Title says most of it. I recently moved to Denton, and now that I'm all settled in, and work is humming along, I'm in need of some good outdoorsy spots. A quick Google search brings up a few locations near Denton/Sanger. Any experience?

What about these places I see while driving? Like on my drive to Lubbock, I always see, "Spike Box Hunting", "Spike Box Camping" etc. All fenced, white signage. Are those public areas, or private/club land?

Campendium.

I’m driving the RV up to Burleson on Monday to camp with Yogi bear

Camping with kids and easy mode? Pilot point on lake Lewisville in Highland village. There are some decent hiking trails on lake grapevine as well around north shore. And poison ivy/oak.  Beware.

No kids along, and not easy mode. I don't want to be surrounded by, or near other campers.

Only places you can get away from other campers in Texas is Big Bend or the end of Padre Island on a weekday.

I've found some good dispersed camping in Sabine National Forest.  But it's only as dispersed as the next guy who drives up and decides to camp next to you, which is pretty much the case every where.

Tyler State Park I have enjoyed my visits there.

https://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/tyler

https://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/cedar-hill/map

https://www.llela.org/

Best hiking/mountain biking trails around your area are Knob hills and Isle DuBois

But with all the rain they will most likely be closed until July.

LBJ Grasslands

Thanks for all the recommendations, folks. I'm hoping to take atleast a week here in the next month or 2, and hopefully again in the fall.

Going to check out as many of these places as possible.

Head north on Locust St, and it'll run you up to Lake Ray Roberts.  Hang a right on FM455, and the state park entrance(s) will be across the dam.

ETA:  Local trivia - while you're driving up Locust, a little past the north end of Loop 288, there is an old Nike missile base.  This was one of a few missile bases set up for protecting the D/FW metroplex during the Cold war.  There are actually two sites.  The south facility was the control facility.  There are still structures there, and someone may actually be living there.  The north site a little further up the road was the launch site.  Don't think there's much left that's visible from the road.  UNT owned the property at one point.  Not sure about now.

https://dentoncountyhistoryandculture.wordpress.com/2018/11/09/dentons-nike-missile-base/
http://www.civildefensemuseum.com/nike/index.html
https://dfwurbanwildlife.com/2011/06/26/chris-jacksons-dfw-urban-wildlife/june-12-2005-the-cold-war-comes-home/

Very cool information about the Denton middle silos.
Thanks for sharing!

I like Ray Roberts for hike in camping.

It's a drive, but there is some pretty country

https://tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/hunt/wma/find_a_wma/list/?id=4

Lake Optima, near Harvesty OK

The only facilities there are picnic tables.  It would be rare to see anyone else.

Cross Timbers trail on Lake Texoma has always been a good place to hike-in camp. No car camping.

I grew up out that way.  I was fairly old before I understood what the Nike missile base was.

The KNTU radio tower is there now.

There was also one out on Ft Wolters in Mineral Wells.  My grandfather (step-grandfather, technically) was career Army and retired from that site in the '60s.

Yeah...  best and closest I've found is up in Ouachita NF.  That's about 4 hours from the house.

Yeah, there are 4 in the DFW area, 2 out by Abilene and 2 in the Austin area.

You can find out where other sites are here.

You could just eat some shrooms and wander around Denton.

Not that I ever did that

Spike Box is a private ranch. I assume they lease out hunting / camping.

Lol, i was going to say the state park up north of denton (ray roberts, we were at north side).. But campsites are   close, but you have some with a little separation, we were loud later than normal, guess we were the rednecks amongst the group, kids were loud and still playing and adults talking and laughing type stuff past 11am, (didnt piss anyone off, i dont think, no warnings or anything). Had a long hiking trails, maps not really accurate but you can find your way, just keep walking. Bathrooms were clean, but the outhouses along trails were boarded up because of covid.
Cooper State (south side) park has screen shelters, very remote, as if you think your going to run to neighborhood Walmart or grocery for stuff you forgot to bring, your going to drive 20-30 minutes or go to a dollar general. Couple long trails, not bad. (Edit: There may have been some places you could hike to and camp, but check the website and maybe call the park), (Buddy who lives up there, I believe he said north side may be a little more laid back, i will contact him to make sure)
Lake Texoma, stayed in screen shelter and tent camped, had some cool hiking trails, had a cliff with a good view and trails along the  banks, if you camp close to the park volunteer, expect to get a complaint for being loud, see above to how we camp,  Other than, having to shut up at 6pm, and it being windy as hell (the time we were there last March), it was nice there. We went right as they were shutting stuff down, so it wasn't normal operations. Bathrooms were clean.
Tyler State park is just down the road from me, so I guess i just omitted it, because of locality. It has some hiking trails, and if you get into trouble they're not that remote, more along the sides of park. Swimming hole and canoes . Did my scuba certification there about 10 or so years ago, (edit- more like 15 years)in the dang wintertime. Its campsites are spread out, if the off season you probably could catch one that isnt around others, busy season when they're all taken.. I guess it depends on what is "close" to you, but i would be ok with it.
Beavers Bend in OK, is a nice place to go to, if you have never been. Haven't been up there in a while, since they had that big flood and washed bridges out.

Heres a book I found

https://www.amazon.com

Attached File




@FerrusManus

I came here to recommend this.
It is primitive and not many people go there other than hunting season and to fish some of yhe lakes. I have been out there during dove season and not see anyone all day.

Great links ty.

If ever in south Florida there is a former Nike Missile Base in Everglades National Park, roughly southwest of the old Homestead Air Force Base.  The National Park Service does guided tours or you can walk the site on your own, beware creepy-crawlies.  They have an intact de-commissioned Nike Missile and the whole facility was left as is when the Florida Guard stepped away in '79.  From the photos in your links the base in south Florida was much more sparse facility than the Denton photos show, I recall fencing, berms, and few true buildings all set up in a defensive triangle plowed out of pure swamp.  But I visited decades ago and memory fades.

Anybody know if the Denton FEMA facility on 288,just south of 380, and adjacent to the DPS office, is a partially underground facility?  Those two huge humps along 288 remind me of a bunker type complex.

Regards,

Hking

I just drove past that FEMA facility today, and I always wonder that when I go past it, I always forget it's there

If I recall correctly, the FEMA facility goes 2 or 3 stories underground. There are articles and images out there from when the facility was opened.

ETA:  http://civildefensemuseum.com/denton/index.html

We go camping and hiking at Lake Mineral Wells State Park. Its not bad and there's an old Vietnam era helicopter training facility next to it.

Check out All Trails. https://www.alltrails.com/

They have apps available in the relevant smart device stores. They also have a solution for off roading/overlanding trails. I will try not to shill for them but we go hiking often and leverage this to its fullest capabilities.

That said, there are some nice local trails around Texoma.

Never been on it but heard this is a good trail.

Excellent info and links, ty.  Reading that article from 1961 is a snap-shot of history.  '61 Bay of Pigs, '62 Cuban Missile Crisis, a Nike Missile site just a few miles away, and the ability to survive a 20-Megaton Blast detonated 3 miles away.

Regards,

Hking

MW State Park seems pretty popular with hikers

We like hiking along the shorelines of the lakes.

The trails were pretty busy when we were there last weekend.