Balmorhea State Park, Toyahvale, TX (2024)

Nov 2013

Beautiful Pool, Decent Campground

An easily accessible state park when passing through west Texas via I-10. We stopped here for two nights to rest up in between long driving days.

The campground is a bit on the basic side and not typical of many of the state parks we've been in. The pull throughs are staggered down a row, and when they're all full up can feel a bit more like a commercial RV park. The rest of the park are back-ins.

We arrived after hours and took one of the last remaining pull-thru sites. When we checked in the next morning, we discovered that the site we had was a water/electric/cable site - thus cost $17, not the $14 we were expecting. Not a big deal, but wish the pedestals were clearly marked to note this.

We did enjoy a very pleasant swim in the pool - which is absolutely huge and magnificently clear. Then a winter storm hit that night, and we got out the next morning before the deep freeze descended upon us. Glad we got our swim in while it was warm out!

All and all, a pleasant enough stop over. But not up to our expectations for a state park.

We were able to get a 4G AT&T signal, but only by using a booster - and Verizon had usable 3G.

Sep 2013

Pretty and has natural springs

With a TX State Parks pass my pull-through campsite at Balmorhea State Park was only $12, which is a steal. The park is pretty, with views of mountains and a small marsh. It gets quite hot in the daytime but the natural pool next to the campground is available for swimming. Bring your own food because there's nothing in walking distance.

Feb 2012

Convenient location, amazing spring-fed pool

It sits on the edge of the Davis Mountains (elev. a little over 3,200′) about 7 miles south of I-10 on Texas 17. We've stayed here three times and will do so again because of its location. When traveling between New Mexico and Coastal Bend of Texas, this is the first state park after El Paso and like a beacon in the night. The campground features 34 campsites. Ours, with electricity and water, was $14. (We purchased a Texas State Parks Annual Pass for $70, so the $7/person/day was waived.) We've stayed during an unusual snow storm in our camper and high winds in our 5th wheel. Showers are lousy (30-second push type) especially if the weather is chilly water does not warm up.

Oct 2010

Balmorhea State Park

It pays to have a Texas state parks pass that covers the days use fee. This is a nice park because of the large artesian spring pool. The water is crystal clear, inhabited by a variety of aquatic life, and maintains a temperature of 72-76 degrees. It's got a high-dive, but is also a popular place for snorkeling or scuba diving. Large, decent-enough campground, but not very clean when we were here. Desert environment.