Inks Lake State Park

Stayed here in February '20 and found a nice park to spend a couple weeks, even as the lake is down 8 feet following the flood and the repairs that are needed in the area both in and out of the park. (Supposed to be back to normal at the end of February '20 as per a park rep). During the week the park is very quiet and nearly empty and the weekends get busier with a few coming in late afternoon on Friday and, oddly enough, the majority coming in after dark, although it does get dark at 7. Great hiking opportunities await, and walking a little further to the water's edge with the low water will get the canoe or kayak in. Just about 6 miles from this park is Longhorn Caverns St Pk and is a great way to spend the day, not only in the cavern but on the trails as well. The site, #62, was about an inch out of level and very spacious as were most of the sites regarding level and space, but we're in the Hill Country and near a created lake so the level is very reasonable. The facilities are very clean and well kept with genuinely hot water. Near one end of the park the sites are a fence and feet away from Park Road 4 which can get busy on the weekends as drivers and riders hit the road, and others seek to visit the two Parks that are on this road for the day. Other than that the road is little used except for the visitors going into town or the day's excursion. Closer to the lake = further from Park Road 4 in this area. The road veers away from the park and becomes a non issue, especially with the terrain and landscape. The towns of Burnet, Kingsland, and Marble Falls are all minutes away and have what you may need or want in groceries, dining, laundry, and Post Office. In Marble Falls the Bluebonnet Cafe is known for good food and their pies, oh the pies.

What a beautiful park! Solo woman car/tent camper here. The park is well maintained with clean bathhouses, good park store, rentals and you can't beat the beauty of Inks Lake. I didn't choose the best camp site and will know better when (if) I visit again. Wednesday and Thursday night were spectacular, watching bats, listening to night sounds and enjoying the starry skies. Friday night the week-end crowd began pulling in at dusk and continued through the night hours. There is no honoring of the 10p-6a quiet hour. I had a spot light from the next site shining in my tent and a large group of party people at the site below me. The party was gearing up at 1 am and the spot light was still shining in my tent. As a solo camper, not wise for me approach and ask for relief. I actually broke camp, collected my gear in the wee morning hours and left. My disappointment is no one on site to quiet the disrupters. Disappointed and will avoid weekend camping here.

The drive into the park is fantastic. This park rests in the heart of the Texas Hill Country, along the Colorado River. The Park Road connects Longhorn Cavern SP so the Park Road is quite long off the State Highway. Access into the park is pretty easy with updated, modern signage. HQ is separate from the "General Store" or gift shop (that sits next to the lake).

With this park being so large, most spots are separated enough, though some are literally right upon another. We stayed in the loop nearest Devil's Waterhole and some of the pads were within a few feet from one another. The pdf of the park will show the closeness, but you don't really know until you get there. The spot we had was the better spot, but our neighbor's front door was right on us. Make sure you pick a spot that near the lake and not super close to the next site. Also be mindful of the sites that are close to the Park Road...they are super close and the constant vehicle traffic is hugely noticeable.

Our favorite thing about the park are the activities available for the family. There are miles of hiking trails that survey the local flora and granite geography. There are also elevation gains on the trails that give you spectacular views of the lake and surrounding landscape. Some of the bathrooms have been updated and feature nice modern amenities.

The negative was the lack of water pressure at the site. I blamed it on the number of occupied site during the days we were there (middle of the week, and the park was at capacity). Also, most of the area landscaping was overgrown and in need of some maintenance. There was grass as tall as the water hookup at our site. Lastly, the trails need better marking. I biked and walked the Lake Trail which is on the south end of the park. I got lost because the only marking is a small green dot painted on the ground or rock surface. The scenery was great, but that made for an interesting few moments.

Overall, a great park with even better views. We stayed 2 nights and should have made it 3.

