Sanford-Yake Campground — Lake Meredith National Recreation Area

This campground, located on the bluff overlooking the dam and a large part of Lake Meredith, offers about 10 traditional RV sites with water and electric. There are also plenty of tent sites, each with a covered picnic pavillion. There is a sanitary dump, the bathrooms were very clean and are family-style (single use with toilet, sink, and shower). The water was hot with good pressure. The best part…this campground is FREE (unless you need hook-ups)!

The nearby boat launch is just down the hill, with a huge parking lot (our guess is that the lake gets busy in summer). The area offers some great fishing and water sport opportunities. There are a few hiking and mountain biking trails, though more seemed to be on the less developed, western shore of the lake.

The town of Fritch is less than 4 miles away with a few restaurants, a small grocery store, and gas stations. Be sure to check the [Alibates Flint National Monument,](https://www.nps.gov/alfl/index.htm) just 10 miles south of town. It is worth a stop!

Free, Beautiful, and WARM!

My family and I decided to take a one night visit to Lake Meredith to see the lake again after our last visit was shot down due to the Mother's day fire a few years back.  To our amazement the park as green and the lake was at a decent level.  The boating community were out in full force but there was still a lot of campsites available.  The best thing about these sites: they are FREE!  Nice facilities with showers.  There is a swimming lake as well with loads of fishing all over the lake. 

Amazing Views and FREE!!!

First let me just say, it’s hard to believe this gem is still hidden. The view of the lake is breathtaking, I love going in the Spring and fall. Between the deer and the birds it’s something to see and experience. Now the breezes do kick up but this is in the highlands and it’s to be expected. They have potable water and showers. The staff are really friendly and the rangers patrol regularly. Yes it’s free there’s a 14 day limit and you’ll be close to town for supplies. You will love it!!

Mother Nature at her best!!

We visited Lake Meredith recently with plans to camp at Sanford-Yake. There were many FREE sites available during the week. Each site has a shaded picnic area, grill, and fire pit. We were able to find a spot away from other campers and fairly close to the bathhouse. We tried to find a trail to the water, but the most distinct path had washed away once we got closer to the lake. After a couple of hours of sweating and nearly being blown away at the same time, we decided that this was not a good fit for us and tent camping. Not even the gorgeous views and bathhouse could keep us there. All but one of the other campers had RVs. 

The bathhouse was nice. I liked that the toilet and shower were together which would make shower time easy for families. 

Beautiful views but rough winds

When planning a two-week road trip visiting national parks out west, we selected this campground as a spot for a one-night stay. It did not disappoint and left us wanting to stay longer! 

Our GPS took us directly to the campground with only a few hiccups in the Dallas area, but that was to be expected. We arrived around 2:30 in the morning, so the staff placed all of our paperwork in the electric box at our site. Locating our site at night was a little difficult, but since our friends had already arrived and were set up in a neighboring site, we used that to our advantage. Site 2 was paved and level. The water and electric hookups were very close to the trailer, so set up was a breeze. Stargazing was at a premium here as there were no city lights or lights in the campground. I enjoyed the night sky while my husband set up camp, and then we hit the bed. 

We awoke to a beautiful sunrise over Lake Meredith. The view from the front and passenger side windows was great! We enjoyed our coffee outside by the water. Our only complaint was a neighboring camper with a very noisy generator. 

After loading up, we went to the bait shop to check in since we had all arrived so late the previous night. Many people were arriving with boats to spend the day on the lake. We utilized the dump station and hit the road for the next leg of our journey. We would definitely stay here again . . . hopefully for a bit longer the next time. 

Marvelous Lake Meredith

Cliffside sites with great views of the lake, opposing cliffs, and the dam. Grill, picnic table and shade shelter at each site. Most sites are first-come, first-served. Plenty of space between sites, but not much privacy by way of trees/etc. Bathrooms and showers were clean and functioned well. Can get very windy in the evenings/overnight which make it loud and chilly in a tent. Cell service was pretty decent with Verizon. 

Scenic but windy

Great place to stay a few days! Some spots because of the power are charged a fee but the rest of the spots are free and the best because there are in front of the cliff looking or the lake! There is not entry to lake lake. They have trash cans, restrooms, covered picnic tables, potable water, fire rings and grills. 

Lake View 

This was a good spot to stop on our road trip - easy to navigate to, easy to reserve, very level spots, hookups. But we probably won’t return. It was very windy, so I wouldn’t really want to tent camp here. 
The lake looked nice but it’s very flat so not as geologically interesting as our recent stops on Utah and New Mexico. Could smell the oil/gas industrial sites nearby at times, but overall I wouldn’t say it was a deal breaker. 

Good overnight waypoint - windy!

This area is GORGEOUS! The bathrooms are dated, but clean and well maintained. The park is excellent, and a total gem, especially when you consider that you can boondock, or pay for a site with hookups. I'd definitely recommend. 

This is Texas?!

We were traveling north to Colorado and just had to pay a visit ot Lake Merideth, Sandford Yates campground. What stunning views! The pad was level the price was right at $9 with our National Parks Access Pass. We only spent one night here but would have no issues going back for more! I have two different videos of this park on my YouTube... DudeRV.com

Stunning vists!

Windy and free

This place is free and has some sites with both water/hookups and some dry camping. The views are so sick and I had no idea Texas had  spots to offer like this (Midwesterner here lol). Fun to watch the deer down by the shore. Cool lil trails and loved the sunrises here, I parked right on the edge. I was at a site with hookups for a few hours (self converted camper van but sometimes I just hook up to the 20a/put my batteries on trickle charger). Some lady w a fifth wheel came up and said I was in her spot tho I’m pretty sure she duped me bc it’s free/aren’t reservations lol. Didn’t put up a fight. No problem camping dry with a better view!! Will be back when traversing TX again. 

