Best Cabin Camping near Smithville, TX

Great staff, sites are a bit tight in our section. Pool and hot tub are in need of updates

It's sad what happened here to the trees in the fire and the lake when the dam burst, but this park is resilient. Please support it by visiting. You can now also walk the old closed golf course. There are little log cabins for rent. I used to live nearby.

RV Park is very well kept. Nice neighbors too. Heated pool/hot tub look nice. Laundry facilities on-site are credit card operated. Landscape company works here once weekly. High volume of guests really require more than once per week trash removal...piles of trash near dumpster overflowing weekly along with recycles. We're here, unfortunately, for 3+ months due to medical necessity. Nearby bike trail has been our saving grace since we'd prefer a state or national park setting. We experienced the Austin winter storm 2021 and although we were without water hookup for 1 week we never lost power.

A little pricey and the prices are subject to change depending on capacity(don't really care for that). Some reviews dock them for the train noises, but we weren't bothered by it at all, especially with AC running.

📋 Site#305:

🔙 Back In🅿 Site Pad: level, concrete, long enough, but a little narrow. Parking spot for tow vehicle next to it💧 Water- good pressure, high enough for filter and everything to hang down⚡ Max amp: 50- had a couple issues with Over Current at first, but it seemed to stay on after that. The Power Watch Dog tripped the power and did its thing.💩 Sewer connection was in good shape. It was a little closer to the front of the site, so I used 2 hoses📶 Wifi- available but I didn’t use it📺I picked up multiple channels just with the antenna. Even GRIT. I escaped the heat in the hottest part of the day.🔥 Fire Ring w/Grate Standing Grill Picnic Table: hexagon shaped. Looked like wood, but was the plastic composite material. Heavy. Two of the overflow parking spaces were on the side of the site, so it was handy. This site is on a corner, so it was a little bigger. There’s a little tree planted there that will give shade in a few years

👎🏻 Cons: 

The site was a little narrow and there’s no widening at the entrance on the back-in sites. You have to bring your good backing skills.

📝 Park Notes:

🚻 Restrooms- very clean and spacious. There are a couple ADA restrooms with showers that can be accessed by wheel chair and multiple household sized showers. Each one is male/female so it would be good for families with children.🚿 Showers had good pressure and multi-function shower heads. Glass doors. Very clean.🧺 Laundry facility had 6 sets of washer/dryers. Credit card or app. No cash.🐕 Off-leash dog park was big and had a separate section for smaller dogs. There was a nice dog wash station near the restrooms. No washing of dogs or rigs at the individual sites.🛒 There was a small store in the main office with souvenir items, a few RV necessities and ice cream.🚶🏻‍♀️ A trail runs along the length of the park along the creek. No getting in the creek though.🏚 Cabins with and without lofts. All have screened in back porches🤿 Pool with shallow end and lounge chairs in the water. A hot tub that will hold about 30 people. You can literally swim across it. Small splash pad area for the kids.Covered pavilion area with large BBQ pits.🔥 Large fire pit with chairs around it🤾‍♀️ Playground equipment, 2 volleyball courts, horseshoes, tether ball, hammocks, tables, porch swing(hanging from a tree), ping pong table🪑 2 group areas, 1 was large and had a view of the pool. Residents can use it at anytime unless someone has reserved it for a private event. They have coffee and condiments there from 8-10am. They had Donuts for Dad for Father’s Day(but open for anyone).🍩☕🦌 Wildlife: Various birds, squirrels🗑 Trash pick up at the sites in the morning Some buddy sites available on the ends of the rows Golf carts are available for rent or you can bring your own Restrooms/Showers/Dog Wash/Dog park are on one end of the park and the Pool/Volleyball/Playground are on the other end by the Office/Store/Event rooms. A golf cart or bike would be handy.🌳 No shade trees on the RV park yet, but young ones are planted💲 Prices fluctuate depending on the demand for spaces📅 There are events in the park on weekends👩🏻‍💼 Staff was very friendly and helpful. Always smiling.

