RV Travel Scout

We stayed here back when it was called Big Chief RV Park. (Personally, I think that name had more character. Oh well.) Pretty nice park that’s right on the edge of Lake Buchanan. We worked remotely from our rig during our week long stay, and it was great to be able get out on the lake with our standup paddle boards before our morning meetings. The water’s edge was literally a 5 minute walk from our rig. Didn’t use the bathrooms, showers, or laundry, so can’t comment on those facilities. Hot tub and pool were nice, even though we didn’t use them as much as I thought we would. There was a super nice nature trail on site that we enjoyed at least once a day. There wasn’t really a great place to go running nearby because the road outside the park had very little shoulder. During the week, the park was mostly deserted and it was fun watching the armada of RV’s file in as the weekend approached. It was extremely hot during our stay, but that’s to be expected in Texas in June. The first half of the trip was too windy to leave our awnings out, but it really died down during the latter half. Inks Lake State Park is a short distance away and offers all kinds of activities, including hiking. All in all, we really liked this place and highly recommend it for the lake access alone. The only thing we didn’t like were the flies—there were hoards of them. Bring your fly traps!

We stayed here for during a 4th of July weekend, thinking it would be packed due to the holiday. Instead, we practically had the entire lower section of the park to ourselves – which was kinda fun! This park has two distinct sections, an upper main section and a lower “creek side” area. The former has easier access to the bathrooms but seemed more crowded, while the latter is a very short distance away down a descending road. As the name suggests, the “creek side” is adjacent to a small creek where you can fish. This section of the park feels like camping in an amphitheater because you’re surrounded by an elevated periphery of lush trees and other greenery, while the main area is wide open with a nice field of grass in the rear. We had some fun throwing our aerobee around on this field, something that often isn’t possible at other parks. The other benefit of the lower area was substantially less wind, compared to the upper area. Honestly, I have a hard time imagining why anyone would choose the upper area over the lower. Our site was pretty level, very long, and a breeze to navigate into and out of. Although there were many trees on the edges of the camping area, there weren’t many near the RV sites, so shade was limited. And it was very hot while we were there, which is to be expected at the peak of summer. We found ourselves moving our picnic table around based on where our RV would provide the most shade from the sun. About 10 minutes away from the park is the “Medina River Natural Area”, which is well worth a visit. It has cement and dirt pathways – where you can ride bikes, run, or walk – and a fairly long creek where you can kayak or paddle board. Very scenic. I wish we had known in advance that paddle boarding was an option in this area, because we left our boards at home. Next time! As others have indicated, there is a fairly long dirt road that leads up to the park. I think it’s about a mile long. So what? Drive slowly, and accept the fact that rigs get dirty when you use them. Lastly, I want to specifically mention that Terri was wonderful, helpful, and accommodating. We can’t wait to come back!

This is another one of our all-time favorite parks. We’ve been here three times, including our maiden voyage with our first RV, and we always leave wishing we could stay longer. The Council Bluff loop is our favorite. It’s a quieter loop and has full hookups, which we prefer. It’s easy to get a site with beautiful views of the lake and there are lots of trees throughout the park. The trees are great for shade and scenery, but less good for Starlink, so working remotely here may or may not work out. (We’ve never tried.) There’s lots of hiking trails and there’s plenty of open space for running and riding bikes. We have never showered there and I can’t say I was impressed with the facilities in that regard. A bit run down and rustic. I guess fairly typical for a state park. The bathrooms were fine, but also on the rustic side. Still, a wonderful, peaceful state park that we highly recommend.

This park is definitely one of my all-time favorites. As I write this, we’re on our third stay here in three years and we’ll likely continue the annual tradition indefinitely. What’s not to love? The spaces range in size from big to huge, the scenery is breathtaking, and you’re right next to a beautiful lake. The park is about 7 minutes away from the DFW airport and you will hear the planes coming in, but we never found it loud or distracting. Overall the park is very quiet and peaceful. (But it’s crazy how much louder the planes get if you walk into the neighborhood that’s adjacent to the park!) We’ve always stayed here in May when there are dozens and dozens of Canadian geese roaming the park with their goslings. Really fun to see up close—and they will waddle their way right though your site! We also commonly see ducks, heron, and occasionally turtles here and there. Just outside the park is the town of Grapevine, which has an upscale small town vibe despite its population of ~50,000. Tons of cool restaurants, bars, and other similar places. Feels very safe everywhere you go. Twice a year, the town hosts a street festival with popup vendors, food, drink, and live music. The park operates a shuttle that carts guests back and forth between the park and the festival every 30 minutes, an awesome perk! If you like to run (as I do), you’ll have plenty of options without having to drive anywhere. Look up ‘Oak Grove Trail’ on Google Maps. The same trails can be used for road cycling. It might be obvious to say, but you also have direct lake access for kayaking, standup paddleboarding, and even swimming. We don’t use the bathrooms or showers much, but they are very clean. The showers are little “utilitarian”, perhaps, but clean and totally usable. One of the smaller bathrooms near the peninsula had a slightly unpleasant odor, but all the others were fine.