I was hesitant to make a reservation without being able to determine if my 40' DP would actually fit in the site. So, we showed up on a Sunday and had a choice of a couple of sites. Very nice! There were also a LOT of empty sites, many of which we could have fit in by the water. Next time, I will reserve one of them. The trails are awesome, along with tons of wildflowers and live oak trees. The lake itself is very clear and pretty. Saw many kayaks around, lots of kids riding bikes, etc. They are doing a great job of keeping infrastructure in good shape, as well. All in all, I will definitely return if we are in the area again! Oh, and the park is less than an hour from Austin. Lots to do there, as well!

I cannot add a lot to what has already been said - this is a nice, well maintained park.
I would like to add that we set up our A-frame pop-up at a cabin. Our daughter, son-in-law and two grandsons occupied the cabin. We were able to hook up with electricity and water using longer than usual hoses and electric cords.
The first week of April the park and surrounding area was in full bloom with bluebonnets and other wild flowers. It was gorgeous!

We arrived in the middle of the week, off season. Staff was friendly and somewhat helpful (I'll explain later). Sites have hard pads (needed to level), picnic table, fire ring and hook ups (except septic). Our site was near the water and had a nice view of the pier and when the sun set. The park has some nice trails and a wide variety of kayaks and canoes for rent. Fishing pier was under repair but should be finished as you read this. Not much in terms of road noise here. The bath houses seemed to be under upgrading as at least two of them looked brand new with "Dark Park" upgrades and energy efficient lighting. But even the non-upgraded shower houses were clean, well maintained and had plenty of hot water and good pressure in the showers. If you like birding, there is a newly designed and built bird blind here, but if you're going to hike there, take plenty of water. If you're going to drive to the blind be sure to obtain a "gate code" from the office so that you can access the parking area.
Okay, would I camp here again? I wish the option of "Maybe" was available. The park staff just did not take us seriously enough when we complained that someone (a park host) left there lights on every night, all night. Strings of flashing LED lighting, a bucket that housed a 150 watt bulb and their own trailers outside lighting was left on all night and cast light at least 1000 feet in every direction. Even after we complained, nothing was done about it. So no, I guess until he park gets some sort of policy about this sort of thing, we probably wouldn't go back.

We LOVED this park! We arrived on a Saturday and the park was busy with lots of families and boy scout troops. They had a snow cone truck and other food truck set up near the playground. Lots of people out on the boats. By Sunday everyone was clearing out. Our site backed right up to the water. It was so peaceful waking up to the amazing views every morning including the ducks wadding by. The sunsets were just incredible as well! We launched our inflatable kayaks right from our site a couple days and paddled over to the Devils Waterhole. Really cool little spot! We hiked quite a few trails as well - more of nature walks but still beautiful and good to get out and move. The campground is absolutely huge. We rode our bikes around the whole park and we believe our site and the ones next to us were the best sites here. Check in process was super simple. Ladies were very nice at the front. There is a general store near the boat launch. If you have a Texas State Park pass you receive a 10% discount off all items. Very much enjoyed our stay here and will definitely be returning one day!

YouTube Inks Lake video: https://youtu.be/UEi20Gn0_NI

We arrived on in April, on a Sunday, mid-day, in time to get in a 3-lane wait to check in. But, staff were ready for the rush and - we were met on the road in by staff and led to our site on the waterfront within 20 minutes.
There are many great sites, but all sites are first come, first serve. Arrive early to get a good spot. We were given a choice as to location, trees, waterfront, etc., so were not disappointed with our assigned camping spot.
Favorites: Really enjoyed our waterfront location. If you like to hike, especially if new to hiking, there are a few trails to pick from. Fishing piers are available, with fish willing to bite. The weather was perfect-70's during the day, 50's at night. Colorado Bend SP and Longhorn Cavern SP are near by.

We stayed here in February so it was not packed. Our site was on the lake, spacious and private. There are lots of trails and we had several areas to let our dog swim within the park. Showers are private rooms and were clean. Negative was noise on the weekend. A boy scout troop moved in across the water from us and took up multiple sites. The kids were noisy (as would be expected). They should have been located in a group camping area. Even so, we would stay here again.