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4.5
176 votes

Texas State Railroad Campground

State Hwy. 84 5 miles west of Rusk, Texas 75785 USA

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Open Now
Fri 12a-11:59p
  • Independent
  • Credit Cards
    Accepted
  • Pet Friendly
  • Not Wheelchair
    Accessible
  • Public
    Restrooms
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“picnicking, camping & trains!”

Vintage steam and diesel locomotives take passengers across the celebrated rails of the Piney Woods Route between the quaint East Texas towns of Palestine and Rusk on a 50-mile roundtrip adventure. The 4-hour train ride, including an hour layover, is just part of the journey. Passengers will have time to savor both the Rusk and Palestine depots which have upscale gift shops and historical story boards. The railroad has a beautiful park at each end of the excursion route. The Rusk depot has a vintage movie theater and overnight camping accommodations offer an experience few can boast – watching a locomotive engine run right through the campground.

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Reviews of Texas State Railroad Campground

7 people have reviewed this location

Ratings Summary

3.8 Access
4.0 Location
2.3 Cleanliness
3.5 Site Quality
3.3 Noise

Cell Coverage

Verizon 4G/5G

Confirmed by 3 users | Last reported on March 16, 2023

AT&T 4G

Confirmed by 3 users | Last reported on November 06, 2020
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Reviewed by
Campendium

October 04, 2020
Rated

We arrived late about 11:30 PM. It was very dark and difficult to find the spots. There weren’t very many campers - about 4 campers/ tents for a park capable of holding 50+. It was very quiet and peaceful. We did not use the laundry service or the restrooms and showers but we’ve added lots of pictures. The kids played at the playground and had a wonderful time. We rode the train from Rusk to Palestine on Saturday which was a great experience for the kids but the train ride was too long - 4 hours.

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This reviewer would stay here again

Nightly Rate: $35.00

Days Stayed: 2

Site Number: 22

5 Access
5 Location
3 Cleanliness
5 Site Quality
5 Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

Verizon 4G

AT&T 4G

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Reviewed by
Campendium

October 04, 2020
Rated

We arrived very late about 11:30 PM. It was dark and difficult to see the spots. There were plenty of sites to choose from - just difficult to see. The park was empty with about four campers and 50+ sites. We rode the train on Saturday from Rusk to Palestine. It was a nice train ride for the kids but it was a bit long at four hours. We did not use the laundry facilities or the restrooms but have included pictures. The kids love the playground.

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This reviewer would stay here again

Nightly Rate: $35.00

Days Stayed: 2

Site Number: 22

5 Access
5 Location
3 Cleanliness
5 Site Quality
5 Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

AT&T 4G

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Reviewed by
Campendium

November 06, 2020
Rated

This is an X-Texas State Park that really needs some overdue TLC.
After making reservations over the phone 163 days prior to arriving and prepaying the entire amount, we were told at check-in there was no record of our reservation. Once we got through that confusion we were had to ask for directions to the campground. No map provided. Even with a reservation, campsites are selected once you arrive and drive through the campgrounds. FHU loop roadway was difficult to maneuver due to the roadway being covered with pine needles which blended it into the non-roadway. We saw most people driving thru campsites thinking it was the road as the FHU loop were mostly pull-thru sites. Limited sites for RVs longer than 30 feet. Most sites were designed for 20 feet or smaller. Not a slide-out friendly campground as most sites were very compact. Minimal vegetation between sites. At our site the wooden picnic table was partially rotted. Parking pad broken up by roots so very uneven surface. The firepit ring was mostly rusted away and was completely filled with ash so our fire was on the pi ash. Sulphuric smelling water. Highway noise. On our last night, the 30 amp breaker kept tripping without a full load. Happened twice within an hour so we scaled back our amp use under 20 just to have some heat during the night. Campground WiFi was probably one of the best we’ve experienced.
Highway noise even in our campsite the furthest from the highway. Of course, lots of train whistles during depot operations.