Of course, nothing is perfect, and the park does have a few cons. First, it’s not the cheapest place to stay. I’m of the opinion that it’s worth every penny, but the premium sites will set you back about $80/night. Basic sites run closer to $65/night. Next, the park is prone to flooding. On purpose, as it turns out. It is a Corp of Engineers designed park, operated by the City of Grapevine, and intended to flood in order to protect the nearby homes. And flood it did the first two years we came. We had to move to a different site our first year due to rising waters and we heard that the entire park had to close for a while after we left. Several cabins were destroyed as a consequence. This year is the first one we’ve experienced without flooding. So just be aware that flooding is a risk here. Next con is that some sites are surrounded by brick walls and/or have awkward utility placement. Look at my pictures to see what I mean. Our first site was one of the “walled in” sites. Didn’t hate it, but wouldn’t chose it again. And be prepared for some creative routing of your sewer line, water hose, and/or power cable!

All in all, highly recommend this place!

This park was absolutely breathtaking! Both in the good way (because it was so beautifully scenic) and the not-so-good way (because the high altitude really knocked the wind out of our sails.) It helped that were there late September / early October when the trees were starting to change color and the park wasn’t crowded. We really enjoyed our time here. Our main disappointment was only staying for a week. The bathrooms and showers were very clean and nice, the park grounds were immaculate, and the owners was very friendly. The sites are definitely on the cramped side and the roads are fairly narrow, but we didn’t have much trouble maneuvering our 30′ Airstream in or out. There were some much larger 5th wheels in there, so clearly this place can handle big rigs. There wasn’t much to do in the immediate vicinity outside the park, so any exploring requires a drive. (This isn’t terribly surprising; it’s in a fairly remote area.) Since we were only there a short time, we didn’t get to do much exploring, but there was a nice hiking trail right behind the park that has been marked with reflectors on trees by the owners. We did this several times during our stay. (Just note that the trail is not on AllTrails, so you’ll have to ask the park staff for directions.) There weren’t many trees inside the park, which is good for Starlink, but there is no shortage of trees in on the park’s perimeter. Highly recommend this place. Just be prepared to take it easy the first day or so because of the altitude.

We’ve stayed here twice, and unfortunately both experiences included negative aspects that probably will keep us from returning in the future. On our first trip, the park seemed brand new and almost everything was very nice: the landscaping, the rec room, the gym, the hot tub, pool, and poolside bar. The park had pretty walking trails and I recall the bathrooms and showers being stellar, although we did not use them. (We generally prefer to use the bathroom in our rig.) The park was quiet and the bar is situated a good distance away from trailer parking, which was a good design decision because the party animals don’t disturb the early birds. We met some pretty cool people while we were there and overall left with good memories. However, the one thing that detracted from all the good vibes was the extremely muddy area surrounding the utilities. It had rained before we arrived, but not at all while we were there, and the mud was literally ankle deep. I had to slog my way through that mess just to connect and disconnect our power and hoses and every time we had to dump. It was a serious inconvenience. We talked to the manager about it and got the impression there was some sort of water management problem that caused the grassy areas to get overly saturated. We were compensated for our trouble, which I appreciated.

We returned about a year later and stayed in one of their cabins. The park had changed substantially in that time. A fire had damaged the rec room, the hot tub was out of order, and the grounds looked very neglected. All the green grass had become brown and unattractive. Then, we found that our toilet was leaking from where it was mounted to the floor. We had water all over the bathroom floor. We complained, and they fixed it, but at that point the good vibes from the first trip were gone. In all fairness, it’s been a few years since all this happened, so maybe management has returned the park to its former glory, sans the muddy utilities area. I’ll let other reviewers indicate whether that’s actually happened or not.

