Majesty where it shouldn't be
Written: Jul 11 '07
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Pros: Majestic Pine forest, lots to do
Cons: road noise, close to town, crowds
The Bottom Line: If you like the outdoors, you should love Bastrop S. P.
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| jlundquist1's Full Review: Bastrop State Park |
I didn't really understand the words "Lost Pines" until we went to Bastrop. I probably wouldn't have even understood if we hadn't driven up from Port Aransas on our way home from a big summer vacation. We decided to stay at Bastrop to break up the 5 hour drive and fortunately came in to the Lost Pines from the East. For those not from the Lone Star State; most of very East Texas is covered in pine forest. There shouldn't be a pine forest in Bastrop, but these loblolly pines cover about a 100 square mile area of Central Texas. Just a little drop of Majesty where there should be nothing but Live Oaks and pasture. Theories abound as to why the pines are here: indians brought them, they got seperated from the rest during climate changes. Whatever the reason the Lost Pines have genetically evolved to live on 30% less water than the East Texas variety. I'm sure glad they did.
Bastrop State Park also seems to be where it shouldn't. I'm used to most Texas State parks being on the very outskirts of town, if not in the boonies. Bastrop is unique (at least to me) in that it's right on the edge of the city. I guess this is good because a run to the grocery store or gas station is a quick trip. I wasn't really fond of it because the park has no gate and therefore is not locked at night, and the noise from Hwy 71 is overwhelming in parts of the park.
The park is huge however at almost 6000 acres and has a little bit for everyone. Unfortunately I can't give a complete review this time because like I said we only spent the night on the way home from vacation. The park has plenty of opportunities for all types of camping from about 12 cabins (beautifully constructed by the CCC from local sandstone) with AC,kitchen,full baths for anywhere from $65-150 a night, along with pull through full hookup sites, back in water electric sites, water only tent sites, and primitive hike in sites ($10 to $17/night along with $4 per person/ per day entrance fee)
We camped in a travel trailer in one of the full hookup pull through sites. I noticed that the pull through sites were paved, & fairly level. There are also some full hookup sites mixed in with the back in water electric sites. All the back-ins are NOT paved, some are no where near level, and some are very short, barely large enough for a 20ft trailer so make sure you pick your site carefully. I also had some trouble with our sewer hook-up because the all have a large concrete lip which made the hose go up higher than our discharge. Basically bring a hose support if you plan to stay a while. Otherwise I noticed that on our site, and several others the electric had 50/30/20 amp service which was nice.
The bathrooms were typical for a Texas State Park, clean, adequate, and most likely busy when the park is full. The park has about 12 miles of beautiful maintained trails (due to erosive soils foot traffic only!) which can change in elevation significantly (up to 165 feet). There is also a small lake for fishing and canoeing. No boat ramp or power boats allowed, but you can rent canoes although I suspect they only have a few, we only saw 4. There is no swimming in the lake, but the park has a very nice, fairly large swimming pool with life guards available for an additional fee ($2.50 13 and up, $1.50 12 and under). It appears as if the pool is reserved by groups in the mornings, but is open for public use from around noon to 6pm and is closed on Tuesdays. The park also has a public use golf course that I don't know anything about other than that it has bermuda grass and cart rentals :)
The best part about Bastrop S.P. is it's incredible natural beauty. This park is really a Civilian Conservation Corp. masterpiece. The stone work is almost as incredible and beautiful as the gorgeous pine forest they are in. This sounds corny, but I picture that heaven smells like Bastrop S. P.
I'm sure you need a reservation well in advance on weekends in the summer. You can reserve on-line (beware the $3 non-refundable fee), by phone (good luck, last time I called the central reservation number in Austin the nice computerized voice told me the wait was 3 hours, yep I paid the $3 fee), fax or e-mail. I'm also sure that the park can be busy, I know it's noisy, but it is absolutely worth a visit because of the natural and man made beauty. Don't pass this one up.
Recommended:
Yes
Best time to go: Anytime
Recommended for: Anybody
Review Topic: Campgrounds & Lodging
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Epinions.com ID:
jlundquist1
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Member: J Lundquist
Location: Central Texas
Reviews written: 23
Trusted by: 1 member
About Me:
We camp ALOT!, we're frugal and we love bargains.
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