The following reviews are from campgrounds, RV resorts and truck stops that we have visited during our travels. They will be listed in no particular order, yet will be listed with the nearest city first for those interested in stopping.

Hillsboro, Loves – This Loves is located off I-35 (exit 368A) in Texas. My advise is not to bother stopping at this one. Just pass it by and avoid  Hillsboro all together! We made the mistake of stopping and did not realize the only entrance is off the frontage road. Traffic was backed-up beyond the traffic light and us being unaware of the entrance situation, found ourselves not only stuck in traffic but adding to “waiting” with a line of trucks and RVs. We managed to get ourselves out of the line and attempted to turn around… unfortunately all the businesses along the road had barriers to prevent trucks and high-profile vehicles from entering their parking lots. We drove several miles out of our way to turn around. Hillsboro apparently does not truckers or RVers.

LAST VISIT: 2012

WOULD WE RETURN? NO!!!

RV PARKING  FRIENDLY? Who knows!?!

EASY TO FIND? Station Yes, Entrance NO

Dallas, TA (Travel America) – This TA is located off I-20E (exit 472) in Texas. This TA was easy to find and truck pumps were located in the back. The store and restrooms were clean and the staff was friendly at the time of our visit. The parking situation is a little different here. It’s gated with a guard shack and you must pay $15 a day to park. So you may want to keep the other truck stops (Pilot/Flying J) in mind if you are wanting to overnight at this exit.

LAST VISIT: 2012

WOULD WE RETURN? Yes, for fuel

RV PARKING  FRIENDLY? Pay parking

EASY TO FIND? Yes

EL PASO, Mission RV Park - This park is right off of I-10, although there are a couple tight (and quick turns) to get into it. It is an older park and standard sites are rather close. Fortunately we requested a pull-through which allowed more room.

This park offers several amenities and everything was extremely clean for the age of the park. We were impressed with the courtesy staff and the area information they provided.

Our only concern was that the pull-thru sites were across from a chain-link fence area with dropped semi trailers. There was graffiti on several and we were wondering if we would wake up with something spray-painted on our rig.

It was a nice park to overnight or weekend. I don’t foresee this being a long-term stay campground, unless you had a smaller rig.

 LAST VISIT: 2008

WOULD WE RETURN? Maybe

BIG RIG FRIENDLY? Some

SLIDE FRIENDLY? Some

EASY TO FIND? No, Need to Watch Signs

JUNCTION, Junction KOA – This campground is right of I-10; however, you  need to watch for the turn after the exit. I would not advise anyone to search for this campground in the dark.We arrived after dark and pulled up to read about where late  arrivals could park. We walked their overnight area and it was rather confusing where the sites were. After a few moments of walking around with flashlights, we figured where the spaces were and drove in. We were officially ready to set up with someone drives up in a golf cart and tells us that we can go inside the campground. Although we were okay, we decided to go inside and leave the overnight area for later arrivals.

Looping us around the entire campground in the dark (dodging low limbs and uneven roads) we were told to pull thru an end site. Well, this site did not fit our rig, nor did it fit our electric cord. We mentioned that and the “gentleman” told us that we were paying for the site and 50-amp upgrade if we used it or not and he didn’t care if our rig was on the road! No offer of moving us or anything. He just repeated himself and left us literally in the dark.

If it wasn’t late and we weren’t tired, we would have left. But we stayed and grumbled while setting up. First thing in the morning we complained at the office. The woman apologized and gave us a comment card to send KOA. It still didn’t seem to make up for the rude behavior shown the night before.

 LAST VISIT: 2008

WOULD WE RETURN? NO!!!

BIG RIG FRIENDLY? No

SLIDE FRIENDLY? Some

EASY TO FIND? No, Need to Watch Signs

Camp Huaco Springs

NEW BRAUNFELS, Camp Huaco Springs – Located off the beautiful (and well-traveled) River Road, Camp Huaco Springs is a great location for folks who like to be near town, but still in “the country” setting.

