A Tale of Two Parks

While in Bastrop, we spent one day visiting a couple of other state parks in the area. Our first stop was Palmetto State Park, about 10 miles or so south of Luling.

I was impressed by Palmetto SP. It is a very well maintained park, though unusual in its layout. The park headquarters is located on Park Road 11, which just west of the park becomes a farm-to-market highway that curves south to Highway 90A leading from Gonzales to San Antonio. So, if you approach from the west, as we did, it appears that the headquarters is on a public highway. Roads split off this highway to the camp grounds within the park. One campground is for trailer camping, while another is for tenters. With the exception of the host site, there are no full hookups.

Restrooms and host site in trailer camping area

Campground near oxbow lake

Trails appear to be well-maintained and composed of crushed rock of some type (granite perhaps?). It is easy to see how the park came by its name, for palmettos dominate the area. With its location along the San Marcos River, the area has a swampy look. An oxbow lake provides a place to fish and boat.

Palmetto Trail Trail Head

Palmettos cover the park; hence, the name

The San Marcos River runs through the park

Oxbow lake, with highway bridge spanning it

About 20 miles north of Palmetto, we visited Lockhart StatePark, just outside of Lockhart. This is a much smaller park with fewer hiking trails than Palmetto. This park is unique in that it has a 9 hole golf course. The camping area, which includes about 10 full hookup sites, actually overlooks some of the holes.

We like to scout out parks such as these to see if we would like to stay at some time in the future. I would like to spend some time at Palmetto. It does provide good fishing opportunities for Donna, and there are enough trails for hiking to keep us happy. Campsites appear level with good shade. It is a swampy area, perfect for snakes, so we would probably plan to stay there in the dead of winter when snakes are less active.

Lockhart offers fewer hiking opportunities, and there is no fishing available, but the sites are quite good, and watching the golfers would be good entertainment. Also, Lockhart SP is just outside of town, so it is easy to get in and out of town for shopping and dining.

Hiking Bastrop State Park, January 26, 2013

During our stay at Bastrop State Park, we attempted to hike the same route we had hiked back in May, 2010. That was not possible, though, for the fire had closed some trails and rerouted others. You can find a review of that 6+ mile hike on my website, Living the Good Life.

The park has 2 maps online: the Map of Park and the Lost Pines Hiking Trail Map. Neither map has been revised since the fire. As you enter the park, staff members will give you one of these maps with hand drawn color-coded lines reflecting updates. The colors match signs you will see along the trails. Also note that the trail east of Harmon Road is, as I understand, closed to all visitors.

As in May 2010, our hike today began at our trailer in the Piney Hill Campground. We descended the slope towards Copperas Creek. Near the bottom of the slope, a fence rail appears that veers hikers left away from the old trail.

Although the fence is relatively new, it has already been damaged by falling trees. The sections of the trees blocking the trail have been removed, but the remainder of the trees lie where they fell.

A major trail junction soon appears along the creek bottom where two new bridges have been constructed. A new trail runs northeast from this junction, eventually coming out at the parking area on Park Road 1A just north of the Copperas Creek Campground (see map).

New bridges along Copperas Creek

At the parking area, we turned south along the road for a short walk before veering off east on the Lost Pines Trail. A short distance in, we came to the Scout Camping Area.

Signs suffered in the fire, too.

At a trail junction, we decided to take the right fork to visit Fehr's Overlook Shelter. On our previous hike, we had taken the left fork. Much of this trail was a respectable ascent picking our way through fallen trees. The shelter had suffered damage. The bottom of the shelter, made of stone, survived the fire, but the roof has been recently replaced. The view is good.

Fehr's Overlook Shelter sporting its new roof

View from the shelter. Note Highway 71 in the distance.

After our climb to the shelter, we returned downhill and took Roosevelt's Cutoff to the north. On our previous hike, we had journeyed farther east, to Harmon Road. However, I wanted to see the pond on Roosevelt's Cutoff. The pond has traditionally provided a home for the endangered Houston Toad, and I wanted to get a glimpse of it.

Pond on Roosevelt's Cutoff

At the junction of Roosevelt's Cutoff and the north loop of the Lost Pines Trail, we headed back west. After a short walk, we crossed park road 1A and visited the scenic overlook. As with Fehr's Overlook Shelter, this structure also sports a new wood roof. In the past, the Scenic Overlook Trail descended directly from the shelter over a series of short switchbacks with a rail fence. Now, however, the trailhead is next to the road in the parking area for the shelter. It gently descends the slope of the hill until it reaches the bottom and rejoins the old trail.

