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Review:  Sanders Cove Campground

Review: Sanders Cove Campground


avatar   Stacy
Trip Date 09/20/2018
Posted On 11/21/2018 17:54:18

Camping | Texas | Powderly | Paris | Sanders Cove Campground Review | Campgrounds on Pat Mayse Lake | Corps of Engineers Campgrounds in Texas | Texas Eiffel Tower | Red River Valley Veterans Memorial



We headed to north Texas for the first night of what we have planned as our longest to date trip with "RV There Yet?" in tow. We originally reserved a campsite at Pat Mayse West Campground about 2 months ago, however received a phone call early in the week notifying us that the electricity at the park went out at 5:00 AM on Monday with no anticipated date for completion of the repairs. It was recommended that we take a look at Sanders Cove Campground, and that's exactly what we did!

If you are traveling north or south through Texas or Oklahoma and are in need of a campground, take a look at this post for an overview of our one night stay at Sanders Cove. Operated by the US Army Corps of Engineers, the peaceful campground is one of several located on Pat Mayse Lake and it has some loyal return guests. We even met a man who has stayed with his wife in their RV for almost 8 of the last 12 months - and their home is only 5 miles away!

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Campground Amenities at Sanders Cove Campground

Convenient to those traveling on US-271 and located on the banks of Pat Mayse Lake, Sanders Cove Campground has three areas with campsites - A (25 sites plus 4 without electric), B (25 sites with electric plus a group area including 5 sites surrounding a group shelter but without electric) and C (34 sites). The road leading into the campground as well as the main roads throughout the campground were cracked, uneven and definitely in need of repair during our stay.


Roads throughout Sanders Cove Campground

Roads throughout Sanders Cove Campground

The campground gates close each night at 10:00 PM, and although vehicles can exit after that time, no vehicles can enter until 6:00 AM the next morning. As compared to other parks that we have camped, the roads leading into each of the camping areas are poorly marked. While there are some "One Way" signs, there is no signage directing guests to the best entrance for specific sites. We actually drove around the full loop, and during our second loop around entered on an unmarked road where we realized we were driving the wrong way! Fortunately the campground was fairly empty during our stay and we didn't encounter any oncoming traffic.

Areas A and B each have one men's and one women's pit toilet and, according to the map that we received at check-in, C- Area has flush toilets and possibly even showers. We did not have the opportunity to walk nor drive through C-Area, however the large rooms housing the pit toilets that we did see in the other areas were clean. Dumpsters are located in each camping area, as are pet waste cans with bag dispensers. The total cost for our one night stay with 30-amp electric was $18.00. Payment and site assignment is handled by the park hosts stationed at the gate house.

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All guests (both day use and camping) have access to boating, hunting, fishing (bass, catfish, crappie and sunfish), picnicking, skiing and swimming in Pat Mayse Lake. Boat ramps are located in areas A and C, and a sandy beach is located in B-Area. Although during our visit, the only wildlife that we encountered were squirrels playing about in the morning, guests of the recreation area are reported to see beaver, deer, dove, fox, mink, nutria, opossum, quail, rabbit, raccoon, skunk, squirrel and waterfowl. We unfortunately did not find any nearby hiking trails during our short visit.


Sunset View of Sandy Beach at Sanders Cove Campground

Sunset View of Sandy Beach at Sanders Cove Campground


Pat Mayse Lake at Sunset

Pat Mayse Lake at Sunset

Campsite Amenities at Sanders Cove Campground

Of the 85 sites in Sanders Cove Campground with electricity, the vast majority are 30-amp. Other options include $12.00 for reserving one of the 4 sites without electricity and $22.00 for 50-amp electric sites. (During our visit, we were not offered the option for a 50-amp site, however a fellow camper pointed out that sites 4 - 13 in B-Area are the only sites with the higher amps.) All sites have a double water spigot, a nice feature allowing campers to connect two hoses without needing an adapter. The central dump station for all three areas is located near the campground entrance / exit and gate house.

Except for the group sites which had trash littered throughout, all sites looked clean during our visit. Back-in parking is required for most sites, however we did notice that ADA accessible site B14 is a pull-through. Most sites in the park have trees providing some shade as well as some trees spaced to allow for hammock hanging opportunities. In general, the campsites in B-Area are more level than those in A-Area.

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Due to the campsite layout, all but a few sites within the campground have some degree of privacy. While there are some gravel only sites, most campsites in both areas that we saw have paved concrete pads for tables (tables in A-Area are concrete while those in B are metal), grills, fire rings, lantern hooks and small food prep / serving areas. During our stay, the hook for hanging a lantern was missing at our site, B15, as was the fire ring. (The amenities in the group camp, especially the grills and food prep / serving areas, have definitely seen better days as many did not appear to be usable.)


