Here is our list of the best campgrounds in the Hill Country.

Krause Springs is a great place to camp in large part because it has one of the best swimming holes in the entire state. This is an incredibly picturesque location and you will be tickled pink the first time you walk down the hill and see the pool and the waterfall. The pool and campground are on private property and there is a residence onsite so camping here is kind of like going camping in the best backyard ever. The pool is a great place to hang at night especially during those evenings when there is a full moon. A tremendous benefit of camping here is that you can get up relatively early in the morning and run down to the swimming hole and, if you are lucky, you will have the whole place all to yourself. Be sure to come out early so you can grab one of the shaded spots in the meadow where tent camping is allowed.

Blanco State Park isn't a very big park and the number of campsites are limited, but the big advantage in camping here is that you will be close to a beautiful body of water. Since you will have access to the water, you can come camp here even during the warm months because you will always be able to take a dip anytime you like. If you want to spend some time on the water you can rent tubes and kayaks at the office. There also are a fair amount of shade trees in the park, which are an absolute must if you are going to be here when the temperature is on the rise. They also have a few of those highly coveted screened shelters here at the park. The impoundment formed by the dam on the Blanco River constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s creates a large pool if you want to go for a swim. And to top it all off, there is a very nice play area just below the dam where you can wade, put the lawn chairs in the water or hang out in the 4-foot "tank"near the shore.

The Mountain Breeze Campground is a pretty large facility that sits along the banks of the gorgeous Guadalupe River. As you might expect, it has some campsites at the river's edge that are really sweet. One thing we especially like about this place is they don't allow vehicles on the lower camping level down by the river. That makes for a much more pleasant camping experience along the stream. As an added bonus, the campground is located on a very scenic portion of the river with some impressive bluffs in the area. They also have some tee-tiny, and we mean tee-tiny, cabins in case your mother-in-law who insisted on joining you does not want to tent camp. The cabins are about a hundred yards from the campsites. Even though most people tend to come here during the summer, this is a great place to visit in either the spring or the fall when it is still relatively warm. In fact, it can get so crowded here during the summer that your best bet might be to come during the "off" season. If you are looking for some daytime activities they rent tubes, rafts and kayaks for you to use on the river. If you are going tubing you should know that this campground is located upstream from the chute, which is a portion of the river favored by many.

Guadalupe River State Park is another terrific state park for camping and swimming. The one hitch to camping here is that you will have to walk or drive a ways to get down to the water from the "improved" campsites. If you are looking to rough it they have about 20 primitive walk-in campsites that have water in the vicinity and are located pretty close to the river. Like most of our suggested campgrounds, this one has access to a really nice watercourse making it an ideal spot for camping even during the warmer months. In fact, the park has 4 miles of river frontage. There are plenty of trails at this park giving you an opportunity to go for a hike in the morning before going to play in the water during the afternoon. You also need to know that there is a lot of river frontage in the park both upstream and downstream of the main day use area. If you don't mind blazing your own trail, you can take a little bit of gear with you in either direction from the improved day use area and find your own secluded spot on the river.

The Lazy L & L Campground has several really choice campsites located right on 3/4 of a mile of frontage along the Guadalupe River, but you have to make arrangements early to get one. It is worth making the effort to get one of the more secluded spots down by the river and away from the RV sites. This campground is situated on a picturesque portion of the river known as the Devil's Playground and it is fairly far away from New Braunfels so it might not be quite as crowded as some of the other campgrounds closer to town. They can hook you up with rafts or tubes if you want to go float down the river. This is another great place to visit in the spring before it gets very crowded during the summer when tubing is all the rage here and all the other places along River Road outside of New Braunfels.

Garner State Park is the most popular state park in Texas so it of course often gets crowded here. Maybe this will help -- call ahead and reserve some campsites in the "old" portion of the park near the river such as the Oakmont campground. You can't reserve specific campsites, but you at least can put dibs on something in the general area of the park you like the best. Once you get to the office at the park you can select the actual campsite you want. It is an absolute necessity to look at the map of the park before reserving a campsite because some of them are a very long way from the river. If you are able to get a campsite down by the water you will not regret it, although it can get pretty crowded down there during the day. Here is a tip, the best place to hang out in the water is downstream from the dam. Also remember that they have night time dances in the summer where the old camp store is located at the Pavillion. If you need another reason to come out here, the view from Old Baldy is pretty impressive and the river especially looks great from there.

Wes Cooksey Park is a fine little campground located right on the beautiful Nueces River practically in the middle of nowhere out on the western edge of the Hill Country. It is approximately 3 miles south of Camp Wood. There is a dam that crosses the river forming Lake Nueces, which is a great place to swim or float. Given the access to a year-round source of water you will be able to camp here even during the warm months. Don't let their website fool you, this is a charming place at a very tranquil site and it is conducive for you to do some super easy car camping at a sweet location if that is what you have in mind. You should know, however, that the campsites are fairly close together.

Even though we prefer to camp near rivers, the Inks Lake State Park is a really nice place to go camping on a lake in the Hill Country. What makes it so nice to visit here is that there are some campsites that sit close to the water in amongst the trees with a fair amount of room on either side so you feel relatively secluded for being in a state park. Grabbing one of those spots by the water will give you an opportunity to go right to the edge of the lake to watch what often times is a beautiful sunset. There is also a rock outcrop that is a nice place to watch the sunset, ask the park staff how to get to it. You can rent some kayaks if you would like to go paddle around on the water and then later you could take a dip in the lake to cool down. If you want to do some shore fishing they have 2 lighted fishing piers. And if it is screened shelters you crave, there are over 20 of them at the park.

