Camping in TX

New Braunsfels is an excellent choice! IT is located just between the cities of Austin and San Antonio. There is the Guadalupe River, where you can go tubing and the Schlitterbaun Water Park that is fun for all ages!

Turner Falls in Oklahoma

Tyler State Park is great (just 2 hrs away), and they do have showers. Although only area 10 I believe has shower doors, you might want to ask about that. We were just there in October, it is heavily wooded because Tyler is in the Piney Woods of East Texas, which gives it more of an "outdoorsy" feel. I have not been that impressed with areas West of DFW, as the climate seems more hilly and barren, whereas east Texas is exploding with trees. This site has a good camping checklist and recipes http://www.thecampingclub.com/index.html We got most of our supplies from Walmart and Target. I also recommend seperate air mattresses instead of a queen as everytime my husband moved I felt an earthquake. Make sure to reserve your site early and bring ear plugs if you are a light sleeper! Have fun! :)

Personally, I don't like to "rough-it" too much. Try Caddo Lake State Park in Marshall, Texas. It's on the way to Shreveport and the Cypress Trees are beautiful. It's where the first "Friday the 13th" was filmed. They have great cabins that are heated and air conditioned, or you can opt for a tent site. Jefferson is nearby if you have antiquing in mind and the fishing is great, as well as boating tours of Caddo Lake. Or, if you want something closer, Lake Whitney is also very nice.

We went "camping," just recently, in Oklahoma. This place actually has cabins with everything you can think of. They also have llamas and horses that walk right in front of your porch throughout the day. Each cabin has its own paddle boat and canoe. I have a 3 year old and a 9 month old. My 3 year old had a blast. She went fishing, horseback riding(with me) and swimming(they also have a pool. This place was about 2 hrs 20 mins from Mckinney. Their website is http://www.rebelhillguestranch.com/
If that doesn't look interesting, you should try looking up some camping sites in Oklahoma.....it's not as far as I thought it was going to be.

Hi H.!

I am not a very "experienced camper" either, but have gone several times with a large group of friends to Cedar Hill State Park at Joe Pool Lake. It has great facilities (showers, hook ups, tables, fire pits) and has access to the Lake. I can say it is one of the better camping sites we have stayed at.

It is in Cedar Hill southwest of downtown Dallas (we made it home for a soccer game on a Saturday morning in 20 mins, to Lovers Lane at interstate 75).

Hope this helps.
Y.

My husband & I have camped all over TX before having our 5 mo. old son. One of our close favorites is Possum Kindgom State Park. It is about a 2 hr. drive outside of DFW, an hour past Mineral Wells. The park has nice facilities, cabins, park store and marina. The showers/restrooms are kept up. Wildlife at the park are: deer, foxes, jack rabbits, armadillos, raccoons. The lake is so awesome. There is a swimming beach, and if you get a chance to take a boat out, it is worth it! There is a good hiking trail w/a scenic spot overlooking the lake. Mid to late Sept. is perfect. Warm enough to swim during the day & cool enough at night to sit around the campfire! I can't wait to take my son when he gets older! I hope your family visits this wonderful state park!

H.,

Try Turner Falls in Davis, OK. It is only a 2 hour drive. It is nothing fancy, but kids love it.

-H. G.
Richardson

Hi H.,
We are Fall and Spring campers. Not people who "rough it" too much. We have been all over this area. My favorites have been Broken Bow & Beavers Bend which are both in Oklahoma. They have canoing, hot showers, clean sites, and lots of trees. In TX, I have enjoyed Inks Lake which is 30 minutes east of Austin. Also lots of family activities. All of these are state parks with running water at the sites and you can get a nice camping spot on the lakes. Enjoy! (They also except pets)

Hi there, H.!