Everything you need is very close. Walmart, Home Depot, Salt Lick BBQ, Dell Diamond, Kalahari Resorts(Indoor water park), restaurants, dancehalls…it’s almost in the City, but doesn’t feel like it. We have had some fun Munzee events in Hutto, so there’s lots around if you enjoy scavenger hunts on your phone.

More info on my website: https://www.denisevajdak.com/2022/06/hanging-out-in-hutto.html

Bastrop State Park, even recovering from the 2011 Bastrop complex fire, is a jewel in the state. Wonderful Depression-era buildings and history, hiking, biking, and camping, including very good cabins and facilities for events, reunions, weddings, etc. Connects to Buecher State Park near Smithville. A great stop between Central Texas and the Piney Woods.

We came here on a day trip and were very pleased with the park. It didn’t really feel like Texas as we walked through the almost tropical looking forest. We enjoyed the lake and rented a paddle boat. We decided next trip we would rent a canoe and head up the river. The park offers camping and cabin for overnight stays.

Cabin staff are available as well as tent campgrounds. Trails are pretty. Beware of snakes, the poisonous kind we saw almost everyday.

Been going here for a few years never really packed . Good for kayaking. There’s a lake and flowing river. Believe San Marcos river. One cabin available for rent

Buesher State park is a great spot to take the family and relax! There is lots to do and it is a pretty good sized Texas park. They have tent, group, and RV sites, along with cabins and screened shelters alongside the lake. You cannot swim in in the lake, but they do have boat and tackle rentals at the park. It makes for a great place to fish with the family.

The park is very shaded with lots of pine trees, but a fire did wipe out a lot of the trees on the Northern side of the park towards Bastrop. So many of the longer trails are not as shaded or are still in the process of repair. I went on a trail that was about 5 miles long and it was very nice. It was moderately challenging, a little muddy, but so much to see. Beautiful wildflowers of ever color were growing and I saw about eight white tail deer. Also a great place to birdwatch and take photography.

The facilities are old, but well maintained and there is a store on site that sales snacks, wood, and souvenirs. The have a nice playground on site for the kids and the campsites are very spacious.

Also if you have the time there is a 12 mile scenic road that connects Buesher State Park with Bastrop State Park that will take you about thirty minutes. It is a twisty, hilly road that has some really great views of fields of wildflowers and tall pines. You can also see where the fire took out part of the forest and is beginning to regrow. Also Bastrop state park is a great place to visit for some challenging hikes!

Bastrop would be a great place for youth groups or family reunions. It has a little for everyone and is conveniently located about thirty minutes from Lockhart where you can get, in my opinion, some of the best BBQ in Texas. This state park has tent, group, RV, group cabin w/ barracks, cabins (some are wheelchair accessible), and a dining hall (also wheelchair accessible).

There is a swimming pool that is run by the local YMCA that is open during the summer, plus a huge playground that has disability swing set, which makes this park a 5 STAR for me. Some of the building were burned down in a fire six years ago and have since been replaced, so the bathroom and other facilities are brand spankin new!

There are some great fishing spots along with some of my favorite hiking trails. My favorite trail is the scenic overlook trail which starts at the top of the lookout and travels 2 miles down through wildflowers and over streams. It is a shorter trail, but it is a more challenging one. Some of the longer trails have been closed since the fire and flood, but you can connect a few of the others to make for one good one. Everything is so colorful here.

The walk-in tent sites are some of my favorites. The have a wonderful look and feel to them. Very scenic and off on their own away from noise from other campers. Also don’t forget to take the 12 mile scenic drive over to Buesher State park, it is well worth it!

Buescher State Park is about 40 miles outside of Austin and a short drive from Bastrop Texas. The park is great for campers who like to fish. The 25 acre park lake offers some great shoreline and kayak or canoe fishing. You can rent a canoe or bring your own. You can use the boat launch or enter the lake from the Lakeview Campsite. The campsite have flat concrete pads for campers and RVs. The sites have good tree cover and a nice level of privacy which can be rare at state sites. They have all the facilities you need from group recreation facilities to new cabins on the lake. The campground was less than half full in June. They have a tackle loaner site and a small camp store.

