Potters Creek Park Campground

We were lucky enough to stay here during the heat wave (high 70’s) of Christmas 2021. The lake was calm and the sunsets amazing. 1/2 the campground is open sun, half shade. Use Google earth to pick your site. I’m sure the park is crazy busy during peak season, but during our stay in late December it was 1/2 empty and quiet. Town very close to get all your needs. Big rig very friendly.

This was my first time to stay here. I had a really great time. I hiked all over the park and got to see every area of it. Some of the loops were almost empty because they were just reopening them for a test run after totally redoing the septic system. Some sites are heavily shaded over in loop 4. Many sites do not have so much as a tiny bush for shade. I don't care about that. My trailer stays cool no matter how hot it is. The last two days I was there, the mowing crew was out. There were about five guys riding around mowing everything. When they finished it looked really nice. The lake view from my trailer was great. Also, the park is really close to the things I like to go to like Overlook Park where the dam is, Brookshire Brothers grocery store, and both San Marcos and Blanco.

I was a little hesitant after reading some reviews about not so nice staff people. Everyone I encountered at the front gate was very nice. I wasn't hassled about anything by anyone.

This will now be my go to park when going to Canyon Lake.

The camp sites are nice and wide. There is plenty of room for vehicles and RV. Some sites are shadier than others. We stayed with a group of 5 RVs. The restrooms were clean and nice. No complaints at all with that. Our only issue was that the property hadn't been mowed in quite a while. Grass and weeds were well over a foot high. We had one of our people in our group bring a weed eater and we spent quite a bit of time clearing our camping areas and clearing a pathway down to the lake. We only encountered the people working at the gate when we were checking in and leaving and the lady was very nice (we did not try to get in before the check in time). The lake is beautiful. We would probably stay at Potter's Creek again and just hope they had mowed by then.

We checked in on Sunday and the bathhouse had not been cleaned. I thought they may have been busy over the weekend and would clean it Monday. Wrong!! It’s Tuesday and it still hasn’t been cleaned. I decided to inspect a little closer and I don’t think it’s been cleaned in over a month.
You have to think that someone is being paid to do this and someone else is being paid to make sure that the job is done. It makes me feel like a chump because our tax dollars are paying these folks.
And as in all COE parks, Don’t try to check in before check in time. It ain’t happening.

SEE UPDATE BELOW. I have to echo the December 4, 2020 review titled “Nice Park, But Be Ready”. After traveling two hours to check out the campground for the purpose of reserving a campsite, we were greeted by a rude female employee at the check-in station. We arrived at approximately 1PM on Saturday, February 6, 2021 and presented our access pass and explained that we wanted to pick out a campsite so that we could reserve one on a later date. This young female employee flatly denied us entry and said no day use or drive throughs are allowed on the weekend. I explained that we drove two hours to pick out a suitable campsite for our big rig fifth wheel and that I could walk the campground if vehicular entry was not permitted. Again, we were flatly denied access to this USACE campground. I again explained that I didn’t want to drive 4 hours round trip for nothing and offered to reserve a campsite for the day just so I could gain access to pick out preferred campsites for a subsequent visit. The employee said she could honor an online reservation, but she would not allow entry until the 3PM check-in time. This person was difficult every step of the way. It gets better—I go to pull over in the huge gravel area adjacent to the entry station to make an online reservation from my cell phone and the same female employee informed me that parking is not allowed here and that I would have to leave the USACE property to make the online reservation. I did ask to talk with a manager or supervisor and was provided a telephone number for the USACE office. The office was closed until Monday. At this point, I was so infuriated that we just gave up and made the two hour return trip back to our current campground. Be prepared for this rude and difficult person should you be so unfortunate to encounter her.

UPDATE: In fairness to the USACE Fort Worth District, management there contacted me on February 9, 2021 with the following response: Sir, we recently became aware of your experience while staying at Potters Creek Park at Canyon Lake Texas. On behalf of the US Army Corps of Engineers at Canyon Lake we extend our sincere apologies for the behavior of our gate attendant at Potters Creek Campground. We expect all our contractors and employees to provide a desirable visitor experience to our customers. Thank you for informing us of this incident. Our customer support service is designed to alleviate customer frustration, not add to it. When a problem of this nature occurs, we want to know about it. After reviewing your experience, the Lake Manager concluded that the policy needed to be modified to create a better experience for guests. Starting this month in February 2021 the park policy is being adjusted to better provide all guests with a great experience. We are also counseling all park attendants regarding customers relations.

Potters Creek is a great Campground! We arrived on a Sunday with Martin Luther king Holiday on Monday. Campground was full. Site 82 is tucked into the trees, slight incline but level on top. My 41' 5th wheel fit just fine. Campground emptied out on Monday and only a handful of campers all week.
The lake is beautiful. Very clear. Lots of deer around. Quiet and peaceful.
Lots to do nearby. San Antonio, Fredericksburg, Austin and more. We would definitely return. 4 stars for cleanliness on bathrooms.

As others have warned -- do not arrive before 3 PM. I saw the gate attendants turn people around who arrived 5 minutes early.

I get the requirement to show your pass to get in, but you are also required show your pass to get out of the campground. Gate attendant will not raise the barrier to let you out until he/she views your pass. This is my first experience with this ridiculous requirement in over 30 different COE campgrounds.

Gate Attendants and Hosts are neither friendly or helpful. They are on a power trip.

The park itself is nice, clean and well maintained. Good location to visit all the wineries around Fredericksburg.

Canyon Lake is more of vacation destination. Lots of boating and fishing. Some hiking in the area. Beaches in some locations ( no usable beach at this campground).

Very good OTA TV reception.

Don't buy propane from Longhorn Propane. They charge one price for Canyon Lake residents and a higher price for non-residents. Example for a 30 lb bottle: $15 for residents and $24 for non-residents. The charge is the same regardless how much they put in your bottle. There are several Tractor Supply stores in the area that charge by the gallon. A 30 lb bottle will cost about $18.

Overall, Potters Creek is typical of most of the COE campgrounds we've visited this year. The lake itself is gorgeous, always a bright aquamarine blue. Stunning. The sites are spaced reasonably. Restrooms are clean and the showers are hot with excellent water pressure.
There is a Brookshire Brothers store in nearby Canyon Lake. Check it out, people.
Surprising array of deli food, beer, wine and high end produce. They have local draft beer taps in their deli.
And seasonally at least they have live music onsite.

The young woman working the gate when we arrived was difficult. We will spare you a long story but be ready to provide documentation that the rec.gov site clearly says is not required. Or hope she's not on duty when you get there.
Rude and inconsiderate people should not work that job. Customer service matters.

Regardless, Potters Creek is a perfectly nice facility. You'll enjoy it.