Canyon of the Eagles

Canyon of the Eagles Lodge and Nature Park
Visited July 2007

"the adventure begins where the road ends"

Located deep within some of the prettiest Texas Hill County on 940 acres of Lower Colorado River Authority property, is a unique and one of a kind hidden Hill Country jewel -

Canyon of the Eagles Lodge and Nature Center

. Named for the American Bald Eagles that nest within the park, C

anyon of the Eagles is surrounded by oaks and cedar trees and is situated high on a bluff with majestic and panoramic views overlooking the beautiful Lake Buchanan and the surrounding hills.

Canyon of the Eagles is a place designed for enjoying nature. Most of the 940 acres of Canyon of the Eagles Park have been set aside as a nature preserve for wildlife, such as Bald Eagles, Black-capped Vireo, and Golden-cheeked Warbler. Canyon of the Eagles offers everything you need for an enjoyable Hill Country vacation, a destination wedding, a productive corporate retreat, or a fun family or social reunion. This is a perfect place to get away from the hustle and bustle, relax and enjoy nature, kayak or hike, gaze at the stars, or tour the lake.

Canyon of the Eagles is 15 minutes west of Burnet and about forty five minutes from Austin.You can get to Canyon of the Eagles by taking Highway 29 west to FM 2341. Head northwest on scenic FM 2341 and where the road ends the adventure begins.

To make Canyon of the Eagles even better, there are no TVs in the rooms which helps you escape from the world; forces you to get out and enjoy nature; reconnect and bond with friends, family, or spouse; and meet some really nice people. Cell phone service can be limited, so plan on leaving the phone, computers, iPods, Blackberrys, and all that other high tech stuff at home - you're here to get away from all of that.

Accommodations

Canyon of the Eagles has 64 cottage and lodge rooms scattered among the trees and within easy walking distance to the pool, meeting rooms, and restaurant. Patterned after 1920s Hill Country houses the guest rooms are built out of native stone, rough board-and-batten siding and corrugated metal roofs and they are designed to blend in with the grounds. Each of the rooms have a porch with wooden rocking chairs and some of the porches have fantastic views of Lake Buchanan. It doesn't get much better than sitting on the porch with some friends, sippin' a cold one, reminiscing about the good 'ole days, and enjoying the panoramic views of the hills and lake. Some of the rooms have handicap access and pets are welcome. Prices for the Lodges and Cottage rooms ranged from $115 to $149 per night in 2007.

All of the rooms have either one or two queen sized beds, coffee maker and hair dryer, bathroom with a shower and tub, heating and air conditioning. The Lodge rooms are situated 4 to a building with a breezeway with 2 rooms on each side. There are two types of Lodge rooms - one with a queen sized bed and a window seat with a futon mattress that can double as an extra sleeping space; the second one with two queen beds. The rooms are designed to allow families or groups traveling together to open an adjoining door. Cottage rooms are similar to the Lodge rooms but also have a small sitting area along with a mini refrigerator and a microwave.

The cottage room we stayed in sat on a bluff above Lake Buchanan and had a common porch with rocking chairs and a magnificent view of the lake. Our room was meticulously clean, well equipped with linens, pillows, table and two chairs, coffee maker, small refrig, toiletries, bathroom with a shower. The floors are stained concrete, the furniture was rustic, and the bed was very comfortable. It is well worth the few extra dollars to rent a room with a fantastic view - you'll be sorry if you didn't.

In conjunction with the Lower Colorado River Authority, you can camp on the property and enjoy the Canyon of the Eagles amenities. Within easy walking distance to the pool and restaurant is an RV Park with water, 30/50 AMP electric, and sewer. The 25 sites are spacious, shaded, level, and include a paved site pad and picnic table. Some of the sites (15, 17, 19) have a limited view of the lake.

If you like primitive camping, you have two choices - Chimney Slough is in a peaceful cove on Lake Buchanan and has 23 tent sites and potable water - they are within easy walking distance to the lake and a fishing pier; Tanner Point has 10 sites with no water.

The campgrounds have plenty of trees for shade and they are populated with lots of squirrels, cottontails, jack rabbits, and road-runners as well as the occasional doe and fawns. Campers have access to restrooms/showers plus the Canyon of the Eagle's swimming pool, restaurant, and Eagle's Nest recreation room. For information and reservations contact LCRA or Texas Parks & Wildlife (512) 389-8900.

