Best Texas Campgrounds for Families in 2020

Bison roam freely on the rugged beauty of Caprock Canyon State Park.  Families can explore the 90+ miles of hiking trails that range from easy to very challenging.  Lake Theo offers all water sports (no-wake) and there is also opportunity for geocaching, horseback riding (bring your own horse), and a robust Ranger program (including Junior Rangers for kids).  Each September the park helps host the Texas State Bison Herd Music Festival in downtown Quitaque which raises funds for maintaining the bison herd.

Horse owners can even use the Equestrian Camping grounds which feature stalls for horses!

Caprock Canyon State Park offers families the chance to enjoy wide-open spaces with tranquility.  This is a great option for families looking to get into nature and enjoy what the Texas State Park system has to offer.

Camping with 50 amp Electricity

Campsites with 30 amp Electricity

Campsites with Water Only

Primitive Campsites (walk-in)

Primitive Campsites (hike-in)

Primitive Campsites (hike-in – along trailway)

Equestrian Camping
All horses must have negative Coggins test less than 12 months old

Best known for its rock climbing at Penitentiary Hollow, Lake Mineral Wells State park sits in the midst of cattle country.   The lake is over 640 acres and you can either bring your own boat or rent one at the park.  Kids will enjoy swimming and fishing on the lake too.

Horse owners can bring their own horses and camp at any of the 20 equestrian campsites.  In addition there are hiking and mountain biking trails, Geocaching, and Jr. Ranger programs.

Camping with 50 amp Electricity

Campsites with 30 amp Electricity

Campsites with Water Only

Primitive Campsites (hike-in)

Equestrian Camping

Screened Shelters

Ratcliff Lake Recreation Area was built in 1936 by the Civilian Conservation Corps.  The facility is opened year-round and features a 45-acre lake where visitors can fish, swim, boat, and bird watch.  The park is heavily wooded and perfect for hiking and hunting.

The campsites are older and electric only – but overall the campground is well maintained.  RV sites have plenty of room between neighbors and tent sites are private too.  Families looking for a peaceful get-away will enjoy their holiday at Ratcliff.

Camping Tent only

Group Tent Camping

Camping with Electric

Only an hour SW of Austin, TX, Inks Lake State Park offers RV spots, tent sites, and cabins for your stay.  Activities are plentiful with hiking, geocaching, and picnicking being the favorites on land.  Hikers can explore a small canyon, swim at Devil’s Waterhole, or explore scenic waterfalls upstream from the lake (when Valley Spring Creek is running).

The real draw to the park is Inks Lake itself which has sunfish, catfish, and several species of bass.  There are 2 fishing piers, fish cleaning stations, and a boat ramp.  No fishing license is necessary when fishing from the pier or the shore in Texas State Parks.  If fishing isn’t your thing, you can swim, scuba dive, water ski, and rent paddle boards, canoes, and kayaks.  Just don’t forget your sunscreen!

Many of the 200 campsites are lakeside and/or have easy access to the lake.  22 Cabins are also available if you prefer.

Camping with Electricity

TENT only camping with Electricity

Campsites with Water

Primitive Campsites (hike-in)

Cabins

We included Tipis on the Guadalupe for two reasons, 1) its FUN!!  Who hasn’t wanted to try out sleeping in a tipi?  And 2) this campground gets consistently high reviews from travelers.  If you are looking for a different sort of camping trip with the kids, you can rent a tipi that’s decked out in a Glamping sort of way.  Real beds, kitchens and BBQs, all linens and bathrooms.  No – you won’t be roughing it – but guaranteed this will be a family vacation that is memorable!  A family of 6 can comfortably sleep in the beds provided in the tipi – and you can squeeze a few more little ones on air mattresses on the floor.

For activities, kids will enjoy the game room (in a treehouse), and there is endless fun on the Guadalupe River.  If you haven’t spent the day tubing down the Guadalupe (with a nice beverage), you haven’t fully experienced all life has to offer.

Tipis

Families love to visit Garner State Park to enjoy Frio River floating trips, camping, and outdoor recreation.  With over 1744 acres, this park is home to almost 3 miles of Frio River where visitors can tube, paddle, fish, and swim.  In addition they have Mini golf, geocaching, and a variety of ranger programs suitable for the whole family.  Hiking families can trek to the top of Old Baldy (.5 miles to the top – steep) where you can see for miles around the Texas Hill Country.

Summer evenings are filled with jukebox music at the park’s concession building for dances.  (tip: arrive early to get a parking spot).

Full Hookup Campsites

Campsites with Electricity

Campsites with Water

Group Camping (Cypress Springs)

Cabins with Fireplace

Cabins without Fireplace

Screened Shelters (Old Garner)

Screened Shelters (New Garner)

El Campo Lost Lagoon prides themselves on being considered a ‘True Luxury RV Resort’ – and reviews back that claim up.  The pool is 700,000 gallons with slides, a kiddie area, an adults-only area, a swim-up bar, and one of those giant buckets that dumps tons of water onto waterpark visitors below.  There is also a lazy river and what they call a ‘Wibit’ which is an inflatable obstacle course.

‘Gangs’ of excited children ride their bikes all over camp – so make sure you’ve brought some wheels!  In fact, if your kids are old enough to hang out with other kids unsupervised (say…ages 6+) – don’t expect to see them much during your stay!  Its too much fun playing with all their new friends and doing all of the activities available.  Don’t worry, you can relax at the swim up bar and enjoy some adult time.

RV Sites

Jamaica Beach RV Resort is located right across the beach and has unobstructed views of Galveston Bay area and the Gulf of Mexico.  All RV sites are pull-through and feature full hookups.  Campers report that the pools, common areas, and roads are all well-maintained and clean.  Kids of all ages are kept constantly entertained with the many activates available – from 700 foot lazy river to pickleball courts, to mini golf, and more.  There are restaurants for when you don’t want to cook and movies each night for the family.  This is a holiday resort where you can relax knowing that there is something for everyone to enjoy.

RV Sites