Torchpen

My girlfriend and I would like to camp a couple days this weekend before I go on a month-long trip abroad. I have never camped before, but she's camped a fair amount, mainly in Colorado. We live in Austin, TX and would like to stay within a 4 hour drive.

We'd like someplace with trails, water (fresh or sea), and wildlife. Showers would be nice as well. Also, maybe a nearby town or city where we can perhaps have some other things to do.

Any suggestions? I was thinking of Mustang Island, but others have said that sand is a major nusance.

lost_but_found

Try Colorado Bend State Park or Lost Maples State Natural Area, although, niether are real close to a city. Enchanted Rock State Natural Area is fairly close to Fredricksberg, which has some cool places to shop and eat, but it can be quite crowded and there isn't always much water. But it is very beautiful and worth seeing once! There are quite a few good places to camp within a few hours of Austin, just take a look at the parks link to the left on this site.

Good luck!

migration

No sand camping unless you have a platform area above ground--tent in back of truck etc--sand is awesome in its ability to get everywhere you don't want it--mainly food and goods.