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Nightly Rate: $38.00

Days Stayed: 2

Site Number: 6

1 Access
2 Location
2 Cleanliness
1 Site Quality
2 Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

Verizon

AT&T 4G

  • 1 Review
  • 0 Helpful
March 16, 2023
Rated

First-this is not a state park. The state of Texas has nothing to do with it. It’s managed by an out-of-state company. It used to be a State Park many, many moons ago. The ladies that run the check in/registration are sweet as can be!
My stay was during spring break. All the State Parks were booked up way ahead. We found this spot and were excited. We booked a ride on the train, went fishing at the little lake, rode bicycles, and made the best of it. Most of the fire rings are rusted out “if”your camp spot has one. All of the amenities are old and have past the term “run down”. The sad thing about it is, why? It’s a really beautiful spot. Towering pines. Beware. Some of the trees are dead and are hazards. One camp spot was roped off due to this. But if the trees fell, they would/could take out several camp sites due to their large size. 80 feet + tall trees. The campground is next to US 84 so you will notice the road noise. We were very close and didn’t realize it till we had our camper leveled, (pop-up camper)so we just dealt with it. At night the big logging trucks are very LOUD. This is something the management company can’t do anything about. It is what it is.
Our main concern was the condition of the bathrooms and showers. We tried to just suck it up, but after a 4 night stay…It was ridiculous. Nasty is the only word for it. Nasty. The showers were not clean when we got there, and no one cleaned them while we were there. No one had cleaned them in a long time. The middle showers in the main FHU loop -men’s only had one shower that was operable. The other shower was broken. Inside that shower, the soap container had a half smoked cigarette that was all wet. Someone’s old bar of soap was left along with their shampoo. The shower was so gross I barely wanted my kids to use it. But we were determined to have a good time. The women’s showers only had one working shower. My wife had to remove a glob of long hair out of the drain for it to work. The same company manages the train. I sure hope they maintain that better than they do the campground. Those thoughts ran through my head while riding on the train. After all the negatives, I have pointed out -I still had a good time with family, but I will not go back. Now—-the price per night does not match what you have to put up with. $39.00 per night. I learned my lesson on booking ahead. During our stay during spring break, we only saw three other RVs there. Two left right after got there and one showed up on our last night. A group of tent campers were there the first couple days. I was told that the showers closest to them were locked. And they were. So we all shared what showers worked. I hated doing this review. But it needed to be done!!

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Nightly Rate: -

Days Stayed: 4

Site Number: 24

4 Access
4 Location
1 Cleanliness
3 Site Quality
1 Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

Verizon 5G

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Texas State Railroad Campground

State Hwy. 84 5 miles west of Rusk
Texas
75785 USA
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Hours

Open 24 hours today
  • Sun - Sat: 12:00 am - 11:59 pm

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Good for fishing, hiking, and wildlife viewing.

  • Check
    Parking
  • Check
    Pets Allowed
  • Check
    Restrooms
  • Check
    Wifi
  • Unavailable
    Wheelchair Accessible
  • Check
    Credit Cards Accepted
Affiliation
State park or forest
Last Nightly Rate
35.0
Longest Vehicle Length Reported
27.0
Lowest Nightly Rate
25.0
Max Length
45
  • Unavailable
    Swimming Pool
  • Unavailable
    Paved Sites
  • Check
    Fifty Amp
  • Unavailable
    Full Hookup
  • Unavailable
    Pull Through
  • Unavailable
    Tent Sites
  • Check
    Dump Station
  • Unavailable
    Big Rigs
  • Unavailable
    Open Seasonally
  • Unavailable
    Age Restricted
  • Unavailable
    Back In RV Sites
  • Unavailable
    Boondock
  • Unavailable
    Cabin Sites
  • Unavailable
    Dispersed Sites
  • Unavailable
    Equestrian Sites
  • Unavailable
    Fires Permitted
  • Check
    Firewood
  • Unavailable
    Fulltime Residents
  • Unavailable
    Group Campground
  • Unavailable
    Group Tent Sites
  • Check
    Laundry
  • Unavailable
    Mobile Homes
  • Unavailable
    Permit Required
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    Potable Water
  • Unavailable
    Propane
  • Check
    Public Water
  • Unavailable
    Pull Through RV Sites
  • Check
    Reservations
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    RV Sites
  • Unavailable
    Sewer Hookup
  • Check
    Showers
  • Check
    Sites
  • Unavailable
    Slide Outs
  • Unavailable
    Standard Tent Sites
  • Unavailable
    Water Front
  • Unavailable
    Water Hookup
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