The majority of our time on this trip was spent in Texas with stops in Louisiana, Mississippi and Arkansas. Typically we try to find state or local parks or U.S. Army Corps of Engineer (COE) campgrounds because they tend to offer more space at a reasonable cost. Last season we discovered that many cities and towns often have municipal RV parks. Sometimes location demands a commercial RV park. Each type has pluses and minuses but each fulfilled a niche in our travels.
Most days on the road we set a leisurely pace - 225 to 250 miles. On one occasion, because we had a specific destination in mind, we only travelled 80 miles and only once, on our final day, did we cover slightly less than 350 miles. We have found that we like to stay three to seven days in a location since frequently as we wander we discover fun, interesting places we didn’t know existed such as the oldest operating cotton gin in the United States or the first place that Coca-Cola was bottled. (No, it wasn’t Atlanta! We’ll tell you about both of these in future Road Stories.) We usually get out sight-seeing by 9:30 and meander back in by 4:00 or 5:00. Sophie, the little white dog, likes to get out and explore at our stopovers. So many new things to sniff and so many places to “mark” as her territory. But whether you cover 80 or 250 miles in a day, you still need a place to lay your head at night. The three of us would like to share some of our stopovers.
Many locations have cabins that can be rented if you aren’t RV’ing and the parks are inviting places to just visit for a day. As always, our comments reflect personal experiences at a specific time.
$ $10 to $20 / night $$ $21 to $35 / night $$$ $36 or higher / night
Craighead Forest Park Jonesboro, Arkansas
http://www.jonesboro.org/parks/parks/craighead.htmlCity park $ Full hook-ups available
What a delightful surprise as this city park rivals many state parks. The sites are very spacious with asphalt pads. There are huge century-old shade trees and there is a quiet serene feeling. Lake view sites are available. Bathrooms, showers and laundry areas are extremely clean. The on-site hosts were very friendly and helpful. This is the only park we have ever seen where they tell you it is okay to drain gray water tanks directly onto the ground. The only drawback is that reservations are NOT taken but you can call ahead and the office will tell you how busy the park typically is during a specific time period.
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| Craighead Forest Park is a pristine setting |
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| Setting up in Craighead Forest Park |
Downtown Riverside RV Park North Little Rock, Arkansas
http://www.northlittlerockriversidervpark.com/
City park $$ Full hook-ups available
The city of North Little Rock took an old industrial property and transformed it into a gated, urban RV park - think parking lot with full hook-ups. While neat and clean, the park itself is not much on ambience, though being right on the bank of the Arkansas River raises its stature. But it is all location, location, location. This park is within walking distance of the William Jefferson Clinton Presidential Library and Museum and the restaurants and activities of both Little Rock and North Little Rock. Two former railroad bridges that span the Arkansas River have been turned into very attractive pedestrian walkways. A new lighting system has recently been installed on the bridge that connects directly to the library grounds. On the Saturday afternoon that we were there, sailboats glided on the river while a band played in the center of the other bridge. Downtown Riverside RV Park is a very convenient location if you want to visit the Clinton Library. You don’t even need to unhook.
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| A view of the park from the pedestrian bridge |
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| Looking south across the pedestrian bridge with the Clinton Library at the end |
Crater of Diamonds State Park Murfressboro, Arkansas
http://www.craterofdiamondsstatepark.com/
State park $$ Full hook-ups available
Sites are spacious but can be very hilly although we were lucky enough to get one that was pretty much level. Interior roads are paved and the pads are concrete. The facilities and laundry areas are very clean. There are huge old pine trees standing guard. Convenience to the diamond fields a key factor; you can walk or drive there, but it is a several-mile drive to town.
