Harper Park Campground

Arrived and found that the electric and water sites have been upgraded and they now charge $25/night for hookups. Have to go online to a website to reserve which was very cumbersome. All the electric boxes are padlocked and supposedly someone will come out and unlock after you reserve and pay. However, when we were there on 3/21/24, the power was off until April 2, so could not make a reservation or hookup. Stayed anyway overnight at no charge.

Wasn’t sure about this based on reviews. But other options were rest areas. So decided to give it a try despite last years bad review. And loved it! Not far off highway 87, but far enough to limit road noise. All paved to drive in, sites are all on grass. I recommend driving into first entrance because there are no wires going over the road there. Further entrance has some wires that our 12’5” just fit under.
20 grass camp sites with water and electric. Some larger, some smaller. Includes about 8 pull throughs. Some picnic tables, most have campfire rings or spots. Sign says $20 for RV hookup, but could not find a place to pay. I guess boondocking would be free? Plenty of other sites for picnics or tent camping. Also has a dump station and flush toilet (1men and 1 women). No showers. Toilets were old, but looked like someone may maintain it. Trash dumpsters near dump station and cans throughout the park.

Looks like it might get more use on the weekends with campers and horse riders (saw quite a bit of hay and horse burgers left behind). Cabins/pavilion doors were open and had fireplaces.

No one else was here, weather was perfect to sleep with windows open. I’d go back in a heartbeat, but don’t know how much there is to do in the area, so moving on to Carlsbad.
There is also another RV park closer to the road that may be used for overnight with electric, but was not as natural looking as “Harper Park” which may be the actual name. I’ve added a google earth pic of the park where you can see where we camped (34ft RV pulling a Jeep) in a pull through.

I didn’t camp here, because the entire county’s many parks are closed as of June 27th for COVID still. Big signs read “CLOSED 10pm - 6am” and I called and confirmed this with the sheriff, who was bummed to tell me this was indeed the case. Somehow Texas’ bars and restaurants can be open, not half the people in the state are wearing masks, but if I were to sit in my van at an empty county park ...the numbers would spike? Turns out this might actually be an issue since the state park here in town was closed a few hours before I got there too, due to a “possible outbreak.”

But to this little park...it’s fine I suppose, if it were like $10. Sites are sandwiched together with hookups that look like yesterday’s tuna sandwich after it had sat out in the sun for a day. The bathrooms are something out of a horror movie, looks like the sewer is backing up out of them.

A little creek, still barely flowing in late June, runs alongside and there’s a relatively nice swing set, lots of space for day use and picnicking (the sites don’t have tables, and I didn’t see fire rings.) There’s a dump station, and you’ll be glad you brought your own toilet because, did I mention that if the bathrooms are not a previous set for some Saw-like horror film, they’re the future setting of murder by disgustingness?

Even with the $20 fee, like the previous reviewer said though, there’s no obvious place to pay and so I suppose if no one came by to collect it’d be free. Or you could toss your money in the dumpster, since they were so overflowing with bags that just read “DEER” that someone would likely find the cash.

Otherwise, this would be a fine place to make a quick stopover for the night.

A small county park with several W&E hookups placed randomly around the park. Sites are on grass, some with mature shade trees, others in the open. Seems to be used by locals for picnics and events. We were the only ones overnight and no one came by to collect, no pay station. Sites have picnic benches and some have fire pits and grills. There is a dump station.