Bastrop State Park

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Type: Trail	Rating: (3.70)30
Difficulty: (2.32)	Solitude: (3.30)
Length: 12.00 Miles	Elevation Gain: N/A
ADAAccessible: N/A	Interpretive Guide: No
Dogs Allowed: Yes	Bikes Allowed: No
Cost: $4.00	More Information: More Info
City: Bastrop	County: Bastrop

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Topo maps provided by MyTopo.com (purchase) Larger Map

Many Bastrop State Park hikes start near this gazebo.

Getting there: From Austin head east on Highway 71. Take the Loop 150 exit and continue east to the intersection with Highway 21. The entrance to the park is in the middle of the Y-split in the road.

Fallen pine needles sometimes obscure the trail, but the park's blazes on the trees help point the way.

The Hikes: The Lost Pines of Bastrop State Park provide a refreshing change from the rocky Cedar and Oak trails common farther west in the Hillcountry. Here a small island of Pine forest resides, separated from the main Eastern Texas Pine forests by 100 miles. The sandy soil of the area encourages the Pine's growth despite the drier conditions here that normally preclude Pines from developing.

A thick Pine forest means lots of shade, and you'll get that here. Underneath that shade you'll often benefit from a blanket of pine needles on top of loose soil. At times it's like walking on a mattress.

The trails through the Pine forest provide some unique hiking opportunities in the Hillcountry.

Bastrop State Park is THE place to visit if you are interested in Orienteering. The park contains a large number of permanent orienteering "flags". A orienteering map is available for a nominal fee at park headquarters pointing out their locations. The park is also host to a yearly orienteering competition organized by a group out of Houston.

There are not too many places where one can golf in a state park, but this is one of them. The entrance to the park cuts through the public course. Other amenities include ample camping areas and a pool.

Photos

The Purple Trail is one of the longer trails in the park. (Photo by Lone_Star)	There were a lot of fallen trees blocking the trail. Most you could step over or around, but some made it hard to get by. (Photo by Lone_Star)	98% of the trees were burned in the Sep 2011 fire. The vast majority of these trees are dead and not coming back. (Photo by Lone_Star)
The Blue Trail will take you to a very scenic lake. (Photo by Lone_Star)	The trails take you up and down some small hills, all covered by burned trees. (Photo by Lone_Star)	The trail offers nice, gradual elevation changes. (Photo by Lone_Star)
This Buckeye Butterfly was doing her job pollinating the flowers. (Photo by Lone_Star)	Flowers and bushes are flourishing again, but it will take years for the trees to grow back. (Photo by Lone_Star)

Log Entries

Paradise Lost
User: Lone_Star - 5/3/2013 [View Log Page]
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Distance: 7.00 Miles Duration: 2 hours, 33 minutes

Bastrop State Park was affected by a fire in September 2011. I thought the park was merely temporarily damaged, much like what happens with a prescribed burn. What I found, however, was the trees in the park were nearly destroyed. In fact, 98% of the trees burned and even though I hiked this park over 1 1/2 years after the fire, it still looked like a war zone. It was very depressing because I could tell that this park must have once been very beautiful. Paradise lost... It is bouncing back slowly, but it will take many years to get back to its previous state.

The trails are color-coded, generally well-marked and the map provided by the Park HQs is pretty good. There are a lot of small hills and valleys that give you a little cardio work. The trails themselves are in need of maintenance as there were a LOT of fallen trees blocking the trails (Note: I went at a time when the winds were pretty strong (15-25 mph), so it's possible many of the fallen trees were recent victims). Park rangers were out with their chain saws doing what they could.

The Purple Trail (aka Lost Pines Hiking Trail) is partially closed at the present time. You can only go as far as Harmon Road. The section east of Harmon Road is closed.

This park has nice campgrounds. I had planned to camp at Creekside, but given the combination of dead trees and high winds I decided not to. If it had not been so windy, I would have liked to camp here.

Fellow hikers, this park needs our help, so I encourage everyone to visit this park as the funds are sorely needed.

Worth the trip!
User: texaskdog - 1/8/2011 [View Log Page]
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Distance: 7.00 Miles Duration: 3 hours

Took the red trail. Lots of huge trees. Not a lot of variety, creek was dry, but being out in nature was worth it. Lots of people for the remoteness and the season. If we had to do it again we'd park on the road that cut through it and done 4 miles the first time...one of our few 7 mile hikes! Park pass sounded like a good deal but we have 2 different cars and you cant transfer it.

Texas State Parks
User: J3NN1F3R - 12/16/2010 [View Log Page]
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Keep in mind that you can also become a member of Texas Parks and Wildlife. My husband and I have been members for over five years and absolutely LOVE IT. When you become a member, you are not charged enterance fees (except to some of the cave tours like Longhorn Caverns), the membership fee goes towards park conservations, you receive 50% off camping coupons, and members discounts at the state park stores. Bastrop/Beuscher SPs are among some of our favorites, including Pedernales, Enchanted Rock, Lost Maples, and Garner State Parks. Also, as of right now, you do not need a state fishing license to fish inside a state park. So instead of buying a fishing license we buy a state park pass and go fishing in all the different state parks. This policy is not garunteed to continue, but has been active for the past several years.

User: SnickerD - 3/10/2010 [View Log Page]
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Distance: 2.00 Miles Duration: 1 hour

Excellent Hike
User: Veganne - 1/23/2010 [View Log Page]
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Distance: 12.00 Miles Duration: N/A
This is probably one of my favorite places to hike in the area. Lots of nature and wildlife with varying terrain. If you go in the spring, look for baby frogs around the pond area.

pleasant and lots of shades
User: sandew - 5/24/2009 [View Log Page]
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Distance: 5.00 Miles Duration: 3 hours

Rates are now $4 entry to park and the map isn't quiet acurate. A lot of the trees are marked and there are lots of maps when the trails change names. The paper map has different color code for the different types (elevations). Nice and wide most of the time, we did the blue trail which ran into the red trail when heading back to the car. It didn't, instead it runs into the gray trail that will run into red, then the white where we parked. Saw very few campers in the wilderness section or hikers. Good trail when hot, but can see how the drought has kept the man made waterfalls dry and the lake looked very low.

User: Buddahbabym - 4/5/2009 [View Log Page]
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Distance: 7.00 Miles Duration: 4 hours

Get away from it all
User: squidulum - 12/13/2008 [View Log Page]
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Distance: 8.00 Miles Duration: 4 minutes

My husband and I started at the overlook the first time that we did this hike, but we found that if you take Park road C towards Buecher and turn down Hammond road to the right that you can park at the trail there and begin the hike in solitude. This is one of the most peaceful hikes I have been on. At times all you can hear it the wind in the trees. It's wonderful.

Red Trail
User: Miles - 9/7/2008 [View Log Page]
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Distance: 4.00 Miles Duration: 4 hours, 35 minutes

Did a little Geocaching,Hiking on a great day. I was all alone with The Tree People.

User: unclemike - 3/29/2008 [View Log Page]
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Distance: 8.80 Miles Duration: 5 minutes

Only showing last 10 log entries. View All Log Entries

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