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| Camp sites are very nice, but can be hilly |
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| The diamond fields in Crater of Diamonds State Park |
Hank’s Creek Campground - Sam Rayburn Reservoir Jasper, Texas
http://www.samrayburn.com/camping--hanks-creek-park/94
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers $$ Water and electric hook-ups, dump station available
A nice place once you get there. Do not follow the GPS coordinates…at least the ones we had! Mike is much more likely to listen to Jill (OK, so we are one of the crazies that have named their GPS) than to me. He claims this is because she is right 99% of the time and my percentages are not nearly that good. Off we drive down a narrow gravel road hemmed in by huge overhanging trees that made the day look like dusk even though it was a bright Texas afternoon, with NO possibility of turning around. After an hour we make a phone call to a park ranger who tells us he doesn’t have the foggiest notion where we are. He says to call back when we find any road or street names. We finally come across several houses in need of a bit of paint. Mike stops the truck in the road. We take up the entire road. Mike hops out and disappears around the back of the first house to get some information. To Sophie and me, waiting in the truck, moments seem like hours. I’m taking in the art work in the front yard. It consists of a large wooden “T” framework, presumably for Texas. Two upside down football helmets, painted red and used as planters, hang one on each arm of the “T” while a piece of wood painted to represent the Texas flag is attached to the middle of the structure. The most disconcerting feature is the skull of a long horn cow - not just the horns, the entire scull – prominently situated at the foot of the structure. As I’m beginning to hear banjo music playing in my head, Mike reappears followed by six little shoeless and shirtless boys wearing blue jean shorts, who are accompanied by eight dogs. The dogs all appear to be the offspring of a Dachshund and a Doberman Pinscher. Various combinations of the two breeds have evidenced themselves in every possible combination of legs, heads, and tails. Mike tells me that according to the lady of the house we are nowhere near a lake or reservoir. So we are going to turn around…. a feat of magic is the only way I can imagine getting a ¾ ton truck and 35 feet of RV repositioned with only inches to spare on each side. We are going to have to use the narrow gravel strip next to the house to accomplish this maneuver. By this time the little boys have scampered off - apparently we are really boring - but the dogs have remained and are intent on throwing themselves underneath our tires. Sophie and I are yelping as Mike assures me that the dogs are quite capable of taking care of themselves. About this time it is evident that I’ll need to get out and remove the iron rod that marks the water main shut-off valve so Mike can back across it to extricate the truck and RV from our current situation. Thanks to Mike’s driving expertise he manages to get us out without a maimed dog or a dent. After another two hours and an extra 70 miles we locate the park and our site. Oh, the park? Nice place, lake view with shade trees.
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| A nice spot to camp, once you find the place |
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| Sam Rayburn Lake - Hank's Creek campground |
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| Wildlife at Sam Rayburn Lake |
Nails Creek Campground - Lake Somerville State Park Somerville, Texas
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/state-parks/lake-somerville
State park $ Water and electric hook-ups, dump station available
Equine facilities available at some campsites
This state park is twenty-five minutes from the Round Top/Warrenton Antique Festival area and forty-five minutes to the George H. W. Bush (#41) Presidential Library and Museum at College Station. It is also close enough to Washington-on-the-Brazos State Historic Site, where Texas declared its independence from Mexico and formed a new nation, the Republic of Texas, to spend an afternoon exploring that area. Nails Creek is a good place to get away from the crowds. There is a lot of wildlife in the park; we saw at least 8 to 10 deer each day. Due to the drought in the area this past year the lake level is very low and the Nails Creek boat ramp is presently closed. There are no laundry facilities in the park. A major plus for horse lovers: There are sections in the park that offer horse corrals at individual camp sites and there are over 20 miles of trails.
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| Set up at Nails Creek campground |
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| Corral in the equestrian camping area at Nails Creek |
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| With the lake at record low level due to the summer's drought, , the "no swimming" sign near the boat ramp is kind of redundant |
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| Even with a drought, there is beauty in the park |
Texana Park and Campground Edna, Texas
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/state-parks/lake-texana
While it is still technically a state park, the area is now managed by the Lavaca-Navidad River Authority $$ Water and electric hook-ups, dump station available
Nice level sites with lake view. Do note that the park hands out maps and
signs are posted that indicate areas frequented by venomous snakes. It is a good
idea to keep alert. While we didn’t see
any snakes, we saw an abundance of deer, including the only buck we saw with
antlers anywhere in our travels, and at least 3 or 4 armadillos.
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| Front gate at the park |
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| Our camp site at Texana State Park |
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| This big buck didn't stir as we walked by and took his picture |
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| Deer in abundance at Texana State Park |
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| Everything is big in Texas. Look at the size of the mushrooms compared to Sophie |
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| Spanish moss hanging in the trees. It is really neither Spanish nor moss |
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| A view of the lake at Texana State Park |
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| Enough said! |
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| OK, if you didn't believe the first sign.... |
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| This " 'dillo" was right across the road from our site |
A final note:
Texas state parks all charge a daily use fee of approximately $3 or $4
per person per day or sometimes a “per vehicle” entrance fee (we never figured
out just how the fees were determined) OR for $70 you can buy a one-year pass
that gives you unlimited entrance to the parks and a 50% discount on up to four
nights of camping.
We’ll be highlighting the commercial campgrounds where we
stayed in the next edition of Road Stories.
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