I chose this campground for its amenities, low cost and proximity to my friend's home in College Station. As a solo traveler, I thought the gated access would make me feel safer. Unfortunately, I felt very isolated and fearful when I heard voices outside my camper at 2 a.m. I've since learned that the place is quite the college hangout and not well patrolled. The attendant at the gate didn't seem to know much about anything. He told me there was no dump station. There was. And there was an initial mix up on site numbers. In all, I think this place could be a great asset to the area with just a bit of TLC. I saw there are kayak rentals. The sunsets were spectacular. I wanted to explore the trails but after the nighttime experience, I questioned safety. read more

Lake Bryan - Sunset - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Bryan, Texas

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Thanks to BVMBA for maintaining the trails. That's the main reason I visit this park. I do appreciate the recent change in how the gate works! Paying upon exit keeps the traffic from backing up out to the main road (especially with the big trucks and boats.) read more

Lake Bryan - Volunteers out for trail maintenance - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Bryan, Texas

This was our first time at Lake Bryan and definitely not our last. I had no idea that there were trails out there! Although the trails cater more towards mountain/trail bikers, it is still perfect for walking. The trails were clear and maintained, just make sure to be aware of wildlife. The cost was $5.00 per vehicle to enter, which is not a bad all day price! There is so much to do! The lake is just absolutely beautiful, and although we went on a chilly overcast day, it was still a sight to enjoy. There is also a restaurant called the Cadillac Ranch that we will have to try next time! I can't wait until summer, when the weather is warmer to enjoy all the amenities. read more

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Staff was disrespectful to me leaving the park. I had no clue that you had to pay at the end normally you pay when you enter a park. No big deal that's fine. What wasn't fine was when I asked if we needed to speak with the booth when we exit, the operator, who was tall and older man talked down to me like I was a child. It was hard to believe. I hope he was just having a hard day. I've been there. But even as the EntiTy I'm not that evil. Then when I asked about there pay at the end policy he said "you missed a giant banner up the road that explained buddy" I smiled and paid and drove off but I did not appreciate that comment and putting me in that disrespected position in front of my family. We would have had different words if they weren't there. -Occurred 9/27/24 in the evening- The eNtiTy did love the sunset it was pretty damn good, very evil. read more

costed $5 per person and the fee was charged on the way out. no ticket or pass to leave & return later with. pretty busy and staff wasn't particularly helpful. pretty nice beach on the lake tho. read more

Lake Bryan - bench - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Bryan, Texas

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It's one of my bigger disappointments. Decent people shouldn't go here. They'll be happier somewhere else. Spike strips are generally a sign that a location is locked into a death spiral, and this is their answer to too many visitors with a total disregard or disrespect for anyone and everything. The bathrooms alone were a health hazard. Defecation, urine, piles of paper, swarms of insect.. I'll stop there. Both days droves of people arrived in junk cars with 5-8 people crammed into them. Loud music dusk till dawn. Parking in your campsite, walking through the site, throwing up, and urinating in your site. You have absolutely no protections here. I wouldn't return here if they gave me a lifetime membership. The only solution I can think of would be raising the day use 5x or more. They won't do it till someone gets shot. Also, there's no shower, which by itself is a hard pass for most campers. That all said, which was quite a bit, the park has amazing potential. It's quite pretty. There are kayaks and paddleboards for rent, a few trails, and a bar and grill on site. I wish it were better maintained, policed and had some sense of order/saftey. I would caution anyone wanting to visit here not to do it Fri-Sun. I expect our impression would have been better mid week, but as it was, the experience was unforgivable for a place to allow my family this level of chaos. read more

Lake Bryan - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Bryan, Texas

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This place was super sketchy... lots of people driving around blaring their really bad, not family friendly music. We were walking in the street and heard a car behind us and just looked back like normal people do and one of the guys in the car got offended and when they passed us, he was talking like he wanted to fight. It was suppppper scary. We walked on and didn't even give him the time of day and were unphased by it. But still... other than that, this place is very beautiful and the ice house across the way looked awesome all lit up and live music playing. We paid $20 to park our bus out here for a night so it wasn't terrible... not sure we will be back though because of the encounters we had. Beware! read more

Lake Bryan - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Bryan, Texas

Great location that is beautiful. It is okay maintenance wise (lots of broken glass and bottle caps) the jet skis have 0 regard for anyone fishing. Ultimately, with some funding and effort. The golf carts can be used more efficiently. Looking forward to summer season here when in the US. read more

Lake Bryan - Full moon with Jupiter to the Southeast of the moon. - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Bryan, Texas

