Colorado River RV Campground - Thousand Trails

We loved this Thousand Trails campground. The river runs along the back side of the property and is nice. We recently upgraded our membership and this place made it immediately seem worth it. The employees were very friendly and it was a fast and easy check-in. Other campers were also friendly and most people seem very relaxed here.
We stayed in site E8. Full hookups worked properly. They were having some issues with water while we were there and had to turn it off for a bit one day. After that, the water seemed full of silt and was a yellowish color. We were afraid it was going to stain our toilet, but it didn't. We drank bottled water because of this. Also, we're not crazy about the $3 upcharge per day for 50 amp electricity. It seems so nickel and dime-ish, especially for what we're paying for our membership.
Our site was level, gravel, and there was plenty of room to park our truck next to our 42' fifth wheel with room left over. There are cement sites available for ADA customers. All of the sites are big, enough room to stretch out and not touch your neighbor. The roads are good, the security gate works and it seems everyone heeds the 15mph speed limit. We counted at least 25 deer that come out in the morning and late afternoon, and figured that's one of the reasons everyone heeds the speed limit. There isn't a lot of road noise either.
We liked the mini-golf course, which was in good shape. It was too cold for us to go swimming, but noticed that some people did. The hot tub was perfection.
Lots of people walked their dogs, not everyone picks up after them. We found a couple of "gifts" near our water and electric hookups as we were preparing to leave on the last day.
We appreciated the fire ring, picnic table, and easy to access trash dumpster. There's no store and mail isn't allowed, but it doesn't matter. The dark skies, occasional far off train whistle, and quiet makes up for whatever this park is lacking. Anything a person could need is in nearby Columbus.
The washers and dryers take either a phone app or quarters. I think it was $2.25 per wash and dry, but can't remember for sure. The app was already loaded on my phone, but I couldn't get it to work. All machines were in working order with quarters though.
We had no issues with cell and internet service. We use a dedicated device - ATT phone hotspot.
Everything we saw was very clean including the office, pool, hot tub, bathrooms, showers, laundry room, and the property is well-manicured.
We would recommend that this park consider doing ice cream socials, potlucks, maybe bring in a food truck once in awhile. It was chilly and raining part of the time we were there so we didn't get out for the movie night. I think they might've had a candy bar bingo night, but I could be mixing that up with a different park we stayed in. We didn't go.
We stayed two weeks and enjoyed eating at Schobels, Nancy's Steakhouse, Dairy Queen, and Beckey's Cafe in town. We bought some lean hamburger meat from Keyser's Market in downtown Columbus and can't wait to cook with it. My husband found a beautiful leather belt at Morales Western Wear. We enjoyed an early Valentine's date night of dinner theater and silent auction at the Stafford Opera House and the play "The Great Gatsby." If you have time, go visit the Texas Quilt Museum located in LaGrange, about 30 minutes away. Next door is a very nice quilt and yarn shop. I'm a quilter so this occupied much of one afternoon for me.
We will definitely be back.

Stayed in the new “E” section premium sites. Roads in this section are nice and wide asphalt. The campsite is gravel with grass in between. Despite the roads being wide, people don’t know how to drive their vehicles. They cut the corners in the turns and coming out of the sites. This park mandates that if your RV is 50 amp you must stay in a 50 amp site, with a $3/day up charge. They say it’s a thousand trails rule, but this is the first this has ever happened to me. I’ve been in over a dozen of their parks in the past year. In addition, the power wasn’t even that strong at these new sites. The RV was only getting 115 volts to each of our lines when we were only pulling 1-4 amps. It was a warm day (about 80). I’m sure many others had their AC going. I’d be nervous to stay here when it actually got hot.

This campground is one of the nicest Thousand Trails Collection campgrounds we have ever stayed at! They have large FHU sites with 30/50amp and beautiful views! The park is currently being completely overhauled with new sites, hook-ups, roads, community center, offices and more. We can’t wait to come back and see it when it’s completed! 👍🏻😬 They have nice amenities such as mini golf, pool, boat launch, pickleball, basketball, trails, etc. We really enjoyed our stay here and highly recommend it if you are in the area.

For videos on this campground and others, check out our YouTube channel: Jeff & Steff’s Excellent Adventure.

