Mother Neff State Park Campground

The remodel is great and always a great place to explore!

Great place to play!

The dog and I made a quick trip here on our way to Dallas. There are not a lot of hiking trails, but perfect for the day. They did have a lot of flooding at the time, so I was unable to hike everything. I would go back once the flooding has subsided. 

Day hike

SpaceX is nearby. You sometimes will hear loud booms at night from their tests. Makes for an interesting time I suppose. The park is on the small side, but the trails have nice features. There was flooding of the old campground, but they have put in a nice new RV campground in the meadow areas. Not much shade, but it won't flood over there.

Big booms

What a great park full of history! Mother Neff has a lot to offer and is just about 30 miles from Waco, TX that is known for all the Magnolia stuff! The park headquarters have a lot of information so you can figure out your trip and hit all the main attractions in one decent hike! The cave is an amazing part of history and is definitely a must-see!

Leon river runs through this park, although we are currently in a drought so it is as dry as a bone. The Tonkawa tribe lived along the river in the 1800's and many artifacts have been found along with the awesome cave they used. You can also see the wash pond and parts of the original park in the 1930's. There are lots of trees which make for some great trails and lots of shade. Plus the facilities are brand new and so nice.

The trails are quite short and you could go through the whole park in a day but it is well worth the drive to see and feel the history around you. The do have some really nice RV sites, but the tent camping is very limited and closed currently along with the cabins because of flooding. The park has been destroyed many times from the Leon River flooding and is still in the process of being cleaned up.

Also if you take a 7 mile drive down the road to The Grove, TX, you will find another beautiful piece of history. The Grove a tiny, tiny little ghost town that was established in the 1860's! If you love seeing old buildings it is definitely worth the quick drive and take some awesome pics! Some of the original buildings are still there.

I took a trip here with my son and my grandmother and it was such a fun experience. All of the main attractions were able to be seen from the main trail so my grandma was able to keep up and see the park she has memories of as a kid. She said it is much more fancy now than it was in the 60's!

Great piece of history!

This park was extremely quiet when I was there. The spring which "never dries up" wad salt dry when I was there, the first time as far as anyone can remember. The bird activity was great, and the trails were well maintained and easy to follow. Very historic site, the first state park in Texas. Campground has level sites with full hook up.

Quiet, small, secluded

Nice new bathrooms and showers among the campgrounds. Perfect place to bring our 2 and 3 year olds. Trails for perfect for kids to hike. We loved the playground! Tons of deer!! 

Fun family getaway 

The other reviews sum up the area around the cg, so I thought I'd share an opinion of the cg itself. The pads are level concrete with a gravel patio area, a metal picnic table, a nice fire ring and a lantern pole. The front gate locks at 8:30 but they give you a pass code to get in with. Verizon cell service is pretty good here. We have seen a number of deer here along the outskirts of the camping area, and a rattlesnake crossing the road in front of camp. We didn't use any of the facilities, so I have no opinion there.

Secluded and quiet

So gorgeous ... very well laid out. Incredibly private sites. 

PROS: very well laid out. Incredibly private sites. Everything is nice and new. 
The hiking paths were gorgeous with some awesome historic sites to see and even manageable after light rain (wear rain boots though). The guest center was very nice. We saw 2 playground that the kids loved as well. 
SpaceX’s rocket testing site is nearby and you can hear the rumble of the rocket tests which we LOVED. If you time your drive properly, you can also see the plumes of smoke and flames. 
Magnolia Silos in Waco is about 45 min away if you want a fun outing for the kids and fam. Even during overcast weather, the food trucks (while pricey) are still nice. They have a small baseball field, tons of yard games and lots to look at. 

CONS: hardly any. Watch out for poison ivy/oak though. It was EVERYWHERE. 
The sites are crushed granite (aside from the parking pad) and that’s not my fave as it tends to result in piles and piles of sand in the camper (if you have kids at least 🥴) but hey. Minor inconvenience for an otherwise awesome site. 

Gorgeous and private ... watch out for poison ivy

Texas Parks &amp; Wildlife (TPW) goes BIG with this sweet little park! In 2015, a new Visitors Center and 20-site campground were built among the remnants of the old CCC structures. Little reminders of CCC construction were visible just feet from my campsite (#17)… a portion of an old wall and BBQ pits. 
The campsite itself was wonderful! Plenty of spacing between neighboring sites. Freshly raked gravel, four large benches/chunks of quarried limestone, a picnic table, fire pit, pole with two hooks for hanging trash or gear, water, and electric. No specific tent site— since the whole area was level. 
Just a short walk along a path from my campsite to the restroom/shower facilities, which were very clean. Womens’ side had two sinks, three bathroom stalls- with one being ADA accessible, and two shower stalls, one of which was ADA accessible. The restroom had a large outdoor sink area, a little library, bike rack, and informational bulletin board. 
Only a few miles of hiking trails within the park, but beautifully maintained, with walking access to trail system from the campground. If you’re driving a taller/bigger vehicle, you’ll want to consider using those trail access points, rather than driving back to the small trailhead parking lots. The road leading back to the TH parking areas has an 8 ft height limit. Hiking highlights are an old CCC viewing tower, a CCC picnic table, a cave, and old washing pond.
Camp hosts were cordial, and Park/Visitors Center staff were helpful and efficient with check in process. I received a call from the Park staff earlier in the morning on the day of my arrival, to let me know the entrance road from the south into the park was closed, so I’d have to access from the north, and also to let me know a county-wide burn ban was in effect, so no campfires during my stay in March 2022.

Old CCC Construction Melds with New TPW Construction

PROS 

Saved $24.50 with Texas State Park Pass 

No fee charged for making on-line reservations 

Got a call the morning of arrival from park headquarters confirming my arrival 

Site 3 was immaculate upon arrival, even the crushed gravel raked. 

Site 3 level 

Site 3 has aluminum picnic table, metal firepit with cooking grate and 2 hook lantern pole all in good condition 

Site 3 afternoon shade 

Campground loop toilet/shower facility immaculate 

30 minute drive to Waco attractions

2 bar T MOBILE 

  

CONS 

20 total campsites but 2 are used for camp hosts 

Picnic table chained to ground so not moveable and it was 30 ft from camper 

Lots of road noise from TX236 

One toilet/shower facility for the entire park for both day users and 20 campsites 

Men’s toilet had urinal and toilets out of service during our 3 night stay 

Toilet/shower facility not climate controlled 

Lots of feral cats throughout campground 

No fire wood for sale in park 

No WIFI

Texas First State Park

We've been to Mother Neff a few times.  It is a great little park.  A few years ago, they rebuilt almost everything, and it has been amazing every since.  I do wish they would eventually reopen the original front entrance, and that area, though.

  

We have stayed in sites 19 and 20, both of which are nicely secluded.  Most of the sites are not crammed together, but we like these two the best.

  

The trails are great for any exercise level, and there always seems to be something new to see while hiking.

  

This is one of our favorite state parks.

Awesome Small State Park (The First Ever in Texas)

Check in was easy. They called that morning to confirm details in order to expedite the process. Site 20 was level and exceptionally tidy. They rake out the crushed granite after guests leave, and it looks pristine. Bathrooms, and all other buildings are fairly new and very nice. Everything was clean and tidy. Staff were all friendly. There were some nice shortish trails that worked well for our dogs. Can’t say enough good things about this park.