We’ve gotten some questions from friends and family about the lack of blog postings from us lately. We are still on the road and we are still maintaining our blog but we have been taking some time off just to relax. For 2022, we’re planning to return to some places we’ve already been as well as spend some more time with family so I suspect that posts will be few and far between for a while. But it’s time to catch everyone up on what we’ve been up to.
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Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Site Quality / Amenities: Asphalt roads and concrete pads. There is a decent amount of space between sites but they are not huge. Standard pull-thru sites are 80′ long so plenty big for us. There are rest rooms with showers, laundry rooms, a fitness center and a business center. There is also a heated pool, a picnic area and a playscape. There are two dog parks and a pickleball court.
Type: Commercial Park
Access: Off Ronald Reagan Blvd. (Parmer Lane) west of Georgetown and north of Cedar Park.
Staff: The staff were very friendly at check-in but we didn’t really see them after that.
Cellular/Wi-Fi: Verizon was fast at 44 Mbps and AT&T was a bit slower. Both suffered from intermittent latency issues and occasional drop outs.
Restaurants: There are numerous restaurants nearby in Georgetown, Cedar Park and Liberty Hill.
Nearby parks: We didn’t check out any other parks in the area.
What we liked: Concrete roads and pads. Our site had a good amount of room on the outdoor side.
What we didn’t like: The paved porch is too far forward for Fifth Wheels, putting it beside the tow vehicle. Regular sites did not have picnic tables or chairs. Camp fires are not allowed.
Verdict: Good place for longer stays in the area.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Location: Georgetown, Texas
Site Quality / Amenities: Asphalt roads and pads. Each site has a covered picnic table, grill and fire ring. Water and Electric only, bath house and restrooms in each loop. The southern loop (nearest the lake) has 50A power while the northern loop is 30A only.
Type: COE Park
Access: Access via Jim Hogg road from Williams Dr. (2338). Lakeway Dr. is good to get to Williams from the north on I35 as is 970 to Andice from 183.
Staff: We had little interaction with staff at the park but they were always friendly.
Cellular/Wi-Fi: Verizon and AT&T were fast at about 21 Mbps.
Restaurants: We have numerous favorites in the area since we lived here.
Nearby parks: Cedar Breaks on the south side of the lake.
What we liked: Nice well kept park with less cedar trees than Cedar Breaks (important since the cedars drop sap) and also with less rocks so the ground was easier and more stable to walk across.
What we didn’t like: No sewer hookups. The dump station is on the way out of the park which is a bit far for a tote tank although it works. The real issue is that if there is a line you may not be able to exit the park as the line blocks the road out.
Verdict: A nice alternative to Cedar Breaks if not just a bit farther to Round Rock where our doctors and friends are. Might be a good choice for the April/May visit as we could probably get a site that isn’t below cedar trees that drop sap. Good sites for us: Lower loop (50A sites) – 12, 14, 21, 22, 24, 26, 28, 34, 35, 37, 42, 43, 46, 47, 55; also sites 66 and 76 might be ok. Upper loop (30A sites) – 88, 89, 94, 97, 106, 116, 118, 126, and 142. Sites 105, 127 and 129 also might be ok. The upper loop sites should only be selected as a last resort.
We stayed at Lake Brownwood State Park in late October 2021 on our way back to the Round Rock area for doctor appointments and visits with friends. The park had many good points but one thing it has in common with many Texas State Parks is that they simply don’t live up to the quality and amenities of parks in many other states. It is a bit rustic and in need of some TLC. All that said, it’s still a nice place to visit and we’ll likely come back. In addition to fishing and nice views of the lake there are lots of trails within the park although most of them are labeled as moderate due to both some elevation changes of a few hundred feet and due to rough and rocky trails that require care when hiking. In our case, we had gusty winds up to 45 mph every day we were here so we only hiked the trails between our campsite and the lake on one day.
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Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Site Quality / Amenities: Concrete roads and pads. Some sites are pretty spacious while other are not. For big rigs you have to pay extra for a larger site.
Type: Commercial Park
Access: Access to the park is along the south west access road for I-27 at loop 289. From the north side you need to circle around on loop 289 on the west side of Lubbock taking the exit for US-87 south / Tahoka and circling around to the south to enter the park. From the south going north on US-84 get on loop 289 and circle back at University Ave then exit as above.
Staff: The staff were very friendly at check-in but we didn’t really see them after that.
Cellular/Wi-Fi: Verizon was reasonably fast at 13 Mbps and AT&T was a bit slow at 3 Mbps.
Restaurants: Twisted Root Burgers – we went back here after trying it before when our daughter went to school at Texas Tech. It was parent weekend so they could have been a bit busier than normal but overall the service and burgers were off.
Nearby parks: Mesa Verde, 503 US-62, Wolfforth (South West side of Lubbock). No trees, easy navigation through the park, good Verizon. Most sites are wide enough to park the truck beside the trailer. Good location for our doctors. Camelot Village, 6001 34th St, Lubbock (West side). Good location for our doctors. The park seems nearly 100% full but mostly permanent residents – may be tough to get a transient site for more than a week or two. Loop 289 RV Park, 3436 W Loop 289 Access Rd. (West side near Camelot Village). Good location but it’s doubtful we could get a long enough site. Many permanent residents. Lubbock RV Park 4811 North, I-27, Lubbock, TX 79403 by the airport. Sites at west (back) end of the park >site 70 are probably OK. Best sites at the far back seem to be premium. Some low trees inside the park would likely hit the trailer. Construction on the service road south of the park is a pain in 11/2022. Verizon was great there. Cottonland, 5040 E Hwy 62, 82, Lubbock (North est side). Dirt road with mix of paved and unpaved sites but mud was not bad the day after heavy rain. May be mostly long term, particularly the sites with concrete pads, and may be hard to book. Verizon was slow. Lubbock KOA, 5502 County Rd 6300 (North west side near The Shack). Not too bad but a bit muddy after heavy rain the day before – much worse than the other parks reviewed or The Retreat. All gravel both roads and sites. Indoor pool was nice.
What we liked: Concrete roads and pads. Our site had plenty of room on the outdoor side.
What we didn’t like: It’s a bit difficult to get into the park due to it’s location. The sites were awkwardly laid out. The porch was way too far forward for any kind of RV. The water and sewer connections were also far forward. The only connection conveniently located was power. Can’t book more than 14 days at a time online or early. For long term stays you have to check with them 2 weeks before you want to arrive.
Verdict: We will stay here again if we decide to visit the area.