Off-The-Grid Camping Spots

I live in Austin and make trips out to NM. Cloudcroft, Jemez, etc.

 

Plenty of state parks around the Hill Country. Perdenales Sate park is a good one with camping. There are others in the area listed on the website as well. The further out in to the Hill Country, the less people you'll encounter. http://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/pedernales-falls

 

This is exactly what I was looking for. Would you be so kind to share some of the campsites you have visited near GA? Thank you!!

 

Well, our primary site is still a secret, but check out Burrells Ford Road, long dirt road with a ton of great camping on it. Some of the sites are right on the river too.

 

No one mentioned the Grasslands just 45 minutes from Fort Worth? Good, primitive camping out there.

http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/texas/recarea/?recid=30230

 

Thanks! I ll check it out.

 

Did Perdenales this weekend. But no dirt roads or anything off of pavement except the overflow parking lot, which made for a good picture.

 

Awesome!

 

Check out Lake Meredith National Rec. Area. They have free camping on the lake and over sites that are away from water. Also Eastern New Mexico has some good spots, like Mills Canyon, Sugarite Canyon, not much wheeling at those, but good camping and dog friendly.

 

NF's are good if you want to camp off the beaten path. I just went up to the ONF from Austin, worth every hour of driving.

But, Sam Houston and Davey Crockett seem good too, DCNF being better of the two from what I hear.

 

There are a few places to camp in the LBJ national grasslands just north west of DFW, been out there a few times just look for a spot outside of the paid camp area like in the link below. You will be able to tell if people have camped there before.

https://www.google.com/maps/@33.3800839,-97.5725572,136m/data=!3m1!1e3

 

@ndub86 where in Arizona? if you don't mind me asking

 

Big Bend is amazing. Not many people at all. You won't find another place like it anywhere. You can check out old mines, hike what we call a mountain in Texas, float the Rio Grande, play golf, and drink beer at the Terlingua General Store.

 

There are a few unimproved camping areas around the state... it sucks but it is what it is living here in Private Owned Texas. Look up National Forests, Grasslands, and with a Texas Limited Use Permit (can buy where hunting licenses are sold, or if you hunt you can get the Annual Public Hunting Permit) you can camp at Texas Parks and Wildlife Wildlife Management Areas for free (after buying the permit of course...) if camping is allowed, and most of them do have a camp area. Outside of those options you got State Parks like these guys mentioned or you can get a backcountry permit in Guadalupe Mountians NP or Big Bend NP. Since you're in DFW I highly recommend making the 3-1/2 hour journey to Caprock Canyons State Park. It's awesome for a Texas park with plenty of trails and even backcountry camping if you're into backpacking.

 

you forgot mountain biking

 

We did Oachita last month, and it was awesome. Minimal restrictions and 2.5 million camp anywhere acres. It's only about 4.5 hours north of Dallas. I started in Mena, AR, which was right in the middle.

 

We've stayed in Mena before and did the ATV trails. Loved it.

 

I'd never seen this place before. How's the scenery? Need any permits/stuff to camp there?

 

Surprised no one has mentioned it yet... If you find yourself along the Colorado River, particularly near Austin/Hill Country, the Lower Colorado River Authority maintains some respectable parks. Typically they have primitive camping available, a few have running water and bathrooms. Others have full on recreational use with all the bells and whistles. Sometimes these parks can be a bit ghetto (from what I hear, it's a mixed bag -- some guys swear by them) but fees are either low or non-existent. No permits needed. Most are first-come, first-served so you're not going to run into reservation restrictions like you do with state parks.

 

Here is a list of campgrounds in Texas. It's detailed! Off grid places are sometimes hard to find. Hope this helps.