Camping and Hiking at Lake Buchanan

Family Camping At Lake Buchanan

Lake Buchanan, one of the largest of the Highland Lakes, is a wonderful place to take the family camping and hiking. Your family can enjoy all the great aspects of camping, like story telling, making s’mores and piling together in a tent to catch some zzz’s. The nice thing about Lake Buchanan is that it also provides more than a campsite, giving campers a variety of other activities at and near the lake to stay busy and explore the outdoors.

Base Camp and Hiking at Canyon of the Eagles

You have other wonderful camp site and hiking options available at and near Lake Buchanan, but Canyon of the Eagles is an especially nice spot to make home base for a family camping trip. The park has three camping areas available with multiple camp sites, all with access to shower facilities. Located right at the park are 14 miles of hiking trails and 3 miles of lake front access. Most (but not all) of the trails are on flatter terrain, making for enjoyable excursions to enjoy the wildlife, lakeside views and, if you time it right, the blooming Texas Bluebonnets and Indian Paintbrush wildflowers in the springtime. Oak and cedar trees are plentiful, providing shade for guests and homes and food for the wildlife at the park. You’ll likely get front row access to animals like armadillos, rabbits, and squirrels, along with the occasional deer. The park also offers educational programs lead by an ecology expert that are perfect for kids, as well as guided nature hikes and evening entertainment like a cowboy poet and movies under the stars.

Birding enthusiasts will further appreciate Canyon of the Eagles to observe endangered birds. Most of the 940 acres of the park land is set aside as a nature preserve, and the park was named in honor of its winter guests, the American Bald Eagle, that nests here in the winter months. Other endangered bird species are the Black-capped Vireo and Golden-cheeked Warbler. Be aware that depending on the time of year, some of the hiking trails may be closed to protect the mating and nesting season of these birds.

Other nearby day trips and excursions include the unique caverns at Longhorn Caverns, the hiking trails at Enchanted Rock, a 425 foot granite dome with spectacular views from the summit and Colorado Bend State Park that has a number of outdoor recreation options including tours of Gorman Falls.

Fun on the Lake

It’s impossible to not have a good time in the water at Lake Buchanan. It is such a large lake that it is never crowded, making it a wonderful recreation lake to enjoy. There are a number of locations to rent all types of boats from motor and pontoon boats to canoes and kayaks, as well as Jet Skis. Most rental facilities also rent the accessories like inner tubes and water skis for added water fun. Visitors are also welcome to bring their own boat or to simply swim and enjoy the cool water.

Fisherman, or those who want to learn to be fisherman, will enjoy the quiet fishing spots around the lake. Lake Buchanan is stocked with Large Mouth Bass, White Bass, Striped Bass, Catfish, White Crappie, and Sunfish. Guided fishing excursions are also available for anyone that wants to ensure they have a successful fishing excursion.