We have been to Fort Worth, TX on several occasions since we have family that lives there, but we had never been there to camp. Originally, when wanting to visit, we booked a campground that was about an hour outside of the city, since it was part of the chain that we have our membership with. But we changed our plans when we heard of this great place right in Grand Prairie. We are so glad that we switched and went here to Loyd Park instead. It was a great campground and so close to everything!
When I think of Texas, I automatically think of Fort Worth and big city life, since that is the only place I’ve visited in Texas. The football and baseball stadiums. The bars. The Stockyards and Billy Bob’s. I wouldn’t really think of a wooded camping area that sits on a lake with private wooded sites. How amazing would it be to be in the woods, yet be near all the things city life has to offer! We had a great two weeks at this campground and will definitely be going back!
Loyd Park
Loyd Park is in the town of Grand Prairie, Texas. It is part of the Grand Prairie Parks, Arts & Recreation, and sits on Joe Pool Lake. Upon entering the park, there is a long driveway that leads to a security gate, which is staffed 24 hours a day. You have to pay a fee to even enter the park, so they do keep someone in the booth 24/7.
One thing I will mention about this park is that on top of your camping fees, you also have to pay a vehicle fee. It is a per-night fee for each night of your stay, which they charge when you enter for the first time. Be sure if you are military that you mention that because it will save you quite a bit! We were unaware of this charge until we pulled up to the gate for the first time. We also later ended up extending our stay for two extra nights, and had to pay the vehicle fee for those two nights as well. Just keep that in mind when you go.
After passing through the registration area, the road comes to a T at a stop sign, and you will either go right or left, depending on your site. Loops F and G are to the left, as well as the boat launch. Loops A through E are to the right. There were many different RV sites, all with different amenities offered. Some with sewer and some not. Some 50 amp and some 30. There were also some cabins and even some yurts throughout the campground.
Check out this yurt! We’ve seen yurts similar to these at other campgrounds, but this one has a screened-in patio/picnic area with it. This would be such a cozy place to hang out, especially if you hang some cute lights inside there and play cards. Sounds fun to me!
Our Site
I was easily able to secure a great site online for our stay, only about a week before we arrived in March. That’s not always the case with campgrounds, especially when booking for two weeks. We were happy with the site that we had, which was in the far loop A at site 32. Our site, and most of the other sites that we could see, had little pavilions at each one, as you can see on the left in the photo below. These are on a concrete slab with a picnic table and a charcoal grill.
We loved this little pavilion for three reasons. For one, the sun was bright in Texas, so we were able to sit out at the picnic table in the shade to do the kids’ homeschooling.
Secondly, we were able to hang up our hammock between two of the corner beams. I would never have thought to do this, but I saw another campsite where they had four hammocks hanging, one on each side. We hadn’t hung up our hammock for months since there had been a lack of trees close to our campsites for the past few months. This was a perfect place to sit out and relax! These are the hammocks we buy from Amazon. They are perfect for camping or hiking because they have all the straps, hooks, and hammock right in a small sack, so you just use it and then it fits right back inside the attached bag. Easy to store when not in use! Check them out here.
Thirdly, we got to hang up our lights! We took these lights from the back porch of our house when we sold it so we could hang them up at campsites, but we haven’t found good places for them. They’ve just been in a tote under the camper. This was the perfect place to use them. Had we stayed longer, I probably would have bought another set and done some more decorating. But I’ll leave that for when we return. Looks cozy at night, doesn’t it?
This space was roomy and the perfect size for our two weeks here, even with the dog fence around the site.
Things To Do At the Campground
While we did spend a lot of time with family and out exploring Fort Worth, we did spend some downtime at the campground as well. There is a large boat launch, which I’m told gets very busy in the summer. There is also a pavilion area not far in when you enter the campground. In the time we were there, this appeared to be rented out several times by large groups throwing parties. There were tables, charcoal grills, and of course, the lake right there. Seems like an ideal venue, and a popular one!
Next to the pavilion is a beach area, bathrooms, and a playground. We even got my 11-year-old to take a few turns down the slide, which she doesn’t do much anymore! It was very good-sized and I’m sure a hit for the younger kids in the busy season.
On several of the days, we took our ebikes out on the hiking/biking trails they have. Upon check-in, they give you a campground map. These trails are marked on the map by yellow dashed lines. These are winding wooded trails that take you on loops through the woods. There was one that we were on that we actually stopped and looked at each other in shock at how much of nature we were getting here just on the outskirts of Fort Worth. It looks like we could have been in a rain forest somewhere!
Probably our favorite part of the campground to disappear to was at the far end of the campground, where they have Equestrian Trail Parking. There is a bathhouse there, but also a tree that disappears into the woods there. We walked and biked out there several times and found it a nice, quiet place to sit and cast your fishing line into the water. There was usually at least one other couple sitting out there with their lines in the water, just enjoying the serenity of it all. This was a favorite spot of Emma’s, but she didn’t have much luck actually fishing. Beats a day of schoolwork, she said!
There was one other popular hot spot where people were often seen fishing, and that is a big red bridge that sits off to the left of the road when travelling between sections of the park. Again, not a hot spot for us fishing, but we did hear some stories of some big fish coming out of there.
The Fort Worth Area
This camping area was unlike most of the spots we’ve been to in the last 6 months because we had family nearby. Other campgrounds we’ve been at have been just us four, on our own schedule, and exploring on our own. With family nearby, we were able to get recommendations of cool places to go explore, eat, and play.
We visited the Fort Worth Stockyards for our third time. To me, it just screams Texas. There is a big cattle drive there, which happens twice a day. The streets are cobblestone. There are big belt buckles, cowboy boots, and you name it! We make it a point to go there and at least walk around each time we are in Fort Worth, and it never disappoints.
We ate at Riscky’s BBQ this time, which is shown in the background of this photo. There is inside dining as well as dining outside on the patio. There is so much Texas memorabilia on the walls that is cool to check out, and always a great meal to be had, in the few times we’ve been there. Definitely check it out when you visit Fort Worth.
We were also able to watch our Boston Red Sox team take on the Rangers while we were there for opening week, not that it ended well! It was still the experience of a live ball game that you just can’t beat.
We were also taken to an amazing place called Cidercade in Arlington, though I’m told there are a few other ones in the area. This place was spectacular and I wish we’d known about it sooner! It was a huge arcade with about every game you could want to play. The kicker is you pay just one fee to get in. I think it was $12 admission per person, and then you play all the games you want, unlimited. No swiping cards. No collecting tokens or trading in for cheap prizes. You just play games and don’t have to worry about more fees. Although they did have food and drinks available, too, if you want to eat while you are there. I’ve never been to a place that offered all that, and will definitely go again!
We had such a wonderful time here playing games, laughing, and spending time together. Definitely check this place out.
In summary, check out Loyd Park if you are thinking of visiting the Fort Worth area. There are so many things to do inside the park, but also so many things close by. You can have your wooded campsite and campfire, yet be in the hustle and bustle of the city by day. The best of both worlds!
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