The Best Stumble-Upon Spot!

The campground was okay. The sites are pretty close together but it wasn’t busy when we were there.
Toilets &amp; showers were clean and it’s awesome that the whole thing is free. 
BUT (!!!) people had mentioned before that it gets windy there. And it sure does. We couldn’t get any sleep because our the wind shook our roof top tent all night long. It was incredibly loud. 
There are no trees or structures that block the wind. 

Windy af. 

We spent one night here on our way from Indiana to Valley of the Gods.  Plentiful spaces, few people, pet friendly, flush toilets and showers. The best part is that all sites - except for 10 RV hook up sites - are free!!!

Beautiful and Peaceful 

Me and two friends stayed here for a night on our road trip out west. We had no idea what to expect and after driving for hours through flat farmland, we were shocked to see the beauty and the scale of the lake. The sites are right on the cliff sides, offering stunning views, especially at sunset. Sites are good distance from each other. One con was it was pretty windy all night, but that wasn’t a problem, just remember to bring stakes for your tent!

HIDDEN GEM


Firstly. Data is only on top of hill sites. Most of our providers worked for voice, even Cricket &amp; ATT. Visible could do 5 meg. With positioned antenna, I managed to double this for Visible. Verizon proper was 80 meg. T-Mobile 5G hotspot not exactly a screamer. 

Has dump station and fresh water station for Boondockers. Paid sites up to 50amp + water. Seems to fill up on weekends. No shade, so air conditioning worked hard. 

On dam, so bring boat &amp; other toys. Did not use facilities so no comment

Great mix of few paid sites & mostly Boondocking sites

Stayed at this campground on the way to New Mexico from Dallas, it was completely painless. There were some RV hookups and an abundance of free spots to choose from. Covered picnic table, fire pit, and grill with a bathroom pretty close by. The views were incredible! Great view of the lake and the sunrise in the morning. 

Easily accessible and a beautiful view

I stopped first down the road but didn’t really care for the sites. Thank goodness, I then found this gem. Very peaceful, quiet despite the other campers. I highly recommend this place. 

Beautiful Lakeside Campsite 

Best of both worlds. After driving for what seems like miles and miles with a background of small rolling hills dotted with a few cows and short trees and not much else we approached a rock dam. 

Once on top we are blessed to see the beautiful blue of Lake Meredith. I was shocked to see so much water although I knew the lake was there. It is like an oasis in the desert. I know the sunsets will be beautiful. 

This campground has 10 rv sites with electric and water.  $25.50 per night. There is a dump station just as you enter the campground. You may reserve these sites by wrightonlakemeredith.com or call the marina. 

If the sites are not reserved you may FCFS. The marina also has ponton boats, kayaks and SUP's to rent. The best part of this campground is that all the other sites are FREE and FCFS. All sites have access to the toilets/showers, trash, fire ring/grill and covered picnic tables. The BEST is they are all have beautiful views of the lake. Hunters may set up camp between Oct 1&amp; Dec 31 up to 30 days allowed annually. 

LNT

 Clean, Drain, Dry 

Travel safe

Best of Both Worlds

This spot in Lake Meredith is truly our very first boon docking experience and it has been wonderful. We stayed our first night on Thursday but plan to stay several days. Numerous sites are open. There are 10 reservable sites with electric and water. Other sites accommodate various size rigs. We have a 50’ rig and had no problems. We do not have hook ups. Very peaceful, beautiful sunset, sunrise and night sky. It can be windy at times.

Awesome boon docking 

This is a free site and has showers.  We camped snuggled between two hills to be protected somewhat from some mighty winds.  The waves on Lake Merideth were cresting and spraying almost as large as I’ve seen on Lake Superior way up north.  Near sunset, the wind died and we were treated to a wonderful sunset.
The baths were heated and showers were hot… check for spider webs under the shower benches… one bath had ALot of spider webs there.  We chose a somewhat spiderless shower/bath.  Great for an overnight!

Great for a free stopover!

Great free site. Nice views of both the sunrise and sunset if you get the right spot. Sites very spaced out. Only complaint is it smelled like natural gas later in the night which worried me but then we figured out there were plants near by. 

Great place to be merry and jive 

This is probably one of our favorite places to come. The sites are really spaced out and very affordable. The views overlooking the lake are gorgeous. 

Quiet and beautiful views!

West Texas winds are no joke. Our site was great, lot of sandburs so stay on roads.  No sewer hookup for us. Great views. No nearby beach / water access except boat ramp / check in area.

Happy Campers

We booked a paid spot for 6 nights. Paved 100% level spot with electric &amp; water, fire pit, &amp; picnic table. All paid spots are on the internal circle of the loop. You have to book the paid spots through Wright on the Lake Marina for $24 nightly. The free spaces are surrounding the entire outer loop. They have picnic tables, fire pits, &amp; tables. Those are pretty much a free for all. 

There are 4 bathrooms with showers that lock individually. Plenty of trash cans throughout, and the most stunning views of the lake! Drive down to Cedar Cove for beach access and boondocking on the water! Photos are a little skewed because NPS did not notify us that we were showing up during a scheduled burn. It only lasted the first couple of nights though! 

Free and Paid spots!

Such a beautiful view of Lake Meredith! Quiet and lovely. Paved circle road and gravel areas too! Lots of places to view the lake. 
