About Ratcliff Lake Recreation Area
Number of accommodations: 33
Seasonal information
2026 Season availability
Open year round
This campground is open year round, providing flexibility for your stay.
Campground Amenities
RV Utilities and Hookups
- Dump station on site
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Rates, Sites & Availability
33 Sites Available
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Site Details
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33 Sites Available
No available sites
All sites are booked for your selected dates. Try showing all sites to see booked options, create an alert to be notified when something opens up, or adjust your dates.
Reviews (891)
What Guests Are Saying
Ratcliff Lake Recreation Area is praised for its beautiful scenery, spacious and quiet campgrounds, and well-maintained facilities, making it an ideal spot for relaxation and outdoor activities. Many visitors enjoyed the hiking trails, clean restrooms, and peaceful atmosphere, with some returning frequently. However, there were a few concerns regarding noise from neighbors, occasional maintenance issues, and a lack of sewer hookups, but overall, guests had a positive experience and expressed a desire to return.
What Guests Are Saying
Ratcliff Lake Recreation Area is praised for its beautiful scenery, spacious and quiet campgrounds, and well-maintained facilities, making it an ideal spot for relaxation and outdoor activities. Many visitors enjoyed the hiking trails, clean restrooms, and peaceful atmosphere, with some returning frequently. However, there were a few concerns regarding noise from neighbors, occasional maintenance issues, and a lack of sewer hookups, but overall, guests had a positive experience and expressed a desire to return.
Review Summary
Rocky B
VerifiedJanuary 25, 2020 • Stayed at: 036, Loop: DOGWOOD LOOP
Ratcliff lake park is great place to unwind and relax.
Dee S
VerifiedJanuary 25, 2020 • Stayed at: 015, Loop: DOGWOOD LOOP
Camp hosts friendly and helpful, Verizon cell reception good, TV over the air reception poor. Beautiful, quiet environment, park well-kept but needs modernizing. Only 30 amp electric.
Joel B
VerifiedJanuary 25, 2020 • Stayed at: 027, Loop: DOGWOOD LOOP
Light traffic and ample, cleared campsites. Disappointed that the RV sites had no water. This should be rectified or made entirely clear on the website. I suspect the one bathroom in the RV site that also serves the tent sites would be awfully crowded during peak times.
Alan D
VerifiedJanuary 25, 2020 • Stayed at: 015, Loop: DOGWOOD LOOP
This is my wife's favorite park and one of my top five.
Dan B
VerifiedJanuary 25, 2020 • Stayed at: 047, Loop: LOBLOLLY LOOP
I've gone to Ratcliff since I was a child. It is beautiful and serene. No noisy motors allowed on the small lake.
Troy W
VerifiedJanuary 24, 2020 • Stayed at: 015, Loop: DOGWOOD LOOP
Camp hosts were very welcoming and helpful. It was a quiet time of the year but the campground was still active and well maintained.
Deborah C
VerifiedJanuary 24, 2020 • Stayed at: 015, Loop: DOGWOOD LOOP
This is a beautiful, quite place! In the summer there is fishing, swimming, hiking, bike riding and just being! Our last trip was in November and we just enjoyed walking, sitting by a fire and being! When we want to just get away, this is where we go!!!
Kylar C
VerifiedJanuary 24, 2020 • Stayed at: A Group, Loop: LAKESIDE LOOP
Love visiting Ratcliff recreation area. It is quiet and peaceful, restrooms are always clean and well kept up, and the hiking trails are great for taking our dogs out for a walk each day!
Carlos N
VerifiedJanuary 24, 2020 • Stayed at: C Group, Loop: Sawmill
Very nice park
Jennifer B
VerifiedJanuary 24, 2020 • Stayed at: 003, Loop: LAKESIDE LOOP
This was a nice little park. It's definitely not super-large, and when we were there in the fall it was mostly inhabited by hunters, but it was still a nice visit. There's a decent trail that wraps around most of the park, and the tent campsites over by the lake were peaceful.
Location Ratcliff Lake Recreation Area
Address:
18551 State Highway 7 East
Kennard, TX, 75487
United States
From Crockett, take State Highway 7 east for 15 miles. The recreation area is on the left between the towns of Ratcliff and Kennard.
Ratcliff Lake Recreation Area is accessible via State Highway 7, which connects to nearby towns and serves as the major road leading to the area.
Latitude & Longitude: 31.3883 / -95.155
Elevation: 100 feet
Policies & Rules
General
- This facility has first-come, first-served sites
- The Day-use fee at Ratcliff is $5.00 per vehicle and is required for all day-use activities including the Group Shelters and Amphitheater.
- Limit one RV unit (fifth-wheel, motorhome, trailer or pop-up) or two tents per site; each extra vehicle is charged $5 and may need to parked in an additional parking area away from the camping loop.
- No gas motors allowed on the lake
- ATVs or ORVs are not allowed on the ground in the recreation area or any other location on the Davy Crocket National Forest.
- Picnic shelter is for day use only; no overnight camping allowed
- Amphitheater site has no tables or grills
- Click here for information about National Forests and Grasslands in Texas
- Don't Move Firewood: Help protect our forests! Prevent the spread of tree-killing pests by obtaining firewood at or near your destination and burning it on-site. Moving firewood is illegal in some states. Visit dontmovefirewood.org to learn more.
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Last updated: June 4, 2026
