Texas Springs Campground

Our favorite type of campground: No generators and no reservations!

This is a basic no frills National Park campground that does not allow generators at any time! Located slightly "up the hill" from the main resort of Furnace Creek and the generator campground (Sunset) and tucked in some badlands this campground offers a very pleasant setting from which to explore Death Valley National Park. We were there during the 2016 "superbloom" and all the sites were occupied. We were told that outside of the infrequent superbloom event (every ten years or so) it is usually very easy to find a spot in the campground. But because of the superbloom, for the time we were there, Death Valley NP felt like Yosemite in July!

Most of the sites can accommodate the biggest rigs, so bring your 44 footers right on down! Just make sure your solar and batteries will last the duration of your stay. If you need to run the generator, be prepared to make a trip down the hill to the other campground where you can park your rig while you run the generator before returning up the hill to the tranquility of this campground.

There are several easy to use dump stations nearby the campground that also offer potable water. Unfortunately, while there are sinks and toilets in the campground (but no showers) there are no easy to use water spigots distributed around the campground as is so often the case. Getting water requires a trip to the dump station (which is along the road to the campground so not a real hardship.)

The campground layout is not really intuitive (and of course as a first come first served CG they do not hand out maps at the front) and it took us several days to be able to navigate around. I mention this only because the first time we came in (looking for our site) we spent a lot of time going up and down rows without "getting it."

Our Verizon cell phones worked fine for voice calls, but we only found 3G (not LTE) data signal and there was so much demand that cell data was basically useless except between the hours of midnight and 6 or 7 AM. Perhaps when there is no superbloom going on, and the area is less busy, the 3G data signal would be useful during the day? In any event, there is no LTE signal at any time so if you need that, a stay anywhere in Death Valley is going to be a challenge.

We look forward to returning to Death Valley next winter when there is no superbloom and there are fewer visitors.

We pulled in on a Monday and had our pick of sites. Most of the RV sites are pull through and are nicely terraced on this hilly campground above the village of Furnace Creek. The things we like best about Texas Spring are the views, the "no generators" rule, the flush toilets and the central location. Even though DV is an enormous park and getting to just about any attraction requires significant driving, Texas Spring puts you as close as you can get to some of the best parts of the park. It's also easy to bop down to Furnace Creek to the general store, the post office or the visitors center. There is a dump station with a potable water filling hose accessible just as you drive up to or leave the campground as well as another station closer to Sunset Campground, which is down the hill from Texas Spring and just across the highway from Furnace Creek.

When coming to DV, come prepared. We always make a grocery run, get gas, and fill our fresh water tank as well as several gallon jugs before we come into the park. The general store at Furnace Creek has a good selection of basic stuff, but is expensive, as is the gas at the Furnace Creek gas station. Potable desert water, while safe to drink, is alkaline and upsets some people's stomachs.

We had 4 bars AT&T LTE.

Our price reflects our Senior Access pass rate. Regular rate is $16/night.

First, we love staying in the heart of National Parks. We want to experience as much as the park as possible. Unfortunately, this campground was a disappointment.

Most sites are almost level. All are gravel - big size gravel. Each site has a fire ring and picnic table. There is little to NO privacy at the sites. You are surrounded on all four sides unless you select an end site or outer loop site. There is bathroom but no showers. There is NO shade. There is a dump and fresh water.

Texas Spring does look a lot better than the Sunset campground. Sunset is a flat gravel parking lot.

If we were to come back, I'd try for reservations Furnance Creek. There also looks to be a BLM area 19 miles east.

Of the campgrounds in the Furnace Creek area of Death Valley, Texas Springs is my preferred spot to stay. The campground is situated in the hills to the east of the visitor center, beyond the Sunset campground. The sites are on a terraced slope that is surrounded on three sides by chromatic hills.

