Available Nov 13–15 · 2 nights21 sites open for every nightA forested campground near fishing, and hiking. Most campsites have no hookups, and RV fit varies by site.
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.











Length limits vary by campsite.
Limited electric sites.
Availability on Recreation.gov. Showing 40 of 55 sites.
| Site | Fr 13 | Sa 14 | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 006 tent only nonelectric | R | ✓ | $15 |
| 008 tent only nonelectric | R | R | $15 |
| 012 tent only nonelectric | R | R | $15 |
| 056 tent only nonelectric | W | W | $15 |
| 005 tent only nonelectric | W | W | $15 |
| 011 tent only nonelectric | W | W | $15 |
| 010 tent only nonelectric | R | R | $15 |
| 003 tent only nonelectric | R | R | $15 |
| 043 tent only nonelectric | W | W |
Hookups (individual campsites): 25 electric, 27 no-hookup individual sites · group sites listed separately (3 no-hookup).
18551 State Highway 7 East
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Official facts link to their source; “Listing” facts come from the Recreation.gov listing. Anything we can't source says so.
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.”
Available Nov 13–15 · 2 nights21 sites open for every night
Available Nov 13–15 · 2 nights2 sites open for every night
Available Nov 13–15 · 2 nights4 sites open for every night| $15 |
| 046 tent only nonelectric | R | R | $15 |
| 044 tent only nonelectric | R | R | $15 |
| 047 tent only nonelectric | R | R | $15 |
| 002 tent only nonelectric | R | R | $15 |
| 042 tent only nonelectric | R | R | $15 |
| 007 tent only nonelectric | W | W | $15 |
| 001 tent only nonelectric | W | W | $15 |
| 045 tent only nonelectric | W | W | $15 |
| 050 tent only nonelectric | R | R | $15 |
| 004 tent only nonelectric | R | R | $15 |
| 013 tent only nonelectric | W | W | $15 |
| 009 tent only nonelectric | W | W | $15 |
| 054 tent only nonelectric | W | W | $15 |
| 041 tent only nonelectric | W | W | $15 |
| 048 tent only nonelectric | W | W | $15 |
| 049 tent only nonelectric | W | W | $15 |
| 053 tent only nonelectric | W | W | $15 |
| 055 tent only nonelectric | W | W | $15 |
| 031 standard electric | W | W | $20 |
| 040 standard electric | R | R | $20 |
| 038 standard electric | R | R | $20 |
| 036 standard electric | R | R | $20 |
| 032 standard electric | W | W | $20 |
| 030 standard electric | R | R | $20 |
| 029 standard electric | W | W | $20 |
| 034 standard electric | R | R | $20 |
| 039 standard electric | R | R | $20 |
| 037 standard electric | R | R | $20 |
| 035 standard electric | R | R | $20 |
| 033 standard electric | R | R | $20 |
| 019 standard electric | R | R | $20 |
✓ available · R reserved · X not available · C closed · W first come, first served · N not yet released
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.

Travel trailer · 37 ft · sleeps 10 · 70 mi from campground
$135/night listed · RVshare · Delivery may be available
View rental
Travel trailer · 26 ft · sleeps 4 · 154 mi from campground
$109/night listed · RVshare · Delivery may be available
View rental
Travel trailer · 29 ft · sleeps 8 · 157 mi from campground
$130/night listed · RVshare · Delivery may be available
View rentalShare 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.
| Month | Open | Booked | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 2026 | 28% | 31% | 0% |
| Dec 2026 | 55% | 5% | 0% |
| Jan 2027 | 59% | 1% | 0% |
| Feb 2027 | 56% | 4% | 0% |
| Mar 2027 | 59% | 1% | 0% |
| Apr 2027 | 60% | 0% | 0% |
| May 2027 | 60% | 0% | 0% |
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.
| Arrival month | Fri/Sat arrivals: half booked at least | A quarter at least | Other days: half booked at least | A quarter at least |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 9 days ahead | 20 days ahead | 8 days ahead | 26 days ahead |
| February | 10 days ahead | 22 days ahead | 12 days ahead | 34 days ahead |
| March | 21 days ahead | 42 days ahead | 19 days ahead | 44 days ahead |
| April | 22 days ahead | 43 days ahead | 21 days ahead | 50 days ahead |
| May | 21 days ahead | 42 days ahead | 15 days ahead | 42 days ahead |
| June | 16 days ahead | 33 days ahead | 20 days ahead | 39 days ahead |
| July | 11 days ahead | 24 days ahead | 12 days ahead | 32 days ahead |
| August | 10 days ahead | 25 days ahead | 9 days ahead | 27 days ahead |
| September | 13 days ahead | 35 days ahead | 16 days ahead | 40 days ahead |
| October | 24 days ahead | 49 days ahead | 19 days ahead | 55 days ahead |
| November | 31 days ahead | 67 days ahead | 29 days ahead | 71 days ahead |
| December | 13 days ahead | 30 days ahead | 14 days ahead | 35 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.
52 individual reservable campsites from Recreation.gov, checked Nov 7 · 3 group sites listed separately. Rates are the listed nightly rates.
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
Tent or RV, with power
25 sites · $20/night
Loops: DOGWOOD LOOP (25)
0 open Nov 13–Nov 15
3 sites · $30/night
Loops: Sawmill loop (1), LAKESIDE LOOP (1), LOBLOLLY LOOP (1)
0 open Nov 13–Nov 15