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Camp at Pace Bend Park

Spicewood, Texas

4.4/5
based on 7 reviews

Description

Added by Brooke Simmons

Pace Bend is located 45 minutes west of Austin. Set up your campsite and enjoy plenty of hiking and biking trails. These 400 campsites are equipped with picnic tables and barbecue grills/fire rings.

Pace Bend is a favorite camping and day use destination near Austin, Texas. The park is approximately 45 minutes West of Austin located off of Hwy 71 and offers visitors a wide range of recreational activities. There is an entrance fee of $10 per vehicle for Day Use only and $15 per vehicle for primitive campsites (the park currently only accepts cash or credit/ debit cards).

With 400 primitive campsites and 20 improved campsites, the park operates on a first-come, first-served basis. Primitive campsites include picnic tables, fire rings, and plenty of tress to provide privacy.

The west side of the park offers large limestone cliffs with scenic overlooks of Lake Travis whereas the east side of the park offers gentle, sloping shorelines and sandy beaches. The interior of the park is accessible by foot, bike or horseback only and is managed as a wildlife preserve.

Make sure to bring plenty of food and water with you as the nearest store is a gas station located about 5.5 miles away and doesn't offer many options.

For more information on camping in the park, head to parks.traviscountytx.gov or call (512) 854-PARK.

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Features

Chillin
Camping
Photography
Mountain Biking
Swimming
Hiking
Beach
Easy Parking
Family Friendly
Forest
Groups
Scenic
Cliff Jumping

Reviews

We decided to take a short 2 mile hike this morning. We drove to the NW trail head and hiked until our dog decided to turn us around. The trails are rocky and have natural tree cover. Would need to be cautious if you are biking since the terrain is hilly with rocks throughout. We found a few places we are going to go back for camping. The views of the lake and rocky cliffs are probably our favorites. Our dog enjoyed the trails, but would advise that people leash their dogs as to not lose them or have to worry about injury. All in all was a great place to hike and we will head back to try camping here.

During peak camping season, literally every campsite at a state park within 2 hours of Austin are booked. Pace Bend is one of the few places you can find a campsite. They have over 400 primitive campsites making is easy to just drive out there knowing you will find a place to camp. It's our go-to during the fall. Plus the sunsets are beautiful!

I spent 3 months at Pace Bend in the late 70s. At that time it was affectionately nicknamed Paleface Park and was mixed nude/clothed. Hippy Hollow was all-nude, but at Paleface you didn't feel out of place with or without clothes. I see all these reviews today and not one mentions nudity, so I'm guessing that's no longer a thing. But that's ok, my skinnydipping days have been over for a long time anyway!

This really is a great getaway not far from Austin. Pace Bend is not the quietest place to camp, but if you just need to get away for a few nights and sleep under the stars, it's legit. And the cliff jumping is fantastic if the lake water level is high enough.

The Spot, as my girlfriend and I refer to it, was he most beautiful primitive campsite in the entire park. It was tucked on the corner of South Taylor Cove with a beautiful scene of the lake. It was one of the only campsites on the West side of the park, where you could traverse down the rocks to get a close spot right at water level. There was plenty of tree cover and two picnic benches. We went on a Thursday and left on a Saturday in early February and the weather was beautiful! The day's full of sunshine and swim suites, and as we watched the sunset, we had our jackets on as the temperature dropped, so it was nice and cool at night. The trails were well maintained and we can't wait to take another adventure back to 'The Spot'

Situated on a peninsula of the lake, this park has great water views from every campsite we saw. It also has amazing sunsets. The boat and lake noise may keep you up, but the views and water access can make up for it. The hiking trails are nice and well marked.

Pace Bend gives you the beautiful opportunity to camp right on a cliffside to Lake Travis or some sites are even on the beach. If you're into mountain biking it has some of the best singletrack in TX apart from Palo Duro. For road bikers many like to ride the loop of the peninsula to take in all the views the park has to offer.

Leave No Trace

Always practice Leave No Trace ethics on your adventures and follow local regulations. Please explore responsibly!

Nearby

Climb at Pace Bend Park

Hike through Muleshoe Bend Recreation Area

Hike the Vista Knoll Loop

Catch a Sunset at Balcones Canyonlands Sunset Deck

Hike the Cactus Rocks Trail

Hike Hamilton Greenbelt