The 5 Best Lake Camping Spots In Texas, According To Reviews

Texas, renowned worldwide as the rugged Lone Star State, forges a stark profile as the land of cowboys, rodeos, and sweeping desert vistas. This reputation is far from mere fiction. Even today, many of Texas' most prominent public lands represent the fearsome spirit of the American West like few others. The iconic (and deadly) Big Bend National Park offers both sweeping desert vistas and treacherous cliffs — and that's just one park out of many. But Texas is enormous, and its landscapes are far more varied than many outsiders realize. Though they don't capture the imagination like the Texas deserts, many of the state's best outdoor destinations actually center around lush inland lakes and waterways — and these underrated lakes are home to some of the Lone Star State's best camping opportunities.

Lakeside camping can be found in virtually every corner of Texas, from the Gulf Coast to the Panhandle and nearly everywhere in between. The well-reviewed lakeside campgrounds tend to be those set within well-maintained parks, including a mix of federally-managed areas, national forests, and a surprisingly extensive list of Texas state parks. And while the pros and cons of any particular lakeside campground will depend largely on the individual camper, a few Texas lake campgrounds stand out among the broader camping community. Based on cumulative reviews from popular camping apps and websites like The Dyrt, these five lakeside campgrounds are some of the best Texas has to offer.

Inks Lake State Park features many of the best lakeside recreational opportunities in central Texas, with some ravishing scenery to go along with it. Located a little over an hour northwest of Austin, the park centers around its namesake Inks Lake, an 831-acre reservoir fed by the 862-mile Colorado River (alas, not the same "Colorado River" of Grand Canyon fame). Today, the park features a blend of natural features and modern history. Much of its infrastructure was constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in the 1930s to provide much-needed jobs during the Great Depression. Though Inks Lake itself is artificial, the surrounding terrain is a masterpiece of nature's artistry, with complex structures of a pink metamorphic rock called "gneiss" protecting ecological highlands rich in wildflowers, grasses, and other much-needed sources of greenery.

Visitors can enjoy the many recreational activities at Inks Lake State Park. Inks Lake offers miles of family-friendly paddling trails, while its land-based trails offer scenic views. The Inks Lake State Park Campground has 114 campsites suitable for both tents and RVs ($23 per night) and four smaller tent-only sites ($21 per night). Each of these sites has electric hookups. If you're looking to "rough it" (and save some money), it also has nine primitive hike-in campsites for $11 per night. Reviewers on camping apps like The Dyrt highlight the campground's spacious sites right along the water, with other reviews praising clean facilities, friendly park staff, and abundant recreational opportunities. "Tons of well-maintained, hiking trails, two lighted fishing docks, nice wide [sic] boat ramp, an abundance of wildlife, the list goes on," one wrote. If tent or RV camping isn't for you, Inks Lake also has 22 cozy cabins that you can rent for $55 per night, or $330 per week.

Though it doesn't get nearly as much attention as the Big Bend and Guadalupe Mountains, the lush Sam Houston National Forest showcases a side of Texas that few travelers know about. Far from the deserts and mountains in the west, it protects a surprisingly green region of East Texas, home to forests and wetlands. Within this broad, spread-out U.S. Forest Service site are several recreational areas with premier lakefront camping options. Of these, the verdant Double Lake Recreation Area Campground is one of the best lake camping experiences that Texas has to offer.

Located a mere 60 miles north of Houston, the Double Lake Recreation Area is a comfortable full-service campground right on the shores of the 24-acre Double Lake, with plenty of opportunities for swimming and boating. Like other prime Texas campgrounds, it represents a distinctive blend of the natural and the historical. Like Inks Lake, much of the campground's infrastructure was built by the CCC in the 1930s, making it one of the crown jewels of the New Deal works programs in Texas. This infrastructure is complemented by the towering pine trees and excellent birdwatching you'll find in Sam Houston National Forest.

The campground offers dozens of cozy campsites circling the entire lake, complete with fireplaces, tent pads, and picnic tables. A few sites also include electric, water, and sewage hookups. Overnight rates range from $22 for non-electric tent sites to $32 for electric sites and $66 for RV sites. Of all the developed campgrounds in the forest, Double Lake receives the best reviews, with posts on The Dyrt complimenting its large, spacious campsites, terrific lake access, and beautiful scenery. "Miles upon miles of well-defined hiking trails. Campsites by the lake have a great view," a user penned.

Many Texas state parks have the word "lake" in their names, but few offer the exceptional camping opportunities of Lake Livingston State Park. Keeping to the greener and wetter East Texas, Lake Livingston State Park lies on the shores of the sizable Lake Livingston, about 73 miles north of Houston. Lake Livingston, a reservoir along the Trinity River, is one of the largest lakes in Texas, with a surface area of a whopping 90,000 acres. The park occupies a rather peculiar spot here, with the authentic Texas ghost town of Swartwout (an old Trinity River steamboat port) sitting right next door. Nature-wise, Lake Livingston is in Texas' underrated and tree-filled Piney Wood region, where towering trees and lush savannahs take advantage of rich soil and plenty of rain to forge a distinctly Texan forest ecosystem.

