A primitive camping spot in the Texas Panhandle has just been named one of the most scenic campgrounds in America, boasting some of the prettiest views nationwide.
North Prong Primitive Campground is the sole Texas destination to make the cut in North American travel publication Matador Network's list of "60 Campsites With the Best Views Across the United States."
The San Francisco-based publication collaborated with various parks organizations, tourism boards, and campground review platform The Dyrt to develop its list of the most scenic American camping spots.
The list contains a variety of locations – from primitive sites with no amenities to full-service campgrounds with electrical hookups and WiFi – that each "represent the variety of experiences and landscapes available in each region" of the United States. The 60 sites were sorted into regional categories along the East Coast, West Coast, "Mountain West," Midwest, South, and in Alaska, Hawai’i, and other U.S. territories.
"Camping in the United States is as much about the landscapes as it is about the experience of being outdoors," the report said. "The country’s diverse geography and sheer size give it some of the most striking natural views in the world, from towering mountain ranges to vast desert expanses, dense forests, remote coastlines, shimmering glaciers, and even tropical rainforests."
North Prong Primitive Campground stood out among Matador's top-10 list of "Prettiest Places to Camp in the South." The campground is located within Caprock Canyons State Park in Quitaque, Texas, which is over 500 miles northwest from Houston.
There are eight different secluded campsites for visitors to pitch their tents at North Prong, offering breathtaking views of the park's red rock canyons and the wide-open Texas sky.
Get ready to hike to reach the campground.Photo courtesy of Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
"Most tent sites have expansive views of canyons with flat clearings on vivid red dirt and are dotted with cottonwood trees and scrub oaks," the report says. "The colors are vivid as can be at sunrise and sunset when light magnifies off steep red canyon walls in the distance."
According to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, it's a one-mile hike to reach the camping area, and visitors must bring their own drinking water and keep pets on a leash at all times. There are no trash cans on-site, so all trash must be carried out by campers, but the area does have composting toilets nearby. Ground fires are not allowed.
Matador recommends travelers book a reservation to gain access to the area, but clarifies that reservations do not provide access to one of the eight camping sites.
The report suggests traveling to the Panhandle campground during the spring when the weather isn't too hot yet, or in the fall months when there may be fewer dramatic temperature fluctuations.
"The South’s relatively mild winters make it a year-round camping destination, but summer heat and humidity can be intense, especially in the Deep South," the report said.
The top 10 best places to camp in the South are:
- Devils Fork State Park, South Carolina
- Garden Key, Florida
- North Long Primitive Campground, Texas
- Edgar Evins State Park, Tennessee
- Jekyll Island State Park, Georgia
- Stone Cliff Beach Campground, West Virginia
- Gulf State Park, Alabama
- Red River Gorge Geological Area, Kentucky
- Seneca Shadows Campground, West Virginia
- Chikee Wilderness Camping, Florida
