Rough Riders - Where Life is an Adventure!

Sitting on Lake Georgetown, Cedar Breaks Park is an excellent park for those that want to get away from the Austin area without having to spend hours on the road. The Army Corps of Engineers built both Cedar Breaks and Jim Hogg (also on Lake Georgetown) campgrounds in the late 70s. The park is named for the abundance of Cedar trees that grow throughout the area.

Cedar Breaks sits on the south shore of Lake Georgetown and is a quick drive from Austin (only took us about 40 minutes). It is a modest size park that only has 64 developed sites with electricity and water. It also has a large day use area and boat ramp. The sites can fill up quickly so reservations are strongly suggested. One nice thing about being a Army Corp of Engineering park and not a state park is that you can actually reserve your site number in advance instead being assigned a spot upon check in like the state park system.

Sites

Each site is a single wide 55' long back in style asphalt pad, though some did seem like they were not quite as deep. It will fit most if not all RVs, 5th wheels, or trailers. There are a lot of trees with good shade coverage but generally kept clear of the pad so as not to interfere with RVs. While many sites are relatively flat, some sites can have quite a slope to them so leveling jacks may be required. Each site does have water and electricity (50A, 30A and 20A standard) but no sewer hook ups. However, there is a dump station near the park exit so you can empty your wastewater tanks before you leave. Generally, sites are large enough for a single RV and perhaps a small car. If you have multiple cars, there is an overflow lot available. We saw folks park their extra vehicle with boat and jetski trailers in this lot.

Each site has a covered table with lantern hook, fire ring and BBQ Grill. Most sites have enough room for a couple of tents and plenty of trees and shade however, there are a few sites like 17, 18 and 19 that have sparse tree coverage.

Several sites run along the lake but there is no beach area at these sites. In fact, sites along the lake are generally next to a cliff so it can be dangerous, especially for young ones. There is a warning sign (see additional images) as well as a short cable like fence to keep campers from wandering too close to the cliffs.

Restrooms
There are 2 restrooms in the campgrounds themselves and another over in the day use area. Restrooms do have 2 shower stalls and multiple toilets and are a short walk from most campsites. There is parking in front for those that don't want to walk. The staff does try to keep the restrooms clean but I don't think they are kept quite as clean as you would find at the state parks. The fixtures are somewhat dated but there is hot and cold running water for the showers.

Activities

As stated earlier, there is a large day use area with covered tables for large gatherings, pic nics, etc. We did see people set up in the day use area as well as a few that set up on the edge of the water at the day use area. There is also several hiking/biking trails with separate parking for those that enjoy getting their exercise. Trails are well marked but can be a bit rocky so wear good boots (see additional images). Unlike the trails at Palmetto, you really would not want to try taking a stroller on these trails, nor would these trails be good for the little ones or elderly due to the rocky nature of the terrain.

Since it is on Lake Georgetown, boating and water related activities are a great choice at this campground. Access to the the water from the campsite is somewhat limited however, there is a fishing/swimming dock a short walk away. The lake is a pretty decent size at 1300 surface acres and is a great spot for fishing, sailing, power boating, water skiing or just the leisurely paddle in a kayak or other human powered watercraft. With it's own dedicated launch ramp it's easy for boats of all kind to get out on the water. For the fisherman, the lake supports both large and small mouth bass, stripped bass, catfish, crappie and other varieties. There are some beach areas where swimmers can enjoy a dip in the water as well. Keep in mind, lake levels can fluctuate due to drought or excessive rain.

While there is no store on site for forgotten items, shopping in nearby Georgetown is just a short drive away. It's quite interesting because while you feel like you are deep in the woods, everything from grocery stores to restaurants are easily accessible within just a few miles. Georgetown has a number of quaint antique shops and other unique shopping experiences for those looking for a day adventure outside the park.

Internet Connectivity
Internet connectivity and cell reception was good in the park. You should have no trouble making/receiving calls or jumping on the internet if you really need to but remember, you are camping so, disconnect and give yourself a break.

Additional Pictures

Palmetto State Park:

Located just off highway 183 between Gonzales Texas and Luling Texas is a beautiful Texas State Park called Palmetto. Named after the Dwarf Palemetto that grows throughout the park, it was constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in the 1930s. Sitting on 270 acres, this park is adjacent to the San Marcos River and is a an excellent choice for a quick get away from the Austin, San Antonio and Houston areas as you can easily access the park in about 1 hour from Austin and 2 hours from Houston area.

