North Area — Colorado Bend State Park Campground

This State Park is beautiful and worth the drive out to the middle of nowhere. This is not Lake Ray Roberts or Eisenhower where the park is a short drive off main roads. Going to this park is a commitment: and worth it. Hiking to the waterfall, mountain biking along the river, kayaking the leisurely Colorado River, it's all great. Vault toilets are clean. Just know it's a low maintenance park which they very clearly state everywhere. Trails are well maintained which is what I cared about. Nice to have a bench, ample parking and restroom at trailhead for the Falls.

Deciphering what's going on with these campsites, however, is a deal. I spent hours before I went trying to figure out what's going on, and still did not "get it right" so I thought I'd try and help out some.

First of all, in the south area, those campsites 1-15, yes, you definitely need a wagon. You park above, go down some stairs and a hill and the sites are in big meadows along the river. I'm not sure why anyone would camp there unless they didn't know, or really wanted to be on the river or had a huge group. It looks very hassle-ish to me and not worth being on the river.

Then you've got 17-21. I read reviews for 17, 18, 19 and 20 and was still unclear. Although in retrospect I did remember reading that 19 was an accessible site which should have tipped me off. I was debating between 19 and 20 and went with 19 for the reviewer who said it had good tree coverage (which it does, over the picnic table. Not the tent space btw, which is in direct sun.)

Pros to 19: you park right next to your campsite. And you're next to the showerhead and water. Cons to 19: Everyone else is also parked right next to your campsite. 19 is directly adjacent to the parking area - and showering area - for Sites 17-21. So when the big group of dads was leaving they powered up their noisy diesel trucks (to charge their phones I guess?) and left them running for 20 minutes while I'm right there in my little campsite 19, which at that point, feels like I'm basically camping in the parking lot!! :) I had bought a wagon - you don't need it here, it's basically a drive up. So, if you need an accessible site and can't get 36-39 or one of the 40s, this is an appropriate option. I am attaching photos. 

17, 18, 20 and 21 are down the hill e.g. down the stairs (which are kind of next to the tent area for 19) to a different meadow than 1-15. 17 and 18 are in their own little meadow area, and 20 is nice, kind of in the middle and has some trees, and 21 over a way from 20. When I was there the group of four dads and four sons were camping in 18 and they had their cornhole, tents, it's a great site for a big group - e.g. as long as you're up for the walk down, preferably with a wagon or many hands, as they had. (Also, you potential 19 campers, visitors over the years have carved a path directly from 18 up the hill - in the photo in those bushes behind the picnic table-that goes through your campsite to the parking area - instead of using the stairs. So all of the boys did this and most of the dads, for convenience, right through my site. I didn't care that much, I've got a teen boy myself - the running trucks were more annoying- but if that's an issue for you, be warned.) 18 is right alongside the river. 17 is fine too, just more of a hike as it's a little farther then 18. If you had a group of like 15 people, 17 and 18 would be nice.

Then you have 40-47. Those are drive up sites with the advantage of a picnic table awning (all except 44, no awning.) Nice BUT be warned (which was a problem with my site, too, 19) from 4-8 PM - which is when you want to be relaxing at your campsite after a big day - you are directly in the sun, which means it is hot and it is buggy. Very hot, very very buggy.

In my opinion, if you're planning ahead, the BEST sites to camp here at this park back up to a cliff-face, 36-39. If you can snag one of those, for sure, do that, is my recommendation. In the late afternoon Texas sun, the cliffs block that sunlight and I sat over there (after the campsites had cleared out) it was breezy, shady, not hot and NOT BUGGY, I guess because of the wind blowing through because of the cliff-face. Very nice. AND drive up. So this is my take. Prime real estate here at CB is these four sites.

24-28 are like 40-47 except not drive up. You park and then take your (hopefully) wagon across a little grassy area to your site.

I cannot really say much about the river backpack sites. I was confused by the map which shows a parking area close to the sites. I did see a parking area at the end, near Grey Fox group, but I never saw any tents set up when I biked the River Trail. But mysteriously, later when I kayaked I DID see a couple tents set up, near the cliffs, along the river, so I really don't know how they got there. Maybe when the River Trail is up in the meadow (there's a section through the meadow, maybe a mile) then that's where the tents are down below on the river? But I didn't see signs from the trail there saying "this way to River Backpack sites." I'm sure I missed the signs bc clearly there's a way to get there that I did not see.

I hope this is helpful. Enjoy this beautiful mecca of wilderness in the middle of the hill country! 

Oh, one final reminder although its said many places and I started with it, this really is not like most of the state parks us North Texans camp at up here where there's at least one shop not too far from the park entrance. There's nothing. Take EVERYTHING you need. The nearest civilization to the campground is a good 45-minute drive. At least. Really about an hour. (which is what makes it so nice and peaceful.) The park store has emergency stuff but that's it.

