RV Parks on Lake Travis & Canyon Lake: Central Texas Lakeside Camping

Two reservoirs anchor lakeside RV camping in Central Texas, and they have very different personalities. Lake Travis is the dramatic one — a long, deep, cliff-lined reservoir on the Colorado River just west of Austin, where the water laps against limestone bluffs and the camping leans rustic. Canyon Lake is the family one — a clear Hill Country lake on the Guadalupe River, halfway between Austin and San Antonio, ringed by well-developed Corps of Engineers parks and just upstream from the tubing capital of Texas. Between them they cover most of what a lakeside RV trip in this part of the state should be.

The honest framing here is about hookups. If you picture lakeside RV camping as backing up to the water with full hookups and a pool, neither lake delivers that exactly the way a coastal resort might. On Lake Travis, the genuinely lakeside sites are county parks with water and electric only — no sewer at the site — and you trade full hookups for a spot right above the water. For full hookups near Lake Travis, you stay a few miles back at a private resort. Canyon Lake splits the difference: its Corps parks give you water-and-50-amp sites on the lake, and a short drive away on the Guadalupe River you’ll find true full-hookup resorts. Knowing this up front saves disappointment.

This guide is a supporting piece to our two city flagships — the RV parks near Austin guide and the RV parks near San Antonio guide. For the broader region, see the Texas Hill Country RV parks guide, and for trip routing between the lakes and cities, our central Texas RV camping guide. The statewide overview lives in best RV parks in Texas.

Lake Travis: Cliffs, Coves & County Parks#

Lake Travis runs about 64 miles up the Colorado River west of Austin, a deep, fluctuating reservoir popular for boating, swimming, and cliff-jumping. The lakeside camping is run mostly by Travis County, and it’s the kind of camping where the view and the water access matter more than the amenities.

Pace Bend Park#

Pace Bend is the standout county park on Lake Travis — a large peninsula with miles of shoreline, popular for swimming, cliff diving, and paddling. It offers around 20 improved campsites with water and electric hookups, showers, and restrooms, set on the east side above Levi Cove within easy walking distance of the lake, plus extensive primitive and dispersed camping around the rest of the peninsula. Reservations aren’t always required but are strongly recommended for summer weekends and holidays, when the improved sites fill quickly.

• Hookups: Water + electric at improved sites; primitive elsewhere; dump station
• Sites: ~20 improved (water/electric); extensive primitive/dispersed
• Cost: ~$15-30/night depending on site type
• Max RV length: Moderate — improved sites suit most rigs; primitive areas are rough
• Reservations: Travis County Parks (recommended for peak dates)
• Best for: Swimmers and paddlers, travelers wanting a lakeside spot over hookups

Arkansas Bend Park#

A smaller, quieter Travis County park on the north side of the lake, Arkansas Bend has about 18 improved campsites, each with water and 20/30/50-amp electric, a picnic table, grill, lantern hook, and fire ring. It’s a lower-key alternative to Pace Bend with the same water-and-electric setup and lake access.

• Hookups: Water + electric (20/30/50 amp); dump station
• Sites: ~18 improved
• Cost: County-park rates (budget-friendly)
• Max RV length: Moderate — confirm site dimensions
• Reservations: Travis County Parks
• Best for: Quieter lakeside camping, anglers, budget travelers

Full Hookups Near Lake Travis#

For full hookups, you step back from the shoreline. Sun Outdoors Lake Travis (formerly La Hacienda RV Resort) on Hudson Bend Road is the polished resort choice about three miles from the water, with full-hookup 30/50-amp sites, pools, a hot tub, and a fitness center. We cover it in detail in the RV parks near Austin guide; it’s the natural pairing if you want resort comfort with Lake Travis day access.

Field tip: Lake Travis levels swing a lot with drought and rain. Before you commit to a “lakeside” site for swimming or launching a boat, check the current lake level — in a low year, the waterline can sit well below where the maps suggest, and some ramps close.

Canyon Lake: Corps Parks & Guadalupe River Resorts#

Canyon Lake sits in the Hill Country between Austin and San Antonio, near New Braunfels — clear, deep, and ringed by Army Corps of Engineers parks. This is where the better-developed lakeside camping lives, and the Guadalupe River just downstream adds full-hookup private resorts and the famous tubing runs.

Potters Creek Park (Corps of Engineers)#

Potters Creek is the marquee Corps campground on Canyon Lake, on the northern shore — a well-developed park with a swim beach, boat ramp, and fishing pier. It has roughly 93 single RV sites with 50-amp electric and water hookups (no sewer at the site, but two dump stations), plus multi-unit family sites, tent sites, and screened shelters. Each site has a picnic table, fire ring, and grill, and the park is open year-round. Like all Corps parks, it’s reserved through Recreation.gov and honors the federal senior/access pass discount, which makes it one of the best values on the lake.