Trail head at Scenic Overlook parking lot. This once was the Scenic Overlook Trail, but it may now be called the Bracken Fern Trace Trail. I'm just not sure.

From this point, we followed the trail back towards our campground, eventually turning off on the Pine Warbler Trail to come out near the Group Barracks near the pool. The trail along Copperas Creek has many new bridges. They are sturdy and are built to last.

One of my favorite bridges in the park. Notice the stone work leading up to the bridge.

Yeah, the area is sort of a waste land now, but this is still an enjoyable hike. I'd like to return in 2 or 3 years to see how much the area has recovered. And I'm happy to report that a lot of people are on the trails. During our hike in May 2010, we encountered only 1 man, a jogger near Roosevelt's Cutoff. On our hike in January 2013, we probably encountered at least 20 people. This is a great opportunity to watch a burned area return to life.

Bastrop State Park: Before and After

During our stay at Bastrop State Park in May, 2010, I took a number of pictures. On our recent post-fire visit, I thought it would be interesting to take pictures of the same locations as my previous pictures. Below are my attempts at this; I think these are interesting pictures illustrating just how much the fire has changed the appearance of the park.

BEFORE: Entrance to Piney Hill Spur Trail. Note: edge of pavement visible in lower-right of picture.

AFTER: Entrance to Piney Hill Spur Trail in same location as above. Fence has been added to keep people away from steep slopes and to keep them on the trail.

 

BEFORE: Rocky outcropping near Roosevelt's Cutoff on Lost Pines Trail. Especially note small tree in right part of picture with branches forming a sort of U.

AFTER: Note same tree in right of picture

BEFORE: Junction of Roosevelt's Cutoff and north loop of Lost Pines Trail.

AFTER: Junction of Roosevelt's Cutoff and north loop of Lost Pines Trail.

BEFORE: Entrance to Lost Pines Trail at Park Road 1A near Scenic Overlook

AFTER: Entrance to Lost Pines Trail at Park Road 1A near Scenic Overlook

BEFORE: View from Scenic Overlook

AFTER: View from Scenic Overlook. Note that roof is different.

BEFORE: Our site -- #13 -- taken from the front of the trailer. Note all the plant growth. Picnic table is made of concrete.

AFTER: Site 13, but from a different angle. Notice location of picnic table and pole.

Bastrop State Park

We recently spent January 24th-28th at Bastrop State Park, site of a massive wild fire in September, 2011. We spent about a week at the park in May, 2010, so we thought it would be interesting to return and see how the area had changed.

I don't possess the words to describe how different the area looks now. Burned trees still stand; they just don’t have any foliage, so you essentially have a leafless, branchless forest. The trees are dead, and they snap and break regularly under high winds. The underbrush, of course, was thoroughly burned, so now erosion from rain is a great risk. The after affect is that now you can see the land. Prior to the fire, you could not see anything except various types of foliage. Now you can see the swales and curves of the landscape. I had no idea just how hilly the park was.

This hill is near the new trail parking area just north of the Copperas Creek Camping area. You can see the new trail slanting across the hill at lower center. All underbrush is gone. All trees have been burned and are dead. In the past, you would have never seen the line of the hill due to trees and underbrush.

Charred trees along a re-routed trail. These are typical of the burned pines throughout the area. They still stand, waiting for a strong wind to snap them over or continued rains to dislodge them.

This is what happens to those burned trees after a while -- they snap over. Park literature warns hikers to stay on trails and be alert to falling trees. Some places look like play areas for giants playing pick up sticks.

Several trees, especially oak, have shed their burned bark.

For example, we camped in the same area we camped before. In fact, we camped right across from our previous campsite. We did not recognize the area. On our previous trip, the land looked fairly level. Trees and undergrowth just outside campsites disguised the true shape and contours of the land. On our visit now, we see that our campground is actually a ridge jutting out. Just outside our campsite, there are steep drop offs. Previously, the underbrush prevented anyone from seeing the drop offs or venturing out. Since the fire, a fence has been erected to prevent folks from wandering beyond their campsites.

View from our campsite -- #8 -- in Piney Hill Campground. In the past, we would not have been able to see those rigs in the distance due to pine trees and underbrush.

