The best hike I have been on in any Texas state park. It was hot but it was absolutely beautiful…read more More wildlife I have ever seen in th open.

I visited Colorado Bend SP earlier today, and I'll admit that I wasn't expecting it to be so far…read moreout of the way. That's not necessarily a negative, but just something to note. Getting there was very straightforward, but cell reception is very limited there. I was prepared with offline maps so that didn't bother me. The road takes you right to the entrance of the park. There's an unattended booth up front, but I self-registered myself at the check-in station over to the side. There was a pen provided that I used to fill out one of the forms, and dropped it in the locked box with my information. I came here to hike to Gorman Falls today. Part of the road that leads to the trailhead was flooded, but I was able to drive through it with a standard SUV. The road was rocky in some areas and gravel the rest. A high-clearance vehicle isn't needed. There was plenty of parking at the trailhead, along with a restroom with a composting toilet. The trail was well-marked and shaded the first 1/3 of the trail. The rest of the way is exposed to the sun until you get to the fork in the trail that leads to Gorman Falls. There is a bike rack here as the last section is hiking only. The rock face is quite steep towards the bottom, but there were ropes that guided me down. I had my dog with me and I had to carry it at one point just to get down. Because of the rains this past week, water was flowing at the falls. You can't hike to the falls, but there is an observation deck with some benches to relax in the shade here. Returning back up the rock wall was easier than the way down. I also stopped by the park headquarters, about 5 miles down from the entrance of the park. They had a nice selection of gifts and souvenirs for purchase, and plenty of brochures for nearby state parks. The only option for camping here is primitive; there is no plumbing available, other than a spigot for potable water. Overall, this park was well-maintained and I would return for a second visit. Being just 1.5 hours away from NW Austin, Colorado Bend SP makes for a good day trip option with little traffic to and back.

Newly renovated cabins, free wifi, FULL LAKE, great fishing, Family friendly, Covered boat slips,…read morelighted fishing docks!

Had a wonderful relaxing weekend and were treated more like welcomed friends than customers by…read moreJanis and Freddie Chappel[. I have been to fancier places, but never treated better! Looking forward to our next visit!

Beautiful Relaxing n A Very Near Place!!! Was born in this area 60 years ago and I return as much…read moreas possible

This review is for the park. Unfortunately couldn't check in directly in park due to experiencing…read moreno cell phone coverage. Came to park specifically to experience Gorman Falls. Rather than take an unguided 1.5 mike hike to the falls we waited for the park ranger guide at 2pm. The hike was probably only about 25-30 minutes. If you are older ,or in anyway disabled this is probably not for you. The end of the hike is steep and slippery even with a guide rail. Small children will need help navigating down the worn rocks. Upon arrival at the falls expect to be amazed. The waterfalls are 60ft tall and go into the Colorado river. The area takes you back in time and allows you to be one with nature. One of the best kept secrets in Texas. The park is located on over 5000 acres and was privately owned until the late 1980's. I can't believe someone was lucky enough to have this all to themselves for so long. The park just started offering tours of the falls I believe in 2000. The park not being state owned for very long and being out in the middle of nowhere is very primitive. Their are several biking and hiking trails at different levels of difficulty and length. Some have water sources that must be traveled to continue. Other activities include kayaking, camping and fishing. The website for the park is very thorough in listing activities and costs of entrance and camping. The ranger station has ice available which is great being that you are about 30 minutes away from anything. All the Rangers were friendly and really seemed to enjoy their job. The only downside is the toilets weren't great and the distance from San Antonio but I would love to come again in the summer or spring to see how the waterfall changes with the flora and fauna being dense and in bloom.

I wish Mill Pond Park was in my town! This is truly a gem of San Saba, and makes me wonder if this…read morelittle town can have something so awesome why can't every city. Mill Pond Park has a sand beach in this beautiful little lake. How nice to relax, play in the sand, and then jump in the water to cool off. The lake has multiple fountains making it quite a beautiful sight. There is also a huge blow up trampoline thing in the water that you can use for free. Everywhere else I know charges for such a fun adventure. There is also a nice swimming pool in the park. It is only open certain hours, but it is a must stop if you have kids. There are small slides, things to play on, and a lot of room. Two huge playgrounds take up the back part of the park. They are mostly shaded which makes for a fun outing of playing before going swimming. There is also nice walking trails, cool waterfalls, and just a lot of pretty scenery to take in. I loved visiting this park and it warrants a definite visit when in San Saba.