This is a fantastic KOA. It’s huge with lots of amenities. Two pools. Two hot tubs. Pickleball courts. Laundry. Really, everything you’d expect from a “resort” style park. The staff are super friendly, helpful, and fast. When we asked for someone to help us refill our propane tanks, an attendant appeared before I could drive the 500 feet from our spot to the refill station. When we stayed in December, the park hosted a Christmas pot luck dinner. The park provided a ham and guests brought in a huge variety of tasty sides. It was all very yummy and was a nice excuse to meet a few fellow travelers. The sites are nice. Gravel pads. Reasonable spacing between sites for a commercial park. Utilities are conveniently located. Bathrooms and showers are very clean, spacious, and nice. (Although my wife had some problems with water pressure in one of the women’s showers.) If you’re staying in the summer, you might consider a spot under their “power parasols” to get out of the sun… unless you’re using Starlink, which may not work so well with those things overhead. The only downside to this park is the surrounding neighborhood, which is packed with homeless people everywhere. Just outside the park is the Julian Wash Greenway Bike Path, which is a paved pathway for running, walking, and cycling. Amazing to have that so close by! Unfortunately, lots of homeless use the underpasses there for shelter. One homeless woman lives in the wash with multiple unleashed dogs who behaved very aggressively toward us, barking and growling. We had to completely avoid an entire section of the pathway because of her. If you go walking here, keep your head on a swivel. Sucks to have easy access to a gift like an urban trail, only to avoid using it because of seedy elements.

This campground is nestled deep within the San Juan National Forest, giving it something of an isolated, remote feeling. It’s very beautiful, with dense groves of trees in every direction. The sites are slightly on the cramped side, but not so much that we found it bothersome. The park wasn’t too full when we first arrived, making it feel more open than when we left because most sites were taken by that point. We had no issues navigating our 30′ trailer around the park, but you do have to be especially careful because of all the trees and large rocks. There were a handful of large Class A’s in the park, so clearly it’s possible for them to safely navigate around as well. Our site was pretty level, but the ground was soft and a bit muddy from rain. (It rained nearly every afternoon we were there.) Site had a campfire pit, and fires were allowed. Firewood was $8.00. Walking distance to really nice hiking trails. There’s a small grocery store and general store a few minutes down the road, along with a pretty decent restaurant. We went running on the main road, which worked out okay but is a tad sketchy due to a lack of shoulder in certain areas. The Vallecito Reservoir is a short drive away. Very pretty and is open to boating activities, such as stand up paddleboarding. The cellular reception was better than we expected. At times, we got 20 mbps down. (We have ATT and Verizon. Didn’t take note of each provider’s speeds.) I think the only downside of this park was all the poorly behaved, excessively barky dogs. It was enough that we commented to one another multiple times that we wished folks had better control of their dogs. Setting that aside, it was a wonderful park with friendly, helpful staff and we can’t wait to come back.

We’ve stayed at this park more than any other over the last 3 years, but only because it’s a convenient overnighter on our route between Texas and California. It’s pretty run down and unattractive, but it’s level, inexpensive, has full hookups and clean bathrooms. It’s super easy in and out. The surrounding neighborhood isn’t great and we don’t feel super comfortable walking around outside of the park—but we do it anyway, with our heads on swivels. The freeway is only a couple minutes away, but you hear zero road noise at the park. The park itself has always been super quiet and sparsely populated with other RVs. Setting aside the somewhat trashy/industrial surroundings, the views are surprisingly pretty. There are mountains in the distance and we’ve seen some spectacular sun rises as we prepared to leave. We’ve never used the showers here, but they look as clean as the bathrooms, which are well maintained. All in all, this is a great place to stop and get some rest but hardly a vacation destination.

Absolutely amazing state park. Beautiful views, easy access to hiking, gigantic Saguaro cacti everywhere, plenty of lightly traffic roadway for running moderate distances, exceptionally clean bathrooms and showers, very quiet. We were only here for a week, but would have stayed longer if we could. We stayed the first week of October and the temperatures still got close to 100 every afternoon, but it was cool in the mornings and evenings. Two negatives about the bathrooms: First, there is no temperature control. Instead, there’s a button you have to press in order to get 60 seconds of water. The temperature is preset and not as hot as I’d prefer. That said, when we first arrived, there wasn’t even warm water. It was cold! We complained to a camp host who told the park ranger who evidently turned the heat back on. The other negative was a persistent ammonia/sewage smell in the men’s bathroom of Loop A. Not horrible, but not nice either. The park is situated very close to shopping and grocery stores. We can’t wait to come back!