Our Maiden Voyage - Part 3 Our Destination: Inks Lake State Park

Inks Lake State Park in Burnet, Texas was a natural first choice for our maiden voyage for 2 reasons.

1) We are very familiar with the area around the park. 

2) If things went south on our trip, my parents live around the corner (always have a Plan B). 

One thing we didn't consider when we made this initial plan is where there were RV friendly gas stations along our route.  We only found one gas station we felt comfortable pulling in to between College Station and Burnet.

The Exxon on 29 in Liberty Hill has a very large fueling area and you are able to pull around behind the store to gain access to a pump or exit.  There are 2 very large driveways and 2-3 large diesel/trucker pumps.  This is something we'll look into on our next trip! At one point, traveling through these small towns with no Loves in sight, we were considering dropping the trailer to refuel. Fortunately, we found the Exxon before it came to that.

Inks Lake  is nestled between Lake Buchanan and Lake LBJ on Park Rd. 4.  It is a constant level lake, meaning that even in drought the lake will have water.  Whether you prefer to fish, swim, jump off the rocks at the Devil's Watering Hole, hike, or geocache, there is plenty for a family to do here.  There is park store where you can rent kayaks and fishing equipment as well (no license needed provided you catch and release).

The park is divided into 2 different camping areas for primitive camping and "glamping" as I like to call it.  On the tent side of the park, there are sites with water and a limited number with electricity.  There are over 100 RV sites with 50 amp service but there are no full hook ups available in the park.  Shade is sparse with the mainly mesquite trees around the camp sites.  The park is in great condition and is an extremely popular camp ground.

There are 3 ways to approach the park but there's only one right way.  GPS can get a person in trouble in the hill country if they do not know the grade of the roads along their route.  I have seen many campers coming into Inks Lake who chose the wrong road and were not happy with themselves.  Here are the three routes:
1) Turn Left on to 281 from 29 towards Marble Falls. And then turn Right onto Park Rd. 4.

• Why you don't want to go that way: Park Rd. 4 at 281 is a beautiful stretch of Texas roadway, especially in the Spring when it comes to life with wildflowers. BUT, it is a roller coaster of a road with extremely steep grades and not everyone is comfortable with taking their foot off the gas/brake and flying down this road yelling "weeeee!!!"  Past Longhorn Cavern State Park (no camping there), you come down a side of a Texas mountain with a cliff overhang......on a curve.
  
               Photos really can't capture the experience.
  
  
  2) Continue on Hwy 29 and turn Left onto "Hoover Valley Road"/FM3059.

• Why you don't want to go that way: HVR is very deceiving at first. A beautiful wide, gently curving road guides you straight into a switch back, single lane road with a very steep grade and no shoulder.  The over hanging trees are a challenge for anything over 10 foot. 

3) Continue on Hwy 29 until you reach Park Rd. 4

• Why you WANT to take this route: This is considered "the long way" by locals but it is the safest way into the park.  Hwy 29 stays a very wide 2 lane highway with decent shoulders until you get to the turn off to Park Rd. 4.  Turn Left into the park and wind around the backside where you will see deer, a scenic overlook for the Devil's Water Hole, and if you're lucky, small water falls if the weather has been wet.  

When we checked in at the Park Headquarters, the clerk behind the desk did inquire which route we took.  She's apparently heard some colorful stories of routes 1 and 2.  The campsites are extremely affordable and even more affordable if you have a Texas State Park Pass.  Our site was $22/night but because we have a park pass we got 1 night for free and had our entrance fees waived. It was the cheapest 4 night vacation we've ever taken.

We picked the absolute worst conditions to take our first camping trip but it was excellent to flush out any issues we may have with our new travel trailer.  It was cold and dreary for the majority of the trip with the exception of Saturday.  

1. We were able to trouble shoot our furnace and successfully got it to operate w/o the A/C simultaneously blowing. We only used our furnace when the temps dropped below freezing to help warm the "basement" of the trailer so the tanks didn't freeze. We mainly used a space heater for warmth.
2. We haven't quite figured out how to prime our water lines with the water pump.  The first day/night we fill our fresh water tank because we didn't want the water hose from the park water to freeze.  Our pump continued run after we thought we had primed so we ended up turning it off in between uses to keep it from burning up.  Something to work on.
3. The oven has us a bit puzzled.  It would light fine but then shut off after a while.  I need to look into that.  I'm not sure if it reaches it's desired temp it shuts off or if there's an issue with the pilot light (you would think the pilot light would stay lit......)
4. Successful operation of the TV and radio even though we could only pick up one TV station.  KBAE is an awesome country radio station if that's your thing!
5. Tanks...Even though we were told we only had 1 grey tank, we discovered that we have at least 2.  We didn't discover how to successful dump both tanks until we got home though. :-/ That said, dumping of the tanks isn't that big of deal.  Don't be afraid to use your toilet! I'll do a post on the GEO method one day (it's awesome).
6. Inside/Outside thermometers are awesome to have in the winter! On a whim, I picked one up at Walmart during a beer run (don't ask how I ended up in home improvement when I went in for beer). I placed the outside thermometer sensor in the back storage compartment all the way to the back.  I was impressed that the storage area maintained it's temperature very well despite the freezing temperatures.  It never once dropped below freezing!
7. The bed is hard.  We bought a mattress pad on the 2nd night.
   

Despite the ugly weather, Dylan and I did get 3 hikes in.  Having gotten lost in 3 previous state parks (I find the trail maps to be less than helpful at times - Can anyone recommend a good hiking app?), we had excellent hikes at Inks.  While Inks is in the Hill Country, the park itself is relatively open and flat....ish.  You can almost always see or hear Park Rd. 4 so it was easier to keep our bearings.  The views prove to be excellent if you're willing to climb a little and the panoramic views can be breath taking.  I did just find this map on the Texas Parks and Wildlife website: Pecan Flats Trail it would have been helpful on Saturday.  We made it back to camp without a map each time but it still would have been nice to have. Do make sure you have a good rubber sole on your shoes as many of the trails go over granite rock which can be very slippery when wet.

Over all, we had an excellent trip.  We love our new camper and enjoyed the family time of playing Skip Bo, Cheater, and Life, watching movies, and eating great home cooked food in our vacation home on wheels. We already have Inks Lake booked in June as well as McKinney Falls in March. 

Until next time!