This is a perfect getaway for a weekend camping! We live in round Rock it was hardly 11 miles!…read moreSince we picked a weekend where the weather was perfect and breezy it was amazing. The camping sites are nice and the restrooms are clean. Overall it's a great place to camp or hike.

Very strange that this place has the word "sandy" in its name. The beach looks like a rocky…read moreconstruction site. Not exactly child friendly. If the folks that curate this park would just clean up the strand and actually get some real sand on this beach it would get a 5 star rating. Otherwise, save your money.

It's called a park but, basically a parking lot with a porta John and a trail head leading down to…read morelake Travis. That's what a lot of these parks are. After decades of development it's getting harder to get to the lake free. I came here today to hike down to the lake which has gone from an almost all time low to almost full in a matter of weeks due to recent flooding.

Yay, a "new" place to get in the water. I'm always looking for somewhere new to go cool off in the…read morewater. A friend told me about this little park, so I headed out there. Let's start with the cons: it's seriously off the beaten path- there's nothing out there. Bring everything you need- water, food, sunscreen etc. Secondly, there is literally no beach- just rocks, lots of rocks. Lastly, it is not dog, kid, or "out of shape" friendly. You have to climb around and over all those rocks to get to the water. (Oh, and there is a fee per person, if there's someone on duty). Now the pros- it is seriously off the beaten path, which means there's parking and very few people. Secondly, the water is clear and beautiful as are the views. It is near a marina, so boaters give nice waves every so often. Lastly, I loved sitting in my float just listening to the water hit the rocky shore. Very peaceful. I enjoyed it, but it's not for everyone. Let me know if you go- enjoy!

What a fantastic park to have just 5 mins away from our house! The moment you walk up, you…read moreinstantly notice how awesome this place is for kids of all ages. The park is not massive but more than enough area for all types of activities. The park is split between three sections. 1. Covered seating/rec area 2. Small Kids 3. Bigger Kids We loved knowing that our 2 year old could enjoy all the activities while also knowing that most of the bigger kids would be on the other side of the park. My only small negative is that some of the flooring is coming up in areas. I don't think it makes it any more dangerous, but it could get worse over time. I highly recommend this spot for kids and parents.

Love this little park, it's not massive but has just enough equipment for a good variety of ages. A…read moregreat toddler approved area!

TLDR: Fun playground by a lake with a carousel and zip lines. Canopies offer some shade since park…read more(and trail) doesn't have much. Great playground with lots of open space. Nice area for younger kids (with canopy). A fun carousel to spin in. See saw. A spinning pod. Tandem swings and harness swings. The best part is the three zip lines. My kids loved them. Lake is nice to have nearby and you can easily add a short walk to your playground outing. Not much shade here so plan accordingly! Lots of parking.

Such a beautiful park with a variety of fun activities for the whole family! We took our littles…read morefishing here for the first time and loved the large, spacious pier-- we brought our whole setup: chairs, umbrella and wagon, and still left plenty of room for other fishing families. We loved that the pier was far and secluded enough from the playscapes so it wouldn't distract our littles, and the kids at play wouldn't disturb the fish* ;). The playscapes were covered and nicely spread out with many fun play zones and structures (including two zip lines). The park has well-kept grassy spaces, walkways and restrooms, and you can even rent kayaks and pavilions with tables for parties. We had the best time and can't wait to return! I would highly recommend this park for your next family fun day or gathering. *We didn't see or catch any fish.

Longhorn Caverns is a great place to go to see some natural Texas beauty. Our tour guide Emily was…read moreabsolutely amazing. She is extremely knowledgeable, confident, and has great puns! We lucked out and got her on a walking tour but you can normally find her on the Wild Cave Tours. My wife has severe anxiety, Emily was extremely understanding, helped her stay calm throughout the walking tour, and gave our family an unforgettable experience. I couldn't thank her enough for everything she did. I highly recommend checking out these Caves, and if you have the gumption to get muddy, spring for the Wild Cave Tour. Either way you go, it's a great experience!

Pictures don't do this place justice!…read more On this beautiful Saturday, I was seeking adventure! This tour is such an amazing deal. My tour guide Eryn was amazing and so funny. Caves are so interesting and there is so much to learn about them . Longhorn Cavern offer 3 different tour options. The cavern walking tour is just like a casual walking tour. The black light tour is where you wear hard hats and walk with a light. The Wild Cave tour is for the extreme explorers who are okay with tight spaces . I chose the cavern walking tour. I highly recommend shoes that have a tight grip. The gift shop has really good options for keepsakes. Also, if you get thirst drinks are available to purchase. I saw a section for pizza, but it was sold out. I had amazing time during my visit. The cave is beautiful and there is so much to see.

