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Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Activities powered by Viator. Prices and availability come from each provider and are confirmed when you book with them.

  1. Home
  2. Texas
  3. Ratcliff Lake Recreation Area

Camping at Ratcliff Lake Recreation Area near Kennard

Public campground · Kennard · 52 campsites · 3 group

A forested campground near fishing, and hiking. Most campsites have no hookups, and RV fit varies by site.

About this campground

Ratcliff Lake Recreation Area sits within the Davy Crockett National Forest's loblolly pine and mixed hardwoods, surrounding a 45-acre lake that began life as a log pond and water source for the Central Coal and Coke Company sawmill in the early 20th century; the Civilian Conservation Corps developed the facility in 1936. The forest itself covers roughly 160,000 acres across Houston and Trinity counties within the Neches and Trinity River basins, and Ratcliff is a good base for exploring those woodlands the Big Slough Wilderness Area lies about five miles north along the Neches River for those seeking true solitude.

5.0 on Recreation.gov · 395 reviewsFirst come, first served · visiting info on Recreation.gov
View all 6 photos

At a glance

  • RV sites up to 60 ft

    Length limits vary by campsite.

  • Mostly no hookups

    Limited electric sites.

  • Pets welcome
  • Dump station
OverviewCampsitesAmenities & locationReviewsPlan your stay

0 available sites

0 open of 52 sites
Sold out for Nov 13 – Nov 15.

We checked every night of your stay on Recreation.gov: no site is open for all 2 nights. Some sites are open on some nights.

Flexible dates

View the next available two-night stay.

Looking for the next open dates…
Fixed dates

Compare nearby campgrounds open for these dates. Your camping setup, rig size, hookups and dates stay applied.

Nearby campgrounds open for these dates
Check Recreation.gov directly ↗
View full availability calendar · night-by-night from Recreation.gov

Availability on Recreation.gov. Showing 40 of 55 sites.

SiteFr
13
Sa
14
Price
006
tent only nonelectric
R✓$15
008
tent only nonelectric
RR$15
012
tent only nonelectric
RR$15
056
tent only nonelectric
WW$15
005
tent only nonelectric
WW$15
011
tent only nonelectric
WW$15
010
tent only nonelectric
RR$15
003
tent only nonelectric
RR$15
043
tent only nonelectric
WW
First come, first served

The listing marks this stay first come, first served — no online reservations. Campground page on Recreation.gov ↗

Walk-up only
Book on Recreation.gov

Amenities & location

  • Boat Ramp
  • Dump Station
  • Trailheads
Check-in
2:00 PM
Checkout
12:00 PM
Pets
Allowed (per listing)
Maximum stay
14 nights

Hookups (individual campsites): 25 electric, 27 no-hookup individual sites · group sites listed separately (3 no-hookup).

Location

18551 State Highway 7 East
Open in Google Maps ↗

Ratcliff Lake Recreation Area: questions answered

What is the maximum RV length at Ratcliff Lake Recreation Area?
Longest RV site listed: 60 ft (24 of 24 RV sites list a length) (per the listing)
Does Ratcliff Lake Recreation Area have RV hookups?
25 electric, 27 no-hookup individual sites · group sites listed separately (3 no-hookup) (per the listing)
How do I reserve a site at Ratcliff Lake Recreation Area?
First come, first served — pay on site (per the listing)
Are pets allowed at Ratcliff Lake Recreation Area?
Allowed (per the listing)
Sources and details

At a glance

Official facts link to their source; “Listing” facts come from the Recreation.gov listing. Anything we can't source says so.

Max rig length
Listing Longest RV site listed: 60 ft (24 of 24 RV sites list a length)
Hookups & power
Listing 25 electric, 27 no-hookup individual sites · group sites listed separately (3 no-hookup)
Pull-through / back-in
Listing 5 pull-through, 39 back-in
Road & site access
Listing 47 paved, 13 gravel site driveways
Pets
Listing Allowed
Cell signal
Listing Visitor-reported signal on Recreation.gov (higher is better): AT&T 3 (143 reports), Verizon 3 (121 reports), T-Mobile 2 (73 reports)
Water
Listing Water at 15 sites
Shade
Listing 47 of 60 sites that report shade are listed as shaded
Booking
Listing First come, first served — pay on site
Price
Listing Lowest listed rate $15/night (live price once you pick dates)
Stay limits
Listing 14 nights max
Getting there
Listing 18551 State Highway 7 East (map in Location below)
Generators · Quiet hours · Starlink / satellite
Not listed — check with campground

Reviews

Selected reviews

Verbatim from guest reviews on Recreation.gov ↗ (395 reviews, ★ 5.0). Not written or edited by us.

“Ratcliff Lake is fast becoming one of my favorite places to camp. Not too close to any metropolitan areas, but close enough to a couple of towns in case anything needs to be picked up.”

Wayne V 5 · Oct 2025 · Recreation.gov
Nearby

Campgrounds to compare

Prefer a roof?