One section of Texas Springs is tent only, and the upper section allows campers. The sites are generously sized and though there weren't any class A's while I was staying, I think they'd have no problem fitting into the pull through sites. There are no hookups (the only hookups you'll find in the Park campgrounds are the limited ones at Furnace Creek campground), but there are clean toilets, garbage bins, water, a dump station, and plentiful sunlight for solar.

My favorite part about Texas Springs is how quiet it is - no generators allowed! Unless the wind is whipping there's little to be heard except the yip of coyotes and the crackle of campfire.

The campground's higher perch means beautiful views of the Panamint Mountains, especially during sunrise and sunset.

I was surprised to have solid (though on the slow side) AT&T service at Texas Springs. Was able to work for three days without issue. 5.84/mbps up, 1.51/mbps down. Faster in morning, slows as the day goes on. My Verizon phone was on roaming the entire time.

QUIET! HEHE because generators are not permitted Yea!!!! Bathrooms with flushing toilets Gravel pads. No privacy between spaces but there was lots of availability in February

The best thing about this campground is it's location. It's right in the middle of the Furnace Creek area, putting you in a pretty central location for exploring Death Valley. The sites are open, and there's not much privacy, but it's Death Valley, there's not a lot of vegetation. You're pretty much just camped in a dirt lot with really nice views. The back in sites around the edge feel more private. All sites have a picnic table and a fire pit. There's a ton of dump stations and water fill stations in the area, one located right on the road into and out of Texas Springs.
No generators allowed here.

We stayed at Texas Springs CG over Christmas 2017. The RV section of the CG has nice large sites, though no privacy at all. There are flush and vault toilets, as well as a dish washing station. The rock formations that encircle the CG form a neat playground for kids to scramble on. The location in Furnace Creek gives easy access to the camp store, restaurant, and all the park attractions around Badwater Basin. No generators allowed in Texas Spring, so if you need to run a generator you're stuck in the parking lot of Sunset. Hookups available at Furnace Creek CG, but the reservations for that one sell out. DVNP is a dark skies area, so keep the lights off and enjoy the stars!

We tried our luck with the SINGLE walk-up full hook-up RV site down at Furnace Creek Campground for Friday night 4/12/19...no dice. The ranger said we could wait until 2:30pm and take a open dry camp spot or we could head up to the Texas Springs campground and self register for any open spots there. He made it clear anything the National Park had to offer would be dry camping.

There are free and easy to access water and dump stations at Furnace Creek, Texas Springs, and Sunset campgrounds. They understand there's a high demand for dump-n-fill and they have risen to the occasion.

We passed Sunset on our way to Texas Springs and remarked that it was quite literally a level gravel parking lot that they allow RVers to stay in overnight for $14. At the time we turned up our nose but now we know that if you want quiet on a Friday night...you go to the gravel parking lot with all of the RVers!!

Texas Springs turns into a mini-desert music festival after hours with large groups of college kids, and youth groups laughing, singing, playing guitar, and playing music from car stereos well past midnight. You are not sleeping well here on a peak season weekend!

This spot gets busy and we felt pretty cramped and on top of our neighbors but compared to what we saw at Furnace Creek it was paradise! Furnace Creek looked like a big parking lot and at least in Texas Springs we felt more surrounded by the wild landscape of Death Valley, despite the cramped spaces. You can easily wander out of the camp and climb hills and explore, and I liked that it was off the main road.

Bathrooms were clean and multiple dish washing stations made up for the lack of other amenities.

As some others have mentioned, it’s not the quietest, but in our experience, everybody quieted down around 10-11 so that by the time the coyotes came out, we heard them loud and clear.

It’s a good, no frills option for those who don’t want a parking lot experience but also don’t wanna drive way out into the middle of the desert for remote boondocking.

Anything under 25’ should fit here and I have no idea why anyone would choose Sunset parking lot over this. Clean flushing toilets and drinkable water and views of the valley and mountains. Winter Time was quiet by 7. North side is back in but has better views. Lots of pull through style sites though.
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