Village Creek State Park, Texas – I spent one night camping here since I needed a stop somewhere not far off of I-10. The theme of the park seems to be mostly day use creek based activities with a minor amount of hiking. My purposes here for camping went somewhat along the lines of it being an easy to access park with little hassle. I stayed in the improved campground which had access to water and electrical hookups, and although there were about 25 spots it was just myself and one other space occupied that night on a weekday. I had cell service within the park, although there was no park branded wifi. As a tent camper I was quite content to find the spots have tent pads made of only litle and fine bits of gravel so they had little impact on my tent, as opposed to some parks I’ve been to with giant chunks of rock underneath. The one and only bathroom is close to all sites and had an excellent shower. Please note that by contrast there was primitive walk in camping available elsewhere in the park and it wouldn’t feature any of these perks. Check in was easy since there is no gate and you can roll in whenever you want and just pop into the park headquarters in the morning to let them know you arrived. I always appreciate that lack of hassle when on a road trip.
On the negative side of things I was eaten alive by mosquitoes, even at the end of fall when I visited. Just in the 15 minutes it took to get the tent up before I found my bug mesh outfit, many bites happened that’d leave me itching for days. If that was fall, I don’t even want to imagine what the heat of summer must be like around there with bugs in full force. This is kind of expected however at parks that have water features. I’d later wander the park to see things like a slough with standing water that was ideal for mosquito breeding. The night I was there it also stormed like crazy and the particular site I was in had a terraced scenario, with my tent on the lowest terrace, so a small cascade formed leaving my tent in a bit of a flood. Luckily my trusty Coleman tent stayed watertight! If I’d have tried the walk in campsites which were on lower ground and closer to the namesake Village Creek, I’m not sure how the evening would have went. This is after all a park full of bottomland swamp and all the trimmings.
Overall this is likely an excellent park if you’re looking to play on Village Creek. I found information about renting kayaks, canoes and paddleboards (see picture), there appears to be about 6 miles of trails, fishing would be productive, and the overall zero hassle and great bathroom experience made this a rewarding choice for me. If you’re looking for a Village Creek State Park map see the photos!
Address: 8854 Park Road 74
Lumberton, TX 77657