This is our second stay here at Colorado River this Spring. As Thousand Trails members, a basic 30 amp site is free. A 50 amp site is $3 a night, and the premium sites are $10 per night. Note that if no 30 amp or 50 amp sites are available in the older area you may be faced with leaving or paying the extra $10 per night for the premium spots. Since it is first come first served and new folks aren't allowed in until noon, you can likely move to a free or $3 site fairly quickly by getting on the waiting list. A comment about a previous poster saying there are unethical practices at the park. I disagree strongly. The poster was warned as he says himself that there might not be a 30 amp site when he arrived. There often isn't the day you arrive. The day we arrived there were 30 amp sites available, but no 50s. There is a person responsible for sales (Thousand Trails is a membership organization after all), but they are more often doing other things like checking campers in or answering questions. Finally, the previous poster is clueless about how TT Camping Passes and Memberships work. If you are curious, there are Facebook groups; YouTube videos (Pro and Con), and websites with easily accessible accurate information. It sure isn't for everyone, but it works amazingly well for others. We found the staff to be extremely polite, helpful, and funny at this site.
We prefer the new premium sites in Section E which are extremely large and we park in Section E. The sites are level, and at the far eastern end where we camp, there are lovely oak trees. The sites are gravel with grass in-between. Each has a picnic table and fire ring. The camp is extremely quiet and quite large. When it rains some of the gravel/clay gets muddy and much of the grass areas near rigs can be muddy as well.
The campground has good laundry facilities (Under renovation as well as the Lobby / Ranger station on our latest visit). The new bathrooms in Section E are the nicest I have seen anywhere. The shower design is lacking though in that there is no outer curtained area for clothes and toiletries and a small bench, and no shelf or hanging area in the shower itself for toiletries.
There is an unheated pool which in mid-March was cold, but I still enjoyed it as well as a hot tub in an adjacent small building (Smelled of slight mildew to me though). Section A is up on the Hill nearer to the pool. Sections A, C & D have lots of trees ad shade, but the sites are closer together. Section D is on the River, but you are on a bluff, so no easy river access from each site. There is a boat launch near the southern corner of the property. There are lots of hiking trails, and you will see small mobs of deer roaming the property. There is a small dog park that I think is an interim solution, near the Ranger Station on the north end of the site. Lots of places to walk the dog though. Our little 125 pound Newfoundland loved it here. Finally, there is a miniature golf course in the pecan grove that was in ok shape, but surprisingly fun.
In the evenings, there might be hamburgers and hot dogs for sale, a movie night, bingo, or other activities on site.
Columbus is a small town about 6-7 miles away. You can get most things in town, but the HEB and Walmart are smaller. Not a great selection of highly-rated restaurants, but a decent number of places. There is a nice meat market downtown, Keyser's with great meats. Small place, but great options.
For cell service, we have a Max Transit Duo with a MIMO antenna mounted on the roof and T-Mobile phones
Ookla Speedtest: (iPhone 13, 5G: 294 Mbps Down; 22.5 Mbps Up)
Ookla Speedtest thru Pepewave Router: T-Mobile 128.3 Mbps Down, 5.75 Up; AT&T 108.5 Down, 29.04 Up.
Our Starlink Dishy McFlatface is due in soon. Section E, where there is more space and fewer trees, would be best.

To full-time and cross-country RVers looking for a functional and convenient overnight stay to get you from Point A to Point B -- this is not the place for you. The unethical practices warning for long-haulers is explained further below. Essentially, this park -- and others in the "Thousand Trails" consortium -- is comparable to an exclusive time-share property for campers. The way this operation functions is this: If you are a "member" of Thousand Trails, you can camp here for free. To become a member, you will pay $700 per year. For that yearly fee, you are permitted entry to campgrounds within one of five regional zones.  Want to camp in another part of the country that is in another zone? Sure - if you spend another $70 plus other fees for that one additional zone. Other zones cost additional fees. Other restrictions apply - like a 14 day limit followed by a 7 day departure, regardless of zone.

For the unethical practices commentary -- This park is apparently run by a full time salesperson in his early 60s, named Mark. When I called for a reservation, Mark quoted me $52 a night for 30 amp service as a non-member price. He said that while they do have "some" 30 amp sites, they just opened a "brand new loop - premium sites - real nice!" He also noted that may be all out of 30 amp sites when we arrive but gave me a sales pitch on how would be happy to put our "premium fee" toward an annual membership - and why I should find that attractive. I clearly stated I was not interested in a yearly membership and reiterated my desire for a 30 amp site. He wasn't having any of that. Sure enough, when we arrived, he told us they were all out of 30 amp sites - even though the new, premium sites have 30 amp along with 50 amp service. Since this is the only section that is now available to us, we would be charged an additional $10 per night. 

