Lake Brownwood State Park Campground

park was totally full for the weekend. we were passing through Texas and found site 6 available for 1 night which is what we were looking for
looks like most sites are sloped and my neighbor had a 10” delta to make up in his class C
lots of fun going on, saw groups playin football, soccer and frisbee. one group was boiling crawfish and had a big texas smoking BBQ pit set up for an overnight cook.
like an earlier review mentioned it was a very busy Friday night

We arrived at dark on a Sunday. Barely anyone was in the park. We ended up having the park to ourselves til Friday. That’s when the weekenders came in. They were so disrespectful. people let there kids just roam all over other peoples campsites. This one family had their kids go through and pick out our wood from our fire pit. Kids were loud and screaming all over the place. It was a zoo. Just beware that if you are going to camp
Here, plan for it mid week and not weekends.

This was our first visit to Lake Brownwood and we had a good time. Lots of interesting CCC buildings to hike to and explore. Did some fishing, didn't catch anything. Bathrooms and showers were nice and clean. The only downside was we happened to be there when there was a fishing tournament (weren't aware beforehand) so our neighbors across from us were very rowdy and did NOT keep their dogs on a leash. Several people in the campground did not have their dogs leased which was inconvenient when we'd walk with our dog. If we were to come back I think we would try to get a spot at the Comanche Trails campground. More trees/shade and a bit secluded from where we stayed at Willow Point.

This was our first state park stop in Texas. We started in site 12, but we didn’t love being so close to the main road, so we moved to site 28, which was closer to the lake. Our kids enjoyed riding their scooters on the well-paved loop. It was fun to borrow fishing equipment from the park office! And, we enjoyed seeing an armadillo and all the prickly pears on the trails. I’m sure this park would be much more fun in the summertime, when the kids could play in the lake, but during the winter we found ourselves bored within a few days (we are big hikers and ran out of trails pretty quick). The sites were pretty close together and wide open, so not much seclusion to be had. Still, we’d stay here again for a couple nights in the summer if we were passing through.

Only about 5 or 6 other campers here. We camped away from lake because of wind, however sites are all very good everything is clean, active host and park employees always working during the day. I hiked to campground on Bluff but it is closed. You would get better over the air TV at bluff campground as back sways from shore we only got a couple of stations. AT&T and Tmobile good coverage.

Spaces are a nice size. My site (27) had marvelous lake access. Was able to launch my kayak from the site and could walk to the fishing pier. Sites seem fairly level... but you may need a block or two for some. There’s also lots to do here in the day use area and the cell signal is pretty good. I was getting three bars on Sprint without my booster. No big store but headquarters has ice and stickers and such.

Our family of 4 had a great time here. The campsites in the Council Bluff loop weren’t huge, but I’d say just the right size with great climbing/hammock trees around. Our spot backed up directly to a hiking trail which was just short enough In one direction for two young kiddos to not get too exhausted hiking with several small paths to the lake. We didn’t get to go to the outlook that looked like it’s be great watching the sunset. Grass was a bit overgrown in several areas on the trail, but it wasn’t bad at all. Our site was extremely clean with a fire pit on a small concrete pad with a grill top, a separate charcoal grill, and a picnic bench permanently secured to a concrete slab. I’m not sure if all the sites had full hookups, but ours did. It had 20, 30, and 50 amp connections. The sewer connection wasn’t a screw-in type, but several rocks and a brick were nearby that helped it stay put. It was a bit un-level side-to-side, but we had plenty of levelers to help out with that. The park rangers were all extremely friendly, as were the hosts. There was a fishing pier, but too many non-maskers (which wasn’t unexpected considering the surrounding towns) for us to go out on it, but it was nice and even had a fish cleaning station. The swimming area was very nice with many shaded picnic tables and a nice smooth grade down to the lake, plenty of space to enjoy the outdoors without getting too close to others. The weather was nice enough where we were able to keep the windows open the entire time and not use the A/C. The other two camping loops were larger and looked to be older. There were also cabins and non-A/C’d shelters available for rent. We didn’t check out any of the lodges, given the state of this pandemic, but they looked very nice.

I’d definitely come here again if we were able to find another spot. If you’re wary about traveling during this pandemic, know that any gas stations, or shops surrounding the area aren’t taking any recommended precautions, so be prepared. I didn’t see anyone wearing masks besides us when passing others on the trail, but there was enough room for everyone to be friendly, but stay distanced from one another.

We stayed here for 3 nights in the Council Bluffs(full hookups) section in June. The fee we paid included a discount using the Texas State Parks Pass. There are sections of this park that seem really run down. More maintenance could be done within the park (mowing right of way of road, trail maintenance, paint hand rails, etc.). There was a small trashcan at the boatramp that stayed full the 3 days we were there. All in all the camp site is fine for the amount we paid. We were able to get a few OTA channels. Park wifi was nonexistent. If we stay again we will stay in the Willow Point area since that has better access to the water.

The park is 20 minutes north of Brownwood so if you need any groceries and/or gas buy it before you head to the park. Abilene is 60 miles or so from the park.

We arrived during the week. The sites have hard pads and our particular site required extensive leveling. Each site had a fire ring, hook ups, and picnic table (no-shelter). There was one bathhouse in our section and it was clean and well maintained. Though in need of refurbishment, there was plenty of hot water and the pressure was good. There are several good sites to chose from but if you have a larger rig, there are no pull through sites. We did witness a few folks having difficulty backing up into the sites because of overhead branches and some of the sites were just difficult due to design. Again, doable, but if you're not a big fan of backing up, you might want to get to some of these sites during daylight hours.
Hiking is okay here. There are several unofficial trails that connect the official ones around the shore line. Birding is good here with a mix of waterfowl and other types.
Cabins: There are several cabins for rent here. Some seem to be complete with all the amenities and some are just basic shelters with a table and power.
CCC Points of Interest: There is something called "The Grand Staircase" that's pretty interesting. Though not well maintained, it's worth seeing. The "Great Pavilion" is worth seeing and if you're in the area looking for a wedding venue, this might be of interest. "The Beach House" is right near the water and looks like it might be great for family reunions or weekend retreats for groups.
Our park host was very friendly and helpful as well. Groceries and Fuel: You can expect Brownwood to be your only real shopping alternative. Brownwood is about 22 miles from the campground. Walmart, HEB, Fuel stations and a few liquor stores though I would google package stores as some are better than others. There is WIFI at the park but I couldn't get enough of a single to do anything unless I was right under the antenna at the bathhouse.