I came here on a recommendation based in two fellow campers I met from the Austin area while camping near Guadalupe Mountains National Park. Unfortunately, the day I arrived for my one night reservation it had rained all day and I arrived a little bit late. But I got my tent set up just in time and was hoping for the next day to be relatively rain free. Unfortunately, when I woke up the next morning I noted it was to rain in a few hours so I broke camp and unfortunately did not hike to the waterfall.

Now, for the review of the actual campsite...

I arrived after hours and was able to just drive in and go straight to my reserved site, #46. Somehow, I had managed to get the only site without a pavilion over the picnic table in the row of campsites, but that wasn't the end of the world. The sites are large enough and I was able to get set up and cooking shortly after arrival. The trash dumpster was right across from my site but far enough away that it didn't present any smell issues. The restrooms however were less than desirable; the men's was always locked which meant everyone was using the women's side and it looked like it was in sore need of being emptied out.

Cell service was non-existent for Verizon at the site, however the free state park wifi worked in my campsite likely from the nearby park headquarters. Wish I had more time to explore the park and the campsite, as I feel.my time was cut super short. Sometimes that's just how it goes though!

I went with a buddy and we stayed in site 16 in the primitive walk-in site.  It was a gorgeous site right on the Colorado river.  The thing I didn't realize was that in the primitive walk-in site you are in a field, with not really any privacy from any other campers.  If you are thinking that you will have some foliage separation between sites, you won't.  The other thing that other Texas state parks have that Colorado Bend didn't have was showers and a plumbed bathroom.  They have 1 open air shower but it is closed during the winter season.  The bathroom's are simple outhouses with composing bins.  The shop also doesn't take credit cards, and they don't have the firewood vending machines you can access after hours, so if you come one after the shop closes, you will need to bring your own firewood.  We did the Spicewood Canyon trail that has some amazing views from the top of the ridge.  We hit the last mile of the Lemon Ridge trail that then dumped us on the the river trail that created a nice 6.5 mile loop.  It was a good hike that they have listed as "Challenging" but hasn't bad at all.  The north end of the site has the Waterfalls and from what we were told from some people at a neighboring site, that is were a lot of the day use hikers were.  Overall it was a great camping trip in a gorgeous part of Texas, there were just a few things I wish I had known going into the trip.

Park Review

I've visited Colorado Bend State Park a number times and it never disappoints. There are rivers, streams, water holes, trees, caves and plenty of hike and bike trails to explore. 

This park offers drive-up, walk-in, hike-in primitive and group campsites. This park is becoming more and more popular, so it is recommended to reserve a site at least 3-4 weeks in advance or 3 to 4 months in advance for the group sites.

The park is a short distance from the town of Lampasas in the Texas Hill Country. In fact, if you need any supplies you might want to pick them up at the HEB Grocery Store in Lampasas because there are not many easy options for purchasing supplies once you enter the park - it is a long drive out of the park to the nearest store.

The drive-up, walk-in and group sites have a picnic table, fire ring with grill, lantern post, water nearby and restrooms nearby. However, there are no RV hookups. 

The primitive hike-in sites offer a patch of cleared space - no water, no electricity and no restrooms. However, there is plenty of peace and quiet.

My group opted for a hike-in primitive site along the river. Previously, the park allowed campers in the primitive area to simply find a clear patch of space and camp. Recently they instituted a new reservation system which has 8 designated campsites that are reservable. We had campsite 6. I think campsite 7 or 8 would be the best. The hike to these primitive sites is a little under 1 mile, so be prepared to carry your gear. In this area of the park, the Colorado River is a short walk from each campsite; there were a variety of birds at play in the trees; and there were prints and other evidence of wildlife. 

Many people visit this park to boat or fish the Colorado River. A Texas fishing license is not required if you fish within the park boundaries. Check with the Park Ranger for which fish are biting.

Our group was visiting primarily to hike and explore some of the unique features of the park such as Gorman's Cave, Gorman's Falls and the Spicewood Springs trail and water holes.

Overall I believe that our group had a great time and I had the opportunity to explore and discover some new areas of the park.

Product Review

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, from time to time I get products to test. For this trip I was testing the RovR RollR 60 cooler.

The RovR RollR 60 cooler is a rotomolded cooler with wheels, a pull handle and some cleaver attachments. The RollR 60 model holds 60 quarts of content. The company also sells 45 and 80 quart models. Like other rotomolded coolers the walls are thick, insulated and offer great cold storage capability. RovR says that their coolers can hold ice for up to 10 days. We were just camping for a couple of days and it certainly kept our items nice and cold. 