Prefer a roof over your head

All glamping →
  • Salmon Lake Park & Resort21.2 mi · Grapeland
  • Crockett Lakefront RV Resort & Marina25.1 mi · Crockett

Explore nearby

  • Campgrounds near Kennard
  • RV rentals near Kennard
  • Glamping & cabins near Kennard
  • RV rentals in Texas
  • Glamping in Texas

Guides for this trip

  • How much does it cost to rent an RV?
  • Camping with dogs
Available Nov 13–15 · 2 nights21 sites open for every night

M Rockin C Ranch

13.8 mi from Ratcliff Lake Recreation Area (straight-line)
Sites from $23/night
$45 total for Nov 13–15 · before taxes & fees
Rates & availability from Hipcamp · you book on their site
View Campsites
Available Nov 13–15 · 2 nights2 sites open for every night

Pecan Place RV Park

19.5 mi from Ratcliff Lake Recreation Area (straight-line)
Sites from $40/night
$80 total for Nov 13–15 · before taxes & fees
Rates & availability from Campspot · you book on their site
View Campsites
Available Nov 13–15 · 2 nights4 sites open for every night

Southern Pines RV Campground

20.4 mi from Ratcliff Lake Recreation Area (straight-line)
Sites from $45/night
$90 total for Nov 13–15 · before taxes & fees
Rates & availability from Campspot · you book on their site
View Campsites
$15
046
tent only nonelectric
RR$15
044
tent only nonelectric
RR$15
047
tent only nonelectric
RR$15
002
tent only nonelectric
RR$15
042
tent only nonelectric
RR$15
007
tent only nonelectric
WW$15
001
tent only nonelectric
WW$15
045
tent only nonelectric
WW$15
050
tent only nonelectric
RR$15
004
tent only nonelectric
RR$15
013
tent only nonelectric
WW$15
009
tent only nonelectric
WW$15
054
tent only nonelectric
WW$15
041
tent only nonelectric
WW$15
048
tent only nonelectric
WW$15
049
tent only nonelectric
WW$15
053
tent only nonelectric
WW$15
055
tent only nonelectric
WW$15
031
standard electric
WW$20
040
standard electric
RR$20
038
standard electric
RR$20
036
standard electric
RR$20
032
standard electric
WW$20
030
standard electric
RR$20
029
standard electric
WW$20
034
standard electric
RR$20
039
standard electric
RR$20
037
standard electric
RR$20
035
standard electric
RR$20
033
standard electric
RR$20
019
standard electric
RR$20

✓ available · R reserved · X not available · C closed · W first come, first served · N not yet released

Ways to stay

Bring a tent or have an RV waiting

  • Tent camping here: 52 sites take tents. See open sites ↑
  • Electric sites: 25 sites have power.

Need an RV for your stay?

Rentals that may deliver here and whose listed length fits sites up to 60 ft. Delivery may be available — confirm fees and dates with the owner before you book.

Kodiak Ultra-Lite 332BHSL “Huge Bunkhouse”
Kodiak Ultra-Lite 332BHSL “Huge Bunkhouse”

Travel trailer · 37 ft · sleeps 10 · 70 mi from campground

$135/night listed · RVshare · Delivery may be available

View rental
The Wolf
The Wolf

Travel trailer · 26 ft · sleeps 4 · 154 mi from campground

$109/night listed · RVshare · Delivery may be available

View rental
2021 Keystone RV Hideout (1186)
2021 Keystone RV Hideout (1186)

Travel trailer · 29 ft · sleeps 8 · 157 mi from campground

$130/night listed · RVshare · Delivery may be available

View rental
Best time to go

Seasons, rates and how booked it gets

  • Peak season Jan 1–Dec 31: Tent $15–$35, RV & Tent $20 per night
  • Peak season Jan 1–Dec 31: Tent $15–$35, RV & Tent $20 per night

Share of site-nights open, booked and closed on Recreation.gov for the next months, checked Nov 7. Months further out may not be released for booking yet.

MonthOpenBookedClosed
Nov 202628%31%0%
Dec 202655%5%0%
Jan 202759%1%0%
Feb 202756%4%0%
Mar 202759%1%0%
Apr 202760%0%0%
May 202760%0%0%
Plan your stay

How far ahead to book Ratcliff Lake Recreation Area

For November weekends, book about 67 days ahead. Three in four November Friday and Saturday arrivals were booked later than that, and half were booked 31 days or less before arrival. Past timing is guidance, not a guarantee of what is open now.

See booking patterns
Arrival monthFri/Sat arrivals: half booked at leastA quarter at leastOther days: half booked at leastA quarter at least
January9 days ahead20 days ahead8 days ahead26 days ahead
February10 days ahead22 days ahead12 days ahead34 days ahead
March21 days ahead42 days ahead19 days ahead44 days ahead
April22 days ahead43 days ahead21 days ahead50 days ahead
May21 days ahead42 days ahead15 days ahead42 days ahead
June16 days ahead33 days ahead20 days ahead39 days ahead
July11 days ahead24 days ahead12 days ahead32 days ahead
August10 days ahead25 days ahead9 days ahead27 days ahead
September13 days ahead35 days ahead16 days ahead40 days ahead
October24 days ahead49 days ahead19 days ahead55 days ahead
November31 days ahead67 days ahead29 days ahead71 days ahead
December13 days ahead30 days ahead14 days ahead35 days ahead

Months with fewer than 30 reservations of that kind are left blank. Sites where nearly every booking was made the day of arrival (pay on arrival) are left out. Closed seasons, windows not yet released for booking, and currently unavailable nights are separate from this history.

Based on Recreation.gov reservations, FY2015–2025 (12,887 reservations in the years scored). Counts reservations made, not nights actually camped: cancellations aren't in the data, and nights a site was closed count as not booked. FY2020–21 (COVID) are left out of the scores.

Compare site types

52 individual reservable campsites from Recreation.gov, checked Nov 7 · 3 group sites listed separately. Rates are the listed nightly rates.

Tent-only sites

Tents only, no power

27 sites · $15/night

Loops: LAKESIDE LOOP (11), LOBLOLLY LOOP (10), Sawmill loop (4), FS 520 loop (2)

0 open Nov 13–Nov 15

Standard sites with electric

Tent or RV, with power

25 sites · $20/night

Loops: DOGWOOD LOOP (25)

0 open Nov 13–Nov 15

Group tent only area nonelectric (group)

3 sites · $30/night

Loops: Sawmill loop (1), LAKESIDE LOOP (1), LOBLOLLY LOOP (1)

0 open Nov 13–Nov 15