Lake Brownwood State Park Campground

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.

  



Lake Brownwood State Park + Swimming + Boating + Fishing

It was a rainy weekend but enjoyable. Some nice trails along the lake. Got a tour of the group barracks. Sun finally came out on the last day enough for me to kayak. I was the only one out on the lake.

Rainbows and kayaks

1.  Take plenty of water, Insect repellent, and sunscreen with you if you decided to bike the **Nopales Ridge Trail** in the middle of June. Note that there are several areas along the trail where you may need to carry your bike.
2.  There are **air conditioned cabins** available, many with lakeviews.
3.  There are at least two **floating piers** (with lights!) and one wooden fishing pier (with lights!).
4.  The park has many trees and is beautifully maintained.
5.  The public facilities (restrooms, showers, picnic areas) were clean and usable. Toilets flushed, TP was available, there was cold AND hot water, overhead lights worked, mirrors above sinks were usable
6.  It is well worth the time to visit the beautiful and elegant **CCC Lodge**.
7.  **Black ants rule the park. Plan accordingly.**

Great place for camping and fishing

Enjoyed our time at Lake Brownwood SP!  Stayed at Campsite 50.  It was close to the restrooms, but it was a private site.  Hiked the Lakeside Trail and the lake was perfect for our kayaks!

Campsite 50

Lake Brownwood State Park.
We had a great time over here, not the biggest park but still very enjoyable we rode our bikes a lot there are a 3 miles bicycles, trail plus a hiking trail, and a few small trails around the park. The RV sites are not very private but still, it was a good time, because of the rain the previous nights we were able to do a fire finally. It seems like a good place for fishing there were plenty of people doing that also.￼

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.

Gorgeous CCC Cabins & Nice Campground

Nice RV sites and CCC built cabins on a relatively low traffic lake. There are many stone works from the CCC including benches and tables at some sites. We stayed in the Comanche trails loop which is part RV sites and part tent sites. I really liked it, compared to the other 2 RV loops we saw. There are some medium length hiking trails with lots of deer, feral hogs, snakes, skunks, raccoons, armadillo and more to see. The lake has a nice grassy shaded swimming area. We saw plenty of people fishing. Overall a very nice park that I'd visit again. 