Can't Win For Losin'

[dtstanton]

After losing our camping deposit recently, we tried our luck at not paying a deposit for this last Saturday. Pulled our 1350 the 25 or so miles to Palo Duro Canyon in 30-some mph winds - half of the distance crosswind. Got to the entrance in plenty of time for check-in, and just our luck - full up. Lost out again.

Just for kicks, we got online to check the situation for the next couple of weekends. All filled up - both Fridays and Saturdays. I guess we're going to have to take vacation days through the week or reserve a month in advance and choke on the weather. Never realized it would be so tough to get a spot. Live and learn, I guess.

[EMD_Driver]

We also have some wonderful camping spots within a couple hours drive. They are also first come-first served... I refuse to tow Sunny for two hours, only to find the CG full...

[GKLarson]

With all that open space you have out there in a state covering over 268,000 sq miles, I initially figured it would be a cinch for you to find a nearby, magnificent piece of public land to camp on. We spend 6 months/yr doing so in SW & really enjoy it. No fees & we're never turned away
Out of curiosity I googled "% of public land by state" & was very surprised to learn Texas ranked 45th, at 4%, very near the bottom of list (another link revealed why Why Texas has no — or at least very little) public land - Seguin Gazette: Community Columnists
As expected Western states topped the list but I was also surprised & pleased to learn NY ranked #13 & 1st in East (no doubt due to Adirondack & Catskill Forest preserves)
In any event if you can't find a boondocking site on Texas' 16,000 sq miles of public land go to neighboring NM, ranked 9th nationally w/ 47% public land

[dtstanton]

Yes there are many places around the panhandle - all within a couple hours. We would like to get more experience/familiarization with our Sunny closer to home before venturing greater distances. Yes, we have some favorite spots in NM as well - Taos, Santa Fe, etc. We'd rather not go that far yet. Never had a TT, never been camping in one (well, ok - one time), don't know many of the ins-and-outs. One can only learn so much with it sitting in the driveway.

Our favorite haunt right now is Palo Duro Canyon. It's beautiful, it has electric and water, and it's close enough if something went wrong (don't know what - we're newbies), we're pretty close to home. Yes, there are even free areas not far away. Yes, there are not so attractive areas nearby. Yes, there are non-electric, non-water areas. We'd like to have electricity and water (other than the on board tank), and be in a more attractive area.

I know - we're picky.

[Tweety]

We've lost quite a few deposits this year too! We just consider it a donation to the state park service, which they need Here in PA, it's very difficult to get a "pet site" because they designate only a few sites as pet friendly and they book up first, sometimes months in advance. So, we just make the reservation and hope for good weather, no one getting sick, or a more important obligation coming up. I find it's often easier to get into a private campground at the last minute. But we prefer state parks, as it sounds like you do. Good luck!

[dtstanton]

Yes, we do consider it a donation - and that's not a biggie at all. We also buy yearly state park passes. It's just disappointing when we're looking forward to getting some use out of our Sunny and it falls through. <G>