Paradise Lost
User:
Lone_Star -
5/3/2013
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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.
Texas State Parks
User:
J3NN1F3R -
12/16/2010
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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.
Gotta love those pine trees!
User:
BANDA -
1/12/2008
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Distance: 10.00 Miles
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What a great hike amongst the pines!
We hiked every one of the color-coded trails (they also have more descriptive names now too) and also a small part of the Lost Pines Trail. What a pretty park! There is some traffic noise from Hwy. 71 in some parts of the park, but other areas are very quiet. The park has one of the best hiking trail maps that I have ever seen from a Texas State park, so be sure to get one before you head out.
On the back side it has some great info on each trail, and a long list of Points of Interest with descriptions and coordinates.
This was a very enjoyable hike!
Nice hike; close to Austin
User:
bqualls -
9/5/2004
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Distance: 8.50 Miles
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The pine forest is a change of scenery for Central Texas. It is refreshing to be amongst tall, proud trees and a clean forest floor. The purple trail is 7.5 miles long. It winds through the pine forest in a relatively flat, nicely groomed manner. I hiked during Labor Day weekend and only passed about 6 other hiking parties on the purple trail. The purple trail has two heads. So to get back to where you started you have to choose a connecting trail. I chose the longer red trail. I was surprised. The 1 mile red trail was the most challenging segment of the trek. The trail was rough with rocks, roots and erosion and it rose and fell with fairly steep grades the entire mile. It was also a bit more crowded. I passed 7 or 8 parties on the short red trail.
User:
Shylock and Fiona -
7/31/2004
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Distance: 6.00 Miles
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We were so happy to have found this amazing park. So beautiful, peaceful and uncrowded (not to mention, "dog-friendly.") WELL worth the park entry fee. The trails are impeccably maintained and color-coded trail system makes it easy to navigate and fun to explore different routes. We intend to come back for some overnight backpacking very soon!
User:
matthewNtime -
3/21/2004
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Difficulty:
Distance: 8.50 Miles
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I hiked this with a Venture troop and we lost the trail more than once. The tree blazes are abundant, but the path is not always well worn, especially as it crosses the gas pipeline right of way.
Orienteering hike
User:
DivasDude -
1/17/2004
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Distance: 4.00 Miles
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Participated in the Orienteering Challenge at the park and ended up hiking cross-country into the northern section of the park. No one was around and it made for an interesting and beautiful afternoon. The only crowded area was the trail section nearest the lodge.
Nice, enjoyable hike
User:
HikerGirl -
9/13/2003
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Distance: 6.00 Miles
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I really liked this hike in that it reminded me of the Piney Woods of East Texas...didn't feel like I was in Central Texas/Hill Country at all! Very shady with all the tree cover and not a lot of people on the hike, except for our large group...and we did pass some boy scouts, too. Will most definitely go back and see some more of this park!
Decent hike
User:
BKanten -
2/17/2003
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Distance: 5.50 Miles
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This was a pleasant hike. I only met one other person. The length was nice for a short afternoon hike. Trails are easy to follow, well marked, and not too hard on the feet. Some places were still wet from rain earlier in the week. The trail crosses creek beds at points, often without a bridge or any other help. Some moderate to steep ascents, but they are brief. Several points to stop to see the lake, picnic, hit the bathroom, etc. Overall, pretty good.