Best Glamping near Lampasas, TX

Pace Bend is one of my most favorite places to camp in Texas.

Not far from the old (and new!) Backyard (a great place to see live music in the live oak capital of Texas), Pace Bend is a quick drive away. A perfect spot to pitch a bunch of tents, jump off cliffs, swim and barbeque. Maybe 45 minutes from downtown Austin (without traffic).

I won't lie the cliff diving kinda freaks me out. Be careful is all I'm saying!

There are several primitive campsites throughout the park with picnic tables, grills and toilets. Additionally there are 20 RV hook-up type sites that offer running water, electricity, restrooms and showers.

Natural springs w/tent & RV camping (NO PETS), fishing, kayaking, lake access, hammock areas and day use picnic w/grills. CASH ONLY FACILITIES!! Family owned. Beautiful Butterfly garden great for yoga, reading or enjoying the mind of a gardener. Several RV w/H20 & electric hookups (reservations required). Tent sites are not #, random locations (30 acres), plentiful and 1st come 1st serve. Toilets/showers near RV sites, portable toilets farther out. Pack it in/out, dumpster at office area. Love this place and grateful the owners share their haven with the public!

Pros:

• Very small park

• Great view of the lake as trees/shrubs are minimal

• Clean campsite except for the trash in the fire pit

• Most sites had 2 sewer hookups.

• Most sites had a nice distance from neighbor sites.

• Crushed granite surrounds the site parking pad so no muddy mess after rain

• Lantern pole, BBQ grill, fire pit with grilling grate and wooden picnic table at each site.

• Extremely clean restrooms/shower facility.

• Heated restrooms/shower facility(we camped the week after Christmas).

• Restroom/shower facility sink had hot water and soap dispenser

• Mini golf course in the park.

• 2 bar signal AT&T

Cons:

• With reservations made 153 days prior to arriving for our 4-night stay, we encountered confusion by a rude check-in clerk who told us to come back at 3 pm (it was then 230pm and we could clearly see our campsite was vacant). Since the entry lane was down to one lane, we tied up traffic for nearly 20 minutes until the check-in clerk finally realized that we were camping and not checking in for their cabins. I’m not sure why she didn’t see our truck and 28 ft bumper pull trailer.

•$6 fee to reserve on-line.

• No mention on the park website there was a burn ban in effect, so no ground fires permitted, not even for cooking.

• No site privacy due to minimal trees/brush throughout the park.

• Campsite BBQ grill and fire pit were next to each other, so it would have been difficult to gather around the fire pit.

• Good condition asphalt site parking pad was uneven side-to-side as we noticed nearly all sites in that condition with all requiring leveling.

• NOT A DARK SKY FRIENDLY CAMPGROUND! Numerous street lights throughout this camping loop and unfortunately we had one directly across from our site#11 which lit up our site like daylight! Who camps under a street light???

• Non-stop highway noise, even throughout the night, from Texas 261.

• Doors on toilet stalls were only 5 feet tall.

• Lots of large roadway speed bumps.

• No hiking trails.

• No park WIFI 

We used Black Rock as our “jumping off point” for various Hill Country Holiday Light displays, which worked out very well. Kingsland is closer to the park than Burnet where there is a HEB, Ace Hardware, Dairy Queen and local restaurants. Closest Walmart to Black Rock is in Marble Falls, along with a HEB.

We had a 3 night stay here and it was our first experience with a COE campground. It is located on Belton Lake. It is a gated entrance and the gates locked at 11:00pm. Our site was situated at the end of the loop and it was very spacious. It had water/electric with a dump station. It had a picnic table and fire pit. It also has a laundry room near the entrance. There is a playground, restrooms, and showers. There is also a boat dock. It is a very well kept campground. I did not use the bath house, so I cannot give a review on how it looked. The laundry room was spacious and the machines were in working order. It was a perfect campground. My review would have been 5 stars but there is no swimming area.

This may be our new favorite of the COE's we have experienced. It's location close to Georgetown, Texas and all it has to offer, the shaded shelter over the table and the spectacular views... It's another amazing week of perfect lakefront living. The Cedar Breaks Park COE campground sits on the Lake Georgetown reservoir formed on the San Gabriel River. Our site is ideal for both sunrise and sunset color displays with stunning rocky cliff shoreline views. Super sweet spot with asphalt pad, 50/30/15 amp electric, water, fire pit, grill and a covered picnic table shelter with a path down to the perfect swimming hole...and 58 others. The 26 mile San Gabriel River Trail is accessible from the park and fishing for the anglers in your group. The nearby town of Georgetown has a historic downtown filled with shops, eateries, and fun stuff...plus the area has wineries, breweries, museums and entertainment. Austin is just 25 miles. The America the Beautiful pass makes the per night price a true bargain! Easy access from I-35 GPS 30° 40' 5.2680"-97° 44' 15.2412" l 2100 CEDAR BREAKS RD GEORGETOWN, TX 78633 l 512-930-5253

This is a review of the established campsites at Russell Park along the San Gabriel River Trail. Reservations for campsites can be made through (877) 444-6777 or www.recreation.gov.

These are drive up campsites where you may park your car next to your assigned site. The campsites have a sun awning, picnic table, campfire pit/grill. Russell Park has 27 tent-only sites with no utilities. Check-in time for reservations is 3 pm and check-out time is 2pm. There is a designated swimming area within the campground. 

One of the advantages of this park is that it sits along the San Gabriel River Trail. The trail circles Lake Georgetown and is 26.2 miles. It passes through forests, grasslands, over some small hills and across a few tributaries. I'd say that 40% of the trail has some tree coverage, but 60% is exposed. In the summer be aware that the combination of the temperature and the exposure makes this trail uncomfortable to hike. Take precautions, drink lots of water and stay in the shade all that you can. While you are walking within site of Lake Georgetown, it is not always convenient to access the water. So carry plenty of water. 

The trail is getting more and more popular with backpackers, so it is likely that you may see others on the trail. On weekends you may encounter scout troops practicing. During the weekdays you may not see a single person. Dogs are allowed on the trail, but it is nice to keep them on lease.

The sites are large which means you aren't right on top of your neighbors. Lots of shade. Each site has its own shelter with picnic table, grill and fire pit. Electric and water but no sewer. The sites along the outside of the loop have lake views and are level. The sites along the inside are scary unlevel! Some of the big rigs were backed in and jacked up 4 feet or so in front. Saw a lady break her ankle stepping out of her camper. Be prepared to level your camper! I suggest odd numbers 19-35 and even numbers 36-42 as the most level sites with the best lake views.

The park has hiking trails, boating and swimming access, but none of these are accessed right at the camp area.

Restrooms are very basic with no hot water. They were clean but a little creepy for showers. I used the toilets there during the day and my camper shower and toilet at night.