The Parks
Two state parks, McKinney Roughs, Lake Bastrop, the riverfront.
Bastrop County has more public outdoor space per capita than almost any county in the Austin metro. Two state parks, a 1,100-acre LCRA preserve, two lake shorelines, a downtown riverfront park, and a network of smaller community parks. The combined acreage is large enough that residents who use the parks regularly are still finding new corners after years.
State Parks
Bastrop State Park
6,600 acres in the heart of the Lost Pines. Most-visited park in the county. The CCC-era park headquarters, swimming pool, cabins, and trail system are on the National Register and in daily use. Hiking, biking, swimming, fishing, the largest camping operation in the county. Substantial fire-recovery activity is still underway in the park's interior, and the trail system has been adjusted accordingly. Reservations are strongly recommended on weekends.
Buescher State Park
1,016 acres, 12 miles east of Bastrop. Quieter, more mature canopy (less of it burned in 2011), a small lake, paved camping loops. Underrated. The closest thing the county has to what the Lost Pines looked like before the fire.
LCRA & County Parks
McKinney Roughs Nature Park
1,100-acre LCRA preserve at the western edge of the county. Five distinct ecosystems represented within the park's boundaries, 18 miles of trails, riverside bluffs, an environmental learning center. Day-use only, no camping. The trail network includes the steepest terrain in the county.
Lake Bastrop North & South Shore
LCRA-run lakeside parks on a power-plant cooling lake. Year-round swimming because the water stays warmer. Fishing, paddleboards, primitive and RV camping. Quiet on weekdays. The two shores have different feels — North is the family-camping side, South is the day-use and fishing side.
Fisherman's Park
Bastrop's downtown riverfront park. Boat ramp, playground, splash pad, riverwalk access. The community gathering point for festivals and movie nights.
Smithville Riverbend
Smithville's downtown riverfront. Smaller than Fisherman's, with a different stretch of the Colorado.
The Trail Network
The county has more than 50 miles of public trails across the parks system. Bastrop and Buescher State Parks are connected by Park Road 1C and a hike-and-bike trail through the forest. McKinney Roughs has the steepest terrain. The Lost Pines Trail concept — a long-distance route linking the parks and the river — is partially built and continuing.
River Access
The Colorado River is the county's defining recreation amenity. Public put-ins at Fisherman's Park, Smithville's riverfront, and several LCRA access points let you launch a kayak, canoe, or float tube. Outfitters in town rent gear and run shuttles. See The Colorado River for the full discussion.
The CCC Stonework
The Civilian Conservation Corps came to Bastrop in 1933 and built the original Bastrop State Park headquarters, swimming pool, cabins, and road system. The work is rusticated stone construction in the National Park Service tradition, and most of it is still in daily use. The Bastrop State Park headquarters, swimming pool, and refectory complex are on the National Register of Historic Places.