Camping Trip Ideas

Lake Whitney is very pretty. Lots of trees, designated swimming area, etc. It is just very pretty. Of all the places we have been camping thus far, I am most impressed with Lake Whitney. Have a great time.

Eisenhower State Park in denison tx or Ray Roberts Lake State Park
or chek out the http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us for a list of the parks

Lake Ray Roberts - Isle du Bois - north of Dallas in Pilot Point, TX. Beautiful scenery and ammenities. We'll be RV camping there for the second time Father's Day weekend but we have tent camped there too. Very nice and close to home.

Turner Falls, Oklahoma. It's about five hours away, but well worth it. Check into it. There are some cabins close if you don't want to do a tent. The place we usually stay at is called Lazy M Cabins. They are affordable and clean. Contact the owner Dee at ###-###-####. She and her husband are close if you need them too. You will love it! If you decide to go, have fun!

We have gone to Beavers Bend State Park in Broken Bow, OK for many years. They have a swimming area, but it is not a swimming pool. It is however very beautiful there. They have a nature center with all kinds of animals (owls, birds, snakes etc...), miniature golf, paddle boats, of course fishing and many nature trails. It's about 3 hours away. Hope you find a great place!

I depends on what type of camping you do. If you have a tent and little ones I would stay in any state park (w/ showers, etc.)(or even cabins). They tend to be more crowded but not as bad if it is not a holiday week-end. I'm from Okla. so I can 2nd (or 3rd, etc..lol) Turner Falls and most definitely Beaver's Bend State Park in Broken Bow. I have a lot of family and friends there and we go "every" chance we can. We do however, have a camper and boat so we prefer more primitive camp areas (absolutely gorgeous up there!) There are also a ton of cabins to rent up there in various places. I'd be happy to get you info if you decide to go that far. (there's also Hugo Lake, and some beautiful sites on Glover river). As far as Texas, I haven't been to many of the camp sites but of course there's always Lake Texoma. I have a friend who runs a beautiful resort on the Texas side and I could get you info on that too. Lake 'O The Pines in East Texas at Jefferson where I also have family is beautiful too and there's lots of historical sites and neat shopping in that area too. That area is full of history. Good luck & most of all have fun! Both my husband & I grew up on the lake and camping and we still take our son every chance we get! Awesome family memories!

My friends go to Turner Falls fairly often, we were supposed to go this weekend, but it was so rainy. I've never been, but I've heard it's great.

It's in Oklahoma, but still pretty close.

http://www.turnerfallspark.com/

Cleburne State Park off Hwy 67 is about one hour out. nice lake, fishing swimming, canoe rentals,hiking, very family friendly.
Lake Whitney a little further outto the south, nice lake and boating and swimming.
Several local fun lakes,Grapevine,Benbrook,Lewisville.Try gotexas.com and get a free book thats a great guide to Texas

Glen Rose has some nice camping Dinosaur Valley State Park, Right across the border in Oklahoma is Turner Falls (beautiful). A little father off is the Guadalupe in New Braunfels, TX. Beautiful campsites...sometimes a little crowded on holidays, though, and sometimes more of a "party" crowd on weekends.

We're camping at Lavonia Park on Lake Lavon tomorrow. There's a playground and you can swim in the lake, which is full now! We have some friends who love Burns Run West up on Texoma, but we haven't made it there yet.

Twin Dikes Marina is on Sam Rayburn Lake a few hours southeast of here. They have a small beach and beachfront cabins, as well as camping and RV sites. http://www.twindikesmarina.com

I would recommend any of the Texas State Parks. The facilities will be nice and clean. Check out the Texas state park and wildlife website and you can look at the different parks and their amenities. If you plan on doing a lot of camping I would recommend getting a state park pass. It will be worth your money.

Turner Falls in Oklahoma is a great family place to have fun. The opposite direction, Mother Neff State Park is pretty cool, too. Marble Falls is getting a little further (Austin), but is really nice, as well. There's always Lake Whitney, which has lots of beautiful places to see/be.

Good luck and have fun!

