North Texas, like all of Texas, is rich with campgrounds, lakes, hiking and bike trails, and other outdoor adventures waiting to be explored by both locals and visitors from out of state. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department manages over 140 state parks, most with available campsites. The north Texas region is known for its abundance of wooded nature preserves, wildlife and recreational lakes.
Tent Camping in North Texas
North Texas state parks and campgrounds offer a mix of RV camping and tent sites. Camping in a tent in North Texas can be similar to camping in a state in the midwest or lower northern states, in that the region is heavily wooded, with cold winters and hot summers at campsites, such as Dinosaur Valley State Park. Texas terrain is diverse, though, and can also be mountainous and similar to desert environments with thin patches of scrub oak trees and wide, rocky open spaces. Campsites like these include Palo Duro Canyon State Park. Not all tent camping sites have restroom accommodations or running water, so be advised purchase adequate equipment and bring lots of bottled water, as well as layers that can be piled on for warmth or removed during the hotter temperatures of the afternoon. When tent camping in Texas, be sure you check all camp sites for insects prior to setting up a tent, and while north Texas does not have the wetlands and mosquitoes of south Texas, it's still advisable to bring a can of bug spray.
RV Camping in North Texas
North Texas welcomes campers in recreational vehicles, but not every campsite can accommodate RV hook-ups. Two northern campsites that do include Lake Mineral Wells State Park and Davis Mountain State Park. RVs can be ideal in north Texas because of the cold temperatures that occur in the fall, winter and early spring months. RV camping in North Texas can also provide protection from some common Texas wildlife, including scorpions, spiders and mosquitoes.
Lakes and the Terrain of North Texas
All of the lakes in north Texas are man-made. While recreational activities, such as boating, swimming and fishing, are available on lakes within state parks, they are typically dug into the Texas clay, making them muddy and difficult to create beaches on the shore. Muddy waters may detour scuba divers, but it is no deterrent for boaters and jet-skiers. The terrain of north Texas is predominately flat, with some mountains in the east where Texas runs into the Arkansas border. The flat lands are typically wooded, or prairie, justifying the names of such Texas towns as Grand Prairie and Plano.
Weather in North Texas
All of Texas is known for weather that can shift on a dime, but a camper in north Texas can typically expect hot summers with temperatures that can breach 100 degrees F, and mild winters in comparison to northern states, with temperatures rarely dipping below freezing. Campers should be prepared for the summer heat with lots of water and shade, and bring layers and blankets for the cold night temperatures of the winter. The rainfall is moderate, but hurricanes in the gulf can often push storms across the Texas plains into north Texas, so checking the Texas weather in advance is a necessity.
Wildlife in North Texas
A camper's main wildlife concerns in north Texas are raccoons and scorpions. Scorpions are known for being more poisonous the smaller they are, and north Texas hosts a small brown scorpion that crawl into tents and on rare occasions, shoes. Raccoons in the wooded regions of north Texas are not above stealing a camper's food or rummaging through trash, making large messes on camp grounds that are not cleaned up properly. Other native wildlife to be careful of include fire ants and brown recluse spiders, and around lake front camping sites, mosquitoes.
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