Camping can be great, even with the little ones. First some tips, but forgive me if I state the blatantly obvious. I am going on the presumption you are a novice camper. Tent camping isn't impossible with tiny tots, but cabin camping is MUCH easier until they get to the age where you don't have to worry about them putting every little thing in their mouth or not understanding the danger of a camp fire. You know your child best though, so you can best judge what works well with your particular needs. One thing I do recommend for tent camping is getting a little luggage lock for the zipper to the front of the tent in the event you sleep longer and deeper than your wee one. Make sure there is a spare key and you have it handy in case someone needs to get up in a hurry (in a pocket is the best thing, handy and yet safe from curious hands). If your kiddo is a runner, using a kiddy leash while hiking is a must. That way there is no risk of your kiddo getting some place you can't go. If not, then make sure to teach him what poison ivy looks like, what poison oak looks like and not to look under any rocks bigger than his hand (snakes) or roll any rotten logs (snakes again). Most kids by 2 & 1/2 know that fire is dangerous, so likely a camp fire or burning grill won't be a problem, but always go over the safety issues again and again just in case. A good camping trip is one in which the worst injury is a scraped knee. For car camping (bringing things in and out by car and having the tent and car at the same site as opposed to backpacking to a remote location), folding chairs are great to have along as they keep the creaky adults off of the ground and keep everyone away from ants and ticks. A fire at night will keep the mosquitoes away as they don't like the smoke. A basic first aid kit with the usual band-aids, neosporin, alcohol wipes and the like is a must. Dish soap should be biodegradeable. 7th Generation is available almost everywhere now and is a good one for that. Most camp sites will have electrical hook ups as well as a water spigot, so you can bring an extension cord and electrical appliance of choice if you want (toaster or lantern comes to mind). Cabin camping is a different world entirely, as it is like having a hotel room in the woods. You can bring in your own food, there is a refrigerator on site as well as a fully supplied (dishes) kitchen. At night you can wash off without worrying whether the kiddo will run off, and there is a place to sit that doesn't involve getting dirt in one orifice or another. Unfortunately, not many camp sites offer cabins, but it just so happens that I know of two that are within decent driving distance of the Dallas area. They are both in Oklahoma.

Beavers Bend State Park is in the South Eastern corner of Oklahoma where OK, TX, and AR come together. There are many hiking trails, a nature center, paddle boats, canoes, horse back riding, and more. It is gorgeous, and the cabins and many camp sites are on a river. I will insert the link below.

Another option is the Wichita National Wildlife Refuge just outside of Lawton, OK. There are cabins nearby, and camp site within the park. There are wild bison, long horn cattle, fox, coyote, turkey, and other critters in the preserve. Often the bison will be slowly ambling along one road or another and you have to wait for them to pass before you can continue on their way. There is a prairie dog town there that is nifty to see, a nature center with the history and information about the park, and many hiking trails.

My favorite place in Texas to go is Dinosaur Valley outside of Glen Rose, TX. It is camping only (no cabins), but there are restrooms with showers on site. This park is great because there is a small river with fossilized dino tracks running through it. The river is shallow and slow enough that you can wade in it and find foot prints as well as cool off in the water. Best to go after they have had some rain there though, as the river can get pretty stagnant when it has been dry. There are many hiking trails there as well, and Fossil Rim, a drive through wildlife park, is just a short bit up the road and makes for a fabulous day outing. Half way through the park there is a cafe, so if you don't feel like picnicing, there are burgers and the like available inside Fossil Rim. You can purchase food to feed the critters as you drive through, though it is not recommended to feed zebras or ostrich as they are both quite cranky. The links to both will be below.

Other ideas are Turner Fallas in OK, kid friendly, and is just a short drive North of Dallas. It has a small water fall and swimming hole as well as creeks running through. Chickasaw Recreation Area is a little ways East of there and makes for an easy day trip for more trail hiking and playing in the water.

Lake Texoma State Park (never camped there, but visited one afternoon) offers a nature center, boat rentals, cabins, horseback riding, bumper boats, and more!

Hopefully this gives you a good start! Let me know if there is any other way I can be of service!

N.

Oh! P.S. Cabins are often booked months in advance, so if you decide to go that route, booking soon will insure availability!

I hope I got all of the links!!!

http://www.touroklahoma.com/detail.asp?id=1%2B5U%2B5005

http://www.recreation.gov/detail.cfm?ID=1672

http://www.touroklahoma.com/detail.asp?id=1+5U+6449

http://www.travelok.com/toDo/attractionsDetail.asp?id=1+5...

http://www.nps.gov/chic/

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/park/dinosaur/

http://www.fossilrim.com/