Cleburne State Park

Park is very well taken care of, staff really puts everything they have into this park and take their jobs very serious. If you’re a party animal, this isn’t the spot for you. Serious campers that want to enjoy family time and follow the rules, you’re in the right spot! Have fun and camp on!

I tell you what — first and foremost, if you are CAMPING, Cleburne State Park has the absolute *cleanest* restroom facilities. And I’m not kidding. I mean, they are freaking SPARKLING.
Let me give you some backstory–
A friend of mine and I planned to canoe the Brazos out by Possum Kingdom. In November. Yeah, we knew it would be «chilly». Unfortunately, the forecast called for very high winds which would be mur-​der for canoeing, so we punted and decided on tent camping at Cleburne.
My «sort of» negatives? The park is *extremely* well-​run. Meaning, everything is über-​official. You start by «entering» the park at the Ranger Station. You’ll pay the usual fee and be treated to lots of information by the very friendly folks running the station. Maps and tips and Howdy’s galore!
The drawback is just that. You’re not on your own here. Don’t even THINK of breaking any rules. An official drives by every 38.9 seconds to check on just exactly what you are doing and what you might possibly be doing that goes against code.
Meanwhile, the park is beautiful. Sort of West Texasy but here in D/​FW. Many short hiking paths (somewhat primitive, but super-​easy) are to be found.
My main complaint is the lack of primitive campsites. In other words, I wanted to tent camp and all they have are RV hookups and youth group barracks.
My friend and I managed to rent the sole remaining available site and, opposite to our hopes, were completely surrounded on all sides by RVs with all the trimmings: multiple dogs, multiple kids on bikes with helmets (still appalling to me as a child of the 70s/​80s), multiple speaker systems playing Bro Country…
We tried to pitch tents here, but then «Bro’s» planted a fire ring and a string of jalapeño lights plus an OU banner, then we tried there but more Bro’s planted a smoker plus karaōke machine w/​margarita inputs (alright, that’s a stretch, but you get it).
Once the sun went down, it was fuh-​reezing! But that’s what we get for camping in November. About 100 yards away from us was the most sparkling, cleanest-​ever bathroom/​shower facility that I was very thankful for in the morning BECAUSE IT WAS HEATED and I’d had Frito Pie the night before… you get my drift?
SO – great for day hikes and hauling the kids to the spillway for lake views and rock formations, and certainly for RV camping if you are into the whole RV «culture». Also super kid– and dog-​friendly.
If you’re looking for primitive, like I was, I’d suggest the 2-​day canoe trip up on the Brazos by Possum Kingdom (look up Rochelle’s Canoe Rental). Or better yet, drive up to the Ouachita Trail in Oklahoma north of Broken Bow.
Otherwise, you’re in good shape with CLE-​BURNE STATE-​PARK!
Just south of South-​Town Ford, Alsbury Exit, Fort Worth!

Cleburne State Park is one of my favorite parks operated by the state. Located about an hour SW of Fort Worth between Cleburne and Glen Rose. The park was built by the CCC in the 40s.
The park went through some major upgrades that include new bunkhouses, restrooms and a park store. However, the park store has been closed since the remodel. This is very unfortunate. The park use to offer canoe, paddle boat, kyach and boat rentals. The store also kept those last minute items like ice, tackle, and other items. I have had the privilege of camping at each park operated by the state and I would have given the park a solid 5 if the park reopened the store.
The park does have wifi however the service is limited to the store area that is closed.

Nature and wilderness ~1 hour away from the DFW-​Metroplex? I initially had very low expectations, but when I arrived, I was pleasantly surprised by how scenic the park was with plenty of foilage and wildlife (we saw deer, foxes, buzzards). Like others have mentioned, there aren’t any major attractions, and the park is long but not very deep. However there are a handful of trails to explore and bike trails (rated intermediate, advanced, etc.) that I heard are pretty challenging. The park is bordered by a Lime Company so I think there was a little light pollution, and the night sky wasn’t as dark as I hoped.
I was there for an Advanced Wilderness Medicine course hosted by JPS Hospital, and we stayed in the group camp with dining hall and 2 barracks (with 24 bunk beds for men, and 24 bunk beds for women). Facilities are only about 2 years old and were very nice. There was a bathroom facility for each barrack that had 2 showers (with detachable shower heads) and 3 bathroom stalls as well as a row of «lockers» (no locks) where you could hang your towels and store your toiletries on a shelf.
The dining hall was half-​kitchen (with refrigerator, stove, sink, preparation area, storage) and half-​sitting area which they had converted into a classroom where they did presentations on a projector. Yes, there is electricity, outlets, and WiFi (very spotty and slow though)! There is a covered patio in the back, a grill, and an area for campfires. About 20 or so parking spots in front of the facilities.
No T-​Mobile cellphone service, though others were able to get a roaming signal by walking to the boat unloading dock.
Can’t say much about the individual camping sites (though I saw plenty of families and trailers and bikers), but this was a great experience for groups/​organizations if you’re interested in hosting a group wilderness event there. It was a lot nicer than they made it out to be on the website!