Guadalupe Canoe and Livery is located right on the river and they have over a half mile of frontage, which is a very good thing. There isn't a whole lot of shade down by the river, but they have great access to the stream. Another advantage is that they have not designated campsites that are right on top of one another so you might be able to have a little space between you and your neighbor when you set up the tents. This place will not be nearly as crowded as it gets at state parks. As an added bonus, you can rent kayaks here for a paddle trip down to the challenging Mueller and Rust Falls area of the river. Be sure to talk to the owners about paddling over the falls because if you are not experienced you easily could crash.

Colorado Bend State Park is a fine state park located on the Colorado River up in the northern portion of the Hill Country. One really nice feature with this park is that some of the campsites are situated on portions of the bank that jut out into the river. Those are excellent areas because if you get a group together to go to the park you might be able to reserve one of the "peninsulas" all to yourself. There of course will be plenty of access to the water, which makes this a very nice place to camp even when it is pretty warm outside. There are miles and miles of trails out here so be sure to get a map at the office so you can find the trails that take you to the secluded portions of the river if you want to get away from the campsites. They also offer guided tours of Gorman Falls and a crawling cave tour if you don't mind tight spaces.

Yeargan's River Bend is a nice little private camp on the fabulous Frio River out in the western fringes of the Hill Country. They also have some screened shelters and a few cottages if you don't want to tent camp, which is always a nice alternative for those members of your group that have small children. We like going to places like this that are privately owned and not nearly as crowded as the state parks, but you do need to make arrangements to arrive early and reserve a spot by the water because they only have around 20 campsites. There is a fair amount of shade for nearly all of the campsites. We like this place because it has really good access to a refreshing and beautiful watercourse and there is a real nice swimming hole here when the water levels are up.

Bigfoot Canoes has a primitive campground at a very enjoyable spot on the Guadalupe River. The water is deep enough to swim here or you could just hop on your float and enjoy the afternoon at a leisurely pace. There is a rope swing on the far bank of the river. A significant bonus with coming here is that you can have them shuttle you upstream and then paddle kayaks back down to the campsite. Now that is an excellent combination for a weekend getaway. If you don't have a kayak don't worry because they rent them here. There won't be much of a crowd here, but you should know that the facilities at the campground are minimal. This place is far from ideal if you are bringing out kids, but if you are looking for a "wilderness" campsite this just might fit the bill.

The Leisure Camp sits on the sparkling waters of the San Marcos River a few miles east of the City of San Marcos. They have excellent access to the water at this campground making it a favorite place to stay for around eight to nine months out of the year. There is a pretty good amount of shade at the campsites down by the water, but some of them are located in the open sun so choose your site wisely young grasshopper. Also, the owners try to keep it quiet at night so you probably will not have to be worried about it being too rowdy like it gets at some of the state parks. The tent camping is primitive (no water or electric), but restrooms and a camp store are located fairly close to the campsites. They also have some small cabins here in case you need a "maternity ward" for the little ones.

Enchanted Rock is an excellent place to camp and go explore the huge granite dome that creeks and crackles during the summer. They have around 40 campsites near the front face of the rock and about 60 more at the primitive camp sites. Camping here is a real treat because it allows you to wake up in the morning and get in all your hiking before it gets too stinking hot. Remember, there is not a lick of shade up on the rock so it is best to take that trek in the morning and then hang out under the shade trees in the afternoon. If there is any kind of drawback at all to camping here it is that there is no water for swimming or wading other than over at Moss Lake in one of the three primitive camping areas. Still, this site is unlike any other campground in the Hill Country and you really should come out here and camp at least once.

Paleface is a good place to camp because it is so huge and you have the option of camping near cliffs on the west side of the park, or near areas that have easy access to the water. There are both primitive and improved campsites. The improved campsites are on the east side of the park, which has easier access to the water than the west side. You can reserve improved campsites (highly recommended), but primitive campsites are first come fist served so get there early if you have a favorite site. One thing that is really nice about this campground located on Lake Travis is that there are coves that are reserved for swimming in case you are wanting to avoid motor boat activity. There is also a lot of land in the center of the park that you could explore while hiking and once it gets too warm you can go play in the water near your campsite.

Big Oak River Camp is a real nice place to camp on the Nueces River when the water levels are up and it is located about 35 miles north of Uvalde. This is an out of the way location in the western edge of the Hill Country that has been a favorite of locals for years. It is located in a picturesque setting and the spring-fed river feels great, especially during July and August. Many of the campsites are shaded, but you should know that RVs also can park in the same area where tent camping is available so you might need to get a little creative about where you decide to pitch a tent. They also have cabins onsite in case that would be better for some of the members of your group.

Mager's is a great place to camp because it is on the fabulous Guadalupe River and there area a couple of tent camping sites close to the water where you can also rent a covered shelter. That can come in real handy if you are going out with a group of people. The campsites have access to water and electricity and wash room facilities are centrally located. The campground is in a particularly beautiful portion of the Hill Country and it sits right across the river from Garner so you will have a good view of Old Baldy.

Llano River Camping is on private property near Junction and it offers camping right close to the water. There are several campsites that have shade trees and the really choice campsites have access to a white gravel "beach" along the river. The campsites have access to electric and water. This is a nice alternative to camping at the state parks and this is a very pretty area when the river levels are up.

JJ's Rocking Retreat is a great place to go if you don't mind primitive camping. There are miles of frontage on the San Saba River so there will be plenty of opportunity to play in the water. You do need to make sure the water is running because some times that river can get pretty low. You won't have to worry about stumbling over your neighbor like at the State Parks because you will have a couple of thousand acres to roam while you are here. You should be able to see wildlife during your stay. This place isn't for everyone because there is no electricity or water, but if you are looking for a "wilderness" weekend this might just be the spot for you.




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