jessica

I'm looking for a place not too far from Dallas for a short, Monday-Wednesday car camping trip with a dog. It's not our first camping, but we're pretty inexperienced, so I'd love some advise. I'm considering Dinosaur Valley, Purti Creek, Tyler State Park, Cleburn State Park, Lake Ray Roberts... Any suggestions?

Turn Key

Any of them. Their all great parks!

Welcome aboard and I hope we can help. I do mean "any of them" but to better answer your questions, it would help to know a few things:

1. Where are you coming from (which side of Dallas)?
2. How far would you like to drive (time or distance)?
3. What are your interests?

The parks you mentioned are all in different directions and are a good distance apart. With a bit more info, we can help you zero in on a park that should make you happy.

Again, welcome aboard and happy camping!

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toejam

Juniper Point Campground on Lake Texoma at the U.S. 377 bridge. You can hike the Cross Timbers Trail from there.

MissionCamper

I camped at Tyler SP and have toured Ray Roberts SP. For taller trees and an abundance of shade, go with Tyler. The only downside is that these tall pines can get scary when the winds pick up. Otherwise, it's a beautiful park.

Ray Roberts is a different animal. Trees aren't as tall and thus it's not as shady...but there are nice lake sites and this park is closer to "the big D" than the one in Tyler. For short trips and the price of gas the way it is, this may be something to consider. Go with the Isle du Bois Unit.

Turn Key

Agreed.

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jessica

Thanks for all the suggestions! We live 3 minutes north of downtown dallas. I thought that since it was early May and we'd be going during the week, it would be nice to go to one of the places that typically gets very hot and crowded later in the summer, such as Dino Valley. I read most of the other threads about camping in Dallas, that's where I got the names of the parks I listed. We might want to do a little swimming, a little hiking, nothing too intense. Truthfully, I really liked it when I read that Dino Valley had 'nice' shower facilities. My husband rolls his eyes and says that's not camping, but hey, I'm new at this and I like to be clean :rolleyes: Also, I would assume that it's not a problem to bring a dog into these places, but I just want to be sure before we go. So, with the price of gas right now, and the fact that we're only going for two nights, I don't want to drive too far, just far enough to get away from the city.

DayTripper

Jessica,

I think you will be happy with Dinosaur Valley if you can go during the week and avoid the weekend crowds. Yes, the shower facilities are nice, and there is the river for swimming. The hiking trails are such that you can make your hike as long or as short as you want.

I hope you have an enjoyable time. When you get back, let us know how things went.

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DayTripper

Unregistered

Dino valley is nice, but if it is full, try Cleburne. It has a nice swimming area where you can rent canoes and paddleboats, and has a really nice easy hike to the spillway that is pretty. Cleburne is really close to Dinosaur, so you can still go to Dino and visit.

Turn Key

I'll agree with everything else our guest has to say about Cleburne except for this. At this time, the Park Store is "Closed" not to re-open until the old building is torn down and a new one built. There is no boat rental at this time. Also, due to our drought, the lake is about 4' low. Was out there two weeks ago. I'd be careful about swimming there until the water level comes back up.

Here's a site reference for some pix of Cleburne, if your interested:

Cleburne SP

Hope this helps and happy camping!

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