Lubbock, TX; with a comparison of private vs public campgrounds

We decided to take our time coming out to Lubbock.  In fact we made 5 stops, and the longest day was 282 miles.  It's really nice to take your time and enjoy the trip rather than scream from one place to another in as short a time as possible, but we have the distinct advantage of being retired and not on a time schedule.  I have discussed previously that Jan and I have been trying to incorporate more public, state or national park camping in our travels.  So on this trip we used 3 public parks and 2 private parks.  

To generally compare, public are usually less expensive, in this case we averaged $22/night for the public, and $36.55/night for the private.  We only had electric and water at the public parks, although we found out that full hookups were available, but not seen on the online reservation system, and the private were full hookup.  The sites themselves, what you actually park on are maybe a bit bigger in the private, in fact many of the public parks cannot accommodate big rigs like us, but the site area, what you perceive as yours, are much bigger and usually more private in public vs private.  Most all private parks provide wifi, but some of the public ones are also including that service.  Usually the public parks have integral hiking, walking trails, and other outdoor  activities available, although a few private parks may offer something similar.  Public parks are usually dark, after all, you are out camping in nature where it is dark, private parks think they have to light up the night for "security", I guess.  We love dark!  Public parks have time limits on how long you can stay, 14 days for example, where with private parks, it's all up to the owners.  And it seems lately there are more and more working folks living in campgrounds, so some of the private parks that cater to that seem more like trailer parks than campgrounds.  The public parks are usually more remote to towns and cities, so depending on what you are looking for, private parks could make more sense getting you closer.  There is a lot of give and take on these generalities, so it really pays to take a good look at each to determine what you'd prefer for the moment.

Public-Foscue COE Park in Demopolis, AL
Lots of room, although the site was challenging

Public-Foscue COE Park in AL

No one else in sight here, and nice walking and boating available right there.

Public-Poverty Point SP in Delhi, LA
Huge site in this case, far from neighbors

Public-Poverty Point SP in LA

This park is near a large lake, wide open walking and numerous trails, and nice and dark and private.

Private-KOA in Rusk, TX
Looks pretty good from this angle, we are right on an end site

Private-KOA in TX
Here you can see lots of sites, doesn't look too bad as there are
few people here

KOA's are usually not our first choice for campgrounds, but sometimes they are necessary,  they are fairly consistent, somewhat expensive, pretty close together sites, and lit up at night.  But they do through their membership program offer a 10% discount.

Private-Riverway in Llano, TX
As you can see, very narrow sites, not very long, we don't fit
with the truck connected, lots of other sites close by

Private-Riverway in TX
You can see how crowded it is from this angle

This as a fairly nice campground along the river in Llano, TX, but normal for most private campgrounds, tight sites close together.

Public-San Angelo SP in TX
Nice and remote, huge site, lots of room and completely dark

Public-San Angelo SP in TX
From the other side

This is a huge park, tons of trails, lots of quiet roads, great walking, hiking, and boating on the lake.

I wanted to give a quick and dirty comparison between public and private campgrounds, and this part of our trip fit the bill.  It is all a personal preference for what is important to you, do you want lots of amenities, pools, water parks, mini golf, playgrounds, etc, if so, maybe a private park would fit the bill.  If you want stars at night and hiking or boating, or exploring, and maybe a campfire, a bit of space to call your own, then maybe a public park is more up your alley.  We use RV Park Reviews and our bible, the Good Sam RV Travel Guide and Campground Directory for our picks.  As we continue our travels I will try to include more info on where we stay and why, and whether they are public or private.