Buescher State Park

Buescher State Park
Bastrop, Texas
Dec 2007

Small State Park close to home. About an hour drive each way. Close to Bastrop SP. I was able to find a spot when Bastrop SP was booked up. Some sites are pretty close to each other with not a lot of space. However, we really liked RV spot #1 in Cozy Circle. Fire Rings with grills and picnic tables. While we were there, they were tearing out all of the standing BBQ grills for some reason. Some RV spots are ideal for pop-ups but not big enough for trailers.

Pros
- Secluded site on the end
- Good fishing hole
- Cabins overlooking the fishing hole
- Great hiking trails
- Cool 13 mile scenic drive that connects to Bastrip SP
- Canoe rentals
- Close to town (Bastrop is only a few minutes away).

Cons
- Park roads are too steep for children to bicycle.
- Pad wasn't very level and pavement was falling apart.
- Cozy Circle is a good description of space.

Rating 7 out of 10

Lake Somerville & Campsites

Lake Somerville
Somerville Texas


Lake Somerville is a really nice big lake that's not too far from home. About 1.5 hour drive and is really convenient if you are camping with people from Houston (about half way for both parties). The lake isn't too deep so the water can be warm. I really liked the sandy bottom. There are some trees at the top part of the lake and be careful of the cement picnic tables at Camp Overlook if the water is up. It is not a constant level lake. There are a couple of really good large coves for skiing and wakeboarding.

Pros
- Big lake with two marinas
- Good sandy bottom
- Great swimming beaches at Camp Yegua and Big Creek
- Good skiing in some of the large coves.
- Several private, state and Corp of Engineer parks (RV sites).

Cons
- Be careful if the lake water level is up.
- Not a very deep lake so the water heats up in the middle of summer (hot tub tempature).
- Mark your compass. Not too many lights on the shoreline at night.


Rocky Creek (COE)
Lake Somerville
June 2007

Pros
- RV spots on the water - was able to anchor the boat next to the RV.
- Good shade

Cons
- Didn't really have a good swimming area - We usually went to Yegua Camp to swim.
- Steep boat ramp

Rating 8 out of 10

Overlook Park & Marina (Private)
Lake Somerville
August 2006

Pros
- Really good marina with fuel and a park store.
- Was able to rent a boat dock space for $5.00 a day.
- Good fishing

Cons
- Really tight small camp spots - wasn't able to roll out the awning because we had a tree and a telephone pole in the way.
- No BBQ pits
- Community shower

Rating 6 out of 10

Big Creek Park & Marina (Private)
Lake Somerville
June 2005

Pros
- Fishing marina with fuel and store.
- Great sandy gently slopping shore - perfect for the kids to swim.
- Was able to anchor the boat on the shore.
- Cabins are available for non RVers.
- Was able to book a RV site on short notice

Cons
- RV spots close to the swimming area don't have any shade.

Rating 7 out of 10

Nails Creek State Park
Lake Somerville
June 2005

Pros
- swim area for the kids
- canoe rental

Cons
- a lot of spots don't have shade
- not really on the water

Rating 6.5 out of 10

Birch Creek State Park
Lake Somerville
June 2005

Pros
- hiking trail connects to Nails Creek SP (13 miles)

Cons
- Not on the water

Rating 6 out of 10

Lost Pines Scout Camp

Lost Pines Scout Camp (private)
Bastrop, Texas

Lost Pines is a Boy Scout Camp that is located about 15 minutes from Bastrop. As a youth, I spent many summers at this camp. I loved summer camp. Eventually, I worked staff for a couple of summers. The camp is on Lake Bastrop, so most of the water activities were on Lake Bastrop. As a kid, I thought Lake Bastrop was huge. Going back as an adult, I can't believe how small the lake is.

We spent the night on the Cub Scout side, camp Tom Wooten, which used to be the Order of the Arrow site for Lodge 99 Tonkawa. Not much had changed, there was a new swimming pool, but most of it was how I remembered it.

If you are a Scout and have a chance to attend camp at Lost Pines, go for it! I highly recommend this Scout camp.