Lake Brownwood State Park Campground

It's a good park and all but there are things that I feel need to be addressed though whether anything changes or not is another. One can only hope for better. 

Pro's: It is a pretty park and has plenty wildlife to enjoy if that's your thing. The staff are nice.  The lake is beautiful. I see boaters who appear to be enjoying the water. Very pretty park.

Con's: People don't always respect your privacy at your site. We stayed more than a week and people would randomly walk through our site instead of walking around to get to their site. Not everyone did this but there is always those who don't care about respect & courtesy. 

Another thing that we found to be rather annoying was people who walk their dogs into reserved but empty sites or even occupied sites right where people have to walk when camping and letting their dog poop and not pick it up. That is one of the most disrespectful things a camper can do in a park. Hands down anyone who does this should have dog poop put right on their front porch steps. Just saying...

Also, when a sign says "One Way", it says that for a reason. Drivers should pay attention better so it doesn't cause any issue. 

Again, it's a nice park but so many people who decide to camp don't care about following rules or respecting another campers space.

The remarkable area of this park lies not in it's campground loop. The loop is pretty, lovely even, and it looks like a lot of other campgrounds on a beautiful lake. But take a walk along the lakeshore trail and see the cabins, dance hall, and steps constructed by the CCC and you'll be transported back in time. In 8.5 years on the road, I've never been more tempted to go inside than by these simple, lovely, stone structures.  Just a bed, small kitchen, table, and a bathroom complete with vintage rustic decor, and that's all you'll think you ever need.  So adorable!

But this is a campground review so let's get back to it. The campground seems like the perfect bustling summertime holiday vacation spot. It's set up more like a city park with lots of open space and grass, than individual sites carved out of the woods. Walking around during winter, you can imagine the families gathering at the water, renting stand-up paddle boards, playing volleyball, or chasing a frisbee into the water. It has a reputation for being a place where families gather year after year, and I can see why. There are electrical/water sites as well as tent only sites right by the water, which really have the best location in the park. The bathroom is a little dated, but functional and clean with hot showers. 

Brownwood is within a 20 minute drive and has all the services of a modern suburban city. There are several trails throughout the park, but getting out on the water seems to be the focus of this park.

I would rate this park 3.5 out of 5 stars. The park has a variety of facilities which earns it a 4 star rating. But the quality of the facilities only earns it a 3 star rating. So it averages out to 3.5 in my opinion.

Lake Brownwood State Park is pretty much located in the center of Texas. However, it is a bit of a drive from many of the major cities like Houston, San Antonio, Austin and Dallas. It is fairly convenient to reach from Abilene and San Angelo. If you need to pick up camping supplies there are grocery stores and sporting good stores in the nearby town of Brownwood.

The main attraction of the park is that it is situated on the shores of Lake Brownwood. There are ample opportunities to take advantage of lakeside activities like swimming, boating and fishing. There are a variety of camping options with tent sites, cabana sites and RV sites. At most of the sites there are nice oak trees that provide shade and can support a hammock. Note that Texas State Parks require 2 inch suspension straps when hanging a hammock. There are boat ramps, fishing piers and a loop hiking trail. The hiking trail is a loop trail, fairly level, but I would say moderately interesting. The real attraction of this park is the lake.

Some of the facilities such as the restrooms and the cabanas are a bit dated and could benefit from an update. The staff was very friendly when I visited. And the other campers were respectful.

I would like to say that I visited the park during a weekday when the park had few visitors. However, I've heard that on the weekend the park fills up quickly and can be quite busy.