Fort Parker State Park Campground

We were on the water behind reeds. The site was a pull through and fairly level. The sites across from the water were back-ins and fairly steep going up hill. Most were occupied and were able to level. Larger rigs need to be mindful of which site they select. Park was trimming trees while we were there

The water tasted great, and the restrooms were immaculate.

It was a wonderful and quiet park.

Site 21 is a pull thru on the water and isn't level, so be prepared. But we loved it and the winter sunsets on the lake were spectacular.

It's a small park with narrow roads to access sites. If you have a big rig don't try to navigate the lower road and turn around without scouting the turning circle first. Hiking trails were great and there is a trail to paddle in the river and lake that look to be lots of fun. We did not fish but the fishing looked to be great. I did see lots of fish jumping.

Back to site 21... the neighbor in #20 is pretty close. Like everything they say you hear close. First night we had some real personalities in that spot. But they left and the new neighbors were great. I only mention that due to proximity. Get those loud persons who speak harsh and inappropriate words to children and it can be a little uncomfortable. The closest neighbor on the other side is 100 yards away.

This is a small Texas State park that has a few long hiking trails and a canoe trail on the park property.

The campsites are small but on the lake and have great views. The odd number campsites are on the shoreline. From our site - 19 - we watch fish jump, ducks and heron in the water.

The hiking trails are shaded and are well maintained.

This was our first visit to Ft. Parker State Park. Overall, it was a wonderful experience.

Most of the campsites are located right on the shore of the lake, making it possible to fish or launch a kayak practically from your campsite. A fishing pier is located only steps away, and is lit at night. The view of the lake was beautiful and we enjoyed sitting out under the many trees. On our last morning, we got to watch a turtle laying her eggs in the soft mud after a rain.

A nature center is onsite, but we did not have time to visit it this trip. We did visit the reconstructed Old Ft. Parker historic site, however, to absorb a little Texas history.

On the negative side, as awww others have mentioned, this relatively small campground was not designed for today’s larger rigs. As a result, the campground road is a bit narrow if you happen to meet someone coming or going, and it ends in a small cup-de-sac, just barely big enough for us to turn around. Only 30 Amp power was available, so we were only able to run a single a/c unit, but that actually wasn’t any problem since we visited in late spring and the temperatures were moderate. We did have considerable difficulty leveling on the uneven, sloped pad.

This park is a gem out in east Texas. Took a friend camping in my 25 foot airstream and was able to easily back into site 25 with a beautiful view of the lake. The overall park is small but it was beautiful. The hiking trail was great and almost every camper had a kayak or canoe. Very peaceful and quiet.

Att has good cell coverage here.
40-50mbps down
~10mbps up

No way this is a big rig friendly park. The RV area is a narrow road with a very small “cul-de-sac” at the end. We were in site 15 which is in the cul-de-sac. It was a 20 point maneuver to get the 5th wheel turned around and then backed in to the site. To even get to the sites there are many low hanging branches and some very tight bends in the road. Our site was fine for our 42 ft 5th wheel once we got into it. There are a handful of sites that will accommodate bigger rigs, but the dead end and the low hanging branches would prevent us from staying here again in our current rig. lThe RV area has 20/30 amp electric and water. The sites are paved and most have shade. The park itself is nice and the historical Fort Parker reconstruction is a couple of miles down the road (not part of the state park). There are some hiking trails, a swimming area, and a place to rent canoes. The town of Mexia is about 10 miles away and has grocery stores, fast food, wal-mart, and fuel.

This is a very nice smaller RV camp at a state park (25 RV sites total). The road into the park is narrow but manageable. Stop at the office on the way in to pay for your stay, or if after 4:30p, you can camp and then settle up in the morning. The Park Rangers were very friendly and helpful. We noted that the Rangers and the Park Host were pretty active and made several passes through the camp each day - there weren't a lot of campers during our stay but it was nice and quiet.

The rate is $20 per nite for the RV sites. There is also a $4 per person per day park fee.

After leaving the office, follow the signs for 'camping'. The RV area is a long skinny area along the edge of the lake - for most of the sites, you will need to go all the way to the end and turn around to come back to your site - it isn't bad. Anything over about 31' with a tow should definitely disconnect before proceeding to the turn around.

Sites 12, 18, 21, and 23 are pull-through. All other sites are back-in type. The sites have 30A electrical connections and water - there are no sewer connections at any of the sites. There is a dump station on the road in.

As the camping area is at the edge of the lake, the ground is sloping to the water. All of the sites are paved, but there are differing variations of 'level'- for instance, sites 18 and 21 are pretty similar, but we found 21 to have some slope both side-to-side, and front to back. Nothing drastic, but our automatic leveling system had both the front and back right side wheels off of the ground. At site 18, I used manual leveling to take care of a gentler side-to-side slope. (We stayed at 21 the first nite, then moved to 18 for our second nite).

Sites 12 through 16 are at the turn around area, and this is a very shady part of the camp - there was no one camping there during our stay and we enjoyed walking our dogs in that area. There are a lot of trees in the park, but no worries for RVs - the camping sites are all clear of low branches, etc.

At each site, the pavement is wider than an RV, but we noted that an awning or other set-up on the side of a rig or trailer would probably extend beyond the pavement and over the gras s. Not a complaint, just a thought.

There is a fishing dock extending out into the lake near Sites 6/20. Looked like a nice place to wet a hook. There is also a fish cleaning station near the dock.

The Park offers canoe and maybe also kayak rentals. You pay at the office and meet a Ranger at the boat launch in another part of the park. One of the other campers had their own kayak and launched at site 19.

There is a restroom building in the middle of the RV area - 2 toilets, 2 urinals, 2 sinks, and 2 showers on the Men's side. I did not visit the Women's side 😀. The showers have decent stalls, but the dressing area is the common space outside the two stalls - I noted that when I showered, a fair amount of water sprayed under the shower curtain and on to the floor of the dressing area. The restroom was clean and well lit.

There is a blue heron that hunts right off shore near Site 21 - gorgeous. Raccoons were active while we were there. Plenty of squirrels around as well. Lots of birds too.

We made a quick morning trip to Fort Parker which is about 1-1/2 miles down Hwy 14 from the state park. The Fort is not affiliated with the state park, and there is a $2 per person admittance fee. The fort is nicely restored. Man was that a hard life!

Our RV: Thor Hurricane, measures 31.5 feet long; we did not tow.

Cell phone coverage: 3 out of 5 dots on my iPhone, and also on my wife's rotary dial android phone.

Since this is the first review for this park, we are noting everything we can think of.