Camp sites in most Texas state parks are booked up for this four-day Thanksgiving holiday and some parks may even have to limit the number of daytime visitors.
A four-day holiday and the brisk November weather make it a perfect time to camp in Texas. Plenty of outdoor lovers figured that out months ago and have reserved nearly all the campsites in the 91 state parks open to the public.
Russell Fishbeck, Deputy Director of Texas State Parks, says the Thanksgiving holiday is actually one of the toughest times of the year to find a state park camp site.
“We’re finding some schools are actually out the entire week so that affords many families to kind of have a fall break. Outside of that, many families just celebrate Thanksgiving in our parks.”
Fishbeck says you can call the appropriate state park reservation number and officials may be able to find a cancellation or a campsite somewhere.
However, our spot check of popular parks in South Central Texas showed that from this Wednesday through Sunday there are no individual campsites open at the following state parks: Enchanted Rock; Garner; Government State Canyon; Guadalupe River, Lost Maples; Pedernales; or Blanco.
Fishbeck says even daytime visitors may have a hard time getting in.
“We’re having parks have to close midmorning or early afternoon in some of the more popular areas, then open again later in the day, because of capacity.”
Fishbeck recommends calling ahead to individual parks to make sure you can get in. You can also check their Facebook and Twitter pages for updates.
State parks in Texas accept reservations up to 333 days in advance. So, if you want to camp over the Thanksgiving holiday, think about next year, and make your reservation now.