Boondocking Site Review – Calaveras Lake, San Antonio, TX
This is an inexpensive dry-camping location just next to San Antonio. It’s not exactly a boondocking location, but doesn’t really qualify as a campground either, so I’ll rate it as a boondocking spot. Unfortunately it doesn’t make our favorites list.
Location: Calaveras Lake, San Antonio, TX
Coordinates: 29.305861,-98.298798. Link to map location HERE.
Cost: $4/person/night
How We Found It: Using Don Wright’s “Free Camprounds” book.
Nearest Dump/Water: ?? Not sure.
- Access – 4/5
Very decent access here, but sites are mixed. The road into Calaveras Lake is paved and access inside the campground is decent. You can set-up anywhere around the lake once inside the facility. Most of the banks are very uneven/sloping, but there are a select number of flat areas and a few nicer spots right on the water. - Nature – 2.5/5
Nature-wise this is a bit of a mix. On the positive side you are right by the Lake with access to fishing and water activities, but your view is marred by a large power plant on the right-hand side and the area around the lake has limited space/activity. A small nature trail on-site, but no real hiking. - Isolation – 1/5
The Lake is outside of town and so does get bonus points for being “away from the city”, but its location makes it extremely popular with the locals. The park doesn’t seem to limit how many people access/camp here so don’t expect to be alone. - Pet Friendliness – 3/5
The park is pet-friendly, but there’s very limited area to hike/walk pooch. A strip of green along the back power-lines and a small nature trail pretty much make up the lot. Pooch does have access to the lake.
Overall Rating = 2.6
Summary: So, this was one of those spots that looked great on paper, but didn’t work out for us. Our experience was no doubt marred by the fact that we camped here during Spring Break, but there were also other aspects which made it less than great. Location-wise it’s a good spot -> only 10 miles from San Antonio, right on a lake with access to fishing and green for a mere $4/person/night. Camping is “free access” to wherever you can park on the banks of the lake. There are a select number (8) of designated sites on the North side that you can reserve beforehand. However the overall area is limited in size, there is a large power plant across the lake (mars your view) and the management doesn’t seem to limit how many people can camp there. So in busy times it literally packs in with as many folks as can possibly set-up on the banks. When we first arrived it was fairly quiet and if we’d come here mid-week during low season we might well have found a nice (and somewhat peaceful) spot to enjoy the water and the area. However our experience that evening with the big build-up of people was, unfortunately, downright uncomfortable and we decided to leave. If we come back we’ll probably try a different location.
Extra Info: On-site flush toilets, but no water or other facilities. Verizon smartphone and aircard worked.
NOTE/ All below pics we taken when we first arrived (before the big build-up of people in the evening):
That’s too bad, because it really looks pretty nice for a place to park for a few nights. You just never know – we’ve stayed in some places that we loved that definitely didn’t look good on paper and vise versa.
I definitely think that in slower times it might have been a nicer stay. These things happen. There’s another gem hiding around the corner somewhere 🙂 Nina
Aww hell, for $4 a night and 10 minutes from SA, it seems like it would be worth it to us. Better than Walmarting it, for sure! Would you guys feel safe leaving your rig alone and going out to do stuff though? I’m curious about that.
Rene.
Honestly we didn’t feel comfortable leaving the rig…not during the time we were there anyhow. There were alot of folks about that evening, many of them were drinking/partying and when I went by the office there had been 2 break-ins (to vehicles) while owners were on the lake fishing. Again, it’s really really hard for me to say whether it was because of the time we were there (Spring Break – just a crazy time), or whether it’s the place itself. I would actually love to hear from people who’ve stayed there outside of Spring Break. For $4/night it was a great deal and not a bad location.
Nina
Eeeeek! Two break ins? OK forget it. Thanks for the scoop!
I’m really digging your rv park and boondocking reviews! It’s a bummer this place didn’t work out, but I’ve been mining your past boondocking experiences for some cool places to stay. 🙂
Cool! Hope you guys get to enjoy some of them on the way back. Nina
I’m a full time Rv’r and we live in Blazing Star Luxory RV Resort. Its a very nice park, paved roads, park patrol at night, pool, game room, everything you can imagine. Free Shuttle to Sea World! The staff are very friendly. You might check it out next time you are ever in San Antonio again.
Now 8.00 a night unless you want a table, then jumps to 16.00. Lots of negative 1 star reviews on net. If you drive in alone with 4 kayaks, they charge you 6.00 for each one, Google Calaveras kayak fees! Will not answer phone when calling to ask about fees.
We stayed there last night in our 5th wheel with no hookups. It was $7 p/p plus $8 for our vehicle, so for my wife and I, it was $22 total. I was told it was $24 instead of the $8 if we wanted a hookup site. The fees are unclear and I saw them posted nowhere. There was quite a bit of litter and the grass/weeds should have been mowed long ago. I would steer clear of this one.