8
Pull-thru
USFSNational Forests and Grasslands in Texas · Texas
Ratcliff Lake Recreation Area
Overview Ratcliff Lake Recreation Area was built in 1936 by the Civilian Conservation Corps.
Sites6535 reservable
Elev.322ft
Comf.Jan-Dec9 months
Max rig60 ft8 pull-thru
Electric30sites
From Houston2h37real road time
The honest read
Synthesized from
RIDB · Open-Meteo
OSM · OSRM
Updated 2026-05-27
RIDB · Open-Meteo
OSM · OSRM
Updated 2026-05-27
At 322 ft, Ratcliff Lake Recreation Area has a 9-month comfortable window (Jan-Dec). Winter nights average around 43°F, so the shoulder seasons turn cold fast. 65 sites total: 35 reservable and 30 first-come, first-served. Of the sites, 8 pull-through, and the longest takes a 60-ft rig. Within about 4 miles: 1 named hiking route, lake or river access.
The campground at a glance
01 · CHARACTER
Reads strongest on shade and reservability. Softest on roomy sites.
Six axes, each scored relative to every other federal campground in the region: quiet (miles to a major road), cool (elevation), roomy (average site spacing), shade, RV-fit (longest rig), and how reservable it is. All six come from data, nothing hand-tuned.
When to go
02 · CLIMATE
avg highavg lowfrost-freedriest · Sep
Jan-Dec
Comfortable window: nights stay above 35°F, days below 90°F.
78%
Of summer weekend-days are dry.
Feb 28
Last spring frost; first fall frost Dec 3.
76°F
Average July low.
Getting there
03 · ACCESS
01
Houston
135 mi
2h37
02
Dallas
161 mi
3h19
03
Austin
196 mi
3h46
04
San Antonio
267 mi
4h59
By drive time
Routed road time (OSRM). Nearest major highway 0.4 mi away.
Picking your site
04 · 65 SITES
Color byShow only
60 mapped sites · dot color = seclusion · click a dot for details. Basemap © OpenStreetMap.
0
Walk-in
0
50-amp
0
Accessible
2
Prime
65
Sites
★ The standout
Site 013
FS 520 · good location · shaded.
To neighbor
238 ft
Location
Good
Max rig
60 ft
Type
Standard
What's within four miles
05 · TRAILS · PEAKS · WATER
Trails & Peaks
Named hiking routes
1
Trail segments
4
Water & Access
Lake / river access
yes
To nearest major road
0.4 mi
Method
We synthesize public data layers: RIDB and Recreation.gov facility and site records, Open-Meteo climate normals, OpenStreetMap roads, trails, and water, OSRM drive times, and USGS elevation. We take no bookings, no ads, and no paid placements. Independence is the entire point.