I just visited Lake Travis for the first time. I have been to Austin many times but never got out…read moreto the lake. It was stunningly beautiful especially this park it was 100% worth a visit.

Loved camping here, but I am very sad that the water level has been too low for years to cliff…read morejump. I remember when Pace Bend used to be THE cliff jumping spot. I couldn't even get a campsite reservation because it was so popular a few years ago. It is truly past its prime now, and not just with the lack of cliff jumping. The campsites seem to be at about 50% capacity. We drove past so many camping areas that were closed. They're not using their usual online reservation system, and instead you have to reserve by emailing them and requesting specific sites. This is very inefficient as I saw quite a few vacant sites in person that were supposedly taken according to the website. We stayed at Kate's and Johnson campground, which is a primitive car camping site with pit toilets. There were no sinks, but there was hand sanitizer, and the bathrooms were quite clean for pit toilets. The campsites each had a grill and fire pit, but there was a burn ban so we couldn't have a ground fire. There was also a picnic table at each site. They limit each site to two cars, and they told me I couldn't park elsewhere in the park or pay for just the parking for an additional car. I would have had to pay for another site just to add one car. There's a lot of land in this park and not a lot of people with plenty of empty campsites even on a weekend, so I thought this was a little unreasonable. We went hiking on the blue trail per the recommendation of the lady at the lady who checked us in at the entrance. She told us it has the best views of the park. We certainly reached the highest point of the park, but there were no views. It was all rocks and trees. The trails are all pretty short. We went up the blue trail and down the yellow from the southeast trailhead, and it was a total of 3.6 miles. I liked the hike for a bit of exercise, but there wasn't really anything to see, so we felt deceived. My friend went swimming in the lake, and he seemed to enjoy it except for the sharp rocks at the bottom. I didn't go swimming, but I'm sure it would be enjoyable on a hot day.

Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge makes for a great day trip if you don't mind about an…read morehour drive from central Austin, depending on traffic. I did a couple of stops while we were out there, Doeskin Ranch and Shin Oak Observation Deck. The main hike was Doeskin Ranch. There's a restroom right near the trailhead. It's not plumbed, just a chemical toilet, but it was clean, stocked with hand sanitizer, and being able to use the bathroom before starting the hike made the whole experience more relaxed. The hike itself was nice but very seasonal. I went in January, so the landscape was mostly golden-brown grass with limited greenery and not much tree cover. You're mostly enjoying bushes, rocks, and scattered trees rather than lush views. I'd really like to come back in late spring or late fall when things are greener and more alive. The trail is fairly rocky and there aren't many mile markers, although the trails seemed pretty easy to follow. After Doeskin Ranch, I stopped at the Shin Oak Observation Deck, which is very close by. There's a nice gazebo with a scenic outlook and a short, meditative gravel trail with three or four nature signs encouraging you to slow down and be present. It takes about 15-20 minutes to walk through depending on your pace. I recommend starting toward the left and going counterclockwise so you encounter the signs head-on instead of from behind. Overall, both stops were enjoyable. They're not hikes I'd feel the urge to repeat soon, but they made for a fun day hike and I felt worth the drive.

This refuge is a bit spread out, we went to both the Doeskin Ranch and Warbler Vista portions and…read morehiked a few miles. There wasn't any shocking moment of awe, but there's lots of birds around and a neat little creek, it's a good place to get some appreciation of the Hill County and get (mostly) away from development.

There are a lot of trails here. It's a great hike if you're in the area and want to hike. There's…read morenot much of a view but it's still nice. We saw a lot of mountain bikers when we were hiking. Parking was very easy.

Canyonlands or Mount Lakeway Trails is a nice location near Lake Travis Schools in Lakeway. There…read moreare several different trailheads. I'd say this is moderate as some areas are very rocky, you get your heart rate going but can still keep a conversation. Some areas are heavily wooded and hilly, and other areas are flat with gravel. Little areas of water and tiny waterfalls are pleasant. There is construction going on and you can head that in the distance, but you can still hear the the bears and wildlife area. I definitely want to come back and check out the other trailheads here. Wear some good shoes as it can be slick.