{"id":329464,"date":"2026-06-09T18:32:11","date_gmt":"2026-06-09T18:32:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/329464\/"},"modified":"2026-06-09T18:32:11","modified_gmt":"2026-06-09T18:32:11","slug":"top-rated-texas-campgrounds-for-2026-summer-trip-see-list","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/329464\/","title":{"rendered":"Top-rated Texas campgrounds for 2026 summer trip: See list"},"content":{"rendered":"

As students head into summer vacation<\/a>, families may be looking to hit the road and explore the great outdoors.<\/p>\n

The Lone Star State offers no shortage of camping options, and Texas-based real estate company VIP Realty<\/a> is helping adventurers discover the best spots with a fresh list of top-rated campgrounds to visit in 2026. Many of the campsites showcase incredible views and are family friendly.<\/p>\n

“Each offers a unique outdoor adventure that showcases the natural beauty of Texas,” the report states. “If you love the outdoors, camping in Texas is an experience you won’t forget.”<\/p>\n

Here are the top six spots to set up camp in Texas and how to get more information on reservations and things to do.<\/p>\n

Big Bend National Park<\/p>\n

Location: West Texas<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The Chisos Basin of the Big Bend National Park in Texas is seen on January 25, 2023<\/p>\n

Big Bend National Park spans 800,000 acres of desert, mountains, and river landscapes, “offering a truly remote and breathtaking outdoor experience,” the report says.<\/p>\n

The U.S. National Park Service provides a guide<\/a> where you can plan your next adventure, check weather conditions and learn about its history, plants and animals.<\/p>\n

The best campgrounds, according to VIP realty’s report, are Chisos Basin Campground, Rio Grande Village Campground, and Cottonwood Campground.<\/p>\n

Guadalupe Mountains National Park<\/p>\n

Location: West Texas<\/p>\n

\"Guadalupe<\/p>\n

Guadalupe Mountains National Park is located in West Texas. El Capitan stands as a prominent landmark over the Chihuahuan Desert. The Guadalupe Mountains have the highest peaks in Texas.<\/p>\n

Guadalupe Mountains National Park, home to Guadalupe Peak, is the tallest point in Texas at 8,751 feet. This guide provided by the National Park Service<\/a> offers information on trails, highest points along the mountain and more.<\/p>\n

“This park is ideal for campers who love hiking and mountain scenery. The landscape features rugged peaks, high desert ecosystems, and peaceful backcountry camping opportunities,” the VIP Realty report says.<\/p>\n

Best campgrounds include Pine Springs Campground, Dog Canyon Campground and Backcountry wilderness sites.<\/p>\n

Guadalupe Mountains is perfect for campers looking for quiet, remote, and challenging outdoor experiences.<\/p>\n

Garner State Park<\/p>\n

Location: Texas Hill Country<\/p>\n

\"Garner<\/p>\n

Garner State Park Texas and the Rio Frio near Uvalde Texas<\/p>\n

Visitors to Garner State Park swim and hike, with 2.9 miles of Frio River winding through 1,774 acres of scenic Hill Country terrain.<\/p>\n

Camping options include riverfront campsites, tent sites, cabins and screened shelters. Reservations fill up quickly, especially in the summer. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department takes online reservations here<\/a>, or you can call (512) 389-8900.<\/p>\n

Palo Duro Canyon State Park<\/p>\n

Location: Texas Panhandle<\/p>\n

\"Afternoon<\/p>\n

Afternoon clouds at the Lighthouse Palo Duro Canyon Texas<\/p>\n

Known as the Grand Canyon of Texas, Palo Duro Canyon State Park is the second-largest canyon in the United States and you can explore the canyon by foot, mountain bike, horse or car.<\/p>\n

“Located near Amarillo in the Texas Panhandle, this park offers stunning red rock formations, scenic drives, and excellent hiking and biking trails,” the VIP realty report says.<\/p>\n

Camping areas include Juniper Campground, Sagebrush Campground, and Mesquite Campground. You can make a reservation on the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.<\/a><\/p>\n

More: This Texas town was named ‘most charming’ by National Geographic<\/a><\/p>\n

Pedernales Falls State Park<\/p>\n

Location: West of Austin<\/p>\n

\"Trail<\/p>\n

Trail to Pedernales Falls in Pedernales Falls State Park.<\/p>\n

Things to do at Pedernales Falls State Park include camping, hiking, mountain biking, picnicking,\u00a0bird watching and riding horses.<\/p>\n

“This park offers a peaceful outdoor environment surrounded by rolling hills and scenic rivers,” according to the report.<\/p>\n

Camping options include tent camping sites, RV sites with electricity, and group campsites. Reservations can be made on the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.<\/a><\/p>\n

Padre Island National Seashore<\/p>\n

Location: South Texas<\/p>\n

\"Sunrise<\/p>\n

Sunrise on Padre Island from High Drone View with waves crashing along Beach such a paradise perfect summer escape. Padre Island Texas Gulf Coast Paradise Getaway Secret.<\/p>\n

There’s nearly 70 miles of wild coastline with lots to do, including beach camping, surf fishing, and sea turtle watching. You can find a guide of activities along the beach on the U.S. National Park Service website.<\/a><\/p>\n

“Beach camping here allows visitors to fall asleep to the sound of ocean waves,” VIP realty states.<\/p>\n

Camping areas include Malaquite Campground,, North Beach primitive camping and South Beach remote camping.<\/p>\n

Natassia Paloma may be reached at\u00a0npaloma@gannett.com<\/a>, @NatassiaPaloma on X, natassia_paloma on Instagram, and Natassia Paloma on Facebook.<\/p>\n

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Best Texas camping sites for 2026 summer, what makes them stand out<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As students head into summer vacation, families may be looking to hit the road and explore the great…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":329465,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[132,134,133,68459,4173,20098,7209,2673,9716,2165,1959,2603,117684,375],"class_list":["post-329464","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-austin","tag-austin","tag-austin-headlines","tag-austin-news","tag-big-bend-national-park","tag-garner-state-park","tag-location","tag-lone-star-state","tag-national-park-service","tag-palo-duro-canyon-state-park","tag-texas-hill-country","tag-texas-panhandle","tag-texas-parks-and-wildlife","tag-vip-realty","tag-west-texas"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/329464","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=329464"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/329464\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/329465"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=329464"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=329464"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=329464"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}