Unfortunately, this park has changed and what was once a quiet park with well-mannered Campers has become a weekend hangout for “who-knows-what”.

There is no respect of the rules and no one to enforce the rules (especially since the office is always closed earlier). We found our stay this last time to be rather frustrating – with wild parties popping up at 1 am (with unregistered guests arriving) and then the daytime noise of dirt bikes, motorcycles and golf carts “off-roading” along the river and through the campground – which is against the park rules.

If you want to stay in this area and want some peace to enjoy the beautiful surroundings, better find another park. This one has really changed and we are sad to say we won’t be returning to this park anymore. It is a shame as it was one we often-frequented while traveling Texas.

LAST VISIT: 2012

WOULD WE RETURN? NO!

BIG RIG FRIENDLY? Most sites

SLIDE FRIENDLY? Most sites

EASY TO FIND? Yes, if you follow directions

New Braunfels, Pilot – This Pilot is located off I-35 (exit 184) in Texas. This Pilot is not really designed for RVers or Overnighters. There is virtually no place for RVers to even park unless you pull in with the semis. However, they have clean facilities and a McDonalds.

LAST VISIT: 2011

WOULD WE RETURN? Yes

RV PARKING  FRIENDLY? No

EASY TO FIND? Yes

Picnic tables at the C-W KOA are true Texan!

Columbus-Weimar, Columbus-Weimar KOA – This KOA is conveniently located off of I-10 and if you’ve ever driven westbound from Louisiana to Texas… well, you need a break from the bump-da-bump! Although this campground has a friendly staff and over-sized pull-thru sites, you may just want to drive a little farther to find some place more relaxing.

You don’t see, you just hear it – the train. Yes, most every campground is located near a train or airport, but at this campground you can feel the train! We found ourselves pulling out the next morning more tired than ever!

There is no cable TV and antenna TV stations from Houston are limited (if you can get them at all). However, the KOA’s WiFi is very good.

But if you are in need of some real rest, I’d reconsider spending the night at this KOA.

For more information you can visit their site at: www.koa.com

LAST VISIT: 2009

WOULD WE RETURN? NO! NO! Train!

BIG RIG FRIENDLY? Yes

SLIDE FRIENDLY? Yes

EASY TO FIND? Yes

Off 1-10, in need of a break from the bump-da-bump of the highway.

Orange (Beaumont), Flying J- This Flying J is located off of I-10 (exit 8 73) in Texas. There is plenty of overnight parking at this one; however, it is in with the truck parking, as the front lot is filled with cars. The parking area is littered with pot holes, so be mindful if you pull in at night. The staff was friendly this last visit than before. The restaurant makes a great (and quick) pizza to go if you want to eat in your rig or save it for the road.

LAST VISIT: 2010

WOULD WE RETURN? We said no before, but returned and found conditions improved.

RV PARKING FRIENDLY? Yes, but many pot holes!

EASY TO FIND? Yes

Brookshire, Flying J- This Flying J is located off of I-10 (exit 783) in Texas. There is plenty of overnight parking at this one; however, the restrooms were closed during our visit and there were panhandlers combing all the Fuel islands. It made for a very uncomfortable stop. You might just want to skip this one unless you need fuel.

LAST VISIT: 2010

WOULD WE RETURN? NO!!! This was our second visit and we will not return.

RV PARKING FRIENDLY? Yes

EASY TO FIND? Yes

Baytown, Flying J- This Flying J is located off of I-10 (exit 789) in Texas. This is one we vowed never to return to… but tired of the traffic and horrible condition of 1-10, we pulled off thinking we’d fuel up for a quick break.

I don’t know what happened to this Flying J, but conditions have really improved! The staff was friendly and the store/restrooms were very clean.

If you can’t find parking at this one, there is also a TA and Pilot on this exit.

LAST VISIT: 2011

WOULD WE RETURN? Yes (updated from the 2010 “NO”)

RV PARKING FRIENDLY? Limited Spots

EASY TO FIND? Yes

Parked at the Flatonia exit... yes... we ate McD's! :)

Flatonia, Shell/McDonalds Travel Stop - This travel stop is located off of I-10 in Flatonia. We were in need of a stop and this worked out to be a great one with their adequate RV/truck parking.

