We had an awesome stay here! If you're coming out, definitely ask for one of the riverfront…read moreprimitive campsites. Ours came with a grill, smoker, and fire pit, which made cooking stupid easy. The bathrooms were super clean, and the owners couldn't be friendlier--seriously, they make the place feel like home. If you need firewood, swing by site 27 and grab some from the owner there if he's got stock. We left our kayaks by the launch with zero issues, which was a huge plus. The campsites themselves are big, spacious, and peaceful. There is a train that rolls through twice a night, but aside from that it's quiet and relaxing. Overall, we loved it and would absolutely come back.

I guess I forgot to write a review 2 years ago, so here we go! Backwater Jack's is fantastic! It's…read moreout in the middle of nowhere, about 15 minutes from Marshall or Jefferson. Located on the Big Cypress Bayou, the scenery is gorgeous. Two years ago, we stayed in the Couple's Cabin. It has great upper and lower decks. This time, with Reesa and Ricky, we stayed in the Texas 2 Step. Dual connecting cabins. Loved it. There's also about 30 or 40 RV spots. There's a private boat ramp. Riverbend Outfitters keeps kayaks here for rent. We've gone kayaking twice. It's fun, relaxing, and beautiful. The owners are very friendly and attempt to solve any problem you might have. The cabins are big and comfortable. They have satellite tv and WiFi. A full kitchen makes mealtime easy. Be warned, cell service here is terrible. You are out in the middle of nowhere! We have absolutely loved our stays here, and will definitely return. Check their website!

Awesome park Great…read moresites Lovely trees and water Nice park employees Canoes Boat ramps Hiking trails

This place is surreal. Extremely peaceful and well worth the drive. We stopped here on the way back…read morefrom Mississippi to take some pictures of the trees. The admission to the park is really affordable (like $4 per adult) and free for prior military. They have cute little cabins for rent and even canoes if you'd like to paddle around the lake. This place is a great day trip from DFW.

I absolutely love this camp. I have been going here for 3 years. The food is cheap, yes, but it's a…read morebreak from having food that doesn't taste that good and looks fancy, and the dessert is great. Counselors know everybody's name, there are horses, zip lining, ropes course, waterfront, archery, riflery, water front, and a ton of other things that are really entertaining. It's huge but you can find your way pretty easily, the cabins are old but it's fun because it's kind of a throwback and the counselors are super entertaining, and as for the things removed, it's still fun, even without NOLA roasts, Non-Or Campers, etc. It encourages activity and fun and has so many choices of what to do. I have a favorite horse, she's very nice and most of the horses are great too. All in all I love this camp very much (also it's a great break from tech) and it's the one place where I can fall asleep with melatonin (it tires you out in a good way) and my anger issues get a lot better here because it's very calming. As for the price, I think if you can afford it you should DEFINITELY have your kid come here. It's near Shreveport, Louisiana but if you live somewhere too far to drive (i.e. a kid lives in Vegas) then you can fly and they'll pick you up at the airport and get you over on a bus. 10/10 recommend. You make amazing memories and life long friends.

This camp is the same exact thing every year. You spend almost $5,000 which overpriced first of all…read morefor what it is. The people there are not very well trained in the activities they are supposed to teach. The camp looks as if it hasn't been updated since the 60's. The cabins are falling apart and have many cracks where bugs find their way in. Two years in a row my cabin was infested with spiders. The last time I went the cabin flooded with the smallest amount of rain and there was an ant problem. The workers there have a problem with favoriting certain campers. The food is cheap and frankly very bad. You are never able to tell if you are eating fish patties or chicken ones(not an exaggeration). Ever heard of Sysco? Because that is all you eat. The cheapest and lowest quality food I have ever seen/ate. The councilors are very young themselves and are not old enough to be responsible for your 6+ year olds. Don't get me wrong, it used to be okay. Until, they got a new head director who is not one to pass down little traditions that made Camp Fern what it was. Anything that people found joy in was removed; non-honor campers, Nola roasts, some camp songs, ect. If you haven't gone to this camp you wouldn't understand. In conclusion, this camp is not for you unless you want to waste money to get the cheapest quality of everything. These people only care about your money, not your experience.

Expensive, but it was the nicest RV park around. The grounds were immaculate. They had concrete…read morepads in good condition and most of the sites each had a small tree and a picnic table. I felt totally safe there and that made the high price worth it. They also had more amenities than other RV parks including a super clean laundry room, swimming pool and showers. There were two or three additional buildings in excellent condition for group meetings, etc. They have a once a month group event. It was a barbecue pot-luck in July and an ice-cream social in August. My only real complaint was that the free internet was totally lame. They offered a paid version, but I didn't try it so I can't say about that. However, at the prices they charge, I thought the free version should have been better.

This is definitely one of the nicest RV Parks I have stayed at. It is very clean and very well…read moremaintained. Dog-friendly is a must for me. They have several poo-bag stations around the park and a nice but plain dog park. I would definitely recommend!

This park is top quality for short or long term residents. Professional and friendly owners ,with…read moreplayground and pool. Great place to stay!