Check on Broken Bow lake, or my moms FAVORITE camping site is on Lake Murray in Oklahoma. It might be nice to find a place that has screen rooms you can sleep in, instead of tents, with the little ones. When we all go (with my mom) it makes a huge difference to have the screen room to eat in, and play games etc. If you are big campers, you could invest in a nice screen room that you could take anywhere, but either way, have a great time. You are a brave soul! ~A.~

Hey hot mama - you should go w/zoey and I to Festival De La Paz
check out www.myspace.com/festivaldelapaz
it's in Saint Jo...about two hours or so away...It's for mountain biking but it's an awesome place...good people...good stuff.
Love ya
T.

You might check with the local Boy/Girl Scout organizations. They are familiar with safe and clean camping areas within the area. These would be areas that have potty facilities, too. I used to take my family out to Bridgeport...but that was years ago; haven't been there in quite some time.

Lake Ray Roberts is lovely.

Dinosaur Valley State Park is always good with little ones. They can swim in the river and look for the dino tracks. A new one I've been visiting that is close is Fort Richardson State Park in Jacksboro. It is a post-Civil War fort where they fought Indians. Pertty cool and beautiful wildflowers. Swimming is at the lake a few miles away, but there's a fishing pond on site. Meridian State Park has a great lake, and once the water levels go back up, Cooper Lake near Commerce is very nice with swim beaches. Also, if you are willing to travel a little further, there are many great areas near Austin: Blanco State Park on Blanco River, Marble Falls, Perenial (sp) Falls, South Llano River... Try looking on www.reserveamerica.com.

Tyler State Park is a wonderful park. Lots of trees and very family friendly. They have a small lake where you can rent canoes or paddle boats and a nice sandy bottom swimming area. We love going there and so does our 4 year old son! This time of the year, call to make reservations! That is a must! Also, Lake Tawakoni State Park - pretty new and I haven't camped there, just visited. Nice facilities and swimming area (lake). There are a couple of state parks that have swmming pools - Abilene and Austin and a few others that I can't remember. Check out their website for the exact details. Also, I would get the annual pass. For 60.00 a year you get into any state park in Texas for free - all you pay for is camping. All parks will charge you a day use fee without the pass - 3.00 - 5.00 per person in addition to the camping fee. For a weekend trip, that can add up fast! Hope that helps!

A.

First let me say I have been taking our son camping since he was 9 months old. With that being said I have learned that when they are as young as your daughters are it is best to stay close to home in case they don't like camping and you can take them home for the night and come back the next morning. I know that Lloyd park is right there next to you in Mansfield. We have gone there several times and it is awesome. The only thing you need to watch for is at the swimming area you need to make sure you wear shoes since the grass really does hurt. Also they do not take reservations unless you reserve 2 weeks in advance. Also another great place to camp that we go to is Cedar Hill State park. It is a little further away for yall but only by like 30 min.(My sister lives in Mansfield that is the only reason I know) I have been camping at cedar hill for years and it also really great. The swimming area has sand so your girls may really like that. You can also make reservations here and I think you only have to give them a 3 day notice. If you have any questions let me know we go camping just about every weekend during the spring and summer.

We go every other weekend to Cedar Creek Lake we stay at http://www.cherokeelanding.net/
There is a swimming area. It's really nice and only 1 1/2 hours away.

We love Beavers Bend in Oklahoma. It is 3 hours from Dallas.

i WOULD LOOK INTO BOTH GLENROSE AND LAKE TAWAKONI. I GREW UP IN EAST TEXAS SO THEY WERE BOTH A HUGE YEARLY TRIP FOR OUR FAMILY. IN THIS AREA THEY ARE BOTH RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER. KEEP IN MIND IT HAS BEEN SEVERAL YEARS SINCE I HAVE BEEN TO EITHER, BUT THOSE WERE MY TOP TWO CHOICES AS A KID.

THE BEST TEXAS CAMPING WEBSITE!!!!!

http://wildtexas.com/

Happy Camping!!!!!!!

******Just a tidbit if going to Turner Falls - they don't take reservations. First come/first serve. So have a backup plan if they are full.