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.

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.

LOVE Barefoot Campground! I have stayed several times with some friends that have been going for…read moredecades. LOTS of primitive campsites (tent camping, which is what we do). River views, secluded shady spots, shelter spots, and RV hookup spots. At $10 per person per night, you can't beat it. The owners were so kind and accommodating to us. This time we had to make a last minute change to the spot we chose and they were super understanding and gave us the best spot they have! (No, I'm not telling you which one! ) You can book online on their website, but if you haven't been before you should give them a call and have them help you pick out a site depending on the size of your party. (Some spots are on the smaller side.) Never had a bad time at Barefoot, and I don't think I ever will!

One day I had came here to check the place out and got my car stuck around 9 pm. I had called the…read morestaff (not thinking they would answer) and they immediately picked up the phone and came to me within twenty minutes, they pulled my car out themselves and asked for nothing in return. They were so kind about it. I will definitely come here every year. it's one of the cleanest and nicest places around. some of the campsites have carports and plug-ins. The view is breathtaking and the service is like no other!

Absolutely stellar trip! I went with two other friends on Saturday for what turned out to be a…read moreridiculously cold day. The Captain showed up full of energy and was moving us around all day long keeping us on the fish. Came back with a mess of fish for a fish fry we had planned that evening; worked out perfectly! Can recommend this guy enough; knowledgeable/experienced and puts you on the fish. What else would you want? :)

Been fishing with big John for many years, he always puts us on the fish. Great captain and great…read moreservice

Very well thought out, they have something for everyone. My dog had a blast and my boyfriend…read moreenjoyed fishing. I had a great time looking at all the beautiful rocks and scenery! Colin is a thoughtful owner. Cute family and dog friendly place!

This is the best Texas Hill country getaway I've ever been to. It offers anything you would ever…read morewant for everyone in the family. We like to tent camp on the river, they have the glamping set ups that are great for the kids, my in-laws stayed in a rental cabin along the river and also rented a RV spot with full hook up. We spent our Central Texas vacation with all of our family on the lamp River and went fishing for rainbow trout and bass. We're gonna come back for the tubing adventure when it warms up a bit. The campground hosts are awesome people and made sure our stay was excellent.

Stayed here for 4 nights on our cross country trip. Camping in a NuCamp T@g, which is a tiny…read moreteardrop trailer with an outdoor kitchen. Got caught in a severe wind storm one night, which blew our canopy down so we had to get up at midnight in the rain to secure but Parkwise it was a great place. Very busy but sites are large so that helps a lot. Bathrooms are the best we've seen in Texas - clean, hot water, great water pressure, fully stocked. Beautiful lake with fishing, and kayak, canoes and paddleboars to rent. Lots of birds and great hiking among boulders and rocks. Will come back on future trips.

I love visiting overall, but last trip was god awful. I haven't got a cabin in over 5 years. I…read morebooked cabin 7 and it reeked of cigarette smoke. It was deeply embedded into the chairs and mattresses. It absorbed into all our clothes and sleeping bags and stuff sitting in there two days. After coming home our stuff is been in the garage a day and the smell is so potent the garage smells like faint smoke from airing out. If smells bother you even slightly, avoid that cabin at all costs. Not sure if others smell like it now too, and a bunch of jerks have just chain smoked in all cabins or just this one.

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

Overall a pretty nice place to camp. Spots 1-3 are very private with lots of room. The later…read morenumbered sites seemed right on top of each other though. No flush toilets or sinks. In fact, the bathroom closest to the campsites is a porta potty. My biggest complaint is LCRA advertises this park as a place to come swim. We visited over a hot Memorial Day weekend and were disappointed to find no swimming beach. Everywhere is littered with debris and the water was extremely murky. I would definitely not plan on swimming here though we did a few people fishing farther out on a pier and plenty of boaters.

My boyfriend and I made a weekend trip to come here. We spent one day at the park, you really need…read moretwo or more days! We went to three different trails, and both were beautiful. Gorman falls I feel like is the most popular. There were so many people there! We saw the water fall and got to walk along the river bend. Then we went to the spring trail, that place was magical! It looked like a hobbit home!!! E we made it to the spring, but sadly you are not allowed to get in it. Finally we made it to the spice trail, but we were barely able to make it out in time, it was not a good decision, we did have to hike-run about 2 miles in the dark, I was freaking out. So message to all it's make sure you are not hiking too late because it waspitch black. Luckily we had outdoor flashlights and made it, but it felt like it was never ending. The trail is awesome, we crossed over the river several times, it's like a maze to get through, and the top was beautiful, but yeah we didn't get to enjoy the last two miles. Overall this was an awesome park to visit! I'm excited to keep exploring Texas parks

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.

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.

Such a beautiful park! Great spot to swim, hike, ride your bike, or just sit & enjoy the waterfall…read more They have really gone out of their way to keep up such a gem like this. Go San Saba!