TX – Bastrop State Park, Bastrop, Texas

Website: Bastrop State Park
Phone:  512-389-8900
Visited:  January 2016

Online Reservations Available
Amenities:
50 Amp
Full Hook-Ups
Fairly Level Asphalt Sites
Picnic Tables are provided with each site
Grills are provided at each site
Fire Rings are provided at each site
A Pole for hanging a lantern
Pedestals are well maintained and organized.
Sewer connection is adequte, but requires a rubber sewer seal
Pet friendly – Pets must be leashed. No dog park.
Cabins available for rent
Tent camping is available
No WIFI
No Cable

Thoughts:

From our storage unit to the gates of Bastrop State Park, was approximately 2 hours.  It was an easy drive and makes this park a definite go-to on our list.  Upon Check-In, we were told that sites are assigned on a first come-first serve basis, so during busy times, it is worthwhile to get here are early as possible.  Even during our January stay, most of the full hook up sites were occupied.  It is probably a good idea to book early.  The park does have a later than usual check-out time of 2 p.m.

Bastrop State Park is a nice park. The roads are smooth and well-maintained. The sites are asphalt and all pull-through.  Our site was level.  Other sites appeared to be less level, but none were too unlevel to work with.  The overall grounds around the sites are maintained. There is a swimming pool, playground, and lots of trails for walking.

The pull through sites are actually small loops along the road.  It makes the individual sites appear more spacious. The area we camped in is Piney Hill Camping Area.  There is a loop that must be navigated to either reach your site or to leave at the end of the stay.  It is certainly passable, but tight.  We did see people pull large fifth wheels and make the loop, so it shouldn’t discourage people from coming, but seemed worth mentioning.

The Park Rangers at the Headquarters were friendly and helpful.

The camp store located the Headquarters is small, but offers some souvenirs, firewood and a few other items.

You are not allowed to bring in firewood or collect your own firewood, but it is available at the Headquarters for $1/piece for use in the fire rings.

For satellite dish users, we could not pick up all three satellites, but were able to pick up partial coverage for some our stay.  Not sure if there were obstructions or weather conditions that were the problem.

In 2011, massive wildfires came through the area.  Though the sites within the park are in good condition, the evidence is everywhere along the walking trails.  It is interesting to see nature recovering.

What to do once you get there:

Bastrop is a small town with a Historic Downtown District.  If you go to the Visitor Center and make a right, there is a nice walkway the goes along the Colorado River.  There are benches along the way as well as a park at one end.   Also, for bite to eat, try Paw Paw’s Catfish House.  The fried catfish, shrimp and hushpuppies are very good.

At the State Park, there are lots of trails that are easy to walk and make a nice walk for your dogs.  The playground was well maintained.  The pool was closed at the time of our visit, but appeared to be large enough to handle a crowd.

TIP:
The Texas State Parks have a daily fee associated with the use of the parks.  This is in addition to the fee paid for your camp site or cabin.  At Bastrop State Park, this fee is $5/person per day for visitors over 13.  In order to help offset this fee, the parks sell an annual membership for $70.  There are several benefits to the membership.  The most useful is that is allows daily use fee to be waived for everyone in the car with the cardholder.   It is valid at all state parks.  It also allows half-off your second night of camping for 4 times per year.  In this case, we saved $32.50 for our one visit.  SInce we have plans to stay at other state parks during the year, we will certainly save more than the membership cost.  You can purchase the membership at the time of check-in and use it on the visit that you purchase it.

Also, be sure to check the Texas State Parks website before leaving to be sure that there are no advisories that might affect your stay.