Changing Texas Travel Plans | A New Experience at Dinosaur Valley

Originally, we wanted to travel south through Texas, visiting Big Bend, San Antonio and Houston, and finally get to camp on the beach. But the government shutdown changed the hours and availability of the main things we wanted to see on that route, so we looked at the map and came up with a new plan.

We opted for traveling the northern route of Texas and visit an old favorite. The goal was to get a week of rest after several busy weeks of travel, and recover from the sinus junk we had picked up somewhere along the way. Unfortunately our last minute plans meant missing out on seeing friends in the area that were traveling elsewhere.

We had visited Dinosaur Valley State Park a couple years ago while staying in Waco and enjoyed the park, remembering there was also a campground next door since our 5th wheel was too large to camp in the State Park. When we checked out the Dinosaur Valley RV Park website, we found out they offered a weekly rate, so we booked it!

We were also excited to find out that, as Veterans, we got a free Texas State Park annual pass. With so many trails to hike and the never-ending awe of seeing preserved dino prints, we made good use of it. When we last visited, it had been during a drought and 100+ degree temps, so getting to spend more time enjoying it and comparing the trips was interesting.

We were late arriving to the park, but since they were spacious and pull-through sites with no obstacles, setting up after dark was no big deal. The park has a basic camp store, ball court, pool and dog park, as well as bathhouse and laundry. They had socials and movie nights, for those that enjoy them! If you don’t have an RV, they have cabin rentals available, too. We also loved that it had a bike/RC car track, was attached to the farm and you could visit the goats, donkey and highland cow during the day, and there were trails to the river and into the state park in the back–just be sure you have your state park pass and either check in out front or online before hitting the trail!

We enjoyed a long hike from the campground and all the way around the park one day, taking in the beautiful vistas of the river. On another day, we drove over and hiked around the shorter trails with Luna (they are a leashed-dog friendly state park!) and on a couple of days we just walked along the road into the park to explore the ballroom area and wade in the river.

One of our days we did an extended trip out to visit Capernaum Studios, about an hour away (that was in the last blog, but you can find it on the travel map on the home page, or I have the Capernaum Studios blog linked here).

We also enjoyed a delish BBQ joint in town called Hammond’s BBQ that is worth a stop if you are in the area and hungry!

It was peaceful while we were there, and being in Dark Sky area, we were treated to a rare Northern Lights show, which thrilled us since we missed out while in the Pacific Northwest due to overcast skies. And I enjoyed visiting with Delilah, the young Highland calf several times.

We love this location, so don’t be surprised if you see us visiting this area again!

Be sure you are following us, either here on the blog, or on social media for more on our travels and RV life! If you have questions, feel free to reach out.

Check out our RESOURCES
Join the BOM Squad bonus content & monthly support over on Patreon
Our Travel Planner an easy to carry resource for all your RV needs
Free Printables Page helpful tools and resources for travel and organization
Our Savings Page referral links to savings with brands we love (our links get us referral credit)
Our Travel Map links to blogs for places to see and stay
The Essential Guide to RV Life to prepare, live and transition through RV life (digital & printed)
Amazon Store Amazon products we use or have tested for life, RVing, homeschool and travel
Teachers Pay Teachers Store Store with lessons for learning, in or out of a traditional classroom
About Us Our Story, our WHY, and where to find us

Thanks for being here, we’ll see you out there!