Free Camping in Granbury, Texas: Hunter Park Campground Review
Free camping is always a welcome find when you’re traveling full-time in an RV.
But free waterfront camping in Granbury, Texas?
That was even better.
During our Texas travels, we spent about a week at Hunter Park, one of several parks in the Granbury area operated by the Brazos River Authority.
We parked our trailer right beside Lake Granbury, which is part of the Brazos River.
There were picnic tables along the waterfront, fishing, a boat ramp, restrooms, trash service and plenty of birds to watch from our campsite.
During our visit, camping was completely free and the maximum stay was ten days.
For us, Hunter Park made a wonderful base for exploring Granbury and taking a day trip into Fort Worth.
Here’s what the campground was like during our stay.
Where Is Hunter Park?
Hunter Park is in the Granbury, Texas area along Lake Granbury.
Although it’s called a lake, the water is part of the Brazos River system.
The park was operated by the Brazos River Authority during our visit.
This wasn’t a traditional RV campground with numbered sites lined up in rows.
It felt much more like camping in a public waterfront park.
And that was part of its charm.
How Hunter Park Was Laid Out
The main drive through Hunter Park formed a large loop.
Rather than pulling into a conventional RV campsite, we simply pulled off along a wide area beside the loop.
When we arrived, another travel trailer was parked in front of us.
That camper left before we did, leaving us with even more open space.
The setup was simple.
No fancy landscaping.
No resort amenities.
Just somewhere to park our trailer beside the water.
That’s really all we needed.
Free Waterfront Camping on Lake Granbury
The waterfront was the best part.
Picnic tables were positioned along the shore, and we had a beautiful view of the water from our trailer.
We had quite a bit of rain during our stay, so we spent more time at camp than we’d originally expected.
Fortunately, this wasn’t a bad place to be stuck on a rainy day.
We could sit inside the trailer and look out over the water.
When the weather cleared, we could go outside and enjoy it.
It was peaceful and pretty.
This Isn’t a Beach Campground
Although we were right beside Lake Granbury, the shoreline at Hunter Park was bulkheaded during our stay.
It wasn’t a sandy beach where we could simply walk down into the water.
That’s something to keep in mind if you’re picturing a traditional lakeside beach campground.
But for enjoying the view, watching wildlife and fishing from shore, the location was still wonderful.
Fishing at Hunter Park
The park appeared to be popular with local anglers.
We saw people fishing almost every day we were there.
That makes sense.
With the water right beside the park, you don’t have to travel somewhere else to spend a few hours fishing.
We weren’t there specifically for fishing, but we enjoyed watching everyone come and go.
If fishing is part of your plans, check current Texas licensing requirements and any rules that apply to Lake Granbury before casting a line.
Hunter Park Has a Boat Ramp
There was also a boat launch at one end of the park.
We expected that might make the area extremely busy.
Surprisingly, it didn’t during most of our stay.
People certainly came in to use the ramp, but the traffic wasn’t nearly as heavy as we’d imagined it might be.
That may vary tremendously depending on the season, weather and day of the week.
Bird Watching From Our Campsite
One of our favorite parts of staying at Hunter Park was the wildlife.
We had five pairs of geese around the campground during our visit, and some had babies.
We also saw great blue herons and white egrets.
Since we were camped right beside the water, we didn’t have to go anywhere special to look for wildlife.
We could simply watch from camp.
For us, that’s one of the joys of staying somewhere like this instead of in a conventional RV park.
Hunter Park Had Grass!
General appreciated another feature.
Grass.
After spending so much time camping in the desert, we’d finally reached a campground where he had real grass again.
He was pretty happy about that.
Hunter Park also gave us a convenient place to stay while taking General to several other parks and walking trails around Granbury.
Restrooms and Trash Service
For a free camping area, Hunter Park had some useful basic amenities.
During our visit, there were:
- Restrooms
- Garbage cans
- Picnic tables
- Waterfront access
- Fishing
- Boat launch
- Open space for camping
There were no RV hookups at our campsite.
We were dry camping and needed to handle our fresh water and holding tanks separately.
But having restrooms and trash disposal available made an extended stay much easier.
How Busy Was Hunter Park?
Most of the time, we found Hunter Park pretty quiet.
When we arrived, there was only one other RV camper near us.
That changed somewhat when the weekend arrived.
On Friday evening after work, families began arriving with their children and setting up tents for the weekend.
The park got busier.
By Sunday, things had quieted down again.
