It was nice.. older community but nice.. you have to pay to get into the park.. we drive down to…read morethe boat dock and it was free to get out and enjoy for a few minutes

Lake Buchanan is well a "lake" and not much different from most lakes. It is great for boating,…read morefishing, swimming and camping. What sets it apart from the other Highland Lakes is that it has a beautiful waterfall and Garret Island (a large forested island with a beautiful cove with a pink granite sand beach) and is the perfect opportunity for birding. Lake Buchanan is about 1 hour NW of Austin and well worth the drive for all things lake. Feb. through May is great for fishing White and Striped Bass that as I understand are stocked by the city as they do not naturally spawn so they are abundant as well as Catfish, Large Mouth Bass and Carp. And you probably do not want to know this if you are swimming but the lake also has ALLIGATOR GARS - my last visit I took a picture of a dried up dead one on the Garret Island beach which I will post. Have fun and watch out for the Gars!

Stayed here for 4 nights on our cross country trip. Camping in a NuCamp T@g, which is a tiny…read moreteardrop trailer with an outdoor kitchen. Got caught in a severe wind storm one night, which blew our canopy down so we had to get up at midnight in the rain to secure but Parkwise it was a great place. Very busy but sites are large so that helps a lot. Bathrooms are the best we've seen in Texas - clean, hot water, great water pressure, fully stocked. Beautiful lake with fishing, and kayak, canoes and paddleboars to rent. Lots of birds and great hiking among boulders and rocks. Will come back on future trips.

I love visiting overall, but last trip was god awful. I haven't got a cabin in over 5 years. I…read morebooked cabin 7 and it reeked of cigarette smoke. It was deeply embedded into the chairs and mattresses. It absorbed into all our clothes and sleeping bags and stuff sitting in there two days. After coming home our stuff is been in the garage a day and the smell is so potent the garage smells like faint smoke from airing out. If smells bother you even slightly, avoid that cabin at all costs. Not sure if others smell like it now too, and a bunch of jerks have just chain smoked in all cabins or just this one.

We always have a good time at Big Chief! The park is always clean and the staff is very friendly…read more We will be back!

I never leave negative reviews, but after this experience, I feel obligated to share what happened…read more We booked a Memorial Day weekend stay and were looking forward to spending quality time with our family. Prior to our arrival, Brandie contacted us and informed us that our original cabin reservation had been canceled due to reported bed bugs. We were reassigned to another cabin, assured it would be prioritized and ready before check-in, and told we could stay four days free of charge because of the inconvenience. After arriving and waiting for hours, we were finally allowed into the replacement cabin only to find dirty sheets stuffed in a closet, stained bedding, dirty and rusty kitchen utensils, and overall cleanliness concerns throughout the cabin. Given the circumstances surrounding the original cancellation, we did not feel comfortable staying and immediately left the property. We never stayed overnight. What happened next was even more frustrating. We were provided documentation showing a refund amount, leading us to believe the matter was being resolved. Later, Ashley with corporate informed us that we would also need to submit a refund request through Hipcamp. We followed those instructions, only to have the refund request denied by Brandie and Dickie (management) with Lake Buchanan Resort even after we had been provided a refund receipt and despite never staying at the property. The lack of communication, consistency, and accountability throughout this process has been unacceptable. We took time off work, purchased supplies and groceries, and planned our holiday weekend around this trip. Instead, we were left without a vacation, without a stay, and without the resolution we were led to believe had already been approved. Unfortunately, this experience was mishandled from beginning to end. Potential guests deserve to know exactly what happened before choosing to book here. Extremely disappointing experience and poor management. I do not recommend this place to anyone. We have kept records of all communications, refund documentation, and correspondence related to this matter. We hope management will review the situation and do what is right.

Best island on the lake, come for the fun, stay for the fun…read more Danger island was formed in October 2018 when the llano river flooded and created a zone of danger. (Archer fans?) The flood was probably a 1 in 100 year event, something like a 40 foot wall of water came down the river and decimated the properties along the llano, almost every boat house was destroyed and many houses were taken too. What was most remarkable is that it took out a span of the hwy 2900 bridge to kingsland. It was surreal to watch on tv. Anyway floods are bad mmmkay? But the silver lining is that now we have danger island nestled at the convergence of the llano and Colorado rivers. Should be a great place to bring the kids and the coolers to relax. The island is well marked with hazard buoys, the approach is very shallow so take care and please anchor your boat well, the wind could easily push it out into the water. And it should go without saying that you don't want to drive your boat into the island, this kills the boat.

Really an island. Really a danger. Lost one star because no free WiFi. Good place to bring your…read morepups though.

The tour was very nice and our tour guide Tanner was very epic and cool and made the experience so…read moremuch cooler-er. I enjoyed the puns especially the rock puns and will miss them and rocky and the chicken nugget we saw on the path. Highly recommend !!!!! :-) p.s. sneak peak of rocky