Campsite B15 at Sanders Cove Campground

Campsite B15 at Sanders Cove Campground


Amenities at Sanders Cove Campground Site B15

Amenities at Sanders Cove Campground Site B15

Favorite Campsites at Sanders Cove Campground

Although our stay was a short one, we did have the opportunity to walk through two of the three camping loops to choose our favorite sites.

A-Area

Listed in the order of our preferences, A-Area has five sites at which we would happily camp:

  • With an awesome view, Site A19 is more level than many of the sites and is our favorite in the area;
  • Although sloped and further from the lake, Site A22 is our second favorite; and
  • Rounding out our top five are sites A29, A18 and A22, each with nice views of the water.

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B-Area

Our three favorite sites in the entire campground are all ADA accessible sites located in the B-Area just across the road from the sandy beach / swimming area:

  • With an outstanding view of the lake, B18 is our favorite site in the park;
  • Not angled quite as perfectly, B19 also has a great view; and
  • While not quite as long, B17 has a great view too. (A longer trailer will fit in the space, but must be unhitched from the tow vehicle, which is typically not an issue.)


View from Campsite B18 at Sanders Cove Campground

View from Campsite B18 at Sanders Cove Campground

Paris, Texas

Located 15 miles away, a 20 minute drive to the city of Paris, Texas (the second largest Paris in the world) can be a great way to spend a part of a day for anyone camping at Sanders Cove Campground who enjoys day trips to see the surrounding area. As we had planned not to disconnect our trailer from our tow vehicle, we made a brief stop during our journey to see a couple of the local attractions - one of which we had seen about 15 years ago.

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Eiffel Tower

Much like the world's biggest "Paris", this town in Texas has been the home to the current Eiffel Tower since mid- 1996. Here's a little bit of history for all to enjoy about the tower:

  • A small tower constructed of wood originally stood on the campus of Paris Junior College.
  • Following the loss of the wooden tower due to high winds, lots of time and materials were donated to construct the tower standing today.
  • Advertised as "the second largest Eiffel Tower in the second largest Paris in the world", the 65 foot tall tower fell to third place after another Paris (in Tennessee) raised their tower's height by ten feet.
  • Not to be outdone, a 4 1/2 foot tall hat was designed and placed atop the tower in October 1998.
  • The Paris, Texas Eiffel Tower again fell to third place in the following year upon the completion of the 540 foot Eiffel Tower in Las Vegas.


Paris, Texas Eiffel Tower

Paris, Texas Eiffel Tower


Bright Red Cowboy Hat on the Texas Eiffel Tower

Bright Red Cowboy Hat on the Texas Eiffel Tower



Red River Valley Veterans Memorial

A new addition since our last visit to the area is the extremely well done Red River Valley Veterans Memorial. The memorial, under construction since September 2010, honors both past and current members of the US military and is located at the Love Civic Center next to the Eiffel Tower.


Red River Valley Veterans Memorial

Red River Valley Veterans Memorial

Walking upon the inscribed pavers leads you from the parking lot through the double gate, each side of which is adorned with a flag appearing to blow in the wind.


Entrance Gate to Red River Valley Veterans Memorial

Entrance Gate to Red River Valley Veterans Memorial

Just past the gates stands a reminder that our troops are the "Defenders of our Freedom".


Granite Monument inside Entrance to Red River Valley Veterans Memorial

Granite Monument inside Entrance to Red River Valley Veterans Memorial

With the names of all individuals from the 5 county Red River Valley (Choctaw, Delta, Fannin, Lamar and Red River) who sacrificed their life while defending our freedom engraved on both sides of granite walls, a Ring of Honor is the centerpiece of the memorial.


Ring of Honor at Red River Valley Veterans Memorial

Ring of Honor at Red River Valley Veterans Memorial

Double-sided granite "Conflict Walls" are etched with both graphics and information about wars or conflicts - past and present, with space for future unnamed conflicts which we unfortunately know that we will face.


Conflict Walls at Red River Valley Veterans Memorial

Conflict Walls at Red River Valley Veterans Memorial

The War Dog Monument, the first bronze statue at the memorial, was unveiled on Veterans Day 2017 and honors all military dogs as well as their handlers.


War Dog Memorial

War Dog Memorial

In addition to the Online Directory of Veterans, there is an onsite directory located on the back side of the large informational sign posted just outside of the memorial.

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Cedar Park Veterans Memorial Park

If you have plans to be in the Austin, Texas area, check out our post titled Honoring Our Veterans in Cedar Park. The Veterans Memorial Park is a free dog friendly park with plenty of amenities for the entire family to enjoy while spending part of a day.

Recreational Activities

When you are in search of a campground or park, what types of recreational activities are you most interested in having access to - either inside of the park or near enough for a short day trip?





Review:  Sanders Cove Campground







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