Inks Lake State Park - watch out for the staff!
- March 9, 2008
- Rated 1 of 5 by
familycamper from Brownsville, Texas
You can quickly fall foul of them for doing nothing at all. Once they are on your case they will keep at you. They came to our dinner table and bothered my family three times in the same hour. Joke of it is we'd been out of the park all day long and had only just returned. We packed up in the end and came back from there two days early, after this garbage.
My wife had made the stupid mistake of using an EMPTY wine bottle she was using for water to cook mashed potatoes. This was very obvious as to what was going on! On approaching our dinner table the over-zealous park ranger was unfastening the grip of his firearm!
This did not really surprize us at that point that we were about to be bothered, sicne when I was cooking on a Colemans gas stove, the volunteer Park Host came over to investigate what I was doing. What kind of park is this, where you cannot cook on your camping stove without someone practically sticking his face in it.
This is quite outrageous and shows the levels of the rednecks who are the Park Rangers there. Don't go there, if you are any way ethnically or racially different to the white Texan Redneck variety. The same passed us again and grinned as he saw we were packing up and leaving.
As long established users of the State Parks, after this experience, we have decided not to renew our Yearly Pass.
Editor Pick
About Town Lake
- October 20, 2000
- Rated 3 of 5 by
Mermaid from Austin, Texas
Town Lake is the most stable portion of the Highland Lakes chain, and in my opinion, Austin just wouldn’t be Austin without it. To me, Town Lake is the heart of Austin. The little camp called Waterloo that grew into Austin began right where the Congress Avenue Bridge is today. The Colorado River and all of its resources allowed Austin to grow into a thriving metropolis. The river has also divided north and south Austin for decades. When I have visitors from out of town, I tell them we’re going to Town Lake, but when we get there they say, “Why, this is just a river!” Town Lake actually is a lake, created by the City of Austin in the 1960s as a cooling pond for the Holly Street Power Plant, with Tom Miller Dam and Longhorn Dam containing the water. Town Lake Metropolitan Park extends the entire length, five miles, on the north and south shores. The park includes seventeen ball parks, places to rent rowboats, canoes, kayaks and paddleboats, swimming pools, volleyball courts, picnic tables with grills, and lots of great scenery.
Cold Springs near Deep Eddy is a source of water for the lake. Today it is covered by Town Lake but it still flows and can only be seen by boat. It’s on the south shore between Red Bud Isle and MoPac. A man-made pool has been built under a 100-foot waterfall.
Sailing and canoeing are permitted on Town Lake, but swimming and powerboats are not. However, you can swim in several swimming pools in the park within a stone’s throw of the lake.
A popular feature of Metropolitan Park is a 10-mile hike and bike trail. The gravel and concrete trail begins at Riverside Drive and Congress Avenue, near the Hyatt. It goes west past Auditorium Shores, which has parking and rest rooms; Butler Shores, which also has parking; Zilker Park (includes a short skirt around Barton Creek); and crosses under MoPac, which also has a rest room. From there it is a short jog west to Deep Eddy where there is a shower; past Austin High School; across Lamar Boulevard; past Shoal Beach and the Buford Tower; past the trailhead to the Shoal Creek Greenbelt; and across South First and Congress Avenue Bridges. It intersects with Waller Creek Walkway, goes under IH35, past Festival Beach, Martin Pool and the U.S. 183 Bridge and follows Lakeshore Boulevard until it ends about one-half mile west. The trail crosses the river via footbridges at MoPac, South First Street, South Congress Street, and the frontage road of IH35.
From journal Town Lake
Editor Pick
Inks Lake State Park
- October 12, 2000
- Rated 3 of 5 by
Mrs. J from austin, Texas
Campsites are provided with picnic tables and water, some have electricity. Most are very close to the lake and afford views and easy water access. Some are more private than others and some are closer to better swimming areas than others. To get the best information you should call the park itself and ask to speak with an employee. They usually have shelters for those who don't want to pitch a tent; but, the shelters are being rennovated until 10/2001. The ReserveAmerica website has maps of the park with camping sites designated on it. The best time to visit is in the spring when the wildflowers, especially bluebonnets are in bloom. During weekends and during holidays reservations can be hard to get--at other times the park is almost deserted. The most striking thing about this area is the color--the deep blue water and sky contrasted with the reddish-pink granite rock surrounding the lake. The lake is even more scenic than the popular Lake Travis in Austin.
From journal Central Texas caves