City: Austin, TX

Category: Parks & Recreation

Telephone: (512) 321-2101

Description: This 3,503-acre park 32 miles east of Austin is popular, perhaps because its landscape is so different from the surrounding countryside. The park is home to the “Lost Pines,” a forest of pine trees (Texans call them “piney woods”) that would seem to be more at home in East Texas. During the Depression, the Civilian Conservation Corps built several log cabins at the park, which are now popular for family getaways. There are 12 cabins accommodating from 2 to 8 persons. Reservations and a deposit are required. All cabins have bathrooms, kitchen facilities, air-conditioning, and wood-burning fireplaces. Prices range from $65 to $110. For reservations call (512) 389-8900. No pets are allowed except for those aiding the physically challenged. The park also has camping facilities, a swimming pool open in the summertime, fishing on a 10-acre lake, hiking, golfing on a 9-hole course, and hiking trails. Park rangers offer guided nature tours, popular from Jan to Mar during the breeding season of the endangered Houston toad. Scenic Park Road 1 connects with Buescher State Park, 15 miles east.