This was one of the other parks we decided to explore. I really liked the waterfall feature and the…read morelarge pond filled with ducks. They had the park decorated for Christmas and I'm sure looked really pretty at night. It's not a large park so there's not much to look at but it's still a nice little walk. You can swim here and there is also a small museum. Parking was easy.

I absolutely love this little fishing place. The cabins are so cozy, I feel like I am right at home…read morewhen I am here. The little cafe they have is ran by the most precious elderly couples. They treat you like you are family. I would tell everyone about this place- it is the perfect quiet get away spot, and it is very affordable.

So I have literally spent 40+ years on lake buchanan in the summers. The lake is finally full of…read morewater again and I took my family back after many years. I took them to paradise point to fish as we had done years ago. I loved paradise point and remember sitting and visiting with many people while we fished. We were there MAYBE 15 minutes. This old man comes out and rudely yells "you think you can just fish here!" We were stunned. He demanded payment for using the dock. We apologized and told him we didn't rise we had to pay. How much was it? He laughed and said "get out. You didn't think you had to pay?" I saud "sir, I've spent many a time here & didn't realize we had to pay. How much do we owe you"? He screamed "load up we're closed can't you read the sign?" We responded again. We didn't know. It's one thing if I owe you nut to be a complete jackass was totally uncalled for. I gave them a 1 star ONLY because its the lowest it would allow.

Just had a trip with Adrian, he is an excellent crappie guide! Always flexible to schedule…read morechanges, adaptable to various fishing conditions to put us on the crappies, even on the hard days. His patience and tenacity to help us to catch more fishes is phenomenon. He even took us to the waterfall to take very good pictures for the memory! Its a great trip on his pontoon for our family time! Thanks again, Adrian!!

Amazing park ... nice hike .. nice cliffs for cliff jumping.. watch your step on those rocks…read morecovered in algae you will bust your arsss ....

Spent three nights in Site 251. Very tight for an RV. Crumbling asphalt sloping to front. Staff…read morecourteous and friendly at check in. Site is close to Devil's waterhole and hiking path. No direct access to water. Many sites in this park are very close together. Others are spaced out. Check map when selecting a campsite. Like most state parks, area outside immediate campsite is overgrown and not maintained. Restrooms and showers about 300 ft. - clean and everything works, with attic fans to blow the heat out in summer.

It was nice.. older community but nice.. you have to pay to get into the park.. we drive down to…read morethe boat dock and it was free to get out and enjoy for a few minutes

Lake Buchanan is well a "lake" and not much different from most lakes. It is great for boating,…read morefishing, swimming and camping. What sets it apart from the other Highland Lakes is that it has a beautiful waterfall and Garret Island (a large forested island with a beautiful cove with a pink granite sand beach) and is the perfect opportunity for birding. Lake Buchanan is about 1 hour NW of Austin and well worth the drive for all things lake. Feb. through May is great for fishing White and Striped Bass that as I understand are stocked by the city as they do not naturally spawn so they are abundant as well as Catfish, Large Mouth Bass and Carp. And you probably do not want to know this if you are swimming but the lake also has ALLIGATOR GARS - my last visit I took a picture of a dried up dead one on the Garret Island beach which I will post. Have fun and watch out for the Gars!

Visiting Kingsland in January of 2023 and went to the bait shop. Bait shop is absolutely amazing!…read moreNoticed this tiny house over the lake and asked about it. Had the absolute best day of fishing with the kids ever! There was a lot of plant growth around the house but with the googan frog it posed very few if any challenges outside the crappie house and inside was absolute magic . Was so grateful for the experience. Went back again at end of summer break and learned it was shut down indefinitely. If it ever opens again would love to bring the kids back , but respect the decision of the owner. The bait shop and cabins and location are simply awesome !

When we went in to ask some questions, the guy was complete a**hole. He wouldn't answer any…read morequestions and then his credit card machine didn't work. He told us he would be open for 15 more minutes so we rushed to a gas station got cash and we were back within eight minutes. He was closed. at 5:54, six minutes before 6 o'clock. do not give this guy your business, travel however far you need to get bait somewhere else