We stayed at Lake Brownwood State Park in late October 2021 on our way back to the Round Rock area for doctor appointments and visits with friends. The park had many good points but one thing it has in common with many Texas State Parks is that they simply don’t live up to the quality and amenities of parks in many other states. It is a bit rustic and in need of some TLC. All that said, it’s still a nice place to visit and we’ll likely come back. In addition to fishing and nice views of the lake there are lots of trails within the park although most of them are labeled as moderate due to both some elevation changes of a few hundred feet and due to rough and rocky trails that require care when hiking. In our case, we had gusty winds up to 45 mph every day we were here so we only hiked the trails between our campsite and the lake on one day.
Connection side of our site, note the awkward location of the water and sewer connections
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ Site Quality / Amenities: Concrete roads and pads. Some sites are pretty spacious while other are not. For big rigs you have to pay extra for a larger site. Type: Commercial Park Access: Access to the park is along the south west access road for I-27 at loop 289. From the north side you need to circle around on loop 289 on the west side of Lubbock taking the exit for US-87 south / Tahoka and circling around to the south to enter the park. From the south going north on US-84 get on loop 289 and circle back at University Ave then exit as above. Staff: The staff were very friendly at check-in but we didn’t really see them after that. Cellular/Wi-Fi: Verizon was reasonably fast at 13 Mbps and AT&T was a bit slow at 3 Mbps. Restaurants:Twisted Root Burgers – we went back here after trying it before when our daughter went to school at Texas Tech. It was parent weekend so they could have been a bit busier than normal but overall the service and burgers were off. Nearby parks:Mesa Verde, 503 US-62, Wolfforth (South West side of Lubbock). No trees, easy navigation through the park, good Verizon. Most sites are wide enough to park the truck beside the trailer. Good location for our doctors. Camelot Village, 6001 34th St, Lubbock (West side). Good location for our doctors. The park seems nearly 100% full but mostly permanent residents – may be tough to get a transient site for more than a week or two. Loop 289 RV Park, 3436 W Loop 289 Access Rd. (West side near Camelot Village). Good location but it’s doubtful we could get a long enough site. Many permanent residents. Lubbock RV Park 4811 North, I-27, Lubbock, TX 79403 by the airport. Sites at west (back) end of the park >site 70 are probably OK. Best sites at the far back seem to be premium. Some low trees inside the park would likely hit the trailer. Construction on the service road south of the park is a pain in 11/2022. Verizon was great there. Cottonland, 5040 E Hwy 62, 82, Lubbock (North est side). Dirt road with mix of paved and unpaved sites but mud was not bad the day after heavy rain. May be mostly long term, particularly the sites with concrete pads, and may be hard to book. Verizon was slow. Lubbock KOA, 5502 County Rd 6300 (North west side near The Shack). Not too bad but a bit muddy after heavy rain the day before – much worse than the other parks reviewed or The Retreat. All gravel both roads and sites. Indoor pool was nice. What we liked: Concrete roads and pads. Our site had plenty of room on the outdoor side. What we didn’t like: It’s a bit difficult to get into the park due to it’s location. The sites were awkwardly laid out. The porch was way too far forward for any kind of RV. The water and sewer connections were also far forward. The only connection conveniently located was power. Can’t book more than 14 days at a time online or early. For long term stays you have to check with them 2 weeks before you want to arrive. Verdict: We will stay here again if we decide to visit the area.
Palo Duro Canyon is about 14 miles east of the city of Canyon Texas. The Canyon is sometimes called the Grand Canyon of Texas and it is the second largest canyon in North America behind the Grand Canyon. The park itself consists of 27,173 acres originally deeded by private land owners in 1933 and built into a State Park by the Civilian Conservation Corps from 1933 to 1937. Although much work remained to be done, the park officially opened on July 4, 1934.
Palo Duro Canyon is a place where erosion shapes the land, four bioregions intersect, cultures have met and clashed and change is the only constant. The majestic beauty of the canyon takes time to appreciate. The sights and sounds here are lost in most urban settings. The canyon is one of the most beautiful and majestic areas within Texas. The canyon is approximately 120 miles long and 600 to 800 feet deep. The canyon was formed less than 1 million years ago when an ancient river first carved its way through the Southern High Plains. The rocks expose a geologic story that began approximately 250 million years ago, layer by layer revealing a panoramic view of magnificent color. People are believed to have lived in the area for about 12,000 years.
Rating: ⭐⭐ Site Quality: Firepits and picnic tables at each site. Type: Commercial Access: Easy access off I-27 (exit 51) north of Plainview. The park is along the service road. Staff: Family run, very friendly. Appreciative that we stayed in the park. Amenities: Laundry, restrooms and showers. Gift Shop and General Store onsite with RV supplies, Camping goods, and Firewood. Dog park as well as a playground for kids. On-Site Propane. Cellular/Wi-Fi: Wi-Fi is available in the park although we didn’t use it. AT&T was fast at about 8 Mbps. Verizon was very fast at nearly 90 Mbps. Restaurants: Leal’s Mexican had decent Mexican food. Nearby parks: We didn’t investigate other parks as we were only here for a one night stopover. What we liked: Convenient access, right along the I-27 service road. Friendly staff. Walmart Supercenter nearby. What we didn’t like: Typical of many West Texas parks, the roads and sites are gravel and could be messy if it rained. There was a fair amount of road noise from I-27. Verdict: Good place for a one night stopover along the route.
Cowboy RV Park is just south of Lockhart Texas on State Park Road (Ranch Road 20). We stayed here for a month in April 2021 as we worked our way toward the Round Rock / Georgetown area for our bi-annual doctor appointments. We weren’t real sure what we were getting into before going there as it was a relatively new park that was still under construction and it was gravel, something we try to avoid during the rainy season. After arrival, we found out that although there was an office on site, no one was ever there. This created some concern at first as we wondered who would take care of any issues that might pop up. We quickly learned one of our neighbors worked part time with the owners to take care of things and they were quick to evict someone who broke the rules so that made us feel a bit better. We also met a retired police officer who stayed in the park and he assured us there were no issues. There was also an active State Trooper who lived there.