The fire has provided an opportunity for a good deal of work within the park. A new parking area for hikers, for example, has been put in near the Copperas Creek camping area. In fact, much of the Copperas Creek camping area itself has been upgraded with fresh pavement and some redesigned sites. Some hiking trails have been rerouted, and hikers are cautioned to be alert to falling trees.

Some of the Copperas Creek Campground escaped the fire. New pavement has been poured. This might be the best place for RV camping right now.

Even though much of Copperas Creek escaped the fire, the area surrounding it did not. This picture is taken from the exact spot of the picture above. I turned left 90 degrees to take this picture. You can see the line of Highway 71 through the burned trees. Previously, I had never seen the highway from any place in the park. Now it is visible from several places, including our campsite.

Some parts of the park escaped the fire, so you can still find very small islands of green here and there. The Piney Hill Campground, where we camped, still has a few tall pine trees along the paved road, which has been resurfaced. The area around the pool also escaped the fire, including the group barracks nearby. But the majority of the park did suffer, and suffer greatly.

The pool area survived the fire. Notice the living trees as well as the resurfaced parking area.

The Group Barracks area near the pool also survived the fire.

It is depressing to see this beautiful pine forest decimated. But fire is a natural act, and the area will recover in time. We saw signs of new life as we hiked around the park.

Hope for the future. These pine saplings are in contrast to the charred trees in the background and the charred brush around them.

San Felipe de Austin

I’m a history buff, especially regarding Texas history. I really enjoy the colonial era of Texas history leading up to the Revolution in 1836. So I was excited during our stay in Stephen F. Austin State Park to visit nearby San Felipe de Austin State Historic Site.

History peeks out from almost every corner of this area. The original town site is evident by the various roads laid out in a grid in this rural area. If you take the time to drive the various side-streets, you will discover a jewel here and there. For example, we came across the old Town Hall dating to 1842, a teacherage dating back to the late 1800s, and a church dating to 1837. Several structures in the area display Texas historic medallions.

Old San Felipe de Austin town hall, dating to 1842. The original town hall was built in 1830 and stood in Commerce Square near the site of the replica of Austin's cabin.

As old as these places are, they arrived after the real significance of this area. Stephen F. Austin founded San Felipe de Austin in 1823.This was the site where the original "Old Three Hundred" settled. In the period from 1823 to 1836, it was the social, economic, and political hub of colonial Texas, and many great historic figures of Texas history walked these streets. For a much more thorough description of the historic significance of the area, please refer to An Interpretation of the Cultural and Natural History of Stephen F. Austin State Park and San Felipe de Austin State Historic Site. 

For the tourist, the place to visit is the area that was plotted as Commerce Square. This is the spot where the Atascosito Road Ferry crossed the Brazos River; as such, it was the first place newcomers to the little colony saw once they stepped off the ferry. Today, Commerce Square offers a handful of sites to see. First and foremost, there is the statue of the Father of Texas.

Stephen Fuller Austin, the Father of Texas.

Down the walkway and off to the left is the old J. J. Josey general store, which now serves as a Visitor Center. There are a few displays in the center, and they are well worth viewing to get a feel of the important events that occurred in this community. During our visit, the curator spent a little time giving us some background. It seems that new facilities will be built across the highway from the current visitor center, and these facilities will give them more room for exhibits and educational programs. The groundbreaking should take place in the next few months, and completion should be in about 3 years or so.

J. J. Josey General Store, built in 1847. It was the last store built in the community after the original buildings were burned during the Runaway Scrape in 1836.  It now serves as the visitor center.

This is good news, for right now this place seems to be forgotten. It lags well behind its counterpart farther upstream, Washington-on-the-Brazos, which has the Star of Texas Museum, a living farm, and a visitor center, among other developments.

A replica of Stephen F. Austin’s log cabin sits near the Visitor Center. It is built in the traditional two-room dog run style. Although only a replica, the bricks in the fireplace are from the original structure.

Replica of Stephen F. Austin's cabin, where he conducted much of the official business of colonial Texas.

The town was burned when the Texans retreated from Santa Anna's advancing Mexican army, so no original structures of the town remain. Following the victory at San Jacinto, a few residents did return to the town site, but the little community never regained its place of importance and more or less faded away after nearby Bellville was named the county seat in 1846 and the removal of all county records was completed in 1848.

This brick-lined well was dug in Commerce Square in 1824. Today, it is the last architectural remain of the once thriving community. It was encased in 1928 for protection.