Amenities

In addition to some great rooms and campsites, there are a number of other amenities for your enjoyment. Lets start with the restaurant and some excellent food by Chef Larry Webber. The restaurant has a vaulted ceiling, huge stone fireplace, and floor to ceiling windows affording the diners magnificent views of the lake and surrounding hills. The magnificence of the room always gets a couple WOWs but you will hear a lot more WOWs when you start sampling the food. For example, for dinner we had a huge, perfectly cooked, and excellent piece of prime rib (WOW) with sauteed vegetables in a sauce plus excellent garlic mashed potatoes (WOW). Better yet was the Mahi Mahi with a ginger,soy, sweet teriyaki, and honey sauce plus sauteed vegetables in a peanut sauce and rice (WOW, WOW). Some of the other items on the menu include: pecan crusted chicken, tilapia with a garlic buerre blanc sauce over angel hair pasta, and pasta primavera. Prices in 2007 ranged from $10 to $23 and the plan is to change the menu frequently adding new and delicious creations. Chef Webber has cooked at a number of 4 star restaurants and resorts from New York to Mexico and Canyon of the Eagles is lucky to have him.

Depending on the day and number of overnight guests, breakfast varies from a good continental spread (cereal, pastries which were out of this world, toast, fruit, etc.) to a buffet of eggs and more. Lunch is typically only served on the weekends. If you have a large group (ie, corporate retreat, wedding, or family reunion), let the staff know what your dining requirements are and they will do everything they can to accommodate your needs for three meals a day. A snack bar on the lake with burgers, pizza, hot dogs, and more is open for lunch 7 days a week.

The Eagle's Nest is Canyon of the Eagle's club house and an excellent and cozy place for a round of dominoes, cards, checkers, or other games. It's a perfect place for a family or social reunion get together or a corporate team planning and strategy session. Ok, if you just have to, no way to get around it, watch your favorite TV show, then there is a TV in the Eagle's Nest - but you have to promise to turn it off after an hour or the conclusion of your favorite show, whichever comes first and then get out and enjoy nature.

Canyon of the Eagles has a fantastic pool and jacuzzi. Once you discover this area, it may be hard for you to leave. The clear clean pool water is surrounded with chairs, tables, and umbrellas, but best of all is the all rock jacuzzi and rock waterfall. Kids (and some of us adults) will find this area irresistable

Canyon of the Eagles is an ideal venue for small to medium sized weddings, corporate retreats, banquets, or family reunions. The professional and experienced staff is eager to work with you to ensure that your event is perfect and memorable. They can meet any of your catering needs from a box lunch for a kayaking trip to an elegant gourmet gala. And they have a variety of locations for meetings, wedding receptions, or dancing. Some examples include:

a stone patio encircled by a stone wall on a bluff with magnificent views of the lake - what an outstanding location for a cocktail reception or wedding ceremony
the Republic Room is a 1,152 square foot meeting room that can be equipped for any type of banquet, wedding, or corporate meeting
the Eagle's Nest is perfect for a small social gathering or corporate team meeting
a wood deck outside the lodge has a panoramic view of the lake and surrounding hills and would be ideal for a wedding ceremony
the lodge, with ceiling to floor windows and unbelievable views can be set up for the wedding reception and dinner, a corporate banquet, or a reunion buffet diner
the Live Oak Room (2280 square feet) is perfect for larger meetings and indoor wedding receptions or it can be partitioned into 3 different rooms, each of which would be 38' by 20'

Nature, Serenity, Other Activities and Things To Do

Roughly 800 of the 940 acres at Canyon of the Eagles is a nature preserve which is home to a wide variety of wildlife birds, including three threatened or endangered birds - the American bald eagle, the black-capped vireo, and the golden-cheeked warbler. Canyon of the Eagles is a bird watchers paradise! And it is not uncommon to see all types of wildlife and get so close to a deer that you could pet it.

Canyon of the Eagles has a weekly program of live entertainment and various other programs. Live entertainment varies from local country musicians to cowboy poets and is usually held on the patio around the fire. Other programs are held at the Observatory, Eagles Nest Rooms, or Amphitheater and some of the nature programs conducted by Canyon of the Eagles naturalists include:

Nature Hikes - a hike along gentle terrain with a focus on learning about the area trees, shrubs, insects, flowers, birds and habits, and reptiles
Slithers & Such - a hands-on program in the amphitheater and discussion on non-venomous reptiles - their food chain, natural relationships, and more
Scales, Tales, & Shells - a juicy aquatic program along the shores of Lake Buchanan where a biologist will share finds along the shore and delve into animals and creatures that live below and above the lake
Owl Prowl - an amphitheater program where songbirds or screech owls will be called into the arena using a mechanical call - you'll be able to observe flight patterns, types of birds, and reasons for animal responses to specific sounds