They have truck pumps if you are in need of diesel and don’t feel like navigating the car pump area with your Big Rig. The station also has a nice convenience store and clean restrooms.

There is a Dairy Queen and Napa auto parts store within walking distance.

LAST VISIT: 2011

WOULD WE RETURN? Yes (updated from the 2010 “NO”)

RV PARKING FRIENDLY? Limited Spots

EASY TO FIND? Yes

Wimberly, Wimberly RV Park -  We decided not to stay at this park for a variety of reasons. It is a nice area and it is convenient to the Wimberly Market Days held the first Saturday of every month (except December and January), San Marcos outlets and historic areas like Gruene and New Braunfels.

LAST VISIT: 2011

WOULD WE RETURN? No

EASY TO FIND? Yes, with directions

New Braunfels, Lazy L&L Campground -  We had more problems trying to get a person who could actually help us at this campground! We made several trips and two phone calls to this park, but there were always excuses about not being able to check sites, availability dates or even extra costs. The ironic thing is they always mentioned the owner lived on site across from the store! On the last visit we asked if they could contact the owner regarding searching information in the computer, but the woman said she couldn’t bother them! What a lousy staff they have. On our tour of the campground (to see what sites we would like) we saw several loose dogs and they supposedly have a very strict leashed-dog policy! Ha! We definitely will not recommend this park to Winter Texans.

LAST VISIT: 2012

WOULD WE RETURN? No

BIG RIG FRIENDLY? Depends on slides

EASY TO FIND? Yes

New Braunfels, Hill Country RV Resort -  This park is located right beside I-35 and is very noisy. The “resort” also has older mobile home residents and it is not as their website depicts. The staff and manager are rather rude and we wouldn’t recommend this park to people who plan on extended stays, Full-Timers or Winter Texans.

LAST VISIT: 2011

WOULD WE RETURN? No

BIG RIG FRIENDLY? Depends on slides

EASY TO FIND? Yes

Jellystone Hill Country at Canyon Lake

Canyon Lake/Sattler, Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park – Hill Country - This park is located just outside Canyon Lake and about 13 miles from I-35. It is easy to find along FM 306.

The major problem is that this park has a lot of trees. And some of the spots are very tight/small. So if you have a Big Rig, keep in mind that you may have difficulty backing in a spot. If you are making phone reservations and unfamiliar with this park, you may want to make sure they have additional sites available in case the initial booked site doesn’t “fit” your rig. Unfortunately, we were told they had plenty of sites, only to arrive and they “remembered” they had a rally coming in and had the one never-rented site across from the RV storage. After several attempts to maneuver the rig so that our air-condition wouldn’t scrap the low tree limbs and our sewer hose wouldn’t have to go uphill, they suddenly “found” a better site, only for that one to not be slide-friendly. It took three hours (yes) for us to get into a site – the third one they offered us. We were exhausted!!! So be aware if you have a Big Rig or multiple/wide slides.

We also noticed they aren’t really concerned with repairs (such as repairing washers) and overall park maintenance. And the workers are not as pleasant as you would expect from a family-oriented park – especially the language and gestures used.

LAST VISIT: 2012

WOULD WE RETURN? No

BIG RIG FRIENDLY? Depends, a lot of tight trees

EASY TO FIND? Yes

New Braunfels, River Ranch RV Resort -  This park is located right beside I-35 – no wait – I mean under! Literally this park is located under the bridge. We just couldn’t bring ourselves to staying at this park, even though they are located on a pretty stretch of the river and are conveniently located in town. If it wasn’t for the noise, the hundreds of pigeons eye-balling our roof  as a “dumping” ground discouraged us from staying at this one.

LAST VISIT: 2012

WOULD WE RETURN? No

BIG RIG FRIENDLY? Yes

EASY TO FIND? Yes

Updated:  April 4, 2012