Canyon Lake RV Resort Review & Rating

Canyon Lake RV Resort Overview:

Review and rating of Canyon Lake RV Resort in Mission Texas

Situated on a bluff overlooking the 10 acre Canyon Lake, which was a caliche pit excavated in the early 1980s, Canyon Lake RV Resort is located on the northern edge of Mission and is home to full hook-up RV sites and park model cottages.  The Resort is very popular with winter Texans thanks to reasonable long term rates, friendly staff and guests, lots of Resort activities and amenities, and the typically warm weather in the Valley  - however it was windy, drizzly, and in the 40s during our visit in January 2015 - normally it's in the 70s. 

Canyon Lake RV Resort is a 55+ Resort with RV sites available for short or long term rent and several one bedroom park models that are available for short or long term rent or for sale.  The Resort is home to several amenities and lots of activities and events.

The staff, work campers, and long term guests are all very friendly and outgoing.  The Resort is very clean and well maintained but has a dated look and feel to it - which may be primarily due to the unpaved sites that are closely packed together.  And the lake was almost bone dry which didn't help with the esthetics - when the lake is full it would be a very beautiful setting - see one of the pictures below which was taken when the lake was full.

Something else that makes Canyon Lake RV Resort special is that each year guests, residents, and others raise money and then build homes for the poor and improvised in nearby Mexico.  Over 300 homes have been built since the program started in 1992!

Amenities and Fun Things To Do:

Canyon Lake RV Resort has 419 sites that are a mixture of RV sites and park models.  The RV sites are all back-in sites with full hook-ups for cable, water, sewer, and 30 or 50 AMP electrical.   The sites are closely packed together, level with gravel parking pads, and some have a 7' or 8' wide concrete patio pad that runs most of the site length.  The rear of the site has trees and the hook-ups, which means that in most cases you'll need extensions to reach the connections.

Some of the sites are around the perimeter of the parks, others in the interior, and several back up against a bluff overlooking the lake.  The RV sites at Canyon Lake RV Resort are around 45' long and big rigs may have a little difficulty getting into some of the sites because the streets are not real wide.  We were guided to our site by a very friendly and helpful  Resort staff member helped us carefully back-in. 

Mixed in with the RV sites are lots of park models, some that are private residences and others that are available for short or long term rent or for sale.  All of the park models are one bedroom, fully furnished with a full kitchen and appliances, queen bed and linens, patio and awning, and a TV set.  You'll find park models with decks and some that are overlooking the lake.

Canyon Lake RV Resort is loaded with some great amenities, some of which include:

• 10,000 square foot recreation hall with a billiards room, library and puzzle room, and restrooms with showers
• free paddle boats to enjoy on the lake
• an outstanding pool complex with a large heated Texas shaped swimming pool, a hot tub, and outdoor furniture - all of which is surrounded by palm trees and over looks the lake
• a very well equipped workshop with every tool a woodworker would love to own
• laundry room
• dog run
• bocce ball, shuffleboard, and horseshoes
• exercise room

When the 10 acre Canyon Lake has water it's a very beautiful setting with tropical plants and towering palm trees swaying in the breeze. There is a 9/10th of a mile trail for walking or biking around the lake and a walkway leading from near the rec hall across to a small island with a gazebo, BBQ, and tables.

You'll also get to enjoy activities and events like daily line dancing, country music jams, pot luck nights, bocce ball, bingo, arts & crafts, and woodworking.  The Activities Director is always organizing some kind of special event, trip or outing. 

The woodworking shop is impressive with a wide variety of equipment plus Friday wood carving lessons and someone with experience at the shop at all times to help you with some expertise and advise as needed. 

A Typical Texas Outsider Day:

During our stay, within minutes after hooking up the RV, we  bundled up and snuck off for 18 holes of golf at Shary Municipal Golf Course which is just down the road.  That was the only day it was warm enough to get out!  Here is a link to our review of Shary Municipal Golf Course,

Since it was so cold we did hang out at the Resort and play some pool and take advantage of the exercise equipment to try to shed a few pounds.  Plus we bundled up with gloves, hats, and winter coats for a walk around the Lake and out to the gazebo. Brrrrr!

Cool Nearby Activities:

During our visit in January, it was cold and windy and we didn't feel like getting out and exploring, which is one of the reasons we decided to stay at Canyon Lake RV Resort for a few days - it's close to lots of things to see and do. The Canyon Lake RV Resort website has a very comprehensive list of nearby activities and things to do. You can find some great birding, good restaurants, museums, historical sites, and even the Los Ebonos Ferry which is the only hand operated cable ferry in the US.

If you like to golf, you've got lots of nearby choices - see our list with reviews and ratings of the Best Courses in the Rio Grande Valley, and a map to help locate the golf courses near Mission.

South Padre Island is about 85 miles away and it's loaded with lots of fun thing to do including parasailing, dolphin watching, fishing excursions, good restaurants, fun beach bars, and lots more.  See our South Padre Island map to find all of this and more plus our list of the Top 10 Fun Things to Do.