So if you’re looking for solitude, weekdays may offer a very different experience from weekends.
That’s simply what we observed during our particular stay, but it’s something we’d keep in mind if returning.
How Long Can You Camp at Hunter Park?
During our visit, the maximum camping stay was 10 days.
There was an important detail to that rule that we’d initially misunderstood.
The Brazos River Authority operated four parks in the Granbury area where camping was available.
We originally thought that meant someone could stay ten days at one park and then move to another for another ten days.
We were corrected.
The rule during our stay meant you could select one of the parks and camp for up to ten days.
It did not mean you could rotate through all four parks and stay ten days at each one.
That’s an important distinction.
Regulations may have changed since our visit, so check the current Brazos River Authority camping rules rather than relying on the limits we encountered.
The Parks Were Regularly Patrolled
We also saw Brazos River Authority law enforcement coming through the park regularly.
They appeared to be checking on the area and making sure everything was okay.
We appreciated that.
Free camping doesn’t necessarily mean completely unmanaged camping.
Hunter Park felt like a public recreation area that happened to allow camping rather than an isolated boondocking site.
Where We Got Fresh Water
Since there weren’t hookups at our campsite, we needed somewhere to fill our fresh water tank.
During our visit, we used Bennett’s Camping Center.
We went inside the store, paid for the service and then someone came outside to open the gate leading to the back of the property.
At the time, we paid $5 for water.
The water source was connected to a city water line.
That worked nicely for us during our stay.
Prices, access and services can change, so call or check current information before depending on this location for water today.
Where We Dumped Our RV Tanks
We also used Bennett’s Camping Center for their dump station.
At the time of our visit, the dump fee was $10.
The dump station was located in the gated area behind the business.
That meant we could take care of both RV necessities in one trip:
Fresh water and dumping.
When you’re dry camping for a week or more, knowing where you’ll handle those two things is important.
It’s something we always like to figure out before we need it.
Hunter Park as a Base for Exploring Granbury
Hunter Park worked extremely well as our base for exploring Granbury, Texas.
Between rainstorms, we visited parks and walked trails with General.
We explored the historic Granbury courthouse square.
We saw the restored opera house.
We learned the strange local legend connecting John St. Helen with John Wilkes Booth.
And, naturally, we found some Texas barbecue.
We also used Granbury as our base for a day trip into Fort Worth.
That gave us plenty to do while still allowing us to return to our quiet waterfront campsite at the end of the day.
What We Liked About Hunter Park
Hunter Park had a lot going for it during our stay:
- Free camping
- Waterfront location
- Up to a 10-day stay at the time
- Plenty of open space
- Picnic tables along the water
- Fishing
- Boat launch
- Restrooms
- Garbage service
- Grass for General
- Great bird watching
- Convenient location for exploring Granbury
- Easy day-trip access to Fort Worth
The waterfront location alone would have made this campground memorable.
Getting to stay there for free made it even better.
Things to Know Before Camping at Hunter Park
There are a few things we’d want to know before arriving.
This wasn’t a full-service RV campground.
We didn’t have hookups.
The waterfront was bulkheaded rather than a walk-in beach.
The park could get busier on weekends, particularly when local families came to camp or use the recreation area.
We also needed to go elsewhere for fresh water and dumping.
Most importantly, don’t assume the free camping or 10-day limit from our visit still applies today.
Public-land and recreation-area policies can change.
Verify current camping rules before making Hunter Park part of your travel plans.
Would We Stay at Hunter Park Again?
Absolutely.
We really enjoyed it.
We had a waterfront campsite.
We could watch geese, herons and egrets from our trailer.
People came down to fish.
General had grass.
We were close enough to explore Granbury and make the trip into Fort Worth.
And during our visit, it was free.
There wasn’t anything fancy about Hunter Park.
That’s part of why we liked it.
Free Camping in Granbury Was a Wonderful Find
Some of our favorite camping spots during our travels haven’t been traditional campgrounds at all.
They’ve been places like Hunter Park.
Simple.
Pretty.
Useful.
Affordable.
We could park our little home beside Lake Granbury, watch the birds, listen to the rain and use the campground as our base for exploring another part of Texas.
Even after several rainy days, we weren’t particularly anxious to leave.
When your biggest problem is that you have to sit inside your RV and watch blue herons and geese along the river?
Life could certainly be worse.
Hunter Park turned out to be another one of those places that reminded us why we love traveling this way.
And we’ll see you down the road…and Over the Hills!
Continue the Journey
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