This isn't the best caverns I've visited within a Texas State Park, but it is pretty darn cool. The…read morebest caverns tour is at Kickapoo Caverns. I did a wild cave tour without the extra charges that Longhorn collects. At Longhorn, our guide, Johnson did an amazing job with our small group of six people for the 10:45 AM tour. My brother and I initially registered for the 11:00 AM tour and am glad that we were suggested another time. We passed by the 11:00 AM tour and they had 40+ people in their group. Johnson showed us cool geological formations. We saw dolomite, calcium bicarbonate, chert, limestone, geodes, stalagmites, stalactites, and quartz crystals. Johnson is somewhat funny; he had a bit of quirky and dry humor. I enjoyed the history of the caverns, but some of it I thought was interesting. It was really delightful to learn that in the 1800's, before the CCC got involved, the locals would dance and play music turning the cave into an auditorium of entertainment. Johnson said that if certain geological formations glows, it is growing. Very catchy phase for memory. I got to see a few bats hanging out. They were tricolor bats which are smallest bats. The cave is cool, but thankfully not slippery. I was wearing no grip support shoes, but I didn't fall or have the urge to fall. There are mats on the floor of the cave to prevent falls. Johnson gave us more time to look around and admire the geology. My brother and I weren't required to bring our own flashlights. Johnson had a flashlight, but forgot to grab the blacklights. What I find is strange is that this is a state park that you cannot renew your state park pass at. This park headquarters is very different than the rest considering that there's a third party company handing the cave tours, they sell ice-cees, popcorn, and the gift shop is very big and vast. The others don't have this. It is questionable to me. I was told that I needed to go to Inks Lake to renew my pass. The cave tours are very pricey. Kickapoo Caverns tour was very affordable at $10. You can use the park pass. You can't get your state park passport stamped at Longhorn Caverns either. It seems like Longhorn Caverns is more for profit and the history about the cavern could be overly exaggerated to attract customers. My opinion. It was hard to believe half of the things what Johnson was telling us. There's one portion of geological formation in the cave that is "dead" because in year 1919, the locals went exploring by touching the formation it "killed" it. I preferred Kickapoo Caverns and the Caverns of Sonora a lot more. Even Inner Space Caverns and Natural Bridge were very exciting to see. Longhorn is cool, but didn't give me that WOW-factor, but I still had a ton of fun on a Sunday morning.

Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge makes for a great day trip if you don't mind about an…read morehour drive from central Austin, depending on traffic. I did a couple of stops while we were out there, Doeskin Ranch and Shin Oak Observation Deck. The main hike was Doeskin Ranch. There's a restroom right near the trailhead. It's not plumbed, just a chemical toilet, but it was clean, stocked with hand sanitizer, and being able to use the bathroom before starting the hike made the whole experience more relaxed. The hike itself was nice but very seasonal. I went in January, so the landscape was mostly golden-brown grass with limited greenery and not much tree cover. You're mostly enjoying bushes, rocks, and scattered trees rather than lush views. I'd really like to come back in late spring or late fall when things are greener and more alive. The trail is fairly rocky and there aren't many mile markers, although the trails seemed pretty easy to follow. After Doeskin Ranch, I stopped at the Shin Oak Observation Deck, which is very close by. There's a nice gazebo with a scenic outlook and a short, meditative gravel trail with three or four nature signs encouraging you to slow down and be present. It takes about 15-20 minutes to walk through depending on your pace. I recommend starting toward the left and going counterclockwise so you encounter the signs head-on instead of from behind. Overall, both stops were enjoyable. They're not hikes I'd feel the urge to repeat soon, but they made for a fun day hike and I felt worth the drive.

This refuge is a bit spread out, we went to both the Doeskin Ranch and Warbler Vista portions and…read morehiked a few miles. There wasn't any shocking moment of awe, but there's lots of birds around and a neat little creek, it's a good place to get some appreciation of the Hill County and get (mostly) away from development.

I feel that this is not the most valid review since I've only been here once and I don't own a…read moreboat. I think if you're a boater, you might think it's a 4 or maybe a 5? However, there is so little information about this area that I wanted to help my fellow Yelpers out. This is about 15 minutes away from Marble Falls, TX. It's a quiet peaceful place with a several community parks and boat launching site. I think this might be a great place for boating enthusiasts because it looks like the shores are full of wild life. (Non-resident launching fee is $10) We saw several beautiful birds. If you love deer, this is the place to see them. They are everywhere-tons of does and fawns. We even saw a 3 or 4 point buck. We mainly came here thinking we wanted good views of the lake. Unfortunately, this was not the case as there are many homes that border the water's edge. The best views will probably be from a boat.

Nicest guy ever and really puts in the extra mile so that you have a great experience! My husband…read moreand I ran into him one day at a local bait shop. He told us about his business, so we booked a trip. Got there early this morning and had a great adventure! We learned lots of things and will definitely be back. He's reasonably priced, incredibly pleasant, and is great at his job. We had tons of fun and went home with enough fish for several dinners! What more could you want?! Oh, and considering how quickly I sunburn, I appreciated the shade he has on his boat!

From the owner: I specialize in Striped bass, hybrid bass and white bass. However I will go for catfish if…read morerequested. I clean all your fish after the trip, I fillet and bag them.

Super friendly, fast, & professional! Kayaks delivered right to us & picked up. Our host gave…read moreawesome suggestions & directions on where to go to make the most of our 2 hours. We rented a tandem kayak that was very comfy & in great shape. We felt like friends & not just another customer. Will most definitely rent here again!

This is the 2nd time I've tried to rent a kayak with Just Yakin and the 2nd time I've been…read moredisappointed by their complete lack of professionalism. I booked a kayak rental for an available time slot at 5pm, received an email that my booking was being processed, then about 3 hours passed without a confirmation or any sort of communication. I called to ask if my booking was going to be confirmed as I had adjusted my travel plans to be in Marble Falls in timely manner instead of going back to my cabin in Bertram to rest after hiking at Inks Lake State Park. Once I called, I was informed that the owner decided last minute to close early and my booking was denied. This was not communicated to me until I had called to ask. This is unprofessional and not how business should be done.