I’ve been coming to the state park my whole life and I’ve always enjoyed it. It’s well kept and the last time we were hiking a trail we even saw an employee way out in the woods doing maintenance. Always a great time here!

Really nice state park. Scenic and well maintained grounds. Plenty of hiking trail distance and a nice playground for the kids. We will be back here any time we are in the area.

Our hiking group, Houston Area Trails & More, camped at Cleburne State Park on Friday and Saturday night in mid-​April 2013. It was a good camping and hiking experience.
We stayed in Shelters 1 — 5. The shelters were pretty nice compared to other Texas state park shelters I’ve been in. There is a large picnic table inside each shelter, an outlet, horizontal wood bars across the screen «windows» to hang clothes, latch locks, and an overhead light.
The closest bathroom to the shelters required a short hike through some woods behind the shelters. That was unique. The bathrooms were overall a 3 out of 5. There were only two showers, no hooks in the shower changing area to hang bags, and no main trashcan. One of the showers had a mini showerhead for people who are 3 feet tall or shorter. The sink faucets were hard to turn. I liked that hand soap was provided. There were no paper towels for us OCD folks to touch the door handles with.
The trails were nice and worth trips out there for hill training. Our total mileage was 10.18 miles with 805 ft of elevation gain:
The trails were sometimes rocky so people with ankle problems may want to take extra precautions. Shade varies a great deal. The trails are laid out well around the campsites such that people can do little sections of the trail or long sections and still have quick access to the campsites /​main activity areas in the center. The amphitheater appears to be a major hub of families with young children. Lots of kids were playing in the playground while their parents sat nearby and watched.
Pick up a map at the Park Headquarters and see a map of all the trails. The trail intersections are not that well-​marked and it is possible to get a little lost in the east side. The trails in the south half of the park (below the lake) have huge mazes but you can take shortcuts and cut through them.
Texas Lime, a lime mining and processing plant, is next to the park so we awoke every morning around 7 am to the sounds of industrial equipment moving around. If you are a light sleeper, bring ear plugs in case you don’t want to wake up at 7 am.
My T-​Mobile cell phone had no service out there. The free Wifi at the Park Headquarters building was really weak. The nearest «fun town» nearby is Cleburne. There is an HEB, Walmart, etc…

Way to go on the new lake building. We were able to use the fire place area for a group meeting with skits and announcements. The bathroom are much better. Would like to have extra tiolet stall or two in the men’s bathroom to avoid long waits. Also, the store was not open for supplies and fishing bait etc.

Like the last reviewer said, there is no major attraction.
The lake isn’t particularly pretty or nice to swim in, but it’s nice if you have no where else to go locally.
What I can say about the place is the hiking and mountain biking is really great! I haven’t gone in a while, but when I used to mountain bike out there, I’d meet people from all over Texas and some even from out of state just coming to bike there. Addtionally, the forests are really pretty and when you take the trails, you’ll be surprised to find some pretty views.

OK, there’s no major attraction here. No caves to explore, no fossils to excavate, no trees to drive through, no buffalo to spy…
But it’s really pretty. It’s a lovely day trip for a family or friends. Nice lake for swimming, fishing or boating. They have lovely forests you can hike through. Nice facilities for picnicing. And plenty of local wildlife – we spotted a raccoon passing by on our first visit and plenty of birds.
It’s $ 3 a person to get in. Cheap for a state park. Have your kid’s party here, a picnic, a date, a hike with your dog. Nice place to visit!