SunshineSnuz

October seems to be pretty much shot for us so our next trip looks to be the first weekend in November... the big question is WHERE?
Due to time constraints I'm trying to keep this trip within two hours of Austin.

Right now I'm looking at South LLano River SP or Canyon of the Eagles.

I'm aware that South Llano will have a large part of the park closed for the turkeys.. has anyone ever camped there during this time? How easy is it to access the river? Are the other trails nice? Is the park crowded during that time of the year or is it a little more 'slow' due to half the park being closed?

As far as Canyon of the Eagles.. anyone have an opinion? We were thinking it might be a good time to go b/c of the eagles migrating back to town... is there enough other stuff to do to keep busy during that time of the year?

Any other suggestions? We're tent campers (not backbacking!! LOL) that prefer to be some place that offers fishing and abundant wildlife. Daughter is almost seven so something that offers fun for the kids is a plus (altho, she just enjoys the whole experience so no biggie). Oh, and Bathrooms and HOT showers is a must. Shoot I'm really not that picky. hahah.

So, whatcha all think? Y'all have any places that u PREFER to go to in the winter months?

Thanks in advance!:cool:

Shannon

You might look into Choke Canyon State Park in Calliham and Three Rivers (there are two units, the Calliham Unit is the one we have camped at but we also drive through the Three Rivers unit to go birding and see the dam.)

It's between 2 hours 20 minutes and 2 hours 40 minutes from Austin.

Wildlife viewing is prime for white-tail deer (extremely tame, due to years of being fed by "generous" visitors... don't feed 'em!) and wild turkey. Bird species are also abundant and easily viewed, including golden-fronted woodpecker, red-winged blackbird, and numerous shorebirds. Fishing in the reservoir appeared to be quite good. Fish species include: catfish, carp, freshwater drum, and several species of bass.

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MissionCamper

Loads of state parks in central Texas...take your pick!

Have never been to either of your choices, but have 'heard' good things about C.O.T.E.

As noted, Choke Canyon SP - Calliham unit is the one you'd want to camp. The South Shore unit is not nearly as nice...and is currently open for day-use only, so it's academic anyway. I've camped the Calliham unit on 3 occasions in as many years and it is a great park for wildlife viewing.

Further south near Mathis is Lake Corpus Christi SP...another very nice park.

Be aware, Snowbirds will be making their way down around the time you intend to camp, so these parks may be busy until they reach the valley.

rockhill

canyon of the eagles and the vanishing river cruise make for a nice weekend. The time we stayed there we cheated and rented a cabin so i can not comment about the campsite. I beleive you would find plenty to do.

Turn Key

Looked at Canyon of the Eagles in spring 2005 while we were camped at Inks. Very nice with some pretty good facilities. If you want to tent camp, sans "hook-ups", they have a very nice wooded area for this. Park is at the northern end of the lake and when we were there, the park's entire lake front was covered with dead-fall that had been washed down from the spring run off. Not very nice at the time but I would assume it's been dealt with. Have been wanting to do the river cruise but it just hasn't worked out as yet. We often camp at Inks Lake SP so I'm sure we'll do the cruise at some point. In our opinion, if we're going to be in that area, we much prefer Inks Lake SP.

As far as South Llano SP goes, I've always enjoyed that park where DW doesn't care for it as much. Very quite park with an older group that frequents it. Wonderful "birding" with a number of very nice blinds set up. Unless something's changed, this park has about the best in the way of Park Hosts. They keep all the facilities in imaculate (sp?) shape. River is great for tubing in the summer and fishing is fair to good. May be "down" now due to our on-going lack of rain. You can walk to part of the river from the camping area or drive to another section. Not a lot for the kiddos except for the river and there isn't a lot in the immediate area. Of course, your close to all the great stuff in the Hill Country.

For my money and given the kiddos, I'd look close at Inks Lake SP. Great park and much more to keep the kids busy.