We stopped here for an overnight stop on our road trip. The staff was very helpful when we called to reserve a spot earlier in the day. The park is clean with level spots. It looks like there are a lot of people who stay for extended periods. We got a neat treat at check-in with recommendations for more treats in town. The office also has a cute shop with the basics, if you need them, and some gifts. There are also a couple of cabins available if you don't have a camper.

Pros:

• Quick check-in

• 176-acre park with 40 campsites on the south shore of Lake Bastrop.

• Level site concrete pad surrounded by crushed granite.

• Aluminum picnic table, lantern pole, BBQ grill and fire pit with cooking grill.

• Cleaned BBQ grill and fire pit upon arrival.

• Very private as the site was surrounded by heavy brush.

• Even though Spring Break and the campground was packed, it was quiet.

• Firewood is available for purchase from Park.

Cons:

• LCRA $6 on-line reservation fee.

• Long waits for toilet/shower. All are family type facilities with the toilet, sink and shower as one unit behind a lock door, so one showering person ties up a toilet. There are 8“units” for 40 campsites PLUS cabins.

• Toilets/showers could of used more frequent cleaning as they are heavily used.

We loved everything about Son’s River Ranch! The staff is great, the place was very clean and we had a blast! Our glamping cabin was nice, it was well worth the money to not to have to set up a tent and do all that work. Plus the AC kept us very cold and comfortable at night and the kitchenette had everything we needed to cook and make meals. We rented a cabana for the day too and it was fun to hang out and relax by the river and BBQ. The next day we tubed and kayaked. They have a wristband you can buy for the day that is good for unlimited kayaking and tubing, we did both! The trip took about 2 hours by tube and an hour by kayak. They have shuttles to bring you back up to River Ranch when you are done. I highly recommend this place!

The park only has six campsites left. The rest have been converted to rentals of Airstreams or large tents for $150+ a night. There are three pretty good sites for large rigs in the interior and three camp sites facing the lake right next to each other. The trails and kayaking are great. Nice showers. I was here during the week and there were two large trailers and all the rentals were empty.

The weather and the calendar aligned and there happened to be an open spot, so I took it, loaded up and headed out. 

Length of Stay: 2 Nights

Type of Park: State 

Check In: 2p Check Out: 12p

💲 Cost per night$25+$5 entry fee per person per day 
Discounts: Texas Parks Pass Total Cost$25

📝 Site#24 Notes:

Pull Thru
Water
Max amp: 50 
Sewer
Grill
Fire Ring w/Grate
Hook for hanging lantern or other items
Picnic Table: concrete Site Pad: level, asphalt, long enough for truck and trailer and extra space

👍🏻 Pros:
• Full hookups
• Overlooking hillside
• No one was camping on one side of me
• A little shade in the afternoon
• A couple tall Loblolly Pines still stand at this site

👎🏻 Cons:
• Because so many of the trees are missing, you hear more of the road noise from Highway 21 and 95
• No privacy between spots
• Spot is barely off main road

📝 Park Notes:
• Restrooms
• Showers
• Dump Station
• Munzees and Geocaches in the Park
• Trails- some are pretty challenging, steep
• Pool
• Pavilion
• Cabins
• Structures built by CCC(Civilian Conservation Corps)
• When you enter Bastrop or Buescher, You can drive or bike between the parks(11 miles@ 30 mph max), but I would not tow/drive an RV.

🐦 Wildlife:
• Birds: Woodpeckers, Cardinals, Bluejays, Mockingbirds, Misc small birds

💜 Highlights of this trip:
• Drove around this park and to Buescher State Park
• Made a run through Buc-ee's
•🍕 Neighbors Kitchen& Yard- I definitely recommend the Pepperoni Rolls and the Prickly Pear Margarita! Great view overlooking the Colorado River. Live music sometimes.
• Camping alone
• Glad I went when I did. The very next day, a "controlled" burn got out of control and burned over 800 acres!

More info at my blog: https://www.denisevajdak.com/2022/01/mlk-weekend-camping.html

Absolutely recommend this park! It’s a very well kept, peaceful getaway from reality. I have been camping here for years. My favorite no doubt. There are so many trails to walk! Playgrounds for the children, and the river is a short walk from you’re camp.