What really separates this cooler from other coolers are some of the unique features. First, the cooler has rugged wheels and a pull handle. For this trip I knew that we had to hike to our campsite for a little under a mile. Under no circumstances would I ever carry a cooler into a backcountry site. However, the RovR RollR worked out perfectly and we were able to haul the cooler with our food and drinks over some pretty rough terrain. The wheels were large enough to roll over rocks, roots and uneven surfaces. The pull handle extends to a convenient hight which allows a person to pull it comfortably without bending over. The pull handle also has grips on each side which allows one person to pull the cooler solo or two people to pull the cooler in tandem. This feature was key and we used two people to pull our cooler over some hills and through some muck. 

Inside the cooler there is a special bin that can hold items that may not need to be chilled like bread, towels or utensils. This feature is so important to keep items separate and dry when moisture develops or the ice starts to melt. The bin itself has an internal divider which further aids with organization. I put my spices and condiments on one side and cooking and cleaning utensils on the other side. I then place my bread on top. The bin is shaped perfectly to hold a full loaf of bread across the bin where it will not get squished. The floor of the cooler is gradually sloped so that when ice does start to melt the resulting water will easily run out of the drain hole. I was so impressed with the overall design of the cooler and the thought that must have gone into the design. I can tell that the designer was a user of coolers with all of the thoughtful touches.

On the outside of the cooler there are a few really unique design features. The cooler comes with a folding tote container which is attached to the top with velcro straps. When not in use the tote folds completely flat, lays on the top and can serve as a cushion for sitting. When needed, the tote can be unfolded and it becomes an additional container which can hold extra gear like a stove, pots and pans, camp chair or paper towels. Brilliant! In addition, the tote can be removed entirely from the top and placed to the side or moved to a picnic table. This is great feature - it is like having two carrying containers in one. There are additional fixtures on the cooler which are designed to attached auxiliary items like a cutting board or drink holders. There is even a fixture which allows one to attach an extension that can be attached to a bicycle. Thus, one can pull the cooler behind a bicycle like a trailer. Ingenious! 

I think that these are just some of the unique features and functions of the RovR RollR cooler. I’m sure that after additional use I will discover other cleaver features that the designers incorporated into this cooler.

I will say that I accidentally and unintentionally abused this cooler on this trip more than I anticipated. We pulled it over rough terrain, up a hill, through muddy water, and let it sit outside all day. After I got home I washed and cleaned it and to my amazement it did clean up easily. The only thing that I did notice was that the tote on top is a light colored silver. Since I dragged the cooler through the mud, some dirt stains showed up easily on the tote. I would probably recommend choosing one of the other tote designs with a darker color to avoid this issue. However, I use my coolers for their functionality and I’m not too concerned that it might look well used. I see myself getting many uses and many years out of this awesome little cooler. I'm thinking about buying the bicycle attachment arm to increase my options even more.

For more info you can visit the company website at: https://rovrproducts.com

Colorado Bend State Park is a small but perfectly positioned park along a bend of the Colorado River. The park has a number of developed campsites with water, electricity and restrooms with sinks, toilets and showers. There is also plenty of open space for primitive camping along the River Trail. These primitive sites are first come, first served. The river always has running water, but the depth varies based on the amount of rainfall in the hill country. I tend to like the primitive campsites where one may place a tent in a clear area or hang a hammock amongst the trees. One of the main features of this park is the river and the easy access for fishing. During February and March there is a white bass run in which anyone with a fishing rod, reel, line and white jig can catch a fish. When wading or swimming in the river take care because the river bottom is mostly jagged limestone and difficult to walk over. If you camp near the primitive campsites, the River Trail runs along the river for about 3.5 miles. Sometimes the trail is cleared, sometimes it is overgrown. At the end of the trail is a beautiful waterfall called Gorman Falls. You can also reach Gorman Falls by driving and parking your car, then hiking about 1/4 a mile. Another feature within the park is a tinaja - a surface depressions formed in bedrock that occur below waterfalls that are carved out by spring flow or seepage. There are some great mountain biking trails in the park. It's a small park, but has some great attractions.

This was my third time visiting Colorado Bend State Park.

It's a bit out of the way for me, so I don't go often, but I always enjoy it when I do.

We camped in a water only site, which is also a walk-in site. You park by the road and then walk down some stairs to the river level, which is where the campsites are. The campsites are numbered, but it is basically an open field.

The water is at the top of the stairs, which can make washing dishes and filling up water jugs challenging, but there are two spigots, which makes it a bit easier.

We decided to hike the Spicewood Springs trail. It was beautiful. There were so many waterfalls and greenery to see. We did have to cross the river a few times, so our feet got wet, but it was fine.

At the end of our hike, we swam in the spring and played in a small waterfall. It was a good way to cool off after a day of hiking.

You can buy ice and firewood at the store, but they only accept cash. To pay with credit/debit, you have to go out of the park.

All in all, a great time,