Joint Base San Antonio Canyon Lake Recreation Park

Was blown away today I have been to joint base canyon lake multiple times I’m a service connected disabled retired veteran I had my card Va id as well as drivers license with vet endorsement and dd214 which I had utilized previously to attend the lake area and have pictures from each trip non the less to be rejected like nothing todays the first day I felt like my service was meaningless tried uploading I’d picture to see but can’t made no sense Had been before with that exact Id i was using because my retired Id had been misplaced and no manager was on duty to speak to however went to the civilian side it was so dirty but none the less my kids enjoyed the water thanks for nothing have a blessed one

We stayed here for a couple days recently. Rain the first day, next day beautiful sunshine, next day rain. Just the way we like our trips! It was very nice, close to home for us. There were deer everywhere. I fed them apples. The came right up to our door. One day one of them stomped at Gerry, but then it might been the dogs he was walking. Very pleasant place. Will go again if we can get it. It stays pretty busy duty the summer months by the military people from Ft. Sam, Lackland and Randolph.

This park is the consolidation of the Army Rec area (still called Hancock Cove) and the AF Rec area (still called Sunnyside) on either side of the road. Both parks have about the same facilities - RV sites, cabins, marina, etc. and common management. The Hancock Cove side has a small store. Both are gated and require a code to enter after hours. We get good 4G coverage on Verizon or Tmobile and we don't have any trouble streaming at any time of the day or evening. The location is about halfway between San Antonio and Austin so OTA TV coverage is a little spotty. There's a small town five minutes down the road - great grocery store with good bakery and deli and there's a good Italian restaurant across the road. New Braunfels is fifteen miles the other way and has everything. 

Great place to camp at Canyon Lake. We stayed at the "Sunny Side" RV Park; only nine FHU sites. Shady sites on a dusty gravel road. Sites are level concrete pads. Small laundry room, but washers were broken. Each site has a picnic table and fire ring. All sites except Site #1 can fit big rigs. Hiking trails. Busy on weekends. Close to New Braunfels and San Marcos. 

When making reservation, young lady said I got the last spot, after we arrived and even a day later, we found twelve spots still open. A few spots seem to be reserved for employees or other type homesteaders because they were set up along time. Gates close early, need code to get in or call host (who we never saw) thinking someone needs to provide better oversight of this area, dogs running loose with no leash and dog poop not being picked up. Otherwise, good alternative for commercial sites. Go Air Force, aim high!

The location on Canyon Lake is great, the recreation area is nice. The hiking trails were excellent and went for miles. There are two sides; the old Randolph AFB side and the Fort Sam side. To say the least the old USAF side is much nicer all around. We were in a RV spot on the Fort Sam side, the large concrete pad was very level with nice awnings and two fire pits. All utilities were within reach and worked fine. I know not many use the shower house anymore, but it was terrible. Mold in the showers, non-working sink and hand dryer. The washer/dryers were priced right, and seemed to be in fine working order. There is a small store with a few items, closes at 1600, a little early for most. We had to ask about WiFi, it worked very well, but did drop out often. I am sure this place is crazy in the summer but in the off season it was empty and very nice. Despite the dirt roads in the RV park, I would stay on Sunny Side if I came back.

This is the former Randolph AFB recreation area at Canyon Lake, TX (sometimes called Sunny Side). On the other side of Jacobs Creek Road is the former Fort Sam Houston recreation area. Both areas are now run by Joint Base San Antonio and there is often some confusion between the two areas, which seem to each have different management. We stayed at the Ft Sam area a few weeks ago and were interested in how the Randolph side compares. Both have very similar facilities – boat ramp, marina, boat rentals, large picnic and swimming areas. The RV sites are very similar – level concrete pads with full W/E/S hook-ups, picnic tables and fire rings except the Randolph area does not have the shade covers found at most of the Ft Sam RV sites. Also, the Randolph sites are on an unpaved roadway, which can get a little dusty and they have no restroom facilities within easy walking distance of the RV sites. There were no homesteaders while we were there and, in fact, the place almost totally emptied out on Monday. There was no park Wi-Fi, but fairly good T-mobile and Sprint coverage. Be aware that there are some electric only sites which are really just the edge of a parking lot and are pretty small (pop-up sized). They are adequate and close to the lake, but be aware that they are not like the other RV sites. Both rec areas are excellent facilities with shady sites and lots of wildlife to admire and feed. (Don’t forget to bring a bag of deer corn.) The biggest difference we found was in the management. It was difficult to make a reservation at the Ft Sam side because they weren’t answering their phone (over two days of trying) and when they did answer they wouldn’t make a reservation because it was only fifteen minutes until closing time. We found them a little brusque when we got there. By comparison, the Randolph side answered the phone on the first try and were very cordial making the reservation and during check in.

GREAT place and the reception crew at the front gate were GREAT to work with....very friendly and helpful.  We were here for a week and found the facilities to be excellent and enjoyed our stay.  Highly recommended. Plus watching the deer walk all around our campsite was a real treat.