• Hookups: Water + electric (50 amp); two dump stations, no sewer at site
• Sites: ~93 single RV sites + family/tent/screened sites
• Cost: Corps rates (discounted with federal Interagency Senior/Access pass)
• Max RV length: Many sites take larger rigs — check the site detail on Recreation.gov
• Reservations: Recreation.gov (book early for summer)
• Best for: Value-focused campers, families, anglers who want a real lakeside Corps park

Cranes Mill Park (Corps of Engineers)#

On a peninsula on the lake’s southwestern shore, Cranes Mill is the quieter Corps option — about 30 RV sites with water and electric at most, 34 tent sites, a dump station, hot-shower restrooms, two fishing piers, and a boat ramp with an adjacent marina. It’s more budget-friendly and less developed than Potters Creek, and the federal pass discount applies here too.

• Hookups: Water + electric at most sites; dump station
• Sites: ~30 RV + ~34 tent
• Cost: Corps rates (pass discount applies)
• Max RV length: Moderate — verify on Recreation.gov
• Reservations: Recreation.gov
• Best for: Quieter lakeside camping, anglers, pass-holders chasing value

Guadalupe River Full-Hookup Resorts#

If you want full hookups near Canyon Lake, look just downstream on the Guadalupe River. Summit Vacation & RV Resort near New Braunfels has around 110 shady full-service sites with river access, tubing, pools, and mini-golf — a true resort about four miles from Canyon Lake. Rio Guadalupe Resort offers full-hookup sites with water, sewer, and 30/50-amp electric on the river as well. These pair naturally with a Canyon Lake trip when you want sewer at the site and resort amenities rather than a Corps campground’s simpler setup.

Renting an RV for this trip? Compare rigs, prices, and pickup locations on RVshare and Outdoorsy — both let you filter by rig size, dates, and location.

Comparison Table#

Park	Lake / River	Cost/night	Hookups	Max length	Reservations
Pace Bend Park	Lake Travis	~$15-30	W/E + primitive	Moderate	Travis County
Arkansas Bend Park	Lake Travis	County rates	W/E (20/30/50)	Moderate	Travis County
Sun Outdoors Lake Travis	Near Lake Travis	Resort-tier	Full (30/50)	Big-rig	Direct
Potters Creek Park	Canyon Lake (Corps)	Corps + pass disc.	W/E (50)	Larger rigs	Recreation.gov
Cranes Mill Park	Canyon Lake (Corps)	Corps + pass disc.	W/E (most)	Moderate	Recreation.gov
Summit / Rio Guadalupe	Guadalupe River	Resort-tier	Full (30/50)	Varies	Direct

Planning a Lakeside Trip#

Best seasons. Summer is peak — warm water, boating, and tubing on the Guadalupe — but it’s also when sites fill and the heat is intense. Late spring (May) and early fall (September-October) give you warm water with smaller crowds. Winter is quiet and cheap; the lakes are pretty year-round, but water recreation slows once temperatures drop, and some seasonal amenities close.

Reservation strategy. Canyon Lake’s Corps parks (Potters Creek especially) book out months in advance for summer weekends and holidays through Recreation.gov — set a reminder and book the moment your window opens. Travis County’s Lake Travis parks are more walk-up-friendly but still recommend reservations for peak dates. The private Guadalupe River resorts book heavily around tubing season; reserve early if you’re targeting a summer weekend.

Hookups and rig size. Decide first whether you need sewer at the site. If you do, plan on a private resort (Sun Outdoors Lake Travis, Summit, Rio Guadalupe) rather than a county or Corps park — the lakeside public sites are water-and-electric, and you’ll use a dump station. For big rigs, the resorts and many Potters Creek sites are comfortable; the county parks and primitive areas can be tight or rough, so check site dimensions and access roads before committing a long coach.

Budgeting. The Corps and county parks are the value play, especially with a federal Interagency Senior or Access pass, which discounts Corps camping fees significantly. Private river resorts cost more but add sewer hookups, pools, and tubing access. A common, cost-effective plan: base at a Corps park on Canyon Lake for the lake itself, and budget a day or two at a Guadalupe resort if you want full hookups and the river.

Where it’s thin. Don’t expect right-on-the-water full-hookup resorts at either lake — that combination essentially doesn’t exist here. Lake Travis lakeside camping is water-and-electric county sites; full hookups mean staying a few miles inland. Canyon Lake’s best lakeside camping is Corps parks (water and 50-amp, dump stations) with the full-hookup resorts on the river nearby. Plan around that split and the lakes deliver beautifully.