Overnight options at the Lake Livingston State Park Campground include dozens of camp sites situated along several distinct loops, including the Piney Shores Loop, the Red Oak Loop, the Yaupon Loop, the Pin Oak Loop, the Hercules Loop, and the Briar Loop. Camping options range from full hookup sites (with water, sewage dump connections, and electricity) to sites with water and electricity only, and finally to more primitive sites with only potable water available. Overnight rates range from $14 for the most basic campsites to $30 for the most developed. Even the most primitive campsites at Lake Livingston come with picnic tables, fire rings, and access to restroom facilities, and they are all quite close to the lake's swimming, boating, and fishing areas. Reviewers on The Dyrt are particularly fond of the campground's "well-spaced campsites," reasonably priced amenities, and excellent lake access. "Love this state park. Well maintained, lots of room, several RV sites on the water. We will return," one mused. Some note that mosquitoes can be an issue during wetter months, but overall feedback remains overwhelmingly positive.

Remaining in East Texas, Tyler State Park offers arguably the region's best combination of lakeside scenery, family-friendly recreation, and top camping options. If the name "Tyler" sounds familiar in relation to the state, you may have already heard of the Texas city of Tyler (ak the "Rose Capital of America") and its vibrant, fast-growing arts scene. Tyler State Park is just 10 miles away, putting campers in convenient proximity to some of East Texas' best small-town cultural attractions.

If you're more in the mood for nature, the park sits in a unique eco-region between the Texas Piney Woods and the adjacent Post Oak Savannahs. As a result, it has a notable diversity of plant life that you won't find in other Texas state parks, with both towering pine trees and smaller shrubs and wildflowers found throughout the area. While the park's modest 64-acre lake is nowhere near as big as Lake Livingston, the surrounding forests, springs, and historic CCC-built structures create a lakeside setting that looks like it came straight from a picture book. Several miles of scenic trails wind through the park, offering options for hikers of varying levels.

Camping options at the Tyler State Park Campground include 18 full hookup campsites for $28 to $32 per night, electric campsites for $24 per night, campsites with water hookups for $18 per night, and larger double campsites for $48 per night. The park's six cabins are also available for $60 per night. All campsites are located right next to the gorgeous lake, with excellent access to boating, swimming, and hiking areas. Past visitors on The Dyrt have noted that the campground is both quiet and beautiful, with many also referencing the "nice and helpful" park staff. "Such an unbelievable, majestic landscape that can truly only be seen in person to fully take in the beauty," a reviewer mused. "Can't wait to go back."

Finally, we move from the East Texas forests to the rugged grasslands and mesas of the Texas Panhandle, to the only National Park Service site on this list. Sitting just 40 minutes north of Amarillo, the underrated Lake Meredith National Recreation Area offers a remarkably rich buffet of lake recreation and authentic Texan panoramas. Much like Lake Livingston, Lake Meredith is a vast reservoir set amid an intricate natural landscape. In this case, Lake Meredith was formed by damming the Canadian River within the broader Canadian River Valley.

Despite the lake's human-made origins, the surrounding landscape is a treasure trove of 200-foot-deep canyons, buttes, rocky pinnacles, hoodoos, and eye-catching red cliffs rising directly over Lake Meredith's waters. The lake and the park's fertile shortgrass prairie ecosystem forge a veritable oasis in the arid plains of the Panhandle. Such a setting allows the lake to live up to its title as a "recreation area," offering excellent opportunities for hiking, mountain biking, fishing, boating, wildlife viewing, and even ATV riding (with a permit).

Though Lake Meredith has several campgrounds overlooking the lake, the Sanford-Yake Campground draws the best reviews for camping options, amenities, and scenery. On The Dyrt, many reviewers raved about its well-spaced-out campsites and well-maintained amenities, with virtually everyone praising the campground's spectacular views (particularly the sunrises over the lake). "Such a beautiful view of Lake Meredith! Quiet and lovely. Paved circle road and gravel areas too! Lots of places to view the lake," one raved. Such magical views are thanks to the campground's location directly on a caprock overlooking the lake. As magical as these views are, budget-conscious travelers may be more attracted to the campground's prices. Sanford-Yake does have 10 reservable RV sites with both water and electric hookups for around $24 per night; the rest of the campground's 51 sites are first-come, first-served and completely free.

Texas, the second-largest state in the country, has plenty of campgrounds to match its size. While this is certainly something Texans can boast about, it makes narrowing down a list of "top Texas campgrounds" a bit difficult. Camping in some form or another is available in nearly all of Texas' more than 90 state parks. Many of these parks specifically offer camping next to or near a lake. Even if you narrow your list to campgrounds with full water, electric, and sewage hookups (as we did for this list), that still leaves more parks than can be contained in a top-five ranking. And that doesn't even include campgrounds in Texas' National Park Service-administered sites, national forests, and other types of campgrounds.

To find the five "best" Texas lakeside campgrounds, we focused on parks with consistently high camper reviews. All five parks on this list received multiple reviews on platforms like The Dyrt, with each averaging around 4.5 out of 5 across at least a dozen reviews. Recreation.gov also features user reviews for many campgrounds in federally administered lands, such as the Double Lake Recreation Area in Sam Houston National Forest. This helped us determine which five Texas lake campgrounds drew the most consistent praise, and which specific features stood out for each. The list ended up skewing more towards East Texas, which is richer in lakes and wetlands than other parts of the state. We were able to include a few other regions, though, such as Central Texas (Inks Lake State Park) and the Texas Panhandle (Lake Meredith). West Texas, which is predominantly arid, with deserts and grasslands, has far fewer lakeside camping options and was therefore excluded from our list.