Texas camping

[Never2Late]

Traveling from Mobile, AL to Santa Fe, NM. Where are some good camps in Texas for the night? And one stop or two?

 

[grubworm]

if youre running I-10, there isnt much for camping, but there are rest areas. we just did a trip out west a couple months ago and we took I-10 to just outside Fort Stockton and there is a nice rest area there with restrooms and an attendant on duty. we spent the night there and then went a little more west and then took 54 north at Van Horn and went thru the Guadalupe Mts and Carlsbad Caverns and worked our way to Santa Fe. There are several places to pull over along I-10 that just have a trash barrel, but really not any camping. There is a campground at Sonora Caverns that's a little ways off the interstate.
Heres a link. The caverns are cool to tour if you like caverns....

Caverns of Sonora RV Park - Sonora, Texas

Caverns of Sonora RV Park in Sonora, Texas: 118 reviews, 72 photos, & 44 tips from fellow RVers. Caverns of Sonora RV Park in Sonora is rated 8.4 of 10 at RV LIFE Campground Reviews.

www.campgroundreviews.com

Ozona is also right on the interstate and has a little to offer and is closer, but texas overall is pretty slim pickings...

The 10 best campgrounds near Ozona, Texas

Looking for the best camping near Ozona? The Dyrt has 11 locations in the Ozona area for tent camping, RV camping, cabins, glamping and more, with millions of photos and reviews from campers like you.

thedyrt.com

 

[Never2Late]

Thanks for the info. I drove that stretch of I-10 years ago when working in Arizona. And I did just that. Slept at rest areas. But I was looking at getting off I-10 at Houston and start making my way north west towards Abilene to catch I-20. Then on to Lubbock. I see there are a few places on that route but never been through there before.

 

[jeepers29]

Thanks for the info. I drove that stretch of I-10 years ago when working in Arizona. And I did just that. Slept at rest areas. But I was looking at getting off I-10 at Houston and start making my way north west towards Abilene to catch I-20. Then on to Lubbock. I see there are a few places on that route but never been through there before.

This is the route we take to Co. Not much for camping this way either. There are a few campgrounds but nothing I would stay at other than to get some sleep for the night.

 

[roots66]

Agree with the lack of roadside camping in TX. My first question would be, what is you sleeping setup? If you really had to, you could stop overnight in a WalMart parking lot. However, a ground tent won't be very good in that situation. We usually look for State parks and the like, as some have free camping for non-hookups areas. When going north, we like Lake Meredith. We also use this these apps: FreeRoam & National Park Trail Guide as well as this site: www.campendium.com

 

[Downs]

Texas is almost toally lacking in anything resembling public vehicle accessible camp gounds. You'll find a few small National Forests in East Texas and a few small patches of BLM land in far west Texas.

If you're looking for dispersed camping I suggest either designing a route that bypasses Texas entirely or power though as fast as you can to get to NM which is has more than one sizeable easily accessible National Forest.

There's a reason I don't "overland" in Texas. Because overlanding here is being trapped between two barbed wire fences as you cross the state on county and farm roads.

 

[Never2Late]

Thanks for the info. I drove that stretch of I-10 years ago when working in Arizona. And I did just that. Slept at rest areas. But I was looking at getting off I-10 at Houston and start making my way north west towards Abilene to catch I-20. Then on to Lubbock. I see there are a few places on that route but never been through there before.

This is the route we take to Co. Not much for camping this way either. There are a few campgrounds but nothing I would stay at other than to get some sleep for the night.

I think I’m gonna change my route and move up to I-20 through Dallas. On the west side of Fort Worth there is the LBJ grasslands that you can disperse camp in. It’s about at the halfway mark to Santa Fe.

 

[Sparksalot]

What time of year are you planning this trip?

 

[SteveC-Pro4X]

Thanks grubworm for the above information on I-10 rest stops/camping loacations. That is helpful.

Are you (or anyone else) aware of dispersed campgrounds in the Houston, San Antonio and Austin areas? Any information or resouirce links would be appreciated.

Starting early October, I will driving from Pennsylvania to Arizona, making a prolonged stop in Texas.

 

[Downs]

Thanks grubworm for the above information on I-10 rest stops/camping loacations. That is helpful.

Are you (or anyone else) aware of dispersed campgrounds in the Houston, San Antonio and Austin areas? Any information or resouirce links would be appreciated.

Starting early October, I will driving from Pennsylvania to Arizona, making a prolonged stop in Texas.

Dispersed camping is something you just won't find a lot of in Texas. Especially around those cities unless you want to setup camp in a homeless camp.

 

[Longshot270]

TPWD has an app where you can either see images of the parks in alphabetical order or a map if you want to search by route and proximity.

 

[Rav4_Overland]

The Hipcamp app has some options for dispersed camping on private property at a pretty low cost. Not ideal but it's an option. There are some pretty sweet locations along rivers outside of Austin that you can stay at for like $10 a night. Otherwise it's state parks.

 

[Coreymol]

Hey all! A lot of great info and recommendations here. Not a lot of places int eh San Antonio area (That is where I live, just outside of it) but there are some state parks you can camp but not really dispersed or anywhere in Texas really....
BUT what I really came here to say is please as you find these places add them to the OB1 app! This way, at least locally, or Texas wide, we can start creating points in the app and making it more useful to us, new members, and also visitors to our great country....
Post your reviews and tips on the map to help others out. The OB1 app has a lot of great points already added but if we all work together and add points as we find them or visit them with solid reviews..... not just camp site I try to add as much info as I can. Just a thought and if you need help reach out, i really want to help the app grow and become even more useful for us Texans to explore and adventure.