campermom

This lake is so neat. I decided to invite a few of the college kids from work to head out there for a day trip. We are going this wednesday the 19th and it will no doubt be an experience they will not soon forget. These kids probably haven't swam in a lake like this ever. I kinda feel like a troop leader or something. Look for the rowdy crew daring each other to jump at Devil's Waterhole. Estimated arrival 11am.

Orllas, you all should be getting back soon. Did you have a blast or what? Looking forward to the report.

Orllas

Overall, yes, we had a great time!

We started out up in your general area. Our son had spent the week at his grandparents in Garden Ridge so we headed there Friday night to pick him up. We went to Inks Lake on Saturday and got cabin #8, right on the water. Numbers 7 & 9 had more shade than ours but my wife was thrilled with how close we were to the water. My son and I went to Longhorn Caverns while the wife took a nap. (She had informed us that she intended this weekend to be completely relaxing... she didn't want to lift a finger to do anything.) We all went swimming after the caverns until dinner time. After dinner, we sat around by the campfire roasting marshmallows and just hanging out. We played some cards before turning in for the night.

Sunday, we hit the lake again in the morning. After breaking for lunch, we decided to drive around and check out the rest of the park. We stopped and hiked up to the Devil's Waterhole. My son kept begging us to spend the rest of the afternoon there but my wife had slipped on the trail. She decided that her bottom was a little sore and that she needed another nap. My son and I played cards for awhile and then drove over to see Buchanan Dam. When we got back, it was swimming time again for all of us until dinner.

While we were eating dinner, my wife reminded me that we had to get an early start home on Monday as she had to be back at work after lunch. We decided that we shouldn't ruin the weekend by stressing over it so we packed up and headed home around 9PM.

Overall, we loved the park. Matthew (our son) definately wants to go back, specifically to jump off the cliffs at the Devil's Waterhole. We loved the wildlife... a squirrel kept us entertained when he decided to lie down spread-eagle at our doorstep and we enjoyed the deer wandering through both evenings (especially the 8-pt buck in velvet).

The only negatives were: 1) the heat, it really saps my energy... thank goodness for the lake and a/c, and 2) cabins #19-22 belonged to an extended family; they parked in our two parking spaces, kept hiking through our campsite to get to the lake, and set up their camp chairs in the only shade our campsite offered.

Campermom, enjoy your trip... we sure did.

campermom

Our group met in the parking lot at work at 8:45am. It amazes me how those people who are always late, were early for this. Hmmmmmm. We took 2 vehicles, a 7 seater Ford and my Xterra. There were 10 of us. Upon arrival, we stopped at the store to purchase some rafts and we proceeded to Devil's Waterhole to swim. Several of the crew took the plungle from the 8foot cliff and 2 of those went on to the 20 foot cliff. We went to the picnic tables by the volleyball court for lunch. A small group of skateboarders challenged us to some volleyball. The crew from work had a blast. We returned to DW for more swimming. A couple of the girls who set out to get a sunburn, did just that, and weren't having as much fun during the afternoon. We packed up about 6pm. I had a few more passengers cram into my truck for the ride home. The other truck was going straight back, we were stopping in Llano at Coopers for the best BBQ experience EVER!. ( The cold beer was nice too.) We returned to the store ( where we work) at 10pm. These college kids don't get out to expereince stuff like this. They had a blast. I wonder where we'll go next time. They are already asking.

DALEoutside

Campermom, How great for you to show them such a good time. Hopefully they will build on those memories and keep having that kind of "wholesome" fun! Maybe take them tubing on the Guadalupe next time...?

campermom

Well, thanks for the kudos. I am taking my son to Garner for a quick overnight and have invited the staff for a day trip. A few showed interest in camping also. Should be interesting. I'll let ya'll know how it goes.

iowaguy

Hello everyone. I'm brand new to this messageboard--I hope I can still get some replies

I live in Iowa but I went to college in Canyon, TX and Corpus Christi, TX and during one of those stays I picked up a booklet put out by Texas Travel and Information Division--it was probably printed in the mid 1980's.

I came across the booklet just recently in a box I had stored away.

I now remember why I kept the booklet for so long ! There were photos in that booklet of places I wanted to visit sometime and one of those places was called Devil's Waterhole at Inks Lake Park!

I love the water and I enjoy jumping/diving off stuff so this 'look's like the place to be.

Am I correct?

Is the park safe or does the park have less-than-savory characters hanging around?

I'm just looking to have a nice time in the water and on the rocks and enjoy the wonderful Texas hospitality.

Is lodging near?

Thanks folks!

happybooker1

YES! The cliff at Inks is about 20'-25' above the water. There is a rock that some brave souls climb that is about 15' above that! My son (9) LOVED to jump off the cliff but I absolutely forbade him to climb the rock. That looked too darn scary!!

There are also some good cliffs around Lake Travis on the Lago Vista side. At Canyon Lake there is an island if you have a boat to get to it. The island sides are made of solid blocks of rock & are about 20' above the water also.

I tried to post a pic in the photo section of my son jumping off the INks cliff but I'm never sure if I did it right!! Anyway, the park is great -- we're going back Labor Day!

iowaguy

Thanks happybooker1.

Where do you stay? Do you camp or stay in a hotel?

I imagine the place will be packed on Labor Day weekend, right?

funfinder4

We have been to Inks Lake and absoultely loved it!!!!!!!!! We travel with 2 young kids. We have a RV--I am not sure about the other lodging options. They do have screened shelters there at the state park.

Here is a picture of our campsite right on the lake.
http://new.photos.yahoo.com/rachalex...02994418280/34

Also near by is a cave for exploring at Longhorn Cavern State Park.

happybooker1

I have a pop up so we camp. The rangers are very strict on blatant drinking/drunken behavior. They patrol the cliff area regularly because it's a favorite hangout of the college kids & we did see some (probably underage) drinking going on but the rangers showed up & the revelers disappeared into the bush.

Probably yes it will be crowded Labor Day. My brother's bringing his boat so lots of the time we'll be out on the water. But we'll still find time to visit the cliff!

iowaguy

How did you figure out where you could dive/jump into without hitting an 'obstacle' underwater?

campermom

If you're a nervous nelly ( Mom ) like me, you swim out there, sink down as far as you can go and guess just how deep you are. You can also ask others where the rocks are. There are a couple rocks at the 15 feet deep level. Other than that, I could never touch bottom.

Its a nice park and the rangers do a great job keeping the drinkers in check and they are cool about it. You wouldn't know there was drama on the bank unless you were right there. Stuff like that happens everywhere, and they were trying to hide their drinks. They weren't getting crazy. The rangers have told me that each summer they rescue, even lifeflight 8-10 people a year from over there. Almost all had been drinking and underestimated how far out to jump. How long do you think it would take some one to get help? 1-2 minutes to determine something was wrong, 2-3 minutes to swim out of the lake, 5 minutes to run up the trail to the car, 3-4 minutes to drive to the park store where there is a land line phone and radio, 5-10 minutes for the rangers to launch a boat, 3-4 to get over there, then the time to strap you to a board, load you, drive back to the boat dock, and WAIT for a helicopter to fly you to Austin, 20 minutes away. That Golden hour is shorter when you are out doing exciting things. Have fun and be careful.

happybooker1

Watched the [crazy ] college age kids jumping off and coming up unscathed. My son is 9 and all of 65# soaking wet. I figured if 200# pound males were jumping off and not touching bottom, it was OK for him!