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We went here for a day pass ($5) on a weekday to watch the sunset! It was quiet and peaceful. Nice quick getaway! Definitely worth a stop by on hot summer days, around dusk to get a pretty picture and dip your toes in! read more

Site #9 was extremely unlevel, narrow, and not for big rigs. Only 30 amp service and the 110 did not work. The campsite host (?) said to load up and move to another site. He was very unfriendly, sarcastic, and just plain sad. This is a party place at night, not suitable for small children or sensitive folks at night. The shade was wonderful! It was also wonderful that they came around every morning to empty trash cans and replace them with new liners. read more

I really wanted to like this place more, but the little ones enjoy it, and that's all that really matters, right? We like to walk around the shoreline looking for rocks to skip. Go in the springtime when the weather is nice and the flowers are in bloom. Plenty of picnic benches all throughout. read more

Lake Bryan - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Bryan, Texas

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Love the trails. $5 fee is minimal for day use. State parks charge double and trails are very well maintained and doable for a beginner like me or much harder for someone that wants more. Only the east side is open. Bring your map, !!!!lots of water/snacks!!!!, come hydrated. We went up the shortways -- I won't break many rules but made an exception due to lack of water and risk of heat exhaustion. We climbed up the hill with our bikes (keep out sign) and found the main road. Beware thorns - my sons bike has upgraded self sealing tires. Lakeside Bar/Grill is now closed but beautiful/relaxing to go. Make a day or night of it and bring tent, meals, and your bikes. read more

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Depends on what you're looking for. It's great if you're a college kid or you have a rowdy group of friends that you want to let loose. The lake is beautiful. The primitive camping is not designated or sectioned off. You can pop a tent right next to the lake. That being said, a group of 30 or 40 can pop their tents up all around yours at 11 pm and run around all night while you try to sleep(true story.) There's no security, no quiet time, basically no one around to regulate anything. No showers. The ice house has live music that can be heard all over the park. There's no need to pay a $5 entrance into the bar. The area where the RV's can hook up is set back away from the lake. It may be more peaceful there. I won't be back without my rawdy friends and a whole lot of alcohol to help me rest in the chaos. read more

We have camped here several times and it has never been crowded. The sites are well shaded and kept fairly clean. However, they have a real problem with homeless folks living in the park. Someone was living in their car next to the restroom and another guy was sleeping behind the restroom under a tarp. read more

We got here at 7:00 and told we had to sit in the area by the door-ok, well we got our drinks 20 minutes and had to pick them up by ourselves. Saw the chef ring the bell three times to pick up food and the waitress blamed it on the kitchen! Will never be back. This place sucks! read more

The best thing this place has going for it is that it is the only lake around. I have never camped out, but I have grilled out here a few dozen times. We have never had trouble finding a nice table by the water to eat at. I recommend bringing your own grill, they do have them... but are all in some state of disrepair. Overall, don't expect anything extravagant. There are restrooms, but they are kinda dirty and gross. However, it is nice to have grill out with a lake view only 10 minutes from home. read more

Hiked a couple trails for the first time and really enjoyed it! The trails were well kept and marked clearly so I felt super comfortable for it being my first time out! It was a little confusing at first to find the trailhead, but once you do you're good to go! I didn't really look around too much elsewhere, but the park itself seemed to be clean and well kept and not too crowded for summer. read more

This is a beautiful park and the trails are fun to ride/run but they need to do something about all of the creepy people driving through the camping area all hours of the night! I would not recommend camping here if you have young children! Loud music and cars literally driving the camping loop until 3 am!!! They really should lock the gates. Oh and homeless person living in the camping area. Been there for months. read more

Rude staff. Drove 30 mins out here not knowing they only take cash, they were snide when I asked. Its $5 and off season get over yourself. I will never be back read more

This is a complicated place to rate and I really need to average two very different aspects of it. Venue/Park: 4/5 It is an amazing lake with a lot of land to hang out and relax. The restaurant looked cool and had some great entertainment listed on the website, though it was closed while we were in town. This seems like a great place for a festival, event, or to go boating on the weekend. Campground: 1/5 This was one of the worst camping experiences I've ever had (and we've camped in 50+ places in most states in the US). First, the attendant at the front needed some training on camping policies. She told us that there were not any electric tent camping spots at the lake, despite the website and the parking pass she gave us specifically saying that electric tent camping spots were available on a first come, first serve basis. There were actually plenty of electric tent sites available and we grabbed one. When we asked if we could have an RV spot she said we needed to reserve one, I asked if we could do that and she said she wasn't sure if one was available. I'm not sure how you can run a campground that works off reservations if you don't know what is reserved or not. Second, the bathrooms were atrocious. The women's bathroom had no toilet paper, none of the water fountains worked in the area, there were no showers, one of the urinals in the men's bathroom was overflowing with urine, and most of the porta-potties were missing toilet seats. It was really gross and unsanitary. So, depending on what you want to do this venue is either fantastic or horrid. I'd return to hang out for the day but I wouldn't sleep overnight again. read more