On my morning walk within the campground, I had the chance to speak with some of the other campers in the older sections that have 30 amp service. They explained that two dozen or so older campsites within their loops had been taken out of commission by placing plastic sleeves over functional electrical poles. The campground did this so they could "redirect" reservations to the newer, more expensive loop. Of course, the newer loop is not full -- about half the sites are occupied.  

The new section lacks appropriate signage, causing a lot of confusion after a long day on the road. It also mostly has dirt/gravel sites. We rate this campground two stars - one for functional electrical, water and sewer and the other star for convenience. We did not use any of the facilities.

So the total paid for the two nights is $124.00.  That's not the most we've paid per night but is on the higher side. Just be aware that when you call for a reservation, you will likely have to pay $10 more per night for a site than what you are quoted.

My husband and I do not appreciate these shady, questionable business practices. We have no intention of returning - ever.

We are by the river and we have a view of pecan trees and deer - which is hard to come by in private campgrounds.
Both Austin and Houston are 1,5 hours so doable for a day visit.
Heated pool and hot tub (which actually works!) is nice. Bathroom/showers very clean. Good library with a lot of books and magazines.
I am surprised that this being a Thousand Trails campground, there are very few and tiny playgrounds. The laundry room and the rec area/library are both at the entrance, far from the campgrounds, so this place desperately needs a centrally located place where the kids can meet and play.

We are full time travelling this year and I have to say, this park is one of our favorite. My 3 preteens and husband do school and work remotely and all of our mobile hotspots work great. We never rely on an RV park's wifi so we have hotspots through our Visible phone and Calyx Institute (spring/tmobile network). It's really quiet here, long term residents and people who stay here short term like my family are all really nice. Nice walking trails and the deer families just live here. It's so fun to see them everyday. The campground is a little older so don't expect state of the art anything here or if you are a loud party person, this place is probably not for you. But if you are looking for peace, quiet, tranquility, hiking paths, and love to see deer, this is the place for you. By the way, the staff here are super nice and friendly. In fact, they are the friendliest that we have encountered during our year travelling in our motorhome.

First time at this location, won't be our last.

First of all, we were able to get T-mobile 5G service here with speeds around 80-90 consistently in both C and D loops. We didn't test up around A specifically but stayed connected when we drove around the park some. Verizon/Visible service was very usable -- around 20-40 depending on location and which device (older galaxy note, new S21). Our sprint calyx hotspot was able to get between 7-12 without a booster in the D loop and 8-38 in the C loop with our booster on. Also, there is a wifi repeater for the campground on a tall mast located around C28 or so, which means that the wifi connection right here at C25 gets about 10-15 Mbp/s, very usable. So plenty of options for connectivity here.

Bath houses very fresh and nice, clean and usable. Water in showers was warm, but hotter in our shower. Deer are everywhere here and come up close to your sites, lay down and take a nap even in broad daylight.

Pool and hot tub are closed (covid) and we didn't use the other amenities. Wish there were more full hookups sites.

It's relatively quiet here, full of nature but also close in to Columbus to get to stores and to the highway. We like this location very much.

Thousand Trails Colorado River RV Campground in Texas makes a great stop to recharge, resupply, and do laundry. The onsite laundry at Colorado River RV Campground has four washers and dryers. Nearby Columbus Texas has a Walmart, H-E-B Grocery Store, and diesel fuel just off of I-10. Over the air digital TV comes in clear and cellular service was great. Verizon cellular service clocked in at 25.4 Mbps download speed and 28.4 Mbps upload speed. AT&T cellular service clocked in at 226 Mbps download speed and 26.4 Mbps upload speed. T-Mobile cellular service clocked in at 47.5 Mbps download speed and 5.24 Mbps upload speed.

We stayed here while traveling through Texas. We used our TT membership so so saying we had a charge $0 per night is slightly misleading. It’s absolutely worth staying here if you are anywhere near Columbus, TX and need to stop. The staff will go out of their way to make sure your stay is a good one. There is a pickleball court so that was very nice to see and we spent several days playing with other campers while here. The town of Columbus, TX has a little bit of everything. La Grange, TX has a nice Christmas light walk that was fun with friends and family.

In the park there is a swimming pool and hot tub that are open to guests. Pickelball, basketball, miniature golf, hiking trails, and river access to put your kayak into the Colorado River (no, not THAT Colorado river).

I am happy with our experience and will gladly return when passing through again.