I recently went to Smithville, Texas with a recharge self-care mission in mind. I didn’t know anything about Smithville except I had found a great Airbnb. On my drive over I passed two Texas State Parks, Bastrop and Buescher. Immediately when I saw these, I knew that I would be spending time at one of these parks during my long weekend.
Early Saturday morning I woke up to go hiking. I wanted to get an early start since this is August in Texas and it gets hot very quickly. After I googled and discovered Buescher was less than 10 minutes from the cottage I was staying at that is where I was headed.
Buescher State Park
Arriving at the Buescher State Park entrance the signs all said the park was at capacity and closed. I was disappointed but thought I would ask the park ranger if I could just drive through it. He came out to my truck and greeted me and said the signs just hadn’t been taken down and I was more than welcome to explore. I grabbed my pass, a park map and headed to the closest hiking trail. The drive through the park is very scenic. Actually, it is impressive!
Hiking
The first trail I wanted to hike was closed due to recent flooding damage that had occurred. I parked at the 5-car parking lot at the trailhead of the second trail and took off. It was still cool, and the trail was enveloped with trees which meant very little direct sun exposure while on the trail. It was so nice to be back in nature and only hearing the birds and wildlife waking up on Saturday morning. The trail was muddy due to the recent rains and had been washed out in some areas but other than that it was an easy trail.
I have learned with my Fibromyalgia to not push my body even though I want to. So after hiking roughly 20 minutes, I turned around and headed back to the trailhead. As I exited onto the park road, I saw a doe and her fawns grazing in a field across from the parking lot. I stood there and watched before jumping back into my truck. As I was backing out, a park ranger came by and was checking passes. He and I visited for a few minutes and he mentioned that there was a road that connected Buescher and Bastrop parks and that my pass was valid for both parks. I thanked him and thought why not go to both. I had no plans, and this was a completely free weekend.
Scenic Drives
I am a sucker for a slow scenic drive. One of my all-time favorite things to do; rolling down the windows, sing along music, and beautiful scenery. I think it reminds me of my childhood. I lived on a Texas ranch and learned how to drive in the old ranch truck. My version of freedom at that time was getting in that truck, manually rolling down the windows, turning on old classic country music, and driving for hours. I can remember the rusted out holes in the floorboard and feeling the rain puddles splash up on my legs as I drove through them. Awe – the good old days without a care in the world!
The drive on Park Road 1C is 11 miles and completely worth you taking the time to experience. Note: you can’t pull an RV between the two parks on this road. There are sections with low clearance, sharp curves, and low visibility. Other than that, everyone in the area should take this drive! There are amazing views of the countryside and I rarely saw another car, so it was very peaceful and relaxing. This drive was so awesome that when I left Bastrop State Park, I decided to return to my Airbnb the long way via this scenic drive and Buescher State Park versus heading out on the highway.
Bastrop State Park
Bastrop State Park has seen its share of devastation in recent years. In 2011 there was a wildfire that consumed over 32,000 acres in the county. Two people lost their lives and more than 1,600 residences and other structures were destroyed. Not four years later, in 2015, there was a huge flood and the dam that held a 10-acre lake within the Bastrop State Park failed and the lake is no longer.
To see the damage next to the new growth really makes you think about life. No matter how bad things get and how devastating something can be, there is always growth. We should always learn from the difficulty in our lives and remember that tomorrow will come and just like this park, we can recover.
This park has a lot of history and amenities that I have not seen in other Texas State Parks. In the 1930s the Civilian Conservation Corps built a community of cabins known as Pioneer Village, a dining hall/community center, and a pool. The barracks that housed them are great to rent for groups and they are centrally located. The swimming pool is a wonderful benefit for kiddos and adults in the Texas summer when you are camping. You definitely need to drive through Pioneer Village. This area is so cute!
Camping at Bastrop and Buescher State Parks
Both parks offer RV sites, remote tent camping sites, and cabins.
The cabins at Buescher are very private and are next to the lake with decks that are over the water. I cannot wait to rent one of these! The cabins at Bastrop State Park are not as private but as I mentioned they would be great for groups.
The RV sites at Bastrop are not as private either but they are all drive-thru, which for anyone that has pulled an RV knows that is a benefit. Picture a one lane road with a site on either side. There are very little trees in this area, and they aren’t large enough to provide privacy. There were campgrounds that were closed so there may be different experiences at Bastrop that I couldn’t visit. The Buescher RV sites are all tucked into trees and provide a lot of privacy.
I did not explore the remote tent camping area to provide you with any info.
I had a wonderful day exploring both Bastrop and Buescher Texas State Parks and I recommend if you have the chance to go explore them for yourself.