DO NOT CAMP HERE. Left tent unattended for a few hours and come back and it was stolen. Including sleeping bags, pillows, mats, etc. so unless you want to be glued to your tent the whole and not go do stuff on the lake or go to college station do not camp here. read more

We had high hopes for camping here, but it was a disaster. They have wooden posts lining the one lane road where the campsites are. It took us an hour to even get into our campsite--which had two cars, and a motorcycle parked in it when got there. The group next to us took over our table, played their music loud all night, and were generally obnoxious. We were supposed to stay two nights but left after one. Just a bad experience all the way around. :( read more

This is really the only place in College Station/Bryan to mountain bike or get in a long trail run, but that's alright. If you're an intermediate biker, you'll have a good time; these are the kind of trails that get easier or harder depending on how much you want to kick it in, as opposed to heavily technical or aerobic trails like Cameron Park in Waco. For trail running, it's probably best to look at a map and avoid the trails with sharp turns, as they tend to be a bit swoopy and hard on the knees. There are two trails - an East (10.7 mi) and a West (9.3 mi) - and the East is the most developed. The local MTB club maintains the trails, and they do about as good a job as they can with the terrain they have to work with (you can find a trail map at their website or a larger version at the MTB TX website). The trail scenery is mostly mixed post oak forest and there aren't many rocks or elevation changes. If you're an ecoregion nerd, this is probably the best sampling of post-oak forest and savannah in the area, save for maybe Lake Somerville or Lick Creek Park. The trails take a bit longer to dry than sandy or rocky trails, so it's best to wait at least a day after a rainfall, if not two. I believe you can buy an annual pass for $75. Also, the trails are one-way for bikes, and it's easier for everyone if hikers and runners go against the one-way, though I've never seen any signage supporting this (it might even be against the rules - who knows - but it makes sense to me). For someone who loves the outdoors, this is about as good as College Station gets. I'll leave it up to you whether that's a good or a bad thing. read more

I'm upping my review, based on The Icehouse (separate review), and the fact that while it still scares me enough so I'll never EVER swim in it, the lake is prettier in the spring/summer, and families really seem to dig the low-maintenance setup to the point where it's just loaded with little kids having fun. read more

I used to love coming to Lake Bryan, then we stopped for a while....I remember why now! Came last weekend and the sink and restrooms were all stopped up. There was one filthy working toliet with scarce rations of toliet paper. We left last weekend because of the rain and came back this weekend and the same issues were happening in the restroom. Even the 4 month old looking used maxi pad was still drawing flied on the rest floor. No tp, no sinks, soap is un heard of. Heavening forbod you want to shower. We have gotten a year pass every year, but I am about to drop that and write an bunch of mean letter. People will pay more for better restrooms. Hire someone! read more

The lake is nice, but apparently they don't enforce the fact that the pavilion rentals end at 11pm because it's well after 11 and there's still a very loud group of people over there. If I could get a refund I would because we're not getting any sleep and we're definitely NOT enjoying this trip. read more

College Station is nice and everything, but it's truly in the middle of nowhere. Even state parks are hard to come by. Huntsville was too far, and we didn't want to take the risk on a Lake Somerville detour. From the road you can't tell much about Lake Bryan, except that it's relatively small and artificial. It makes it hard for a pair of trail runners to decide whether it's worth the five bucks just to check it out. The woman at the gate didn't understand. Presuming we might park outside the gate and use the trails anyway, she said she would be happy to have us towed. We drove an entire loop of the lake in annoyance and indecision but decided to try it anyway. It turns out the trails are decent, and for two people worth the five bucks. They don't loop the lake but rather go out from the boathouse/ice-house in what are essentially two out-and-backs, though there's something of a loop to it in places. I'd say it's ten miles all told and twice that because of the out-and-backs. It's mostly flat and surprisingly stays off the lake and in the shade of foliage for most of the course. Except for a mountain biker or two we had the trails and wildflowers to ourselves. read more

I think they need to have someone other than the bar handling reservations for the RV park. No one will return your call or e-mails and they claim to be open at 11:00 on Fridays but there is no one answering the phone... Frustrated! read more