Sites
It is a relatively small park with only about 37 sites and a few cabins so it can fill up fast. The San Marcos River divides the park into 2 campgrounds with 19 primitive/tent sites (water only) and a few cabins on one side and 18 developed sites that have electricity and water on the other. There is a low water foot bridge that joins the 2 campgrounds. The roads into the campground are well maintained however, signage directing you into the correct side for your stay can be easily missed so watch closely and check a map before heading out. Being a small park, reservations can go quickly so call before you haul. Each side of the campground has a park host on duty that helps to keep things in order. The hosts can also sell you firewood (assuming no burn ban in place) and ice. However, there is no store on site so you have to drive into Gonzales or Lulling (about 15 mins drive) if you forget something. There is overflow parking if you have more vehicles than can fit in your site but that does require a $3.00 fee at the time of this posting.

Sites 1-19 (1 reserved for park host) are developed with water and electricity and support RVs, Motor Homes, Trailers, etc. The sites are single wide pads but plenty deep enough for full size RVs/Trailers. The trees are generally far away from the pad and the tree canopy high enough so that they don't interfere with RVs. However, even with trees kept clear of the pads, there is PLENTY of shade and coverage throughout the entire campground. Each site has a table and lantern pole and plenty of space to pitch a tent or two. They also have a fire pit with grill and a separate BBQ grill.

There was also a small dump station on this side so you can empty your tanks before leaving.

Sites 20-41 (2 reserved for park hosts) on the opposite side of the river and actually closer to the park entrance when coming from hwy 183. Like sites 1-19, there are plenty of trees and shade. However, these sites are more for tent campers and primitive camping with water but no electricity. The parking for each site is typically double wide but shallow so unless you have a small teardrop, a trailer will not really fit on this side. As with the other sties, there are the same fire pit, smoker/grill, table and lantern pole. This is probably a more family friendly side as it sits next to the playground and lake.

Group Camping is also available as there is a large group site located on the 21-41 side of the river. I did not get any pictures of this area as it was in use by a large group and I did not want to intrude on their weekend.

There is a paved, low water crossing connecting both campgrounds. This also provides easy access to the river. We met 1 couple that was using the low water crossing to drop in with their tubes to float down the river. They told us that it was a nice 20 min float down the river to where you can exit and a short 5 min walk be back to the crossing to drop back in...sounded quite fun.

Restrooms
The restrooms were kept clean however, the fixtures were certainly dated. They were easily within walking distance however, they were located at the entrance of each campground so sites near the back of the campground had a longer walk, even so it was still a short walk from one end of the campground to the restroom. Each restroom had parking out front if you were not up to the walk.

One thing to be aware of is that the park had the restrooms mixed up. The primitive campsites (21-41) had only 1 stall in the men's room (2 in the women's) and no showers while the developed side (1-19) had 2 showers and multiple stalls. So the side that serves RVs which did not need the stalls/showers as much had more than the side that had primitive camping which really needed more stalls/showers.

We did run into a slight issue while we were there. Over the night, the bathrooms on the developed side did have a back up and so they had to close the bathrooms down to fix them. Therefore, we had to run to the other side or to the park headquarters to use the restroom.

Common/Day Use Areas
On the Tent side grounds there was a common day use area with grills and tables that sat right next to a playground for kids. On the RV side there was also a common area (no playground) along with the original stone house built during the construction of the park. There was plenty of parking for the common areas. The stone house can be reserved for special occasions and was actually being used for a wedding while we were there.

Activities

Hiking/Biking - There are miles of trails for those that enjoy hiking. While we did not hike all the trails the trails were well groomed and easy enough for hikers of all ages and skill levels. We only found one trail that had one spot on it that might be difficult for the very young or the elderly that might have mobility challenges. Trail heads were well marked and it would be difficult to accidentally stray off the trail. On all the trails we did hike, you could easily take a jogging type stroller (with larger bicycle style wheels) with ease. Trails were also pet friendly with deck type foot bridges or grate type with boards down the center so pets could easily walk across them.

There are plenty of interesting things to see while hiking including wildlife, native trees and shrubbery and things left over from the original construction of the park.

Geo Caching - The state parks here in Texas do have a geocache program that places goodies just off the trail for folks to find. The place goodies and a log book in large ammo boxes and work with various geocache apps.

Water related activities - There is plenty of fun to be had in the water. With a spring fed lake, campers can stay cool and enjoy a lot of activities. The campground has rental services for paddle boats, kayaks and canoes (on the lake). If you have your own, you can also explore the San Marcos river. During our weekend there, we saw people enjoying:

Swimming
Kayak/Canoe
Tubing
Paddle Boats
Fishing

NOTE - Keep an eye on the weather as the river can quickly rise creating very dangerous flash flood conditions.

Shopping
As stated earlier, nearest shopping is in Luling or Gonzales. Both are quaint, historical towns and a lot of local color and flavor. We happened to camp during the "Come and Take It Festival" in Gonzales where there was live music, a parade and other fun activities.

Internet Connectivity
Connectivity was pretty good at the park. We had several bars on our cell phones and I was able to use my hot spot to get internet connectivity.

Video Review:
Coming soon

Additional Pictures