Park Review- Lake Whitney RV Campground (Whitney, TX)

Thousand Trails
Address:  417 Thousand Trails Dr, Whitney, TX 76692
Phone:  (254) 694-4269
Website:  rvonthego.com/texas/lake-whitney-rv-campground​
# of sites:  268
​Full hookup price:  From $51/day
Open:  Year-round
Rating:  3 out of 5 stars
​Warnings:  No access to lake

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Lake Whitney RV Campground is an old-fashioned park with many sites in various loops.  Whitney sits slightly closer to Waco than Fort Worth, but both towns are within easy driving distance.

Pros: 
It's not as bad as we had heard.  If that sounds odd, we had several comments from people who just don't like this park.  We approached it with open minds and found a park that was very similar to one of our favorite Texas campgrounds at Medina Lake.  Like that park, it is full of mature juniper and cedar trees and has a great deal of space, greenery and privacy between sites.

When not in pandemic mode, there are a good number of amenities available, including clubhouse, shuffleboard, swimming pool, whirlpool/spa/hot, restaurant, store, hiking trails, mini-golf, restroom/shower and laundry facilities, game room/billiards and a library.  Unfortunately, most of these were closed during our stay, so I have no opinion as to their quality.

The campground's location in Central Texas makes it a natural stop for visiting the area.  We drove to Waco a few times, including a stop at the Silos and Magnolia Farms, and during our next stay we'll probably visit Fort Worth.  Dallas is only about a 90-minute drive away and within two hours you can find a myriad of lakes, rivers and creeks on which to go boating or fishing.

Cons:
One of the downsides we were warned about was true- there are several sites and partial loops that have been closed for maintenance for quite some time.  The spot we ended up in was in such a loop.  If we had driven any farther we would have had to back out of the loop with no hope of turning around.  We were fortunate that the site opposite of us was empty so I could use the space to exit.

There are very few 50-amp sites and those are almost always taken by seasonal campers.  If 30-amp won't due, then skip this park.

They listed a dog park on their website but I never saw one.  Perhaps it was in a closed section or near the pool and clubhouse, which I never visited since everything is locked up.  But, their campground map doesn't show one either.


Though Waco and Fort Worth are within an hour or so drive of Whitney, the surrounding rural highways and ranch towns are as depressed as many areas of the South we have driven through.  Waco itself is not a booming metropolis, with many sections of town to be avoided.  I could have spent dozens of hours taking photos of abandoned and dilapidated houses and businesses.

Probably my biggest complaint would be that access to the lake is cordoned off.  There is a primitive, rutted parking area near the trails that lead down to the lake that might hold 5 or 6 cars, but those trails were blocked.  I crossed the ropes and walked to the lake for some photos and it looked like there was plenty of space for an enhanced parking and viewing area but no plans or marking for such construction was apparent.  There was a mile or so of bank that would make for easy fishing, if one were so inclined.

The bottom line is that Lake Whitney RV Campground is worth staying in, especially if you need a respite on your way through Texas.  The campground feel of the RV sites is a great improvement over the neighborhood-style resorts that are so popular, and being surrounded by trees and nature is calming.  There are many downsides here, as I have mentioned, but enough positives to rate it a 3 out of 5 stars and give a measured recommendation.

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