Aside from Crystal Beach / Bolivar, are there any good inland dispersed camping areas within a reasonable drive from south Harris County / north Galveston County area?
I know all the TPWD parks, and reservations for state park campgrounds is blood sport these days. I am looking for something that is more readily available.
Power and water would be huge plusses since I am on CPAP therapy. I can haul water and a portable power pack, but camping would be a lot easier without having to deal with that level of haul in / setup, takedown / haul out.
Sam Houston National Forest. Just remember, during deer season, practice camping in hunting areas safely. And follow the rules on the website.
Another option is Hipcamp. Pretty much anyone who owns an acre or more in Texas seems to have cleared out a spot you can reserve on the app.
A final option - look on Recreation.gov. Most of our lakes have Corp of Engineer campgrounds. They are not as overrun as the state parks.
SHNF has been done in the past, during Deer Season, I don’t particularly like getting shot at so hard pass on that one during deer season. No disresepect to hunters, but there are a TON of idiot wannabe hunters out there that are downright dangerous.
Never heard of Hipcamp, will look into it.
Recreation.gov is something I need to look into… Thanks.
I like SHNF, though haven’t had issues with hunters yet. We don’t do much hiking away from the camp site. Just swimming, playing, and relaxing.
We tried Rocky Creek (tent camping), but were not fans. There are almost no trees and bushes, so no shade or privacy from the next site. The grass is full of burs, so playing frisbee, catch, etc. with the little one isn’t as easy. We had plenty of ant hills around our site, and saw that on other reviews, so I see it as a normal occurrence.
We considered Galveston, but it seems to lack shade too. I guess we all have different ideas for what the ideal camp site is like, but I grew up camping in wooded areas. I also put a high value on shade since I neither want myself nor my tent baking in the sun 100% of the time.