When a renter calls and says “somewhere on the water, under an hour out, good for a first RV weekend,” I ask one question back: do you want a state park or a lake town? Around Roanoke, that usually comes down to two places — Ray Roberts Lake State Park to the north, or Grapevine Lake to the southeast — and they make very different weekends.
Ray Roberts Lake State Park: quiet, full state-park setup
Ray Roberts is roughly a 40- to 45-minute drive north, up the I-35 corridor. Its two main camping units — Isle du Bois and Johnson Branch — have water-and-electric hookup sites, paved roads, and enough room for a big rig, plus swim beaches, trails, and fishing. This is the pick when the point of the weekend is the park itself: you want space, quiet, and a real Texas Parks & Wildlife site, and you don’t mind that the nearest town is a drive away.
Grapevine Lake: closer, full hookups, town at your back
Grapevine Lake is about 20 minutes southeast via SH-114, and The Vineyards Campground gives you full-hookup, lakefront sites with Historic Downtown Grapevine, restaurants, and DFW Airport all a short drive away. Shorter tow, full hookups instead of water-and-electric, and something to do off the water. The trade-off is that it’s busier and feels more like camping next to a city than getting away from one.
My recommendation
For a first RV weekend, I send people to The Vineyards on Grapevine Lake. The shorter, simpler drive from Roanoke and the full hookups take the two biggest first-timer worries off the table, and if anything comes up, town is right there. Once you’ve got a weekend under your belt and you want more room and more quiet, Ray Roberts is the upgrade — it’s the better park, just a bigger commitment. Either way, if you’d rather not tow to a lake you’ve never backed into, we’ll deliver the RV and set it up on your site.
Common questions
Which lake is closer to Roanoke? Grapevine Lake, at roughly 20 minutes southeast. Ray Roberts Lake State Park is farther north, closer to a 40-minute drive.
Do both have RV hookups? The Vineyards on Grapevine Lake has full hookups; Ray Roberts’ state-park sites are water-and-electric. We’ll match you to the right rig either way.
Not sure which fits your group? Tell us your dates and we’ll help you choose — start by browsing campgrounds or the fleet.