Let me know if I can help more and,

Happy Camping!

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campermom

I've also heard wonderful things about Canyon of the Eagles. They can set you up with a fishing guide, you can eat in their fancy restaraunt, or just hang out and camp. A co worker told me he was just up there about a month ago now and they took a guided fishing trip. He can't wait to go back. ( Yea, he caught fish, of course he wants to go back.) We might try it in the spring when the eagles are near.

SLRSP is where we'll be in November. We met the nicest couple at Garner last year, visited them at Brazos Bend, and they are hosting SLRSP Nov and Dec. We're hoping to bring a few cubscouts with us. We've camped there in the spring, part of the park was closed, but you could still enjoy the river near the entrance, and they also opened up all of the Walter Buck WMA for hiking. Be careful, what looks like a short 2 hour hike is really four+. With so much wildlife, and few noisy kids to bother them, the animals are easily found at SLR. We've seen Javelinas, turkeys, deer, bunnies, coons, dillos, a fox, and plenty of neat birds, including a kingfisher, wilson's oriole, and painted buntings. There are so many painted buntings. Turnkey is right, there are more grammpas at this park, but I enjoy the solitude. The park superintendent is a very nice guy and the staff super friendly. Restrooms are always clean, WAY better than Inks. My son won't even shower at Inks. (He remembers the scorpion event). The fishing at SLP is better than Perdernales. It's great when they stock the rainbows in Jan/Feb. The deep hole at the park entrance is where the trout will stay, ( if you ever get to go during the winter). There is a small lake there, "buck lake" which has some perch. It's not to far from the camping area. You might check to see if it's in the closed part or not.

We've camped there 3 times now. Be sure to check your kids for ticks when you shower, and when you get home. They are so small, and until they've latched on for a day, they are skin colored. My son's had 2. No biggie.

SunshineSnuz

Thanks for all the input/ideas!!

We still haven't quite decided where to go yet but I think we're leaning towards SLRSP. I tried calling them yesterday to get more info but there phone was always busy. SIgh. Oh well, guess I'll just have to try again.

A friend happened to mention Oak Thicket park in La Grange (Lake Fayette)... Anyone ever been or camped there? Any comments?

Thanks again! Have a great weekend y'all! :cool:

SunshineSnuz

Oh, and I just realized I've neglected Guadalupe State Park... still plenty to do in November? How's the river?

Thanks again!!

remcycle

Yay! I just picked up three straight days at Inks (Nov 10-12). I just got back from my last trip three days ago and already I can't wait to get back outside.

Which brings to me why I'm replying here...we did two nights out at Canyon of the Eagles and loved it! The sites there, well, it's obvious they used to be "primitive", then they just ran a water line down there for everyone. They were gorgeous, though. We had some nice wildlife come through our site (a couple of coons, a fox, and a neat Praying Mantis that my daughter just loved!) and being able to retreat to the lodge for a hot shower, live music or a dip in the pool was very nice as well. I imagine the winter months up there are nice too, what with the river cruise and the outdoor fireplace to get warm by. I'd recommend sites 16 or 17 for the most space (17 is definitely the most private and convenient to toilets and trash), but the lower numbered sites have some nice lake frontage (when the water isn't 20 feet down).

On top of it all, everyone was just extremely friendly and always willing to lend a hand. I will definitely return, and I think you'll really enjoy it if you give it a shot.

Oh, and I'm a newbie here, so Hello Everyone!

Cajun Camper

Cool! We just got back from Inks. I should have a video tomorrow. Get a Kayak!

Inks was great, just shop BEFORE you go. The nearest stores are literally over the hills and through the woods. The park store sells wood for $3.15 a bundle and plenty of $4.00 wood at the honor stations.

We were the last stop before Devil's Water hole and it was fine - just a haul down the trail to carry gear. There are some NICE spots, right on the water that I want next time.

Great staff and park rangers there. It was crowded, but still plenty of space.

You'll really enjoy it!

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