Muleshoe Bend Recreation Area

Booked this place last minute based on previous reviews. This place is not what I would call a quiet getaway.  Sites are somewhat large,  some without any trees or shade which is torture most of the year in Texas heat. Be warned that if you stay at sites 1-12 you are right next to the boat ramp where people will be loading/unloading at all hours of the night. Its 5 am currently and I have been bombarded with diesel engines and bright lights directly into my campsite since 3 am. Picture below of the view from my tent as they unload another boat.  
The prices are $10 more than some surrounding area spots that offer much more than this place.  Look elsewhere if you desire a place to relax and enjoy nature. 


No quiet getaway 

I have not camped out here, but have made a few day trips. There are a few miles of hike and bike trails, but I HIGHLY suggest coming out here during Bluebonnet season. It is Absolutely  beautiful!!!

Bluebonnets 

If you're able camp here in the middle of the week for almost an interrupted solitude. Because there isn't much to do out there you may well be the only person. On the weekends when the weather is nice it will fill up for the most part. My favorite sites 27 for the privacy, followed by 24 because it's off the road and not close to other sites. The sites  in the teens can be really close together, and some sites have better shade trees than others. In the month of April the bluebonnets are incredible and every time I've been there there have been tons of deer, probably the name sake of this place. Take a kayak with you for a nice calm paddle.  There are a couple of  pit toilets scattered throughout the campground but no showers. Most sites come with a fire pit but you'll need to bring your own firewood.

Quiet getaway close to Austin

This is an LCRA park on Lake Travis with primitive sites. Mainly tent camping. There's a trail system that weaves around in a big circle mainly used by mountain bikes but perfectly good for hiking too. Others have commented about the bluebonnets, but really, now that the lake is up, the area where the flowers were is now covered by water. Fish on!

On the lake

Muleshoe Bend has well-spaced out campsites right next to the water- super serene! There's lots of shade at the campsites and each site has a picnic table.

It's worth mentioning the campground doesn't have running water or electric hook-up at the campsites, and only one flushing toilet at the entry, but there are lots of port-a-potties spread out and not too far from any given campsite. The port-a-potties are pristine. Seriously, as someone who's pretty adverse to port-a-potties I don't know that I've seen better maintained ones ever, so don't let this fact dissuade you!

There are some nice trails for mountain biking or hiking.

And the hosts are seriously some of the nicest people I've ever met.

Overall I recommend!

Pro-tip, avoid spot 8, 9 or 17 &lt; those spots don't have shade.

4 stars for not having flushing toilets or water at the campsites, but otherwise, perfect.

Serene water-side campground

Set on the lake, muleshoe recreation area is run by the LCRA. Clean camp sights dotted a long the lake offer access to the water. With 10 miles of hacking/biking trails that are mostly under tree cover, the park offers a nice amount of day hiking. There is a water access point as well as 1 outdoor shower up by the main gate. Fire wood can also be purchased here. (Grills and fire rings at camp sights.). Very friendly staff. 

Enjoyable spot by the lake

This was only about an hour from Austin. There was only one campsite available and thankfully it was not on the 1-12 strip which apparently is really loud. Our stay was pretty quite and there’s a decent amount of space between camp grounds. It was $25/night and included a charcoal grill, a fire pit, and a picnic table. My campsite was pretty shaded and the outhouse wasn’t too far of a walk. They have an outdoor shower at the entrance as well as a filtered water/ice machine. 

Nice easy getaway

We booked Muleshoe excited about the views. We were very disappointed. There were stickers/burs everywhere so our dogs were very uncomfortable. I couldn’t tell from the pictures, but Muleshoe is very out in the open so you’re really exposed to the wind and have zero privacy. Totally fine if you’re cool with that, but it made it another negative for us. There was a large family/group next to us who was obnoxious and loud until 10:30 so we couldn’t enjoy camping peacefully as you would hope. 

PS if you need a plug, check the closet in between the bathrooms at the front gate. That was the one positive about this place(batteries died on my air pump)…if the door isn’t locked. 