio road.
We did a few hikes in the park. All were well taken care of and well marked. We visited the CCC baths and then the location of the old fire tower.
Near the current entrance, there is an old homestead that was moved from it's original location to the park that you can explore.
Mission Tejas was under a bit of construction when we were there. They are getting a new entrance and HQ that will have a museum and larger gift shop.
The Rangers there were amazing. One came by and invited us to an archery event the next day, but we told him we would be leaving early the next day to return him.
He said that he would meet us before we left to show us some things. Our kids were very excited.
So, in the morning, he showed us some skulls, animal skins, and a few dead animals. He also told us some stories about the park. It was a great way to finish our trip.
