View Full Version : Looking for trail or tent camping near San Antonio Texas
gracebowen
12-27-2016, 15:32
My son wants to go out for a night this Friday. The free camping spot I knew of I cant verify if its still there. You used to be able to tent camp free at Canyon Lake.
To keep my thread alive I will ask for a nearby (2hours?) trail for an overnight. Car camping will work too. Hopefully someplace with a trail.
Cheap places might work but free is preferred.
US Army Corps of engineer campgrounds are really nice. North of San Antonio are a few places:
http://www.swf-wc.usace.army.mil/canyon/Information/Directions.asp
pilgrimskywheel
12-28-2016, 13:43
I owned a home just outside of Ft. Sam Houston on the east side of San Antonio for about 1 year exactly - on Onslow St. If you can see where that is you'll understand why I couldn't wait to get out of that combat zone. (Literally frequent machine gun fire. There were 4 unrelated homicides in 1 night on the east side alone, along with a SWAT team raid where for the first time in TX SWAT history they were repulsed by overwhelming counter fire and lost 2 men THE SAME NIGHT that year.) The north country is the ONLY place to go - what they call the "hill country". I only went a couple of times, but when I did I had a partner, his and her pistols, and two dogs (bulls) with me and we never strayed too far from where the the truck was. We slept in the truck bed under a cap locked in with the dogs. I imagine this on-post location is likely to be somewhat more secure, but I've never been. I understand that there are parks for this along the rivers - Frio, Guadalupe, San Marcos, etc., which are for-a-fee sites but I never went as these are pretty much inner city, or just outside of it and not by any stretch back-country. In fact, they seemed more the settings for large parties, pavilions for picnics, fiestas, reunions, etc., and not the kind of place for a peaceful getaway. Good luck!
hyperslug
12-28-2016, 16:03
If you're willing to drive 2 hours, check out Lost Maples State Natural Area. Get's heavy use but probably not in winter. I have done the small backpacking loop about 3 times and it is very beautiful.
US Army Corps of engineer campgrounds are really nice. North of San Antonio are a few places:
http://www.swf-wc.usace.army.mil/canyon/Information/Directions.asp
Thanks for the plug. Consider our facilities nationwide.
Traveler
12-29-2016, 08:50
If you're willing to drive 2 hours, check out Lost Maples State Natural Area. Get's heavy use but probably not in winter. I have done the small backpacking loop about 3 times and it is very beautiful.
+1 There are several camping areas, some near the stream/river, some on top of the hills. If you do all the trails and "loops" you can get about 8 miles or so out of the park overall. Were it me, I would look at the western loop and the hilltop camping area which has some nice campsites, is not difficult to reach, and has a different feel to it than the other spots.
My son wants to go out for a night this Friday. The free camping spot I knew of I cant verify if its still there. You used to be able to tent camp free at Canyon Lake.
To keep my thread alive I will ask for a nearby (2hours?) trail for an overnight. Car camping will work too. Hopefully someplace with a trail.
Cheap places might work but free is preferred.
Did y'all get to go camping?
Wayne
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gracebowen
01-18-2017, 00:22
Not yet. It was litetally freezing the night we wanted to go and we dont have gear for that.
Sorry to hear that.
Friends in Houston and I just planned a trip this afternoon.
I found a campground in the Davy Crockett NF. The Ratcliff Campground.
We're going Feb 17-19. There's a 20 mile trail somewhere around the campground. Supposedly.
https://www.recreation.gov/camping/ratcliff-lake-recreation-area/r/campgroundDetails.do?contractCode=NRSO&parkId=75227
Hope you can get outdoors before the heat and bugs get awful.
Wayne
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