Delivery drivers and visitors be aware: While delivering…read moregroceries to a resident, I was confronted by someone claiming to be the property owner and told I was trespassing. Although there are signs instructing visitors to report to the office, there are no clear or specific instructions regarding food or grocery deliveries. The resident confirmed deliveries are allowed and that the office drop box is intended for UPS/FedEx only and not suitable for groceries. Management should clearly clarify delivery policies to prevent confrontations with delivery drivers.

Stayed 4 nights at Buffalo Bayou and we loved it! It was hard to leave. VERY quiet, even with…read moremultiple campers staying there. Loved having full hookups. There was a grill at the site we were at. No table, but we brought one. It did look like they may have some available at some of the other sites. They have a nice little bathroom/shower house on the grounds for use if needed. Having the boat ramp right there was ideal for taking our kayak out and you can fish off the dock behind the owners house. The dogs that were roaming around did not bother us and the pitbull was super sweet! The area is beautiful and peaceful! Plenty of room to roam. We would stay here again for sure!

The owners Pat and Leslie were very friendly and helpful. We stayed for 4 nights in our fifth…read morewheel. The place was so quiet most of the time, I thought we might be the only people actually staying in our RV. There are several other RVs out there, but we saw only a couple people at one of them while we were there. Dogs are not required to be on a leash here. We only found this to be a problem when one pitbull was especially friendly and jumping on us. We have no idea what the 3-4 dog's names were, or who they belonged to. Dogs poop where they want, and no one is picking it up....however, with that said, I never saw one poop near a campsite. They always did their business further out. There are no concrete pads, no picnic tables, no grills, etc here. This wasn't an issue for us, but you might want to know. It was very cold during our stay from January 3-7, 2022. We had no issues with our water, sewer, or electricity. It was a tight fit for our 42' fifth wheel at the first site they were going to put us, so we needed to move down a bit to a larger area. Luckily, there were many open sites, so this wasn't an issue. There are kayak rentals on the property, and lots to do in the area. There is some fracking going on closeby. A generator (or something that makes a lot of noise) ran a lot of the time we were there. Thankfully, we can sleep through just about anything, so this wasn't a big issue for us. It did detract from the quiet during the day, when we would've preferred to hear nature instead. This fracking is not taking place on the RV park property. They have no control over when this noise is going to come and go. I can see that this would be a big problem for some people. It was loud. But, it didn't bother us a lot because we were gone a lot of the time. My husband would probably say his favorite thing on this trip was the Measurement and Time Museum in Jefferson. He spent over 2 hours touring and talking to the owner. I enjoyed the shopping and talking to all the shopkeepers. There were some cute plus size clothes at Yesteryear and also The Front Porch. I'm hard to fit, and picky about the length of my shirts, and found exactly what I needed. We enjoyed the BBQ at Riverport, and the French Dip sandwiches at McGarity's. Service was good everywhere we went. Everyone was friendly and helpful. The Kroger and Walmart in Marshall are nuts! I've never seen a busier grocery store than the Kroger, and I've lived in heavily-populated Arlington, TX most of my life. It was hard to find a parking spot. We were disappointed to find out the local steamboat/paddleboat recently sank and is no longer available for tours. Also, because it was the week after New Year's, many shops, restaurants, and museums were closed for an extended period of time - some all the way to Feb. 1st. I highly recommend calling first before going somewhere, if you're coming in January.

For the Boat Rental Only…read more Although it seems you drive endlessly through whinedy roads, I finally came upon this place. Red, the man who let me rent the canoe, charged me ten bucks. Not only was that a great deal, but he talked to me and my friends for at least an hour. Red was HILARIOUS. One liners after another. I couldnt stop laughing at the things this man said.

Crip's is a great little fishing camp located on Caddo Lake…read more They have several cabins to choose from. Most have beds, showers, heaters, AC, and refrigerators. Some also have stoves. The cabins are definitely not fancy, but they are a nice get away. They also have boat rentals and a little restaurant that serves breakfast. This place is the camping compromise for me and my wife. It is about as rustic as she will allow. The view of the lake is amazing!

Beautiful location for tent camping. It would have been perfect except for some noisy neighbors who…read moreparked their car where I was supposed to pitch my tent. Otherwise I'd give it a 5 star review. You need to walk a bit to set up camp but not too far.

This is coming from someone who has had camping experience for many years all over the country…read more Have also been camping here several years in spite of the following flaws; most importantly is the very dirty condition of the nearly new bathhouse. Floors and showers have not been cleaned in weeks and there is probably half an inch of dead bugs on the outside patio. Your feet crunch all the way in. Plus the outside doors do not lock and the bathroom and shower stall doors can't be locked either. Also, eliminating some of the signs at the entrance would afford a more welcoming atmosphere for campers. It's like a slap in the face when you drive in! Great fishing, lots of room, trails, beach, boat launches but hardly anyone here . This place could be a great campground and a really moneymaker if someone with experience would pay attention to some of these details and make some pretty simple changes.

