Bastrop State Park Review & Rating
Bastrop State Park Overview:
Bastrop State Park is an almost 7000 acres park a mile east of Bastrop and 30 miles from Austin. Bastrop is situated among tall pines and rolling hills and includes cabins, RV pull through sites, tent sites, and a small 10 acre pond for fishing. Bastrop is a Texas Outside Favorite because of it's scenic beauty, nice sites, great trails, and local golf courses.
Amenities and Fun Things To Do:
Bastrop has 25 sites with water/electricity/sewer all of which are pull throughs, 19 with water/electricity, 11 with water only, and 7 walk-in primitive sites. There is also a small lodge, group campground (4 dorms with bunk beds), group tent sites, recreation hall with a kitchen, and 13 small cabins. All of the sites are well shaded with tall pines, level, and include picnic tables. Some of the water and electric sites in Copperas Creek are small and will not accommodate some of the larger motorhomes.
Bastrop State Park has 13 cabins that were built in the 1930's by the Civilian Conservation Corp. Some of the cabins are all stone inside and out with wood floors and a fireplace - very cool! These heated and air conditioned one and two bedroom cabins sleep between 2 to 8 people and they are completely furnished, including bed and bath linens. There is a kitchen with a range top, microwave, and refrigerator but no cooking or eating utensils. In 2006, prices ranged from $65 to $150 per night.
Within the Park, there is a park store, swimming pool, playground, 8.5 miles of hiking trails, 13 miles of surfaced road for road bikes, and fishing in the small lake.
A Texas Outside reader said that her kids LOVE to slide down the hills covered with pine needle on a piece of cardboard or a plastic lid to a large storage box. Sounds like fun!
A Typical Texas Outsider Day:
We come to Bastrop to camp, hike the trails, and golf. Typically, we will spend one day hiking some of the 10 different trails, cooking some good grub, and playing games around the campsite.
The trails are fun and not very strenuous as they meander through the pine and oak woodlands and up and down the hills. There are a variety of well marked loops that range from a quarter mile to over 6 miles. Biking is not allowed because of the erosive soils.
Bastrop State Park is also home to Lost Pines Golf Course which we rated 5.5 stars - it is inexpensive but not in the best condition. The front nine is not real exciting or challenging but the back nine is great and very pretty and fun to play. Read our review of Lost Pines by clicking here.
Occasionally, we will head to downtown Bastrop to explore the shops, restaurants, or nightlife.
Cool Nearby Activities:
If you have time, there are lots of things to see and do in Bastrop - visit Texas Outside's Bastrop Outside Guide to find a list of fun things to see and do. If you like road trips or road biking, there is a very scenic 13 mile drive from Bastrop State Park to Buescher State Park. Check out some of the other great golf courses in or near Bastrop - we love Colo Vista and Wolfdancer and they are within 10 minutes of the Park. Or you can drive to Austin to play any of their great courses. Here is a map of some of the other courses in Central Texas.
Just down the road toward Austin is McKinney Roughs Nature Park where you can explore 15 miles of trails by foot or horseback or take a guided raft, canoe or kayak trip down the Colorado river. Their wildlife exhibit features live creatures native to the area, including snakes, turtles, salamanders, toads and frogs and a 1,300 gallon aquarium filled with species of fish found in the Colorado River. Interactive exhibits allow visitors to get close to some of the area's indigenous species.
If you like horseback ridding then visit White Lightning Ranch for some trail rides for all skill levels, lessons and more. They are on the Hyatt Regency property and offer rides of various lengths on the Hyatt's trails and the McKinney Rough Trails, including a stop to let the horses play in the Colorado River. Saddle up!
Campground Information
- Website:
- Website Link
- Locate This Park:
- Area Map
- Map:
- Campsite Map
Campground Rating
- Overall Rating:
- 8.2
- Condition:
- 8.0
- Scenic Beauty:
- 9.0
- Campsites:
- 8.0
- Amenities:
- 9.0
- Things To Do:
- 9.0
Additional Pictures of Bastrop State Park
Texas Outside Campground Rating System
Texas Outside uses a tough rating scale and it’s difficult for a campground to get a “10”. Each park is rated on:
- Scenic Beauty: a campground that is flat with no trees or character gets a “1” and hills, lots of trees, beautiful lake site, and lush ground cover gets a “10”
- Park Condition: the cleaner, well kept, and maintained campgrounds receive high scores
- Amenities: we are looking for lots of amenities like restrooms, dump stations, playgrounds, boat ramps, shelters, concession stand, rental toys, and more.
- Campsites: low scores are given for sites that are right next to each other (good for getting to know your neighbors, but not what we’re looking for when we’re camping); have no lantern holder, no water or electricity, no fire pit, no grill, or no picnic table (or it’s rotten wood); have no trees and no view; the ground cover is crushed rock (my bare feet hate that stuff!); and they require a lot of work to get your rig level.
- Things To Do: Bonus points are given for campgrounds that offer lots of fun things to do at the park or very nearby – this includes: biking, hiking, climbing, boating, entertainment, golf, swimming, fishing, volleyball, horseshoes, and more
About Texas Outside
Texas Outside has been alive & well since 1996 - that's ancient by today's internet standards! Texas Outside was originally developed by Lone Star Internet which is an Austin based web development company with an excellent reputation & client base. In March of 2006, we purchased Texas Outside & made a commitment to add new, exciting, & informative content on Texas outdoor activities & fun things to see & do.