Canyon of the Eagles has access to three miles of lake front property with sandy beaches and over 14 miles of hiking trails. One of the reasons to stay at Canyon of the Eagles is to enjoy the beauty and nature along any of the trails. You have a wide choice of trails ranging from easy to very strenuous:

Peacock Loop and Juniper Ridge Loop are some of the more strenuous trails - rocky, windy, and steeper - but they lead to the top of a large hill with a 360 degree majestic view of the lake and countryside
Bird and Butterfly Trail is an easy semi paved four tenths of a mile self guided nature trail that departs from the amphitheater
Vireo Hill Trail and the Beebrush trail are much more rugged and provide scenic views and plenty of wildlife
Rocky Point Trail is a half mile loop that leads to the lake
Lakeside Trail meanders up and down the hills and along Lake Buchanan and through the Bald Eagles habitat

Between March and August certain trails may be closed due to endangered and threatened species, specifically the golden cheeked warbler and the black capped vireo.

A short hike down a hill or a 3 minute drive from the lodge puts you on the shores of Lake Buchanan. Here you will find a private sandy beach for swimming, a fishing pier, the Bedrock Beach Grill, a small country type store, sand volleyball court, Lake Buchanan Adventure Tours, and Vanishing River Tours. You can spend hours here enjoying lunch and the view of the lake, playing volleyball, swimming, fishing, walking along the shoreline, or kayaking.

Lake Buchanan Adventure Tours provides a number of fun adventures and ways to explore the beauty of Lake Buchanan. You can rent fishing poles, kayaks, canoes, or sailboats or enjoy some of their tours, including:

single or tandem kayaking eco adventures to the scenic waterfalls of Lake Buchanan
guided hiking and kayaking excursions where you paddle around the shoreline where the Bald Eagles nest then beach the boats and hike a section of the trails and then kayak back to base camp
wine and kayaking adventure where you kayak at a leisurely pace enjoying the rich natural and cultural history of the area and then tour and sample the wine from Fall Creek Vineyards

If you are planning a corporate retreat or reunion at Canyon of the Eagles, Lake Buchanan Adventures can also plan some team building or competitive and fun activities for you, some of which include: tandem kayaking tours, GPS nature scavenger hunts, caving tours, zip line canopy tour, and rock climbing.

Another fun thing to do while during your stay at Canyon of the Eagles is to hop aboard the Vanishing Texas River Cruise boat for a tour of Lake Buchanan. Vanishing Texas River Cruise provides 2 hours scenic cruises past spectacular waterfalls and sheer cliffs on a 70 foot 2 deck excursion vessel. The also offer a waterfall and vineyard Cruise, dinner cruise, bald eagle cruise, and more. If you have a large group, they are available for private charters. The tours depart from the beach area at Canyon of the Eagles.

Eagle Eye Observatory, designed and built in cooperation with the Austin Astronomical Society, is one of few public access observatories in the country. Facilities include several large 22-inch telescopes, as well as pedestals and decks for you to use in setting up your own scopes. You will have a fantastic view the stars from the observatory as the roof rolls back and you chart the skies with a 16-inch Ealing Cassegrain Telescope and 12.5-inch Newtonian Telescope. On Tuesday and Sunday (based upon weather conditions) Canyon of the Eagles and the Austin Astronomical Society have a "hay ride" to the observatory for a viewing. The hay rides will begin approximately 30 to 40 minutes prior to dark and are complimentary to guests.

Summary

In summary, what a magnificent place to stay - good accommodations, excellent food, lots of activities, and great service from a staff that seems to truly value the opportunity to work at Canyon of the Eagles and wants to make your stay memorable. Here's our list of the top ten Things To Do at Canyon on the Eagles:

hike any of the trials
rent a kayak or canoe and paddle to Fall Creek Waterfalls - cascading waterfalls, rugged granite cliffs, and unspoiled habitat
spend some time at the pool relaxing or socializing
enjoy one of the nature programs and take the hay ride to the Observatory and marvel at the universe
go fishing from the shores within the park or call a fishing guide and have him pick you up at Canyon of the Eagles and take you to where the big ones are biting - see the Lake Buchanan fishing guide page
take one of the Vanishing Texas River Cruises - a Bald Eagle, waterfall/vineyard, or dinner cruise
play golf at any of the nearby courses
take a cave tour at Longhorn Cavern State Park
visit Fall Creek Vineyard to sample their excellent wine
rent a waverunner or boat and go skiing, cruising, or fishing on Lake Buchanan - here is where you can find some boat rentals on Lake Buchanan

Call now and make a reservation - Canyon of the Eagles is very popular and you need to book a room well in advance.