River Forest Haven — Hotel in Manor

My family & I had a wonderful time camping & tubing along the Colorado River. I booked 1 open camping site in advance. We booked a 2nd when we arrived- different name. We stayed 1 night. (In fact, we booked for 6+4 people & ended up needing only 8 total.) The camping is primitive but they have porta-potties & tank showers. My niece went to the potty & noticed it was out of tp (We weren't upset. It was a holiday weekend & we came prepared. It's never a bad idea to have a spare roll.) I went an hour later & it had been re-stocked. There is a phone number you can call for assistance. They rent kayaks, tubes, & allowed us to take our own tubes. It was clean & felt secluded, even though others camped around us. I found very little trash around our campsite & made sure we left it even cleaner than we found it. (Want your fav campground to stay beautiful? Carry a bag for trash when you walk around. Please don't leave trash in or along the river, or anywhere else.) I'm glad I found this place. I debated over whether to post a review because I stopped going to my last favorite place when too many others discovered it. I decided to share because I appreciate all the work they've put into this place. Sadly, that means letting other know about this hidden gem. I called twice with questions before eventually boking online. The gentleman who answered the phone was helpful & kind. (He even offered to bring a picnic table to our campsite if it didn't already have one!) It felt like we were treated like family, even though we never saw them. Their website is a great resource but it's hard to visualize your campsite from an illustrated map. I was pleasantly surprised when we arrived & felt like we were entering a forgotten forest. We loved the abundant shade. It was nice, even with temps in the triple digits. The only thing I would change... I'd prefer to pay a flat rate per site than pay for +1's that might not show. In the future, I'll book 2 sites for 4 campers ea. & pay extra upon arrival if we end up with extras. (They charge extra for camper #s 5 & 6.) $75 seemed a wee bit high for 2 primitive open camping sites. I wonder if they would consider offering a yearly family pass or a loyalty program to make it possible for families to camp more...

If I could give this place 10 stars, I would. Part of me hates to leave a review because this is such a gem of a place. Let's just all be sure we take good care of it so it stays that way! We met Max when we arrived who showed us our options for spots with our tiny camper (we have a Casita). We picked out a spot and got set up. No water, no electric. Super simple, basic, primitive site, which was EXACTLY what we were looking for. Very close to Austin and close to a great Thai place that we ordered one night.

The property is primitive. There are no established hiking trails. The camp sites are primitive as well. There was one shower that we utilized on site to rinse off after the river. It was rustic but clean and nice AND it had hot water. There is poison oak and poison ivy around, be VERY cautious where you step. It's nature y'all. Bugs were present (aren't they at your house too?!) but nothing a little bug spray couldn't fix.

The "beach" access is a part they've cleared all of the brush and it's compacted dirt. We swam a ton, tubed down the river, found the rope swing and had a blast just hanging out. We saw a few other swimmers, kayakers and tubers but not crowded at all. It was SO peaceful!

James came by the next day to check on us and see if we needed anything. We saw Max by the river who asked if we needed anything and knew where to exit after our float.

They have great signage so you know were the bathrooms are, where to exit after tubing, where to get in the water, where the boat ramp is... etc. The signage is fantastic for such a new place.

Honestly, our kids (ages 12, 10 and 8) asked to come back "twice a month and bring friends" because they loved it so much! We camp a lot so they are used to nature, bugs, dirt, etc :) Can't wait until our next trip and...

This place is truly amazing. Exactly what it sounds like…. You got river! You got forest! And it’s a haven!

Been twice now, weekend in late August 2024 and just this past weekend 6/26/25.

New updates: AIR CONDITIONED BATHROOMS! And a pool!!! (But the porta potties were so clean I had no problem w them last year)

We love the river plus sites with the private dock access. It’s a 10x10 dock so we bring a canopy and use bungees to attach it so we have shade during the early part of the day.

Our friends rented the new airstream and omg it was so cute and spacious and had great AC. And she got ATV/golf cart rental. That was nice to have! But not necessary if you’re able or willing to walk because the grounds aren’t that big. It’s not a long walk to float from the airstream but carrying a SUP is easier w a cart. But doable without. I did it last year.

It’s such a magical place and the owners and staff are so nice and accommodating!

They are also so responsive with texts and calls so don’t hesitate to ask them questions even before booking.

OTHER TIPS: Mosquitos can get a little bad (not for me tho haha) so bring spray. Wild animals will get your food in the night so put that in coolers with jugs of water on top and put dry goods in car. Don’t leave open food on picnic tables cuz ants will come for it. Little to no cell phone service so handle your business before going and turn that sh*t off and enjoy disconnecting!!!

Truly my fave...