Went camping with my mom and my kids for a weekends trip. We stayed in one of the 2 cabins because…read moremy mom needs her sleeping machine. It was a nice little trip. I took a hike with my little man to see the pine trees lined up and then the next morning took my daughter the short way. The kids loved the lake and my mom loved the fishing. The power plant across the lake lights up pretty but the constant hum coming from it is a bit strange. All and all it was a nice little trip and I'm looking forward to going back. I didn't get a chance to go on the island and I'd really like to go back to do that trail.

Fairly small park with not much to offer. I was supposed to do a campout here with my hiking group…read morelast year in December, but I was moving. So, after Thanksgiving, I was already in East TX and decided to drive to the park to check it out. Checkin was easy at the ranger headquarters. I went inside to purchase a magnet. Their stickers selection was limited and the designs were unappealing. My first impression with the creek lake that it was very beautiful and reminded me of Lake Catherine State Park in Arkansas. The beach portion doesn't allow dogs, so I just viewed it from the park. There's a total of three trails. I found one, but not the other. I searched high and low to find it, but was unsuccessful. I ended up going on the Island Trail. The view of the power plant was nice. The plant was loud. The Island trail was a smooth hike. The path is covered in pine needles and if you look closely, you can find armadillos, rabbits, and field mice. Now the camping portion was very crowded and the sites were close to each other. I didn't see any private sites. It reminded me of Blanco State Park; where you're just close enough to your neighbors where you can see and hear them. How fun! This park isn't worth coming back to explore. I didn't like it much.

So, kinda confusing...but Barefoot Bay (aka. Big Al's Barefoot Bay) and now Castaway's Bar & Grill…read moreis out on Lake Bob Sandlin. Wife and I stopped in (as we have never been here before and they had Line Dance lessons from 6-9. Service was good and a great view of the lake. Food was bar food and good for around here. Line dancing was a bit of a let down as they didn't have a great sound system. But, lots of people showed up and made it fun. All in all, the restaurant is young and they are experiencing some growing pains. Broken tea maker and got a an appetizer wrong...but they made it right. Had pepperoni pizza and Philly Cheesesteak...but forgot to take pictures. We will come again and grow with them!

FLACCID AL'S BAREFOOT BAY…read more JUST THE DETAILS -Our lawnmower stored at Barefoot bay was taken and used by the new marina owners. They claim that our contact and payment info was never transferred from the old owners and it was abandoned property to seize because of that. -Trying to get things sorted out we had unpleasant interactions and intimidation tactics used against us and potentially witnessed some child labor violations. -Payed them the past due balance. The returned mower had approximately $500 worth of vandalism damage done to it. They eventually paid for the repair which seems to be an admittance of guilt. They have not admitted or apologized for any of the damages or unethical use. THE FULL EXPERIENCE Upon returning spring of this year (2025) we were met with all new signage and a fresh wood facade inside and out. New cameras everywhere, an updated bar and dance hall. It was impressive at first glance. Sadly the facelift that had been preformed was nothing better than lipstick on a pig. Under the shimmering red gloss this place is still just swine wallowing in its own filth. On our first visit this year to pick up our mower, a drowsy looking man that appeared to have gum disease approached us. He told us he was wondering who the trailer belonged to. We explained that we were the owners of the equipment. He stated that our automatic payment we had previously set up would need to be updated. When we returned 3 weeks later we found an empty trailer, our mower was missing. Someone had to cut our lock and cable off. We went inside and asked for a manger only to be greeted by a child behind the counter. I asked for a manger and she went to go find them. A middle aged man with a large cold sore approach me and asked what I needed. I was sharply dismissed and directed to a lady in a side office. She started filling out a theft report when a young lady with an upper lip piercing came in and asked what happened. She asked if it was a red mower and then said she would be right back. While I waited for her to return the little girl behind the counter was processing transactions at the register unsupervised. Selling snack, drinks, and even cigarettes at one point. When the woman with the lip piercing returned the girl asked her if it was legal for her to sell cigarettes. She was told no, but not to worry about it. I was eventually handed their land line phone and talked with their new property manager Jessica. While on the phone the cold sore man returned and demanded I take that call elsewhere. He insisted that was a business line and I needed to take the elsewhere. After I told him I was on the business line with the business (the property manager) he stood there staring at me and eventually walked off. A week later when we picked up the lawn mower it was back on the trailer. That's where their fulfillment ended. The control handles were bent so badly the enamel paint was chipped off and the lawnmower was not controllable. The key cylinder had been destroyed, the throttle control was bent, one of the transmission releases was bent, and a chunk of the handle foam was torn off. They vandalized the lawnmower extensively before returning it. Eventually the property manager reimbursed us for the vandalism caused on her team's watch. That seems to be the only ethical part of this entire exchange. What seems to be the most concerning for the future of the marina is the complete lack of ethics within the staff, and potential of willingly violating child labor laws, a minor working the register alone selling age restricted items. The behavior by the cold sore man, a supposed manager trying to pressure and intimidate us, damaging property that they were paid to store and keep secure. "Big Al's" has fallen flat. This place needs to seriously consider replacing the local management. From what I have seen and personally experienced recently at Barefoot bay, it is my opinion that people lacking so much integrity and intelligence operating a business are untrainable and just need to be replaced.